Under-16
Rochester’s under-16s travelled to Bendigo to take on Castlemaine.
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The Tigers controlled the first quarter, but were unable to get much reward for their efforts. They managed to kick the first two goals of the game. The first came through a strong mark and goal from Lachie Joyce. Rory Hayes snapped cleverly after some strong footy from Trey White to kick the second. Rochester kicked two, but could have easily kicked more. A late goal to Castlemaine meant scores were level at quarter-time.
The second quarter saw the Tigers play some of their best footy for the season as they ran and supported each other and used the ball effectively inside 50. Unlike the first quarter, they got scoreboard reward for their efforts, kicking five goals for the quarter and managing to keep Castlemaine goalless.
Goals to Harrison Keating, Jimmy Otto, Lachie Joyce, Matt Harrington and Trey White resulted in a dominant term for the Tigers. This earned the boys a 31-point lead at half-time and the team was looking to run away with the game.
Howerver, the third quarter saw Castlemaine pile on four goals to the Tigers’ two in what was a disappointing term for the boys. Otto kicked his second and Joyce his third as the boys kicked some important goals to keep themselves in front. But they lacked urgency and were continually beaten in one-on-one contests. The boys still had a comfortable lead at three-quarter time, leading by 20 points.
Castlemaine charged out of the blocks and took total control of the game. A goal against the tide from Otto halted the Magpies’ progress, but it was only temporary. Castlemaine evened up the scores with four minutes left in the game and a missed set shot meant that for the first time in the game, the Tigers were behind.
With just over a minute left, Joyce won the ball on the wing and found a free Oli Williams 60m out from goal. Williams went back and bombed the ball to the goal square, where Keating rose above the pack to take an awesome pack mark. He calmly went back and kicked truly to put the Tigers back in front.
Castlemaine won the clearance and surged the ball forward to the 50m arc. The boys were throwing themselves in recklessly and there were repeat stoppages after repeat stoppages. A desperate late kick from a young Magpie fell just short and the siren blew with the ball in the goal square. Although the Tigers will be disappointed with their second half, they must be proud of their effort to get up and win when they looked like they were beaten.
For the Tigers, Joyce was the best player. He kicked three goals and won a huge amount of the footy all over the ground. Hayes continued his great run of form and linked up well through the midfield. Jordy Rasmussen organised the backline and was able to intercept many forward thrusts. Keating was again excellent. His run and carry with the footy and his use of the footy was first class. Williams ran hard on his wing to support the backline and was able to push the ball forward on many occasions. Angus Ferguson continues to get better and better and his calm head in the backline was crucial to the Tigers’ win. Bill Hipwell played his best game of the year and his precise kicking helped set up many forward attacks. Paddy Eeles played his typical tough and relentless style of footy and never gave up.
Final score: Rochester 11.6 (72) d Castlemaine 10.7 (67)
Goals: Joyce 3, Otto 3, Keating 2, Hayes, Harrington, White 1. Best: Lachie Joyce, Rory Hayes, Jordy Rasmussen, Harrison Keating, Oli Williams, Angus Ferguson, Bill Hipwell.
Rochester Football Netball Club one-percenter award: Paddy Eeles. Rochester Hotel award: Lachie Joyce.
Under-14
Rochy’s under-14s travelled to Kangaroo Flat on Sunday and took to the ground with some key positional changes in the hope that it would be enough to beat the Roos, who sit just above Rochy on the ladder.
The change was working for the first quarter with neither team scoring for at least the first 10 minutes. The quarter ended with neither side kicking a goal as Rochy held the lead, 0.3 to 0.2. Harvey Keating was stopping plenty of attack across the backline and Darby Martin was marking strongly across the ground.
Rochy displayed some great passages of team play in the second quarter and managed to move the ball around nicely. Tom Drust was great at taking the game on, Amon Riordan was hitting the ball at pace and Morgan Boyack showed great vision for his teammates. However, Kangaroo Flat got a move on and managed to convert on the scoreboard much better than the Tigers did. At half-time, Rochy was down by 12 points.
The third quarter looked promising with Leo Hayes getting the Tigers’ first goal of the game. A great contest from Asher Lehmann set off a passage of play that resulted in Cale James kicking the Tigers’ second. Kassidy Cail was spoiling marks everywhere, however by the third break the Roos had extended their lead to 15 points.
