Olinda vs. Weston

Photo day! Our boys were impressive - all shiny and hopeful - Alas, the first quarter took away some of that shine. Weston were definitely the more determined team and monopolized the ball in the first term. The opposition managed some lovely passages of play and seemed to be finding team mates all over the ground! ("Man-Up Olinda!!!")
The Olinda boys began to settle in and certainly increased the effort and concentration in the second half. Once again our defense were working overtime but found it difficult to move the ball forward. The game seemed to be dominated by packs on top of the ball and our boys could not get clear to show of their skills.
I have asked for more contesting and more desire from every player next week. To really enjoy playing this excellent game of ours! Go Footy!

Awards:
Hunter: Courageous and skillful and always in the thick of it.
Tom: Never never hangs his head, always plays like it's the last minute in a grand final!
Jeremy L: Playing in the same grand final as Tom, under every pack today!
Fynn: Being first to the ball on a couple of occasions, good looking for team mates to give to!
Cameron J: Continues to improve with every game, confidence soaring along with his skills!

Olinda vs. Belgrave

Back in form! Tough opposition today - when the going gets tough the tough get going! Olinda under 10's showed us that they can compete with the best. Once again our backline were superb and kept the scoring to a minimum. They chased hard and contested everything. Well done defense!
I was very pleased to see players beginning to think about their positions, waiting back and covering each other in the goal square. Manning- up was also better, giving me more breath to shout encouragements rather than just reminding to "man-up!" I was very proud of the spirit and commitment shown by each boy today! Wonderful effort under 10's!
Keep up the enthusiasm for the last couple of rounds and make sure you get to training!

Awards:
Matt: For excellent chasing, running and being first to the ball. Back in form Matt!
Tim: Sticking close to his player all day - being instrumental in keeping the ball in the forward line so Olinda could score a goal!
Joshua G: Wonderful game, wonderful commitment, wonderful skills!
Cameron J: Lovely defensive work. Listening to instructions all day. Thinking about his position.
Joshua A: Great efforts to be first to the ball. Committed and focused all game!

I pleaded with the boys before the game to man up and contest every ball. We knew our opposition were a strong experienced team and we would have to be super committed to make this a contest! What a wonderful effort from our back line all day. They scrambled, they dove, they tackled and put pressure on Seville, keeping the score very respectable. I was especially happy to see second and third efforts to tackle and chase. Some of the work in the goal square was great with players throwing themselves at the ball and generally working extremely hard! Seville were stronger on the day but Olinda battled hard and made them earn their points! Well done on another great effort filled with enthusiasm and sportsmanship!

Awards:
Sam : Another superb effort, chasing, tackling and being first to the ball. Clearly a wonderful player!
Louis: Does he ever have an off game? Not yet! So reliable, so hard working and stamps his mark every time!
Tom: Everyone knows Tom will get the ball - no matter what! Excellent game today, showing all his skill and commitment in the packs!
Wil C: Awesome game! Wil's development has been lovely to see. He was so courageous today and made sure his presence was felt.
Tim R: For listening to the instructions and doing exactly what was asked of him. Excellent man-ing-up and sticking close to your player! Well done Tim!

Round 10: Olinda Ferny Creek vs. Healesville

At 10.50 we had 12 players ready to go. Luckily Healesville had 31 players and were willing to 'loan' us as many as needed. Thank you! A timely reminder that if you are unable to play it is really important that you let me know! If you don't say anything I will assume you are playing! Thank you to those boys and parents who do the right thing!
A really good effort again from our under 10's. They were down some key players but were able to use their enthusiasm to keep them in the game. Lots of running, some superb chasing and commitment in the packs. Our defense were kept busy and fought hard all day, managing to keep the score respectable. Olinda had some difficulty getting the ball quickly to their forward line and needed many reminders to stay in position. It's hard to stay back when all you want to do is help your teammates get the ball! Overall these young players fought hard and stayed keen all game. Well Done Olinda!
The senior umpire and opposition coach made a point of mentioning the superb sportsmanship shown by OFC under 10's. Healesville said we were the 'nicest bunch of kids they have played all year!" That makes me really happy - Go Bloods!

