Five amazing games of finals football were hosted at the Olinda-Ferny Creek home on Sunday and what a day it was for the Olinda teams.
Firstly, the mighty U11s continued their amazing season with a resounding victory over arch-rivals Monbulk. From the outset, the team used a structured approach to the game, using the width of the ground and great gameplay to out-use the footy. Ollie Willard was sublime in his thinking and ball use. Connor Lourey had a day out, kicking two goals as Jack Ford and Syd Higgins kicked a goal each. Archie Green also played some clever footy, often being the outside link-up player. They’re a smart little outfit for the U11s and the club can’t wait to see how far they can take their season.
The U12s had a chance to keep their season alive against a strong Healesville side that has had their measure all year. The girls have really found some form late in the year and were really looking forward to the contest. In a tight affair that was really difficult to score in, the sides went in at halftime with scores locked! Could it happen? Could they find a way to win? The third quarter stayed tight as Reagan Seamer and Lulu Rayner got to contests and took great marks. The run of Willow-rose Gordon and Lili Denovan kept us in every contest whilst Mae Barry’s height and clean hands were great around the ground. At three-quarter time, Olinda was only eight points down. Unfortunately, Healesville found another gear in the last and kicked three unanswered goals to get their victory.
Next came the legendary U13 Boys team. Once they got through their re-grading, they had a fantastic season. They are a great bunch of young men and Spida has them in tip-top shape coming into finals. Mt Evelyn turned up with the heat though and the boys had to endure a tough first half. Jess Desta had a slow start but eventually found the footy and kicked a match-winning 3 goals. The leadership group showed tenacity to wrestle the game back into their control. Rio Neish was best on ground with Will Belkiron, and they brought into the game players such as Fletcher Brown, Jarrah Bellemo and Ollie Millwood. James Thornton has proven to be a goalscoring machine this year as he posted another. Well done boys – through to the Grand Final!!
The U15 Boys came up against the powerhouse Healesville side. Coach Scott was really happy with the efforts the boys put in against a side they haven’t gotten with 100 or so points all year. They were jumped in the first quarter and Healesville’s unrelenting pressure and intensity throughout the game is something that the mostly bottom-age players will learn. It was a free hit against Healesville as they have the second chance and Scott is looking for them to take their games on and embrace the finals. Lachie Tonkin was given a tagging role on a player that has been dominant against them and held him to minimal kicks. Cass Hine continued his dominant season, whilst Jethro Harrison and Tom Ford all played well. They’ll be up against Woori next week.
The U16 Girls team came out fighting with finals energy. Claudia Pitts returned from injury to have a season-best performance, whilst Tilly Oleskowski also had a string of solid ball wins. Kyah Barry’s tough game saw her amass a huge number of possessions, along with Jackie Ring, Maeve Higgins, the Mcdermotts, Jewel & Bridie, and Celia Clarke all playing very well – yet all of these efforts along with the rest of the team were not enough to hold back the tide of Belgrave’s attacking style of football and intense defence. The U16 girls walked away with their heads high though – charged up to finish stronger in 2023.
The U17 Boys also played a great brand of footy to see off a challenging Mt Evelyn outfit. Coach Paddy felt that some of his leaders were a bit flat, possibly after playing seniors in a physical encounter on Saturday, but this meant that players such as Jacob Bateson, Tim Rickard, Abel Teese, Bon Sullivan and Tavish Aitken had to stand up and they did. Goal scoring was hard but the boys toughed out a strong win. Christian teBoehorst led the goal kicking with 3, along with Lachie Bates and Ned Ford. They’ll get to play league benchmarks Woori Yallock next week who were challenged by Belgrave but ultimately successful.
