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Football
Round 2
First XVIII Football
- DLS 4.7.31 defeated by Mazenod 5.14.44
- Best: Deane-Johns, Webb, Caruso, Lloyd, Ryan, May
- Goals: Deane-Johns, S. Fernadez, Webb, Adamopoulos
A reasonably strong wind favoured De La Salle and after Mazenod kicked the first few behinds we steadied and managed three goals for the term. We scored the first goal of the quarter and went into half time well placed with a 16-point lead and the breeze behind us, but we were in for a rude awakening. Mazenod stepped up their play immediately. We fought the game out but couldn’t find the goals. A disappointing end to what had started out with a fine performance. We know that a game is won over four quarters and we were unable to produce a second half anywhere near what we did in the first. We are disappointed but our first two games have shown many positives both individually and collectively to build on.
Second XVIII
- DLS 6.9.45 defeated by CBC St Kilda 12.13.85
- Goals: Muling (2), Doolan (2), Lagastes, King
Despite another genuine effort, this was a disappointing result. The superiority of CBC was particularly evident in the final quarter when we were still a faint hope of winning; they banged through four goals against the wind. In our defence, we were seriously undermanned. The big power forward, Aidan “The Incredible Hulk” Yates, who was so dominant the previous week, was a late omission. Hayden Reed was also absent as was Ewan Baulch. Then we lost Nathan “Martino” Martinz in the first quarter!
CBC’s kicking was precise and targeted. De La Salle tended to bomb the ball into the forward half whereas CBC delivered neat passes to forwards and midfielders. In the positives, De La Salle contributed some strong individual performances, none better than Sam Lanigan in defence. As CBC started to get ahead, Sam didn’t fade out of the match. He was still accumulating and contesting as tenaciously in the last quarter as he was in the first. Ben Doolan is an utterly genuine player. He is as honest as the day is long. By the end of final quarter, he was exhausted. The data tells us he clocked up close to 10kms. Joel King was his usual dynamic self. Joel Lagastes plays a raw and untutored style, but he was constructive and instinctive. Oscar “The Grouch” Bates battled manfully in the ruck winning the hitouts to advantage in the second quarter. Sam Paine provided plenty of dash through the middle of the field. Manny Gashi and Louie Moore are two more honest and hard-at-it players. Tom Richards is an intelligent footballer who looked to spread when we gained possession.
Year 10
- DLS 8.8.56 defeated by Mazenod 14.7.91
- Best: Sullivan, Gardiner, McMahon, Liakakos, Pietsch, Cumberlidge, Harding
- Goals: Carlin (4), Doyle, Boscacci, Cumberlidge
Mazenod proved a fast and skilled opponent with De La Salle conceding a 5‑goal lead by quarter time. A lift in effort and tackling allowed us to wrestle back some of the initiative and we hit the scoreboard with 2 goals, but we still struggled to contain our opponents who kicked 3.5. After half time we bounced out of the blocks and kicked the first 3 goals. Two by Harris Carlin. Mazenod steadied and we allowed them to kick 3 goals also. Carlin bobbed up for another to have 4 for the game and could have had 6 if he’d been a little luckier in front of goal.
It was encouraging to see the form of many players including Oscar Harding bouncing back and playing a fine game in the backline, Lachie Doyle gave us a big lift with his ruck work after half time. Ed McMahon switched to CHB and Zac Cumberlidge to CHF worked well for both players, Harrison Pietsch had a good game in midfield as did Finn Sullivan. Duncan Gardiner continues to develop in the backline and captain Lucas Liakakos led the team well.
Round 3
First XVIII
- DLS 8.7.55 defeated by St Bernards 8.13.61
- Best: Lloyd, Deane-Johns, Bufalo, O’Connor, McKinnon, Hawker
- Goals: Lloyd (4), Adamopoulos (2), Wiseman, Bufalo
Even with a few players unavailable due to injury and illness, the mood in the rooms was buoyed by the presence of Old Coll and Collingwood star defender Braydon Maynard. De La Salle grabbed the initiative early scoring the first two goals of the game within the first 3 minutes and at quarter time we held a well-deserved 10-point lead. The second quarter was an even contest although our defence was under more pressure than the first but still stood firm. Two goals each for the quarter still had us holding a goal lead at the long break.
The consistent message we had employed all day was to keep playing aggressively with and without the ball. The game was there to be won. We started the final quarter well, but we just couldn’t get the reward for all our effort. It was disappointing to lose such a hard-fought game, but we were so proud of the efforts from start to finish and they showed we can match it with any of the teams in the competition.
Second XVIII
- DLS 6.5.41 defeated by Emmanuel 14.10.94
- Goals: Yates (2), Bullard, Doolan, Lawless, Zeini
This is a difficult task; Emmanuel were prepared to work exceptionally hard, run with gusto and secure the front position in marking, and while I would like to be as positive as possible when reporting on matches, some constructive criticism is warranted. De La Salle committed a litany of errors in the first quarter; missed tackles, endless turnovers when not under pressure, forwards trying to mark from behind rather than spoil… but enough negatives! The first 10 minutes of the last quarter were terrific. De La Salle actually outscored Emmanuel.
There was a genuine effort to put bodies into the contest and Pat “Rabbit” Burrows exemplified this. Rabbit battled manfully all day at full back against an opponent who was double Billy Katsianos’ size, and his final quarter was marvellous. Aidan Yates was a serviceable target at Centre Half Forward with real presence and a booming kick. Hayden Reed showed us again why he a serious contender for the Winx Medal. He was everywhere, contesting well above his playing weight. Nathan “Martino” Martinz is another who what he lacks in size, makes up for in attitude. Joel King was his usual athletic self. Tom “Rip Curl” Richards also battled very hard to be a go to option on the wing and one of the few prepared to run hard to help out in defence and then be an option in attack.
Year 10
- DLS Year 10 17.16.118 defeated St Josephs FTG 7.4.46
- Best: Liakakos, Scollo, Boscacci, McMahon, Sullivan, Gardiner, Pietsch
- Goals: Boscacci (5), Liakakos (4), Scollo (4), Kaminaris, Pietsch, Reagan, Algeri
The pre-match talk focus was purely on making sure we started well. Coach Nagle laid down the facts as to why we were four goals down at quarter time and that we needed to start playing for each other and winning the contests. What a lift from the De La Salle team! We kicked six goals four behinds to nothing for the quarter. The drive started from the midfield with Boscacci and our captain Liakakos kicking five goals between them, and key forward Scollo and key defender McMahon dominating their positions.
At half time, confidence was high and right from the first centre bounce De La Salle controlled the ball. Our teamwork was the best it has been all year and we capitalised on our dominance in possession. Five goals to one increased our lead to 43 points. Every player contributed, ran hard and linked up well with accurate passes. The only disappointing aspect of our final quarter was our inaccuracy in front of goals with a four goal six return. All up, it was a fantastic turnaround after quarter time and a great reward to win by 72 points.
Match reports by Mr Gerard Barns, Mr Peter Schwab and Mr Geordie Nagle