Devils defeat triple premiers at home
The Devils took on last years’ Northern Division premiers, Mayne at home. With 10 changes from last week, it was a good opportunity for another group of new and returning players to get some run into their legs. It was great to see our club champion from 2016, Darcy Shewell back in action with Rowan Johnson next to him. Ryan Yorston and Bailey Maliki made their debuts for the Devils and looked at home in the side.
The priority of the day was the understanding and implementation of our structures for 2017. The first quarter however, didn’t go to script early. Mayne looked every bit a premiership side, jumping to a 4 goal lead at one point. Our midfield structure was really being tested and at times struggled to maintain the intensity required to compete. Glen Boyd managed 2 goals to keep us in the game at quarter time.
From the quarter time break the game started to slowly swing in the Devils favour. This was due to the mid field taking control and all players understanding and implementing our structures. Jack Jones and Dom Wili were giving the on-ballers first use of the ball and Glenn Boyd was proving far too good for anyone Mayne put back. He finished with 7 goals in 2 and bit quarters. The Devils kicked 11 goals to Mayne’s 6 goals in the last 3 quarters.
Looking at the 2 trial games so far, the key take out for those who follow the Devils is that we have depth in the playing group. This depth is required for us to be successful in Division 1 this year. The players are already showing the physical and mental discipline to put our structures, game philosophy and our never say die attitude into place. We need to build on this foundation.
We would like to thank Sully Hall for taking over the goal umpiring at half time. Sully has his arm in a sling, making it extremely difficult to indicate a goal and wave 2 flags. To all supporters of the Devils, if you want to be involved with the club this year, it is these relatively easy tasks that we need volunteers for. Get down to the Devils in 2017 and help the boys and girls be as successful as possible.
Goals: Boyd 7, Rolla 3, Davis, Jennings, Wili
Along with this game, the Reserves and Thirds sent a combined squad to play the Moorooka Roosters Senior side at Moorooka's home ground. For a side with most players first hit out for the year and many players not having played together before, it was a strong performance but ultimately the Moorooka's structure and quality shone through. A serious injury after just a few minutes meant the game was shortened and restarted to 15 minute quarters. Some quality passages of play and being able to control the game for periods showed some promise for both reserves and thirds this year and showed that, while there is still a lot to work on with structure and players learning each others games, there is enough talent and depth to think that all teams will be very competitive in their respective competitions.