Year 7

At the start of the season the Year 7 Booragoon team had a healthy 34 players turn up for a sweaty pre-season training run. This included 30 players coming from the two Year 6 teams the previous year and 4 new players, Riley Bourne, Lewis Thom, Jerry Kovac and Mitchell Walker.

2014 was going to be the first year that Year 7s in the East Fremantle Junior District were to play for premiership points and the ultimate prize of a grand final premiership. Because of this the coaches put extensive time with the boys into fitness, game play and varied tactics depending on the type of team and game style they came across from week to week.

The team became renowned for their slow starts to games. Maybe it was because the boys had to be awake and ready for a game at 8.15am every Saturday morning or because it was chilly and the footballs were usually wet in the first quarter, however, they became a dominant force after half time where they often kept the opposition scoreless while showing impressive form in attack themselves.

After a slow start to the year where the team lost two of the first three games and a number of players due to broken bones, they settled and slowly became an unbeatable team in the competition winning the next 10 games in a row. Finishing the season with 12 wins out of 15 games played in the qualifying rounds saw the boys achieve third place. The finals were upon us and we were to meet in the first game Attadale in the First Semi Final; a team we had not beaten for 3 years. New game plans were drawn up and a total commitment from the team named for the day. Playing at 1.00pm in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning was also going to help. After a tight first quarter Booragoon pulled away and won in a crushing defeat of 8.11 (59) to 1.2 (8). This led us into the Preliminary Final and the team that dominated the season; the Bullcreek-Leeming Sharks. After another slow start and 3 goals down at half time, the Booragoon boys kicking into a very strong wind staged a remarkable come back to finally hit the front with less than 3 minutes to play. The effort of all was outstanding and put us into the first ever Year 7 Grand Final. Applecross was to be our nemesis and even though the boys put in a terrific performance they were worn down by a stronger and better team on the day.

I personally would like to thank the mountain of parents who volunteered their time as goal umpires, orange providers, canteen helpers, drink fillers and general supporters. The team could not run on the day without your support. Special thanks to Lisa Kovac (Boundary Umpire), Nik Hofmeester (First Aid) and Janine Wain (Photographer) for their week-in, week-out efforts.

To Paul Logothetis and Michael Gardner (Team Managers), Lindsey Marley (Team Runner) and Paul Ovens (Assistant Coach and iPad extraordinaire); fantastic efforts gents. The biggest thanks goes to Mark Downey (Assistant Coach) who never missed a training session and developed and progressed the boys with his innovative skill sessions and tireless efforts of encouragement. With a team like this supporting you as a coach, it makes life a lot less stressful and allows the team to have the fantastic season they did.

We hope to see you all back for the season in 2015!

Ian Minotti (Coach)

As stated in my preseason newsletter we had a number of key focus areas for the season. First and foremost we wanted the boys to continue to develop their basic skills. In particular we wanted the boys to work hard on those skills that they still found challenging. We also had a focus on the further development of game skills and improving the style of footy that we wanted to play. Finally, and very importantly, we aimed to have every one of the players thoroughly enjoy their football.

I am sure that everyone will agree that the boys have enjoyed another very successful season. In my view there are a number of highlights that have contributed to this success. I believe that we all witnessed a marked improvement in the boys’ football in the second half of the season. The boys all seemed to step up a gear. They played with greater intensity, gave 100% for four quarters and were prepared to go in hard to get the ball and to look after their team mates. We also saw the development of a greater sense of team in this part of the season. The boys wanted to work hard for each other, were prepared to share the ball and at times demonstrated some really unselfish play. I gained great pleasure in watching the boys encourage each other and gather around someone who had done something special.

At the beginning of the season we were short of players and it was great to have a number of new faces join us throughout the season. The new guys slotted into the side really quickly and all made a contribution to the team’s success. I was extremely impressed with the manner in which the returning players welcomed the new players into the team. The boys showed a great deal of maturity and character.

Also very pleasing to observe this season was the further development of the boys’ individual skills, the team’s game skills and an overall improvement in our style of play. After each game I would reflect on our strengths and also our areas for improvement. The areas for improvement would more often than not form the focus of our next training session. Throughout the season it was very pleasing to see the things that we had been working so hard on at training starting to feature in the games. Whilst on the subject of training I would like to thank the boys for their fantastic attendance at training throughout the season. We had most boys with us every Thursday and it certainly helped to create that sense of team and to further develop the game skills and strategies.

I have a lot of people to thank for their fantastic contribution to season 2011. First I would like to say a huge thank you to my Assistant Coach Rob Liebeck. Rob’s support and advice, particularly at the beginning of the season, was invaluable and his willingness to get in and do whatever was required to make sure the game went ahead was admirable.

My sincere thanks also to our fantastic Team Manager Les Chidgzey. Having been a Team Manager in the past myself, I know firsthand that it is not the most glamorous job. However, once again, Les has done an outstanding job of making it all happen behind the scenes and always with a smile on his face.

A huge thank you also goes to all of the parents, family members and friends that have supported our wonderful team this season. Without your support it simply doesn’t happen and I know that the boys love having you on the sidelines cheering them on.

On a personal note I would like to thank all of the parents for their support and encouragement during my first year of coaching.

I have saved my biggest thank you for the real stars of the show…the players. Boys, you really are a terrific bunch of kids. You should all be very proud of what you have achieved this season and also of the way in which you have conducted yourselves both on and off the field. It has been a pleasure to work with such an enthusiastic, respectful and fun group. Enjoy your off season and I really hope that you will all be back to represent the Mighty Bulldogs once again in season 2012.

Simon Maton (Coach)