Another away game for the Golds. Today’s clash was against Old Camberwell at their home ground in Balwyn, conditions were blustery and cold.
Results from the first few rounds indicated that the opposition were evenly matched to DeLa, and we planned accordingly, but what eventuated was a total surprise. Old Camberwell right from the start blew us away with their speed and skill. It was evident that they had come to play with a full list, and that their list included all their quality players.
Today’s plan was to be more attacking and to back our ability to win the contests, but that plan had to be re-assessed at quarter time. Old Camberwell were a class above, they won a lot of contested footy, and had spare running players all over the ground.
DeLa found it difficult to win any centre clearances, and as a consequence had limited forward entries. At the main break we made some changes to our ball movement strategy, but the opposition still kept on peppering the goals due to their ability to win possession. Shots on goal were a clear indication of their dominance, 43 shots to our 2 – a tough game for our players to say the least.
The positives to come out of the game were that DeLa had a crack and never gave up. Also very pleasing to see a couple of players back from injury etc. and all had a positive impact on the game.
The players should keep their heads held high and keep on working towards making improvements each week. As we all know, the circumstances and player lists may be different when we next take on this team.
Result: Old Camberwell 20-23-143 def DeLa 1-1-7
Goal Kickers: Thomas 1
Best Players: Thomas, Reed, McNidder, Ganavas, Barnett, Anderson
