New talent welcomed into GV Suns youth squads
Over the past few weeks we have welcomed some new talent into our youth squads with Jamie Coulthard, Liam Nash, Billy Reardon and Clayton Scott joining our under 18s.
Its terrific to see the new players welcomed by the squad and with 10 rounds to go we have time to build a strong core group - setting us up for next year (and taking the pressure off the under 16s who have stepped up on occasion to fill gaps in our top age group.)
We haven't put out the call for new players but the door is always open to anyone to come and trial with their age group and potentially join our squads for the remainder of the season or from the start of next. This may be attractive to some of our local players as their local comps wind up for the year.
If you know of local talent that would benefit from regularly playing with and against the best, please encourage them to contact our Technical Directors to discuss the options.
Our coaches go back to school
Developing our coaches is vital to how we develop as a club - its also an obligation of our NPL licence! Since we started in 2014, we have supported our coaches to complete relevant FFA/FFV qualifications and as a result our coaching group includes a growing number of C Licensed coaches.
This week
David Davkovski and
Shaban Mehmet are completing the second week of their B Licence at a week long intensive training program. It's a big undertaking for our coaches and their families but we will all benefit. Good luck guys - and happy birthday to Shaban.
Coaching arrangements this weekend
This season we have asked our coaches to coach other age groups when required. This is a healthy and often useful opportunity for players and our coaches. With both senior and junior games scheduled for Saturday at opposite ends of the state and the B-licence course continuing through the weekend our available coaches will be assigned to multiple groups this weekend. If you have any queries please talk to our Technical Directors.
Senior and Junior games are Saturday
At this stage the Under 14s and Under 18s are first games against Murray United at 10 am and 10:30 am. Meanwhile the seniors are scheduled for 5 pm and 7 pm against Dandenong Thunder at Dandenong.
Bus for U16 and U18 squads
A bus is available for Under 16 and Under 18 squad members to travel to and from away games. The service is strictly for these squads.
- Eligible players must confirm their seat at Friday night training.
- A charge of $20 return must be paid before or on the day.
- If you fail to turn you will still need to pay the $20 charge.
This weekend the bus will depart Saturday, 7 am sharp from McEwen Reserve.
Weekend game wraps
Under 12s
Tommy Giuliani
It was great to get the football back this weekend after a three week break.Combined with rotten weather and a very disrupted training schedule, this was a tougher than normal assignment for our under 12s. Our last game was also away to Dandenong City, a 4-2 win for us but a performance that left me disappointed. I didn't think our football was up to scratch at all.On Sunday we drew 2-2 but I thought we dominated the game from the outset and deserved so much more.
Our pre game focus was to use the full width of the pitch when we were in possession(BP) by getting our full backs and wingers high and as wide as the pitch permitted.When we lost the ball (BPO) we were looking for that quick transition into a compact shape with no space between the lines for them to play through the middle quickly thus enabling to the chance to win the ball back immediately. They did this very well,best exemplified by Harrison Mazzella on the right and Mitch Grumley on the left. They nullified their opponents and gave us lots of drive and width on the way out. Great stuff!
So our shape was good and we transitioned quickly which allowed us to dominate Dandenong for long periods through fast passing interchanges,good movement and a high tempo. It was a joy to watch those quick 1-2s. The boys are really embracing this "keep the ball" mentality. I can see them developing their skills and game intelligence. We created so many opportunities for our final third by working the ball through the midfield patiently and to feet that on another day with some more cutting edge in front of goals, we could have won this game 6-1! It was only errors that allowed Dandy to stay with the Suns. In the first ten minutes of the second half we hit the post, had 2 or three balls cleared off the line and had plenty of shots flashing just wide or over the top.
Even when things didn't come off for the boys, the intent to play real football was there,we just need to keep working hard on that polished end product-through continually improving their core skills. That was evident around tight areas such as throw-ins, we can get cleaner and bounce/play the way we face a little better still - that's a work in progress where at the moment we do it really well only in patches.
