Round 11 Team of the Week – Year 8
 
Kelmscott started the season in A division, but were regraded to B. Not only were they going into the round on a 5 game winning streak, but they took the leading spot on the ladder from the Kats after our 1 point loss last week.
It was a top of the table clash and both teams had a lot to play for!
In previous rounds our boys had been a little slow to wake up, but this was not a luxury they could afford against Kelmscott.
And they didn’t disappoint, taking the opposition by surprise with the first six pointer in opening minutes.
Not long after the Bulldog backs were sucked up into the play and we scored another in an open goal.
Our boys were tackling hard when defending and fiercely shepherding when we had the ball.
This was the best opening our boys had shown all season and at the end of the 15 minutes the score was 4:1 to 0:2.
 
Our second quarter was a contrast and the control of the game changed. The rain came down, our marks weren’t sticking and kicking accuracy slipped.
Kelmscott found their key players and managed 3 goals. In the closing minutes some deft handballing set up a kick between the big sticks for the Kats, but the lead had slipped to 15 points.
 
At half time the coaches reminded the boys to kick into space and finished their address with the words, “sometimes you don’t just push through walls, you run through them!”
 
The quarter started slow for us until the trademark Kats end to end footy resulted in a goal. And although our tally only grew by 9 points, Kelmscott missed scoring opportunities and only added three to their bottom line.
At the third change the score was 6:8 to 3:5. It was going to be an exciting finish but we would have to maintain a strong defence.
 
Early in the fourth unfortunately Kelmscott caught the Kats unawares and quickly scored through an open goal. Our boys needed reminding to get numbers to the ball.
Using bench rotations the players working the hardest got to rest, ensuring we had fresh legs. Neither team were giving up but in the last 7minutes of the game, with a lot of encouragement from the boundary, the Kats found their mojo. A direct kick to the goal square taken cleanly in the air gave us another 6 pointer and finally we felt comfortable in the lead.
 
It’s likely we’ll meet Kelmscott again in the finals and no doubt it will be another challenging game.
Congrats to Brent Smith celebrating his 50th game this week, leading the boys through the banner and onto a fantastic win.
Final score Kats 8:11: 59 to Kelmscott 5:7: 37