U18 Preliminary Final Match Report

The Under 18s went down in our Preliminary Final against Sturt on Saturday, with the Double Blues powering away in the last quarter to win by 30 points.  Similar to last week’s final, there were several momentum swings throughout the game and our second quarter was very good as we kicked 5 goals to take a handy 15 point lead into half time.  The Blues were inaccurate though and that certainly allowed us to stay in the game and whilst we battled hard in the 3^rd quarter to still hold a 2 point advantage at three quarter time, Sturt ran the game out much stronger than we did and won comfortably in the end, with a significant advantage in scoring shots as well.

Our defence was under pressure all day so it is no surprise that our better players were located there and Ryan Williams Zac Buck and Dylan Branford were resolute in standing up to the flood of attacks whilst Liam Ueding, battled hard again.  Caleb Poulter and Jase Burgoyne did well in the midfield as they have done all year and Henry Smith provided us with a good contest in attack.

Good luck to Sturt and Norwood in their Under 18 Grand Final battle this week.

It is always hard when your season finishes earlier than you hoped for but in our COVID 19 impacted 2020 Season we have a lot to be grateful for – the SANFL and the WWTFC have done a fantastic job in navigating their way through the many and varied issues of COVID management to ensure the season was played and my thanks goes to them.

The coaches and various staff that I work with at the Eagles are wonderful people who give their time so freely to make our players better and Jade Sheedy has been a fantastic support as our Club coach – I wish him and Brad Graham every success with their players in the Reserves and League Grand Finals this week.

Thanks to all the players’ families and support networks and thanks to the players themselves who make the coaching job so worthwhile with their attitude, respect and enthusiasm – I look forward to catching up with them on Presentation Night. Finally a massive thank you to all the Eagles’ members and supporters, your commitment and passion is very much appreciated.

Go Eagles!

Shane Reardon
Coach Under 18s