Awards:
Cameron J (senior): For not ever backing away from the ball. Good clean pick ups and reliable kicking. Cameron is showing improvement in each game he plays!
Cameron J (junior): For an excellent effort in his very first game of football. He ran hard, was super keen and showed us some of his lovely skills. More like that Cameron!
Ben D: Ever reliable, always superb. Enthusiasm plus skills is a lovely combination!
Ryley M: Another boy who just gets better each game. So brave, so committed and so adept at coming out with the ball.
Nick R: For excellent chasing, excellent listening to instructions and showing tons of commitment.

What a beautiful drive on a Sunday morning...
Louis led us on to the ground and got a huge cheer from his team mates for winning the toss (stone, paper, scissors) and kicking downhill!
Our boys were keen and seemed to be enjoying the sun. Kicking was nice and long and two superb 'right through the middle' goals from Joshua G gave Olinda a great start. Once again our under 10's were contesting everything and anything. However, Wesburn fought hard, tackled superbly and began to be first to the ball. My throat began to resent my shouting of "Man-up Olinda!"

A wee rest and some vitamin C at half time saw Olinda return to run harder and kick more quickly . There was some excellent long kicking and slick team play. The opposition found it difficult to get a clear run. Our centre stepped up and began to win the clearances and our backline shut down (with some loud prompting to get back in position and stay on a player!!) Although it is lovely to see so many boys want to get involved in the play, we need to remember to hold our positions to be ready for the quick turn around.
Excellent effort from all players! You all got red, sweaty and dirty and played with heaps of enthusiasm! These boys are really working hard and doing a great job!

Awards:
Jeremy L : I could write a paragraph.. For being everywhere I looked and doing everything superbly. He also managed to tag out their star player! (Yes we have tactics in under 10's!)
Joshua G : For beautiful skills, having trust in himself and running his heart out! Joshua shows us every game that he can play and make an impact wherever he's put.
Hunter :         For superb chasing, getting so much of the ball and huge heart on the field! When the umpire blows the whistle, chances are Hunter is on the bottom of the pack!
Darcy :                For excellent rucking and jumping against a taller player. Second and third efforts at every contest. Lovely big kicks and safe marking all game.
Tarwin :        For thinking about his positioning all day. Having the confidence to go for and pull off that awesome mark in the final quarter!

Olinda Ferny Creek Vs. Woori Yallock

Who would of thought? The improvement that these boys have shown in just seven games of football is remarkable!
Woori Yallock were very solid and skilled and certainly had most of the ball in the first quarter. Once again our defense were up to the task and scrambled well to only allow three goals through the posts. At quarter time the boys were still keen and there was no sign of 'head hanging.' I asked them to be first to the ball (and pick it up!) and help each other. Once again these young players were up to the task. A come back! The rest of the game was fiercely competitive, tackles were hard and Olinda ran in packs. The boys were sweating and calling for water, but did not stop running! A tight hard game that could have gone either way!
I've been telling the boys that the teams they will play will be tough and hard. I was reminded at training last week that people are now talking about Olinda Ferny Creek as tough and hard! Keep training and playing with this spirit and enthusiasm under 10's- you're making us very proud!

Awards:
Sam - For giving his all when not feeling the best.
Joshua G - Contesting at every opportunity, running hard to support.
Louis - For making the most of every opportunity, penetrating kicking.
Aiden - For contesting, tackling and very clean skills.
Daniel - Rucking with energy, involving himself whenever he could.
Joshua A - For contesting the ground balls, kicking his first goal.

Special Mention to Wil S and Tim R for training well all season and desperately waiting to turn 8! They played their first game on Sunday, many more to come!