Link to Sporting Pulse Report

Caulfield   11.21.87    Defeated     Old Ivanhoe   6.13.49

The first good part of each footy weekend for me is usually the first glass of red before team selection announcement, upstairs at our clubrooms. Last Thursday that initial pleasure was replaced by President Peter Small’s announcement that Simon Williams had accepted the challenge of continuing his role as senior coach of the club for the 2017 season. When you know your club is on an exciting journey you hope the challenge is not interrupted by a change of key personnel and Simon’s acceptance of leading us again was certainly met with vigorous and genuine acclamation by all in attendance, most notably the players. Having someone with a conspicuous understanding of what it takes to succeed in amateur football plus the drive and passion to impart the knowledge and then apply the disciplines cannot be underestimated. It was an exciting pre-cursor to another important weekend.
Clearly selection is becoming increasingly competitive but that is exactly what we want. Leave no stone unturned to construct the best possible line-ups and to bring out the best for everyone, especially with four teams in the finals. 
The Thirds had a weekend off after their semi-final win last Sunday and now await their grand final opponents, Marcellin, next weekend, who defeated Therry Penola narrowly in the prelim final.
The U19’s travelled to Fitzroy, a hard visiting ground to win at and got over the line by 3 points to secure third spot. With a number of eligible 19’s in the senior squad the boys have done so well to make the top four and will be an important part of CGFC’s overall finals’ campaign. Well done Josh and the boys. We look forward to providing our support to you in the coming weeks.  
So our day started with the ground again in good condition despite heavy rain in the preceding days and the Reserves’ coaching ‘intelligencia’ not quite as extensive as the previous week but always with the back-up of those of us always willing to give our views and transmit them via the team manager! What was a particularly fine contribution by the Reserves co-coaches was their resolve for their respective ‘spouses’ to take a place in the canteen; a contribution greatly appreciated by us all.    
The Reserves expected minor resistance from Old Ivanhoe who had only 5 wins on the board. Our impressive line-up were looking to hone their skills for the coming weeks.  As Dan Meddings and I discussed the prospects out on the oval pre-game, along with the usual discussion on the greatest of the summer sports, we anticipated some good footy by the Fields. We were not disappointed in the first quarter when against the wind the ‘ressies’ kicked 6.3 to 2.3 to set up a big win. The following three quarters were surprisingly ordinary to say the least with the opposition making a mockery of our wind assistance by outscoring us in the second quarter, holding their own in the third and although we kicked 4 goals in the final term, it was not the greatest of performances. There were some good signs, Andre Lister finding plenty of touch and marking consistently around the ground, Jack Presnall very quick and active early, TJ Rothel again strong at CHF, Conor M-F bouncy and provocative, Clarky working hard down back as always, Damo finishing with 5 goals, Sean Stewart using his mobility and strength and Easto working hard as usual. The main problem seemed to be the difficulty with controlling the ball below the knees, so much fumbling and then inexplicable ‘stuffing’ around with the ball across half-back and in the middle. In essence, Old Ivanhoe performed very well given they had no interchanges throughout the match with only one on the bench and he being kept for emergencies each quarter, quite strange in fact! From the expletives coming from our coaching box I expect some of our imperfections will be attended to during the coming week. At the end of the day you can’t do more than win but plenty to challenge the boys with before Oakleigh. 
 In the main event, we won the toss and kicked to the Neerim end, Tom Small gaining the first forward entry and although Will Osborn was ‘freed’ in the pocket, a turnover stopped the run and as anticipated, Old Ivanhoe gummed up the works with lots of numbers in our forward half. In heavy traffic Louis snapped a behind, Tom Small marked the kick-in but only found an Ivanhoe Guernsey, Will Barker was busy, had a snap but missed. The crowded area saw plenty of fumbling for a time before the newly promoted U19 player, Chris Diggle impressed and handed off to Tim Nixon but only a behind resulted. An Ivanhoe player ended his day early with a hamstring as Dec Reilly marked the kick-in but Ivanhoe intercepted Dec’s delivery and ran the ball through the middle using short deliveries all the way. We worked the ball back to the wing for the first of a number of boundary throw-ins where the big Ivanhoe ruckmen used his strength and weight to make life difficult for Dec. Declan however responded well, applied a strong tackle but his kick to Tom Small’s lead was off the mark for another throw-in. Chris Diggle impressed again and shortly after our drive from half back went deep forward, Tom Green receiving a hand ball from whom I know not and converted after 6 minutes of play. When Ivanhoe cleared from the centre Jordy Stewart produced “the buckets” and repelled the attack. Brett Sinclair willed himself into the fray with a tackle and earned a free and Barks cleverly kicked short to Ossie but only a behind with a long shot resulted. 
