Oakleigh V Baxter 15 June 2008 I was always concerned about this game. I have been analysing the table this season (as I do every season) and from my perspective they were a better team than the ladder indicated. When I arrived at the game and was watching their pre-game training drills I knew we would have to be playing our best game. They were very focused and when the game started they were right on to us - we were slow, lethargic, and half hearted. I don’t like to be negative, but I also have to be honest. Our lack of run, intensity, and ability to think, caused a very easy goal to be scored against us. At half time I pointed out the problems and advised you the solution - I asked you to lift your work rate out there on the pitch. Simple really when you think about it. The more effort you put in on the pitch the more your chances of success increase. It was very well done to lift yourself for that second half, and we were not out of the game until the dying minute of the match. You kept at them and we nearly equalised on several occasions. You should be proud of the effort you put in for the 2nd half however you should also be aware of the area where we can improve. As I look back over the whole game it becomes clear where we fell down. It was teamwork!!!  We had great individual efforts from everyone but we didn’t combine our skills to defeat the obstacles that Oakleigh put before us. We tackled them head on as individuals and the 2nd half display from everyone was heroic, however, if we had been a bit smarter and controlled the ball into attack a little more, the result may have been different. Instead we kicked blindly, our passes were intercepted, we didnt back up the player with the ball. Too often one player was taking on the whole of Oakleigh’s defence whilst the rest of us wandered down at half pace and the ball would turn over. All that effort wasted! The good news is we get to play Oakleigh twice more – both on our ground (which is miles from theirs in terms of quality) - both games within 2 weeks. I suggest we improve between now and then.   This week we are up against Sandringham at home. Pitch 1 at 11am. Please be there at 1030 at the latest. Good Luck!  : ) Brighton V Baxter 08 June 2008 I am not certain why Brighton is on the bottom. They played OK at points but their defence was weak. I think if their team adopted the ‘strong foundation of defence’ – as we have – then they would be a better team. Of course it is all history now, as is the 4 – 0 score line…. in our favour! Before the game I asked for 3 things: Teamwork Intensity Strong Defence These are all areas where we have shown we possess skills yet we have not linked them together for the full game. The flashes of brilliance we have seen in the past – in both defence and attack – need to be more than just flashes. They need to be how we play the game for its entirety. Teamwork, intensity, and defence are areas we have worked on at training and in the games and I am happy to say it is becoming a natural part of our game. Let’s hope it remains part of our game! Anyway, speaking of games and Brighton…. Great effort from the midfield and forwards and when it did venture south of the border into our defence, it was easily mopped up and sent back into attack. Well done back there. The run down the wings, the crosses and deft work in crowded conditions forward, were fantastic to watch. The crosses (always brilliant) actually connecting to a forward player is what we have been aiming at and it was achieved with fabulous skill. Everyone gave me 100%, right from the start, and that is what won us that game. Well Done!!!!  : ) This week (today by the time you get this) is Oakleigh. They are the dark horse in this comp. They are the 2nd highest scoring team but their Achilles heal (I hope) is their defence. If we can put on forward pressure we will have a chance. If we remain STRONG IN DEFENCE; if we use TEAMWORK & INTENSITY we will give them a run for their money! Glen Eira  V  Baxter 25 May 2008 It’s always nice to have a win and last Sunday was no exception. It came about from a number of great individual efforts and an overall team effort. The reason individuals get opportunity to perform, and stand out, is because the team, as a whole, sets it up for them. The team creates the opportunities. The opportunity might just be that ½ second shot on goal, that drive down the wing, or perhaps that brilliant cross; but the opportunity is there because the team creates it. Without teamwork those opportunities do not exist and, consequently, success becomes harder to measure. But back to Sunday’s game. Our defence is working well and all those back there are working together to create that brick wall I have asked you to visualise. There is always room for improvement but it is becoming harder to see! I would like defence to be able to cope without a sweeper and I am working towards that – it will depend on who we are playing. I think we were unlucky not to score in that first half. We had most of the play in our attack and we