WA Over 50's - 2012 Match Reports

WA vs QLD - Friday, September 28, 2012

We started the tournament with a road trip to Footscray although one bus took the scenic route via Ballarat (well almost). 
The cold wet day did not dampen our spirits. Even Sally admitted she was here to win gold. 
We started off on the back foot with Queensland playing a sliding forward line which created some free players and confusion as to who WA shoud be marking. Some constant talking from the back and smart running from our midfielders countered and after half time (0 - 0) our forwards I came into the play more. Sue Wilson took one for the team trying to take out the goalie and then a waist height deflected shot into the top of the goal by Kate Main gave us our only (but winning nonetheless) goal. 
A great way to celebrate Frenchie's birthday. 

Voted Best on Ground - Frenchie (Marie Hadet) 
Coach's Award - Ingrid Matthews 
Goal - Kate Main 
Green card - Kate Main (although she wasn't sure what it was for - the rest of us knew) 

As the coach Ali would say "Go Soaks" - well we were all soaked!! 

Congratulations to the committed members of the team who went beyond the call of duty by walking through the icy waters at Williamstown Beach as part o f their recovery session (and managed to find their way back to Footscray to collect Pearl). 

Result: WA 1 - QLD 0 

WA vs VIC - Saturday, September 29, 2012

We beat the terrible weather that had been forecast. 
We beat the start of the footy grand final but we couldn't beat the Vic's. 
Again we started off a bit frantic and a mistimed substitution didn't help Frenchie's blood pressure but we survived all forward thrusts and short corners. 
Couldn't beat the umpire's interpretations. 2 dodgy strokes awarded against us which were both scored off. 
We actually managed a few attacking short corners today but had 2 attackers sent back for breaking. 
Another 2 green cards - Kate again (she still can't understand why) and one to Bee. 
So it wasn't a great game but we'll take them in the finals. 

Result: WA 0 - VIC 2 

Voted Best on Ground: Sue Clarke 
Coaches Award: Bee Kirkness

WA vs SA - Monday, October 1, 2012

Letter of the day was P. Perfect preparation prevents p!ss poor performance. 
After the chaos that was our warm up on SAturday we were over prepared arriving at the ground before it opened and having time for a lovely walk to the zoo. We allowed extra time for traffic but the most traffic we saw was on the field. 
Got off to a more positive start with linking through the forward line and the ever present talking from the back. 
Kate stuck her stick out to a rocket pass from Tiki from just outside the circle and opened her eyes long enough to see the fly over the goalie's head and into goal. She called it a fluke, we called it being in the right place at the right time. 
SA came back to level the score before a deflected baseline shot off the goalie found itself on the end of Sue Wilson's stick and she pushed it in to score our second goal. 
Celebrations were short lived as SA's forwards again found the back of the net but not one WA head dropped and we fought back to earn a short corner and Ritzie swooped on the rebound to put us a goal up. 

Well if you are going to have to be awake at sparrow's fart for an early game you had better make it worth it by winning!!! 
Mission accomplished. 

Result: WA 3 - SA 2  
Voted Player of the day - Sally Dare 
Coach's award - Kim Chandler 
Green cards - none -Kate seems to have learned her lessons!!!

WA vs NSW - Tuesday, October 2, 2012

This was our best game of the tournament so far. Got the preparation right. Everyone was switched on right from the start. 
Players were linking and our backs got their act together superbly to cover what we thought would be their danger players. 
Great talking meant their forwards were always covered. Our forwards looked dangerous and we earned a couple of short corners but were unable to convert. 
We seem to be hitting our straps at the right time. Difficult picking best players as it was a real team effort. 
That draw puts us into third place with NT to face on Thursday and then the finals. 

Result: WA 0 - NSW 0 

Voted best player: Judy Ritz  
Coach's award: Gaye Glaskin 

WA vs NT - Thursday, October 4, 2012

Our place in third was guaranteed before we went out but our goal was to score more goals. Unfortunately NT got the jump on us and scored first. 
Bee (Elsebe Kirkness) then got on to the end of a great long ball, brought the ball into the circle and passed across the goal to Sue W who had got on her bike and made it to the perfect posit to knock the ball into the goal behind the goalie. 

Things were looking good after half time when Gayesy converted a short corner. 
Things were really heating up on the field both temperature-wise and with the amount of running our forwards were doing but unfortunately no more conversions. 
NT then got a breakaway goal with 5 minutes left to go to level the score. 

Yes we were playing in the middle of the day. Yes it was hot out there (30 degrees today) and yes we had the majority of the attacking play but no - we couldn't put the game beyond reach. 
We will have to lift our conversion rate tomorrow when we play off for a spot in the gold medal game. 

Result: WA 2 - NT 2 
Goal scorers: Sue Wilson and Gaye Glaskin  
Voted Best players: Judy Ritz and Sue Clark 
Green Cards: Ingrid Matthews, Alison Cooper and Helen Rule (for one of the softest tackles to stop a runaway you will ever see - that should give you a hint to who is writing these reviews). Actually all the cards were pretty soft!!! 

We all then headed back for ice baths in our own baths (none available at the grounds). The air was as blue as our toes!!! Anything to give us an edge tomorrow!  

SF WA vs NSW - Friday, October 5, 2012

We had to win this game to make the gold medal game tomorrow. 
That was the plan. It was a good plan. 
Unfortunately things did not go to plan and NSW scrambled a goal in the first half. 
We had the better of the play in the second half but someone kept moving the goals. 
A lot of close misses but none between the posts. (insert expletives here). 

We get to play for bronze tomorrow against Qld. Not the result we were hoping for but the best we can get at this stage. Let's go out with a bang. 

Result: WA 0 - NSW 1 
Goals: 0 (insert expletives here)  
Voted best player: Everyone 

Bronze Medal Playoff - WA vs QLD - Saturday, October 6, 2012

Do or die. This was our last chance at glory. The weather was gloomy, a biting wind cutting straight through everyone and heavy clouds threatening to drown us but we weren't going to let anything rain on our parade. 
We managed to find a small vacant space under cover to warm up and the rain stayed away during the game - as did the fair weather spectators who abandoned us to get themselves beautiful for the dinner. By the time the game finished there was only one lone WA spectator left in the stand. Thankyou Stoney. 

Qld managed the first goal on a breakaway but we came back strong and had equalized by half time after Bee finished off a great pass from Kate to ease Ali's nerves. We only needed a draw to keep our third position but we didn't want to end the tournament that way. 
The backs once again held strong during defensive short corners, even though we didn't manage one attacking short corner. After a plethora of missed opportunities in the attacking circle Kim got on the end of a great pass from Ritzie and we got condescensioncond goal. 

A fantastic way to end the tournament. 

Thanks to Alison McVee and Pearl Watene (coach and manager/photographer) for their fantastic support, leadership, photos and organization during the tour and to all the Fabulous Fifties for a great tournament. 

Woohoo - Bronze medallists (if only they gave out actual bronze medals...sigh...) 

Result: WA 2 - QLD 1 

Goal scorers: Elsebe Kirkness, Kim Chandler  
Voted Best player: Kate Main