Round 8, Kalamunda V’s North Fremantle at Ray Owen Reserve
Having made seven changes to the side that played Whitford in round 7, the Cougars expected a tough game against North Fremantle who were sitting in 7th position on the league ladder, having won 4 games to the Cougars 5.
As it turned out the Magpies ‘jumped’ the Cougars in the first quarter by kicking 4 goals before the Cougars could reply with a single goal!
North’s were far too physical and tall for the Cougars throughout this game, not helped by the Cougars adopting their one-dimensional approach to defense by playing along the clubroom flank.
I have criticized this method of defense on several occasions as it’s become a pattern of play adopted by the team, that allows opposing sides to cut-off any attacking moves further afield.
The worst result of this interception is the pack play that develops and the injuries caused through close contact with stronger and heavier bodies.
With commitment to play man-on man and concentration waning the Cougars managed to find themselves 30 points behind by half time.
This could have been far more, as North’s had 10 more scoring shots than the Cougars in this period. Due to the desperate efforts of our backline, they were inaccurate, kicking 9 points, some of these from set shots in front of goal!
Credit must be given to our backline led by Scott Foley and Lachlan Harty playing his 100th game. They were put under siege from the first bounce and with help from Mitch Massam and Ben Dupont, managed to limit the damage caused through poor concentration by the players in front of them.
Cougars who aspire to play ‘A’ grade football in the future, should be aware that giving your opponent 1cm of leeway in the higher grades of the league is unforgivable and you will soon find yourself back in the reserves!
Coach Trenberth would have been lamenting the loss of key players in this half, especially the loss of Vice Captain Josh Harris with a knee injury in the first quarter. How he managed to inspire the Cougars to come out in the third quarter and kick 4 goals while keeping the magpies to 2 solitary points is a credit to him!
Players who had been struggling in the first half regained their composure and began to play attacking football. This brought Tiger Morris and Brendon McLeish into the play to kick goals, while Kyle Murray who had been battling taller opponents broke free to kick two.
The final term was an even affair with both sides kicking 2 goals each. The Cougars seemed to hold an advantage in the mid-field however their lack of a defined strategy in the forward line led North’s to break out of defense with short accurate passing, then transition the ball to the opposite side of the ground to get out of trouble.
This tactic is one the Cougars should consider instead of the one-dimensional clearance method they have been using recently. Our ruckmen could be used more effectively in this endeavor, as they are usually left stranded and ineffective. I have concerns regarding our Ruck division and their work rate in the center and boundary clearances as well as their defensive disposition.
I was particularly disappointed with this result, although some of our supporters and officials thought this was a great effort by the Cougars to lose by 6 points!
Final scores: Kalamunda 8.5 – 53, North Fremantle 8.11 – 59
Best players: Trent Pottinger, Scott Foley, Jack Jago, Brendyn McLeish, Bret van Groningen.
Goals: Kyle Murray 2, Leo Lambert 2, Brendyn McLeish 1, Tiger Morris 1, Ben Dupont 1, Trent Pottinger 1.
Plays of the day …
My clearance of the day, occurred in the third quarter with a nice pick up and pass by Brett van Groningen to Trent then another good pass to Brett Woodhouse at half forward, smooth concise football!
My mark of the day, there were many, however Kyle’s in the third was a beauty that he converted into a goal. I thought the goal of the day, also in our best quarter, was Tiger’s at a time when we really needed it!
Please see Alex Haight’s report and tribute to Jason Currie and Lachlan Harty in This Weeks Topic
Other results from round 8
B Reserves – Kalamunda 7.9 – 51, Nth. Fremantle 6.4 – 40
E1 All Stars – Kalamunda 4.2 – 26, Scarborough 12.12 – 84
Cougar C2 Ladies – Kalamunda 10.14 – 74, Warnbro 0.0 – 0.0
BJC Colts – Kalamunda 11.5 -71, Nth. Fremantle 11.6 – 72
DBC Colts – Kalamunda 7.2 – 44, Nth. Fremantle 8.7 – 55
Next game: Round 9 Baldivis V‘s Kalamunda 03:05 PM, Sat, 10 Jun 23 Baldivis District Sporting Complex
This post is dedicated to IGA Sanderson Road & Kalamunda Toyota, proud sponsors of the Kalamunda ‘Cougars’ Football Club.