Well done to all the boys for playing with this pace and intensity,we worked really hard off the ball to close them down too and I really enjoyed the game as a spectacle. These kids really wore that shirt with pride as the best footballers in the GV as they continue their journey. I keep telling them to aim to play at the highest level possible. At club level they are playing at the highest level now which is an unbelievable opportunity not previously availed to regional kids. So they're in the pathway and look out for some of these kids in the future!!???⚽️
Under 13s
Matthew Lelliot
After a couple of weeks off the boys were ready to fire, and started the brighter of the two sides with Teng Kuol slotting one with ease. We felt in control but at times gave the ball away too easily. At half time we talked about keeping the ball and making sure we make our chances count. We ran out 3-1 winners thanks to a hattrick from Teng Kuol and support from Marcus Thomas and Mitchell Simpson with a great performance overall. Boys can't wait for next week after a couple of wins on the trot and we'll be looking to hold onto the ball a little bit longer but overall very happy.
Under 14s
Nathan Saron & James Lelliot
Around 17 Vs Dandenong Thunder SC It has been a tough lead up to this long road trip to play Thunder, through the school holidays and interrupted training nights, so when we have had the chance we have been working on BPO together as a unit getting compact, sliding, shuffling, holding, pressing and 1V1.
In the first half we didn't think we were completely out played even though the score was 3-0. The midfield responded to the tasks put to them and ran hard to pressure forcing Dandenong to play long balls to their striker. Unfortunately we were not able to counter this so 2 of the 3 goals were scored this way.
The boys stuck at it in the second half, Moses hit a good volley to beat the Dandy keeper, Darcy and Ciaran did well to keep attacking pressure on the opposition. We conceded a penalty and one other goal so the final score was 5-1. The problem James and I saw in this game was the skill errors, the passing was off or we just gave up the ball to easily.
Anthony has been named Captain for the rest of the season. Thanks to Caleb, Billy and Brandon for stepping up from the U13's.
Under 15s
Glen Wilson
On the weekend we played against the top team on the table and the end score line of a 5-nil loss didn’t accurately reflect the match. The lads started the game quite well and had a fair share of the ball and as a team we moved it forward to create a few good chances. As has been the case throughout the whole season, we just couldn’t convert to put any scoreboard pressure.
Unfortunately, due to a loss in concentration we allowed the opposition to score a couple quick goals – both from set-pieces…..both of these should’ve been prevented and we will work on defending these balls in coming weeks. A third goal was conceded before half-time directly from a turnover of the ball from a free-kick of our own.
Although down 3 goals at half-time, we felt that we were well in the game as we could’ve easily had 2 or 3 of our own. During the second half it is fair to say that our opposition significantly outplayed us, but our defence held strong until the last 5 mins where we conceded another couple.
In summary, our lads hadn’t played a match for almost 4 weeks and due to school holidays etc, a fair amount of training has been missed – and that was obvious by the way we played. This week sees us take on our arch rivals in Murray United and we aim to get even with them and take away all 3 points.
Under 16s
Paul Nieuwenhuizen
No report available this week.
Under 18s
Pat Kielty & Shaban Mehmet
After the enforced break the boys were all looking forward to playing competitive games again. Player numbers have improved dramatically in the 18 squad and this weekend we welcomed our newest recruit Clayton Scott. The first half was a entertaining but goalless affair. We played a bit sluggish and lacked the sharpness that can only come with playing competitive football regularly. In all honesty but for some excellent defending and goalkeeping we could have been two down at the break.
When play resumed Dandenong pressed hard and went two up. We got one back through Liam Nash and we went looking for the equaliser but conceded another. Two of their three goals were caused purely by a lack of communication by our defenders and should never have happened. This will be worked on at training. Overall apart from a couple of mistakes we were pretty happy with our performance and team spirit. Finally what a difference good officials make to the game, best ones we have had for a long time.
