Engadine Eagles 7As – Season Report

What a season for the Engadine Eagles 7As!

At the start of the year, this was a group of boys playing together for the first time. By the end of the season, though, Jake, Blake, Julian, Jasper, Oscar and Matteo had become a brilliant little team, passing, tackling, looking for each other on the field and, most importantly, having heaps of fun together.

The boys started the season in the Bs, but it quickly became apparent that they may have been put in the wrong competition. After a few fairly convincing results (including wins of 14-2 and 10-0) someone wisely decided it might be a good idea to move them up to the As.

That made things a little more challenging, but not by much. The boys continued to have a fantastic season, winning almost all of their games, with only one loss and a couple of draws along the way. More impressive than the results, though, was how much every player improved. They learnt to look for each other, pass the ball, play as a team and celebrate each other’s successes.

Each boy also brought something of his own to the team. Jake was consistently ambitious, always wanted to win and could be relied on for a solid tackle – as well as the post-goal check-in: “Daaaad, did you see my goal??” Oscar was excellent in defence and developed a brilliant long shot, with several finding the back of the net. Jasper was never afraid of a physical contest and was very good at using his body to win the ball. Julian’s confidence grew incredibly quickly, and with it came some strong tackling and increasingly assured play. Blake was also a strong tackler and quickly found his place again after missing several weeks with a fractured collarbone. And Matteo was lightning-fast, a great dribbler and always had a smile on his face – although he and Blake also occasionally found time for some important mid-training silliness.

Jasper also brought a little FIFA World Cup inspiration to Engadine, celebrating goals with hands to his ears or taking off across the field in full aeroplane mode, clearly determined that every goal deserved a proper international-style entrance.

Julian took toughness to another level when he lost a tooth during one game and simply carried on playing. Apparently, unless a body part is absolutely essential for kicking a soccer ball, there is no reason to leave the field.

Blake’s fractured collarbone was one of the bigger challenges of the season. He was understandably cautious when he first returned, but it didn’t take long before he was tackling confidently again and looking completely at home on the field.

Even the half-time oranges provided drama. On one memorable occasion they were so sour they were essentially lemons wearing orange costumes. The post-game team photos became progressively sillier; probably a pretty good reflection of how comfortable the boys had become with each other.

Rhett and Glen managed to take training sessions from early-season “energetic chaos” to impressively organised and disciplined affairs in which the boys actually appeared to listen. Most of the time.

The final training session featured the highly anticipated kids v parents match, which may have involved a few adults taking an Under 7s game slightly more seriously than necessary. Jake’s grandpa put in a heroic performance in the tiny goal, Jane and Megan got onto the pitch, and Rhett, Glen and Juan joined the action. Kieran provided two excellent assists which somehow allowed the team manager to score twice – possibly her greatest managerial achievement of the season.

The season finished on a high with a brilliant final game. It was a fitting way to finish the season: confident, energetic, working together and clearly enjoying themselves.

A huge thank you to Rhett and Glen for coaching, to all the parents and grandparents for the lifts, encouragement, oranges and sideline support, and to everyone who helped make the season happen.

And most of all, congratulations to the boys. The results were fantastic, but even better was watching six kids who started the year as new teammates finish it as a confident, connected and very happy little team

What a brilliant first season for the Engadine Eagles 7As.