The Belnorth U14 Div 2 team celebrated their win in the Cowra tournament last Sunday, 16th August. Our team entered at the last minute as the Div 1Team from Belnorth could not play due to circumstances beyond their control. It shows the depth of talent at this level in the club that we still won the competition in our age group.

I should say that we were initially missing three of our normal team but we were able to get two players from the Div1 U14 side and a player who helped us out in the Kanga Cup. The three replacements covered the same positions to our missing players and maintained the strengths for the team. Our special thanks go to the boys who stepped in at such short notice and blended in so well.

Meeting at 8:30am in Cowra brought some wary smiles from parents with the look of, “Why are we here, exactly?”, in their eyes. The weather was forecast to be wet and windy but thankfully the wind did not eventuate and there were only light showers during the day.

The first game was a 4-0 win to us followed by a 3-0 win. Both wins did involve one of our players, Toby, having the ball over the opponent’s goal line twice but it spun out both times without the referee seeing it. For the final game in the group we needed a draw to go in to the final.

Everything was going well until early in the second half we made an uncharacteristic mistake and conceded a goal. Rather than panic the boys stayed patient, kept the ball on the ground, kept supporting each other and the breakthrough came with a through ball from midfield and a great shot to beat the keeper in the far corner. The boys went on to dominate the final stages of the game and could have scored again before the end.

The final was against Orange Rangers. It was a good standard of play throughout the game but we were the stronger team and won 2-0 in the end. Everyone was obviously very happy with the result but it was well deserved for the boys. They had blended together very well, supported each other, worked their socks off, stayed positive and believed in themselves and their ability throughout the whole day.

I would like to thank the Manager, Jo Virgona, without whose excellent organisational skills the smooth running of the day would not have happened. Thanks to the club and especially Andrew Lazdovskis, who helped and supported us throughout. Thanks to all of the parents who managed to be civil to me in the morning in Cowra when I’m sure a warm bed seemed a much better idea. Finally thanks to the organisers who put on a great tournament.

As a coach I would like to say that at this level of U14 you are looking for more than skill, strength, speed or stamina. You are starting to look for players that can make decisions under pressure, see space and use it, support and not see their role as occupying one area on the field or doing one job. This team showed those qualities in abundance and it was a pleasure coaching them and, I believe, a pleasure for the parents to watch. Congratulations to the team and thanks for all the support from parents, players and the club.