Ivanhoe were intent on using the short game to work forward but only gained a behind. Dom O’Keefe mopped up another attack to force a boundary throw in. Dec gave away a free in the ruck and it was suddenly a ‘hot’ ball in our defensive area for a time. Joey McClelland’s anticipation enabled a clearance to the middle but Old Ivanhoe sent it back again to kick their first goal just inside 14 minutes. We needed to get a move on with the wind at our backs. Hugo Gates was active at half-back on the dangerous Ivanhoe ‘smalls’ and cleared to the outer wing. When Ivanhoe attacked again, Jackson Small’s defensive punch was par excellence and my prognostications from 2016, for Jacko’s future, are looking ok! The play was end to end at times or half back to half back really, Joey clearing again, Brett working up to the wing trying to make something happen and the boundary umps working overtime. When Dec got a free in the forward pocket his kick went out on the full and Ivanhoe were looking a bit more switched on than our boys as they stole Nico’s handball but only managed a behind. 
Approaching the 20-minute Finn McEvoy combined with Jackson Small but we were constantly kicking under pressure and often the ball finding its way over the boundary. Eventually, Ryan Harris’ handball to Jordy Stewart who on-forwarded to Tom Small with a free downfield and Smally converted to break the evenness of the scoreboard. Barks got it out of the centre again but Ivanhoe’s marking was strong to return the ball to the wing. Finn McEvoy managed a quick kick forward and Brett Sinclair, under pressure, used his experience to convert and provide some momentum. 
Louis was in the ruck for a spell and despite the height disadvantage toiled manfully. After we scored another behind “Digs” was again impressive but Ivanhoe marked his entry. Nick Silvestro was hard at it and tough underneath across half-back and we locked it up in the back pocket. For the next 10 minutes it was often untidy stuff for both teams, some really hard tackling and a couple of behinds to us. I noted our tackling being too high on occasions and toward the end of the quarter, we were somewhat lucky that Ivanhoe squandered a couple of opportunities. It had been a wasteful quarter with 3.6 to 1.3. 
At the start of the second quarter, a free to Tim Nixon and a pass to Brett Sinclair could have enjoyed a better result and Chris Diggle was again very clear with his intentions and is impressive with his movement. Again the play went end to end and it was a tough encounter as most games between these two sides are. It was Tim Nixon who got the ball forward five minutes in for Ossie to run on to the ball and goal, a good start. Charlie Logan got it out of the middle but his kick was marked by the sound Ivanhoe defence. In the space of three minutes the ball went end to end a number of times punctuated only by stoppages and tough ruck encounters. Dec Reilly broke the game open with a well judged intercept and a left foot pass to Tom Small who made no mistake after 10 minutes play. Ivanhoe scored consecutive behinds with a shot on the run and as a result of Jacko's good defence under pressure. Jordy Stewart was leading the defence with his usual aplomb and his delivery to Nico, onto Tom Small in the pocket was good but the kick was out of bounds on the full. Ivanhoe scored the next goal when we tried to mark from behind and they got the next 2 minutes later when they roved to a spillage. Although we appeared to win the majority of the centre clearances we turned it over too often. Greeny started an attack, Lloyd Everett was on the end of a link and passed to Louis who’s kick wafted out on the full. Ivanhoe rushed a behind to narrow the gap to a couple of goals and we managed to lock it up for a time with strong tackling led by Ryan Harris and with Silver and Chas working hard. It was Lloyd again who started a move to Nico onto Sam Banfield whose super kick gave us another 6 points just before half time. The quarter played out with some poor manning up by our boys but no real damage and Jordy and the defence were strong at this time. Nick Silvestro continue to impress and isn’t afraid to place his body at risk, a family trait when one recalls Tom Silvestro’s efforts previously. After Barks snapped another behind, our twelfth, the half time break was announced. The turnovers had been many and we needed to turn this around. 6.12 to 3.8 summed up the untidiness of the play to date. It was time to see whether Corey would demand Darjeeling from the mountains of Kandy or just settle for a Robur, Blue Blend! Corey’s rendition of his week away at the health farm was interesting I must say but I’m darned if I can see the difference! I reckon they saw him coming!!
