The first game was against the Eureka Rebels who had suffered their first defeat of the season last week against the proud Bangalow Beagles. Keen to make amends the Eureka team hit us hard from the onset, and it was clear from that point on this was going to be a long day in the office for our kids. Not letting the opposition intimidate him, Keelin began as he left off, and harassed both the ball and any player stupid enough to get in his way. With an improved kicking game, Keelin kept the ball away from the hot spot which was situated just in front of our goals. This served as a double blow for the opposition as it denied them the goal that they desperately sought, and frustrated them at the same time. Billy soon capitalised on the desponded opponents and produced dazzling footwork and lightning quick pace, to propel defence into attack. Billy played a mature and determined game all day, and is quickly turning into the “go to boy” when dour situations arise. The real hero of this game was Gabe, who as usual never gave in and battled hard for the entire twenty minutes and produced two hard fought goals that were to become the only score for the game. Gabe is another dependable performer who employs a “heads down bums up” (literally) approach to the sport. In his second year with the team, he too is maturing into an indispensable cog in the Beagles machine. The final result saw the Rebels loose for the second week in a row to a proud and tired Beagles outfit.

Game two we assumed would be an easier affair, if results from the previous week were to repeat, however we were sorely mistaken. Again we faced a fired up Eureka group that brought their A game in their kit bag. After only a few minutes we were already in the red, with a series of pin point passes cutting through our defence and finding the back of the net. Once more sensing that we needed to lift, Callum decided it was he who would raise his hand first. Callum hardly put a foot wrong in a solid performance, which saw him miss the goals by inches on several occasions. Rather than let it get the better of him, Callum became more determined and repeatedly gave both himself and his team-mates every opportunity to score. A player who benefitted from this was Milo who today played equally well in front of the goals as he did saving them down back. Milo produced two classic goals from both sides of the field, and then took control of the defensive half of the field to deny Eureka any more glory. Milo is having a vintage season and his enthusiasm is infectious, rubbing off on Lola who also scored a few to put the result beyond the Eureka Forces’ capabilities. Lola worked hard in the midfield, often taking on several opponents with great success. Lola was another that never gave up, and the smile across her face showed all that she really enjoyed it. The second half avalanche of goals buried the Force who tried valiantly but just couldn’t match the force of Bangalow.

Well done (again) team, one to go before the break that you all richly deserve.