At this point in the season it is about team success, not about individual performances. Players know where they need to improve and I will address my concerns at practice. This week's report therefore will address the "bigger picture" of the club's success over the weekend.
It was a busy weekend for the club which saw us accomplish 3 of our 4 goals. We fielded 45 different players and won 2 of our 3 games. Very impressive and I think shows the real strength of the club.
The team played hard and got off to a good start but the experience/strength of the Hornets proved too much. It was a difficult year for the thirds as the schedule was a bit…well OK very…chaotic and it was difficult to get any consistency. Having said that we were able to field a team when called upon and hopefully the format for next year will enable players who want to play thirds the opportunity to get regular games. Thanks to all the guys who came out and contributed to the training sessions. It’s great for the club atmosphere to have everyone out and shows the real strength of the club.
The second team played extremely well from start to finish. Technically they played a better game than the firsts and it was great to see people playing hard, enjoying themselves and taking their opportunities. The fact that Brian Anderson scored 3 tries shows us that there defense was a little suspect but we kept the pressure on and played for a full 80 minutes. I thought Shane and Todd (regular first team selections) who were asked to play stepped up and showed real class in the way they and went out and got the job done. Congrats
Wednesday’s game is a huge contest to keep things moving forward toward the playoffs. As such, tonight’s practice is going to be focused on the Seconds. Players not involved Wednesday night (1st and 3rds) will have touch and a good fitness session for those who want to come out for a run. If you are unavailable Wednesday night could you please let me know on Monday.
The Good: We stepped up and got the job done…with authority.
The Bad: We still let up in the second half and didn’t put a complete game together.
The need to Improve: We will need to find that extra 30 minutes of quality rugby if we are going to succeed in making our goals a reality and beat the Hornets on the 18th.
Our next contest is against the Hornets. We haven’t played them this year and missed our opportunity to play them in the Spring Cup Final. This is our opportunity to make a statement about who we are, and what we have accomplished over the course of the season. We have come a long way and have played some of our best Rugby over the last 2 weeks. This is what we wanted to be doing. We need to take a clinical approach to the game vs. the Hornets, stay composed and play with everything we have. As I have said before, wanting it isn’t enough…you have to go out and make it happen. We have the talent and I believe the desire to go out and collectively put 80 minutes of rugby together to do something special on the 18th.
Mon Aug 30 – Training 6:30
Wed Sept 1 Red Deer (in red deer)
Thursday Sept 2 Touch for those who want at Montgomery (6:30)
Monday Sept 6th Labour Day – Training (6:30)
Thursday Sept 9th – Training (6:30)
Sat Sept 11 Seconds Game 12:00 Saints
Mon Sept 13 Training (6:30)
Thurs Sept 16 Training (6:30)
Sat Sept 18 CRU Semi-Finals
As an end note, Tommy Malin has left to go out and play for the Meralomas in Vancouver. Tommy has made a huge contribution to the club both on and off the field and his presence will be missed in the next few weeks. I want to extend a formal thank you and good luck Tommy and let you know that your effort, commitment and passion for the game has left it’s mark on the Club. Good luck on the coast…We’ll be watching!
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