9 Goal third term gives Devils the edge over Caloundra

Ladies day at the Devils is one of the special days for the whole club. The weather was perfect and the ladies were out in numbers and a great day was had by all. A special thanks to all involved in the organising and running of a brilliant day. The ladies and kids were having a great time until the first quarter of the seniors when it looked like there may be an upset on the cards.

This was the first game that we played one of the northern teams in the new Div 1. Whilst Caloundra were sitting at 0-2, they have played both the southern and northern premiers in their first 2 games and were not disgraced in either game, pushing Mayne to 1 point.

The Devils kicked with a slight breeze in the first quarter and seemed to start nervously. There were plenty of basic mistakes being made in the backline and on ball that helped Caloundra to 3 quick goals in the first 7 minutes. When the ball came down to our forwards, we were rushed and just bombed to 3 on one contests. Caloundra manned up well on us, probably due to their inside knowledge from party boy who made his first return to Cansdale Street since leaving the Devils last year. A goal against the run of play to Boyd was our only major. We missed opportunities for the rest of the quarter, but it was clear that we were under a lot of pressure all around the ground.

The second quarter the Devils were asked to fix the basics, which we did for most of the quarter. This resulted in an even tussle between the sides. Jordan in his first game for the seniors this year, started to have a positive impact on the forward line. Asked to get at the feet of Boyd, he did this well, freeing up Boyd and getting plenty of possessions of his own. The Devils were getting back into the game with a 5 goal to 3 quarter with 1 minute to play. Disappointingly, we allowed Caloundra to score a goal with 2 seconds on the clock and they took the momentum into the long break.

The third quarter needed to be a good one for the devils. Wili, Middleton, Templeton, Juracic, Davis, Livesey, Haslam, Brant, Thomlison and Yorston all started to get on top around the ball. The Devils have shown that they are capable of scoring quickly when they gain the momentum. A 9.1 to 4.4 quarter was the difference in the end, but at the final break, we knew that a lot of hard work was required to take the win. To Caloundra’s credit, they never gave in, but with the Devils defence now firmly in control and the forwards kicking accurately, they were never let back in the game. The importance of good kicking for goal was probably the difference in the end.

Yeronga: 1.5 6.6 15.7 19.8 (122)

Caloundra: 4.3 8.5 12.9 14.13 (97)

Goal Kickers: G. Boyd 6, M. Rolla 3, K. Juracic, D. Middleton 2, B. Davis, M. Dennett, R. Haslam, J. Keays, Z. Templeton Best Players: K Juracic, D. Jordan, D. Shewell, G. Boyd, D. Middleton, Z. Templeton, R. Yorston, D. Wili, B. Davis, H. Livesey