The Blighty Redeyes travelled to Katamatite to take on the reigning premiers, with some rain and muddy conditions, which made for a scrappy affair.
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The flu ran rampant through the team, however the boys showed some real fight and effort and did not go down easily.
Katamatite showed their class at times, and their ball movement was too slick, however Blighty matched them at the contest and maintained high tackling pressure for most of the day.
It’s always good to play the best and measure up, and the team will do it again next week against Katandra.
Final score: Blighty 6.4 (40) def by Katamatite 20.15 (135).
Reserves
Travelling to Katty plagued by illness, the seconds were running on reserves with 15 blokes unavailable.
The club is super thankful to the players stepping in playing two and three games to be able to get enough magnets on the board, and the Katty boys coming for a run against their mates to help the team out.
Nobody could fault the effort and fight by the boys all day, and there were still signs of positive improvement around the ground despite the scoreboard.
Jack ‘Belt’ Sander’s use of the ball after the addition of Frankie White to the ruck showed a lot of promise.
Billy Lawes fought and worked hard all day in the guts, getting good possession numbers, and the ‘Backline Boys’ - big Danyon Williams and Shannon Bond - were consistent hardworking standouts.
Final score: Blighty 1.0 (6) def by Katamatite 18.9 (117).
Best: Danyon Williams, Shannon Bond, Frankie White, Billy Lawes, Jack Sander.
Thirds
Going into the game a few men down as the dreaded flu had struck, and with a few boys playing at only 50 per cent, it was a really hard slog.
This takes nothing away from Katty. They played a good brand of wet weather footy, and we were beaten by a much better side.
Better players for the day were Nut Goodsell, Sam Conallin, Jake Harvey, Charlie Hetherington, Henry Learmonth and Xander Strong.
Final score: Blighty 0.1 (1) def by Katamatite 21.14 (140).
Fourths
With players suffering the effects of colds and flu, we still were able to fill a full team.
However, the team didn’t have its usual buzz about it, so Katamatite was able to get the win.
Daniel Burn wasn’t himself but soldiered through the game and still was awarded best on ground.
Harlem Morgan had one of her best games to date, and Kayden Leach is becoming a very strong team member.
Langa Fevaleaki had another great game playing in multiple positions, always winning the ruck.
It was great to have Tom Clohesy back. He was put in back line and put some real determination in to help slow the game score.
The Good Sport award went to Lucas Hovenden. He came up from the fifths and showed no fear playing in the older team. It’s always exciting to watch him.
Final score: Blighty 0.3 (3) def by Katamatite 11.16 (82).
Fifths
Fresh after a midweek training session with AFL star Anthony Koutoufides, our kids were determined to put on a good performance.
With a lot of rain during the week, we encountered a wet and slippery oval which required some adjustment.
In the first quarter, Katamatite had us on the back foot as we struggled to get our hands on the ball despite applying good pressure.
We settled into the game with a few positional moves and players adapted positively.
It was great to see the kids working hard right until the final siren.
Final score: Not scored.
Awards: Ari, Victor, Eli, Gideon, Hunter and Jack D.