The final quarter was tough going for the Tigers. The Roos piled on four goals, but Jag Tarrant and Zac Morgan continued to lead the backline in what was a gallant effort.
Overall, the Tigers put forward a great team effort for the day, but unfortunately could only get one more point on the board in the final quarter and went down to Kangaroo Flat by 41 points.
Final score: Rochester 2.7 (19) lost to Kangaroo Flat 8.12 (60)
Best: Darby Martin, Harvey, Keating, Tom Drust, Leo Hayes, Cale James, Jag Tarrant.
Goals: Leo Hayes, Cale James
Mayreef Pty Ltd one-percenter award: Amon Riordan. Play of the day: Asher Lehmann. Rochy Hotel meal award: Kassidy Cail.
Under-12
The Tigers’ under-12s took on Echuca on a glorious Sunday morning at Windridge Oval. Conditions were perfect and the standard of the game was very high.
The Echuca Bombers were first out of the blocks, snagging the first goal within minutes. The Tiger cubs were shocked into gear and they dominated the rest of the quarter. A brilliant set shot from Taylor Murray was the Tigers’ first goal of the game. The midfield, through Asher and Harry Rasmussen, Judd Cuttriss and Mason Mundie, got right on top. Seth Hunter kicked another incredible goal, launching a long barrel that bounced through for the Tigers’ second. Judd kicked the third goal after a clever pass from Jaxon Wolfe.
The start of the second quarter saw the Tigers’ backline under the pump, but Louis Frawley, Mac Dickinson, Harrison Wilkins and Ryder Murray held up brilliantly, winning many one-on-one contests and tackling desperately for the whole quarter. Max Lea and Harrison Pangrazio on the wings ran hard to contribute at both ends of the ground. The second quarter saw both teams go goalless.
The third quarter saw the young Tigers begin to play their best run and carry footy for the game. Maddox Parker looked dangerous up forward and was able to help set up many scoring opportunities. The boys used handballs effectively and continually hit targets by foot as they opened the game up. A strong mark from Asher Rasmussen and a nice set shot started the quarter. Some brute strength from Mac saw him force another goal through and Harry Rasmussen added another to make it another three-goal quarter.
The boys continued to run the game out well and a nice snap from Mason Mundie capped off a great game for the boys. Rochester had winners all over the ground and all boys were able to get their hands on the footy and contribute to a very strong team performance. The midfield dominated, winning a huge amount of the ball and when they didn’t win it at the first attempt, they harassed Echuca until they won the ball back.
The team is undefeated for the year and the way that the boys team up and support each other is a delight to watch.
• The Rochester under-12 team travelled to Echuca on Friday, July 28, to take on a strong Echuca Bombers team.
With 15 of the boys playing school footy that day, the team looked a little sluggish and tired.
The first quarter’s play was dominated by Rochester, continually pushing the ball into its forward half, but was unable to convert its opportunities into goals. At the other end of the ground, Echuca was only provided one chance to score for the quarter and was able to make the most of it. Hugh Acocks was giving his all from the backline, Mason Mundie was providing a strong contest all over the ground and Harry Rasmussen was winning plenty of the ball.
The second quarter saw a very even contest, with most of the quarter played between the two arcs. Echuca was again able to capitalise on its opportunities and at half-time had scored two goals to none. The coaches implored the boys not to panic and to get back to winning the contest. A few positional changes also worked beautifully.
Asher Rasmussen was pushed forward in the second half and proved an excellent target. He had 10 shots on goal and ended up kicking five majors. Hugh continued to dominate across half-back and was swapped forward late in the game, kicking a great long goal. Mason also capped off a great night for himself with a clever snap for goal. Seth Hunter produced a great second half and his run produced many attacking drives. Noah Makepeace on the wing was clean and kicked the ball long whenever he got the chance. Judd Cuttriss was switched into the middle in the last quarter and was able to open the game up with his clean hands and clever disposal. Mac Dickinson was his usually bustling, tough self and did a lot of the heavy lifting.
The game was a very enjoyable and high standard game and it was great seeing the boys gets challenged and stretched. The coaches were very happy with how the boys responded and they played one of their best halves for the year in the second half.
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