After a long preseason covering nearly 3 months of some solid training at Feighan oval and Saturday morning beach sessions at Newcastle, the young Warners Bay Bulldogs were chomping at the bit to get back into playing AFL and test themselves on Saturday when we travelled up the Hunter Valley to participate in the Muswellbrook Invitational Cup. We were greeted with extreme conditions on the journey up with the thermometer tipping 38 degrees by 11am. It was to be a good test of the players fitness levels to play through the conditions and keep the fluids up so that we got through the day unscathed. The Bulldogs have put in some solid training during the pre-season and the attendances have never been better so the opportunity to put on the guernsey and get stuck into it at the carnival led to plenty of excitement amongst the boys.
The carnival had a women’s and men’s fixture with 6 teams represented from the hosts Muswellbrook, Sydney side Wollondilly and four Black Diamond sides being Maitland, Singleton, Lake Macquarie and us all playing a round robin format with games running for 30 mins with 2 x 15 minutes halves. Due to the hot conditions I think players from all sides were happy with the shorter format.
The first game saw us up against the hosts Muswellbrook at 2pm, and the mercury ticking over 38 degrees, to kick start our day and they were certainly up for the contest. From the first bounce the boys knew they were in for a spirited contest with both sides laying some strong tackles and applying a few bumps around the contest. With plenty of new faces in the team, the introduction of some young talent and the willingness of the senior leaders the boys started to kick into gear and apply pressure on the opposition which led to some early goal opportunities, which set up an early lead and set the tone. Black Diamond Cup coach Marty was particularly happy with the way the boys kick started their carnival with some exciting passages of play leading to the first few goals of the day. With our midfield showing they mean business with some bone crunching tackles and presence around the contest the boys began to kick away with a few handy goals and apply some scoreboard pressure. With a focus over the preseason on being more organised at centre bounces and throw ins the boys were linking up well with some strong inside work in the midfield and good composure and decision making at the stoppages. With our backline pushing up the field the boys worked hard in the tough conditions to provide plenty of opportunities to our forwards and some of the switches of play across the half back line were starting to cause a few headaches for Muswellbrook. As we entered half time the heat was starting to take its toll on a few players however the momentum was with the bulldogs as some of our new recruits and youngsters got their chances and found a bit of the footy to show glimpses of what’s to come.
The ruck dominance continued in the second half with our midfield brigade getting first use of the footy and delivering to a few of our small to medium sized forwards. With space starting to open up in our forward half thanks to some selfless leads a few boys were starting to seize their opportunities with some clever goals from a few usual suspects. The improving fitness from the boys was starting to show with some pleasing 2nd and 3rd efforts from the majority of players with improved composure with the football in hand. The boys ended up running away with the game with a pleasing finish to our first hit-out of the day. Final scores were 47-4.
With the boys enjoying a needed break from the oppressive heat the next game at 4pm was against local rival Lake Macquarie Dockers. Buoyed by their first performance the boys were keen to pick up where they left off earlier in the day and with a strong midfield set up the game started well for the bulldogs with the first clearance a set play resulting in one of our key power forwards taking the first of many contested marks for the game and converting from close range. The Lake Macquarie boys would not be intimidated though with some aggressive remonstration and attack on the football leading to many stoppages from their applied pressure. They certainly wanted to impose themselves on the game but some steely defence from a few of our veterans led to some good clean skills and switches of play resulting in many attacking drives from the backline. A key positive was the involvement of our young players who didn’t shirk a contest and won a few hard ball gets in the process. As the first half progressed a few of our senior players started to stamp their mark on the game with some long kicking and strong pack marks preventing any real attacking threats from the dockers. As the game kicked on in the second half the improved ball movement focused on through the preseason began to open up the play and result in the boys attacking the corridor more aggressively. As the score began to tick over the boys appeared to drop off the intensity, with fatigue being a factor, and Lake Macquarie began to surge forward on a few occasions. Lucky for the boy’s a few reliable defenders across the fullback line and time and time again proved with their strong spoiling and intercept marking that they were going to provide the rebound we needed. A few special goals kept the boys hungry for more and this allowed the boys to stay on top throughout the final exchanges. At the final siren the scores were 44-12 with both Marty and Bucks happy with the performance of all the players.
The final game for us proceeded our 2nd so it was always going to be a test of the players fitness as the days heat let up only so slightly. Playing a Sydney team would be a first for many of the players and the Wollondilly knights certainly laid down the challenge. With all players having played 2 games already versus Wollondilly’s 1 game we could see the experience and class on display. The boys started slowly but after a few minutes they were starting to find plenty of the footy with our forwards leading with real purpose. A few entertaining passages of play led to some reward for the boys with some of our forwards surprising the coaches with some strong overhead marks. Sensing the occasion the midfield stepped up their urgency and intensity around the contest and the physical presence around the ground lifted as a result of some repeat efforts and desperation from the boys. With some silky ball movement on show from the Wollondilly midfielders the learning curve was evident for our younger players who rose to the challenge laying a few strong tackles and thwarting some dangerous forward plays. With a few minutes left in the half and the game in the balance the ability of a few experienced players to cause turnovers and create opportunities led to us closing the gap and turning the momentum in our favour. A number of boys were prepared to put their head over the footy and win the hard ball which lifted the boys leading into halftime.
After half time coach Marty was keen to make a few changes as the game hung in the balance with us trailing by 8 points. With the more seasoned and bigger bodied midfielders for Wollondilly having thrown their weight around in the first half the plan to put some of our prime movers in the middle began to bring some physicality to the contest as the tide turned in our favour. The in-and-under work of our midfielders created space on the outside of the ruck for our boys to look long and direct and this gave our forwards confidence to present hard from the goal square. In a strong display of contested marking and goal kicking Tristan Warner showed his worth with 5 goals in a half to lead the bulldogs to victory by 13 points. Still being a work in progress Marty was buoyed by the performance of the Bulldogs in the second half. “We hit our straps and delivery to Tristan was superb and it’s pleasing to see leading into round 1. That second half produced some of our best passages of play exhibited by our leaders. The forwards were plucking everything that came their way with some real old school bulldog’s mongrel displayed by a few notable big bodied midfielders turning the tide our way with their inside work and attack on the footy”.
It was encouraging signs for the season ahead the way we bounced back and got on with the contest when behind on the scoreboard. This improved maturity and discipline will go a long way in working towards Round 1 and starting the season on the right note. The boys did enough in the end to take out the 2018 Muswellbrook Invitational Cup and the coaching staff are pleased with the progress of the squad. Marty was happy with the way the Bulldogs played throughout the carnival, “It was a good day for the club and good reward for the effort put in over the summer”. With the average age of the team at just 21 years, assistant coach Jeremy Buckley was particularly happy with how the young squad stood up and responded to the conditions and how the older players in the squad lead the younger players out on the field.
As we move on now to our final intra club match there is still plenty of work to be done on the training track before the season kicks off on the 7th April. The club would like to thank Muswellbrook Football Club for inviting us up for an enjoyable carnival and all the best for their season ahead.
Winners are Grinners!