Following on
from a gruelling match against Mitchie, Newcastle had only a few minutes to
draw breath, have another wedge of orange and a drink before fronting up
against Samford Roar in the second of our opening round double header games.
With seven players
in the squad available for the second match, each player was in for a full
game.
Joe took on
the keeper’s role in the first half and showed some natural goalie talent.
To limit the
amount of running required by tired legs, Hannah played a more forward role,
while Connor, Jacob and Nick seemed to have boundless running in their legs.
Corban,
while still sweeping, also moved up more into the pack alongside Emily who
formed a natural back line.
However,
tired legs and a well drilled Roar were a bit too strong in the first half and
we struggled with fatigue and were still blending as a team.
However
after a cunning half time talk, or more likely the magic oranges and promise of
a full-time jelly snake, Newcastle came out in the second half a stronger team.
The team started putting plays together, troubling the Roar goalie and defence much
more than in the first half.
Emily
provided one of the plays of the day, tracking a Roar attack down our left wing
stealing the ball and bringing it back out to safety on the wing, where we
could launch another attack.
Jacob, in
goals for the second half, also provided a highlight reminiscent of the EPL,
when with a minute left and Newcastle having a corner he came out of goals and
joined the attack, which nearly culminated in a goal as Hannah’s shot was
stopped on the line. Jacob then made it back to his goal to stop the
counter-attack.
A
scintillating last ten minutes of play – with more than an hour’s running
already in their legs - that had the crowd cheering was a great way to finish
off round one.
Emily won
the Player of the Week trophy for her fabulous improvement in the second game
and great plays when we needed them.