defended strongly. Not much got past and when it did we mopped it up. Kaycee got to touch the ball a few times for a change and did a great job in goal. We worked the ball well down into attack with fast breaks but their goalie was also good and was not afraid to commit to the incoming ball – foiling our attempts on a few occasions. The 2nd half saw them come out stronger and test our defence once again. We were up to the task and repelled the ball a number of times. I think they may have had more shots on goal than us but they were made under pressure and without accuracy or Kaycee was up to the task. With 6 minutes to go we made (our 30th???) quick break down the wing with Georgia giving it all she had. She swung in towards goal, tapped past the last defender, then slammed it into the corner with fabulous accuracy given the pressure she was under. At that point I tried to load defence to protect that lead and keep the ball out of scoring range. You girls took the same defensive attitude and stepped up making it very hard for them to score. Best way to stop them from scoring is to keep it in our attacking area  - control the ball up there – not let them get it. We’ll look at that this next Wednesday night. An exciting game girls; well done. Ps. The ref was wrong about not calling offside. It doesn’t matter how you get the ball from a team mate (excepting a throw in) if you are in an offside position then you are out of play. Lucky for us they didn’t score off that. Next game; Peninsula Strikers. They are two places behind us. We were two places behind Glen Eira and we beat them. Let’s not get complacent. It will require a TEAM EFFORT this coming Sunday and that is when we have the most fun and the most success Banyule City Vs Baxter 18 May 2008 Massive sigh of relief and extreme jubilation from all the parents and players greeted our 1 all draw against Banyule on Sunday. It was a tough game in tough conditions against a tough team. The good news is, we get a chance to prove our superiority 2 more times against Banyule – one being the last game of the season!!!!! I have said it many times – yet that won’t stop me from saying it again. Our game is built on the foundations of a strong defence. This was proven on Sunday when most of the play was in our defence and they stood up to the challenge. I lost count of the times we repelled the ball into midfield or our attack only to see it come straight back at us. Indeed it went back and forth numerous times until they eventually scored from a crowded and confusing tussle in the box. The goalie had no chance. It would have been easy on a day like yesterday to hang our heads and give up and at half time, 1 – 0 down, it looked like it could have gone that way. I asked for a greater team effort, more support for defence, made a few more changes on the bench, and sent you back out with your heads held high and hope for a better second half. That is exactly what you gave us. You toughed out the forays into our defence and you moved the ball more into theirs with Darcy kicking her first goal for the season. She read the play and put herself into position to give her the greatest chance of scoring – and that is what a lot of this game is about – reading play and giving yourself that ‘best opportunity’ and then using it. Once they had the pressure on them they were less of a threat. They sprayed many of their shots on goal in panic and our defence arrested the others. When the ref blew the final whistle we all let out a sigh of relief. It was a great team effort yet I must mention some standouts – Belinda, Nikki, Brooke, Chooka, Jessica, Bailey, and Kaycee. That defensive line really stood up and saved our bacon. The moves into the forward line were underpinned with heaps of skill from Alice, Georgia, Brittney, Amy, Emma, and the goal scorer, Darcy. Areas for improvement: Our midfield and forwards drifted in to the backline too deep. I asked Alice to do this to cover that number 6, yet the rest of you I would have preferred to see you hang off the half back with on the last defender. Too many times that ball was repelled straight to their players and our forwards had to try and run out of deep defence to catch up – most of the time wasting a lot of effort. We displayed some of our passing game up forward but there was not really the support for the ball carrier to make us too threatening. Usually it was one person taking the ball up and having to cross to midfield with no one there. They would simply clean up and send the ball back with interest. It gives us something to work on anyway – otherwise training would be boring! Thanks to us, Banyule is no longer on top of the table. Instead it is Glen Eira and we have them this coming Sunday. So, another top of the table clash where we will be surely tested. Please note the venue change: Duncan MacKinnon Reserve  - Melways 68 K9. 