Under 19s Round 1 vs. Old Melbournians, at Junction Oval, St Kilda

By Justin Kremmer

The season opener was always going to present a challenge for the U19s. Playing on probably the best surface in Melbourne apart from the MCG, it was a contrast to the pre-season where, at times, it took great effort to find a permanent patch of grass even to train on. But ‘the Junction’ was in pristine condition and it was a fine day – the wind slightly advantaged the city end goals, as we later found out.

The team outfit, apart from the orange jumpers we were forced to wear to avoid a clash, was looking strong with no shortage of smalls or tall players, except for Darcy Daly who was unavailable to play. It had been clear the U19 boys particularly those fresh out of school had displayed eagerness and enthusiasm to play with the school. Pre-season attendance levels to training had apparently reached a new high compared with years gone by. Getting the numbers out onto the field was what really mattered though. Old Melbournians started the game at a blistering fast pace with a couple of early goals which stemmed from centre bounce clearance wins. Their carry and run with the ball was to become a major problem for Caulfield throughout the day.

The midfielders knew they had a tough task and it appeared early that Old Melbournian’s endurance was unmatched by our overall lack of fitness as a team. Later, it was clear that this was the case. Caulfield were strong with laying strong tackles at stages but as the scoreboard showed Melbourne were a lot better at applying sustained physical pressure. Their conversion rate at goal was also extremely high and it was even more difficult for us to play our tactical game style.

Caulfield were able to get on top of Melbourne’s flow midway through the second quarter. This was due to the help of Tim ‘Bakes’ Baker, as alluded to by Matho in the post-match speech, he is our fittest player at this current stage. His preparation for the season was exhibited in fine style on Saturday. In the backline, Dom ‘Mumbler’ O’Keefe, Robbie ‘Laminator’ Lamont and Jordan ‘JD’ Stewart were able to sacrifice their normal attacking style of play and take on a more defensive approach. There were also signs of JD’s courage when going back with the flight of the ball.

It was similarly fantastic to see the emergence of a fresh recruit Woody Eke, who may have a De La Salle background but we’re happy to accept him as our own. It’s hard to believe Bakes and James ‘Footie’ Foote have both come from the 3rds school footy team. Co-captain Sean ‘Mez’ Meredith presented strongly as a target up forward all day but as was the case he had poor delivery which made things exceptionally hard. Will Rowsthorn became a menace for the opposition, snagging two good goals and leading hard from the goal square.

Footie and Justin Kremmer were able to add three goals between them from setshots showcasing a handy ability to kick straight in setshots. Luke Spinks, Jimmy Elrington, Jake McCahon, Luke Tamblyn, Clay Williams and, in the ruck, Dave Allanson and Mark ‘Nelly’ Nelson, all dug deep and continued to create contests and were daring. But it was Bakes who stood out and put on a show gathering possessions from all corners of the ground, laying ferocious tackles and even took a speccy in the forward line, and then he of course converted a major. His best on ground performance was a stellar effort since he has a history of playing soccer.

Footie’s two goals assisted in helping gather some momentum at a time when we were in fast need of lifting the bar. Kremmer’s move to defence paid off with his running off the backline looking sharp, while Francis McArdle, Cam Penberthy, Chris Game and Alex Ford were able to show acceleration and determination for the full game, not giving up at any point to become the team’s major ball winners.

While spending much of the time on the bench, Dyl Tobias, along with Jake ‘Whitta’ Whitford, Simon ‘Simon’ Reid and Max Price were able to add some support to the structure of the team.

A telling indication of the depth and ability of this talented group was co-captain Ben Price’s selection in the seniors. He had earned a call up after an impressive start to the year in the pre-season games, along with exciting first year players Tom Sundberg and Callum Sinclair. But, the continual message around the club has been made clear: there are spots vacant for youth, but only if you’re up to it. And these three had definitely shown they have the required attitude to match it at the senior level.