Would loved to have been a fly on the wall during the half time address in the dungeon as I suspect Simon would have laid down the law. After Ivanhoe won the centre clearance, we worked it forward with Louis kicking a behind after Nico earned another free. The overhead marking in the game was pretty good from both teams but the fumbling at ground level was odd given the surety of the ground surface. With 5 minutes gone another Ivanhoe attack was stopped by Joey, the next by Gater earning a free and the defence was good. Gater’s free onto Ossie to Silver and Barks kicked a miraculous goal back over his head. Our second goal for the term came 3 minutes later with another impressive passage of play – Tom Small, Louis O’Keefe, Greeny, Brett and finishing with Harrison Mills running into open goal, really good stuff. 
When Ivanhoe attacked again Lloyd and Hugo locked it up and there followed almost twenty minutes of goalless competition from both teams. Gater, Jacko, Joey, Jordy and the rest of the defence worked hard and restricted Ivanhoe’s scoring opportunities. Dec Reilly took another mark outside the arc for another behind as did Tim Nixon after charging through the middle. Ivanhoe were clearly relying on their smaller forwards for conversion as their taller options were not great and our defenders had their measure. With the clock running down our chances of using the wind to maximise scoring were there and it was Chris Diggle again, this time finding Tim Nixon for our 9th goal inside of time on. Ivanhoe had a couple of chances to score but a Toniolo smother, Jackson Small’s defiance and Jordan’s constant interceptions kept them out. After 30 plus minutes of play, the three quarter time score stood at 9.16 to 3.12 in our favour. 
Ivanhoe started the final quarter with a free in the middle but Charlie Logan and Dec Reilly combined to give Louis a chance to convert but his kick fell short into the wind. Charlie followed up with another tackle to maintain control, Brett Sinclair and Ryan Harris combined to relieve and Tom Small put on a great chase to dispossess the opposition. We were getting plenty of opportunities to increase our lead but Ivanhoe were first to goal after 7 minutes of play and an errant disposal by the Fields.  At times the standard of play was poor but I guess we can’t expect constant fluency in a tough encounter such as Ivanhoe and Caulfield consistently present. The answering goal came after 12 minutes when Sam Banfield kicked his second goal. This had been preceded by one epic piece of play when Louis took on 4 opposition players. Finn, Digs, Brett, Silver and Louis then battled hard for another behind and similarly Jordy, Digs, Brett and Barks worked together for another behind. Tom Small kicked another goal 16 minutes in to basically seal the game even though there was maybe 15 minutes to play. There were plenty of unforced turnovers by both sides as the minutes ticked by and Ivanhoe kicked their 5th goal. The inability to pick the ball up off the ground by both teams was quite mystifying at times. Ivanhoe kicked another goal into time-on and tried to rally immediately after but Jordy Stewart was leading the back six by example and after nearly 31 minutes of play time was called by the umpires, who incidentally were average at best and I don’t normally knock the refs! Final score 11.21 to 6.13 and damn annoying to again kick so many behinds. 
 So one game to go before the finals and our discipline will need to be at its best when we meet our old foe, Oakleigh, on their home turf. 
Selection  will be interesting for sure but the match committee have stuck to their guns all season in rewarding those who have deserved their support. I know there will be consideration for change and the need to consider the VFL boys if they are available. One thing I am confident of is that Simon and his lieutenants will reward deservedly and have done a terrific service to the club throughout the season. It won’t be easy and there will be disappointments but we have the advantage of seniors and reserves both going into second semi finals, a huge reward for effort. Exciting weeks ahead for everyone but we have to deal with Oakleigh first.  
Goals – Tom Small 3, Banfield 2, Green, Sinclair, Osborn, Barker, Mills, Nixon
Better players (in no particular order) – Nixon, Diggle, J Stewart, Silvestro, Tom Small,  Jackson Small, Gates, McClelland                                                                    
Big week coming up on the track and we should have plenty watching training and then upstairs for a red while the Players and coaches enjoy a meal.
Go Fields!