0930 for a 1000 start. PS. Jessica’s incredible effort was even more so as her dog had eaten her glasses the evening prior and she was playing with her vision impaired. First time I’ve heard that excuse!!! Baxter Vs Casey Panthers 11 May 2008    3 - 0 Game 2 saw us take on Casey Panthers at home on Mothers day -  a day to treat mum to breakfast in bed, some flowers and pressies, and of course a WIN!! Now I can’t vouch for the breakfast in bed or the pressies but we didn’t disappoint in the game with a 3 – 0 win. Casey had a couple of good players in their squad which pretty much held their game together and their goalie stopped a heap of shots. Outside of that they struggled as we put constant pressure on them throughout the game. We had a couple of plans we discussed before the game started but given their poor structure in defence we didn’t need to deploy them until later when their only defence was to flood the square. This is exactly what we need to avoid doing. We must maintain a structured and strong defence – I keep harping on this but it is so important. Our strong defence must underpin our game. Fortunately for us it did in this game. Great efforts cam from all who played back there and I was able to employ 3 different players as sweeper – now that’s versatility! What I liked about our defence yesterday was the structure and the ability to stop their attack and boot us into attack in very quick time. I saw Chooka (sweeper) mop up a spill off the back line with a brilliant kick from the square which went straight to a winger who then passed it straight on into attack. 3 kicks and the ball was threatening their goals. I saw Brooke do some great stuff as she pushed up the field out of defence and into the midfield. We missed a stack of shots on goal but our accuracy will get better as the year progresses. The fact that we had all those opportunities because of the hard work by defence and the midfielders is applaudable. The passing up forward, and the control as a result, allowed us to steady and take a shot on goals. The corners were better but I need to look at the positioning of players and make them a bit more threatening. Great goals and shots from all up forward. We let them off the hook with only 3 goals against them. Lets look at this week. Banyule City. Top of the ladder with 3 straight wins. They are VERY STRONG!!!! We will need to be on top of our game. Our defence will have to be tighter then it ever has been and we have to make the most of our opportunities up forward. They have one girl who is big, strong, and fast – but Brittney took her on last time and was her match, so her effect on the game can be minimised. We need to stop their shots on goal, hassle them every step of the way for 50 minutes, and take control of the ball. That is the way to treat this team – give them absolutely nothing and give us everything. Loved your game on the weekend and loved the effort. I’m very proud to be your coach and I’m sure all the parents are very proud also. Sandringham Vs Baxter 04 May 2008 Well done girls! It was a great start to the season with a 3 – 0 win. It was a great start to the season for the way we played – for the skills we showed – for the teamwork that was clearly displayed. We put Sandy on the back foot right from the start with good pressure in attack. I would say we had about 80% of the first half with the play in our attack and It was lucky for Sandy that we didn’t get a clean shot on goal in that half. This mainly due to ‘that’ good sweeper and keeper of theirs – really the only two players keeping their game alive.   Our defence was pretty good with structure and discipline but Sandy did get through a couple of times when some handling errors left holes for the ball to get through and their forwards were able to run onto it. To your credit, defence rallied and that, with some good (and desperate) work from the sweeper we were able to repel. Our defence in the second half were barely challenged as we were able to trap the ball in attack for most of it. Our game must be underpinned by a strong defence and we will continue to work on this throughout the season. As your skills back there develop, I will probably change the structure and give us more bite up forward. Speaking of forwards; what a great effort! Right from the start you took that ball down into attack and showed them how a team plays football. Lots of passing, backing up, and talking. You persisted with this (and it appeared you ramped up the effort in the second half) and were rewarded with two goals and a 3rd ‘own goal’ from the immense pressure you placed on them. I asked for a passing game and you delivered – BIG TIME!!!! It is this passing game that will separate us from the rest of the teams in this division and I want to make our trademark. There were some really gutsy individual efforts and skills – to numerous to mention – but we saw them on the sideline and we were in awe of them – you know who you are; well done. We still have work to do in both defence and attack and I think we need a bit more fitness but I’m certainly not complaining! Congratulations on a deserved win. Next game: Casey Panthers at home. PS. Thanks to all the support and help from the parents.