Under 13 – Sponsored by Betta Quality Curtains and Blinds

Flagstaff Hill 4 11 35 defeated Happy Valley 1 3 9

Best Players: Macklin Brook, Connor Cutting, Joel Quigley, Fletcher Langeluddecke,
Liam Cooper, Jack Lemmey

Goal Kickers: Macklin Brook 3, Jack Lemmey 1.

Mark Lemmey – U13 Coach

Under 17.5’s – Sponsored by Rainmaker Properties

Flagstaff Hill 4 2 26 defeated by Christies 9 7 61

Best Players: Brodie Sisson, Lachlan Ellis, James Keating, Jack Chaplin, James
Hele, Joe Keating.

Goal Kickers: Aidan Carney 2, Ethan Johnson 1, Hugh Nash 1.

After having a successful outing against a well matched opposition in Cove, we
headed into our 2 nd Semi with a good deal of confidence.

Christies Beach have been the bench mark all season and deserved their finish top
of the table.

We did knock them over a few weeks back, so we knew our best footy was good
enough

We did rotate our squad and had six new faces in team to make their first Finals
appearance.

With the bigger area of Christies Beach oval, Our running game was going to be
important. The first quarter found our lads moving the ball reasonably well and our
running play was on show. For the most part it was an arm wrestle and Christies
went into the qtr time break with just a 2 point lead. The qtr time break found the lads
look like they had worked very hard and it was on them to maintain their
commitment.

We started the 2 nd qtr with similar vigour and when Aiden Carney slotted a handy
goal from near the boundary, the boys looked up and about. This, however, turned
out to be our only score for the qtr and Christies were beginning to take control of the
contest. With us only down by 6 points at Half time, it had a feeling of trying to stay
with them as opposed to being in control.

The 3rd qtr was where we struggled. The lads looked flat and struggled to have good
ball control while Christies looked to have an extra couple of players on their side
given their numbers to each contest. Christies banged on 4 goals and we were
unable to score. ¾ time couldn’t come quick enough and we needed to dig deep and
give one last effort to at least make them nervous.

We did get the 1 st goal on the board in the last but we couldn’t make up any ground
from then and unfortunately went down by 35 points at the final siren. To the boys
credit, they battled it out to the end.

Brodie Sisson continued to battle hard in defence while Jimmy Keating and Lachie
Ellis were solid on the wings. Jack Chaplin tried all day with Jimmy Hele and Joe
Keating did everything they could in defence. Aiden Carney was our only multiple
goal scorer with 2 goals.

We now look to next weekend with a date with the Vikings along with the U13s in a
Prelim. Currently it sits 2-1 their way this season but there’s nothing like a challenge
of playing a rival to make it through to the big dance.

Well done to all who have made it through to the GF and here’s hoping we can join
you on the big stage.

See you at the footy
Bunga

Craig Bunworth – Under 17.5’s Coach

 B Grade – Sponsored by Flagstaff Hotel

Flagstaff Hill 5 17 47 defeated Reynella 3 2 20

Best Players: Matt Caire, Zak Cavouras, Mason Carney, Ethan Wildman, Sam
Tharaldsen, Josh Faizal.

Goal Kickers: Ben Burbridge 2, Mason Carney 2, Matt Caire 1.

Well the dust has settled on the final and we have secured a Grand Final birth,  great
reward for a really strong season and we have had some 41 players play in the B
grade this year.  Reynella is a great opposition, very well structured and disciplined
and they bought their best to the contest.
 
A couple of weeks is  a long time in footy,  and we went from kicking 9 straight in a
quarter a couple of weeks ago to kicking 5.17 which many may think is a negative
but I beg to differ.  The game started really strong contested style, we dominated the
play and locked Reynella into our forward 50.  If not for some poor ball use and
decision making 1.5 good have been a lot more damaging.  Score board pressure is
critical in finals and we left the door swinging open.  Reynella got through us twice
and scored 2 goals which is a credit to them however we knew we were right in the
contest.
 
Second quarter was a bit more of an arm wrestle, we kicked 2.2 to 1.1, it was played
between the 50’s and neither team really took advantage of some good footy.  Ball
security and again a lack of lateral movement to shift their defence allowed for a lot
of contested footy,  one could sense we continued to dominate the game every
where other than the scoreboard.
 
After half time we cracked them open, our run, fierce tackling and frontal pressure –
ensured we dominated the game in the second half, whilst we didn’t put them away
on the scoreboard we did in every other stat.  We had 48 forward entries for the
game and scored 22 times so comprehensive.  We kicked 2.5 to nothing in the third
and dominated the game.
 
As has been the way of the season, even in mild to warm conditions we are still
going flat out and although we only kicked 5 points, Reynella was only open to kick 1
point.
 
The grand final awaits, we have reviewed the game, know what we have to do to get
better and I remain very confident that the players stand ready to perform to their
very best.

Graham Tomkins – B-Grade Coach

Flagstaff Hill 11 6 72 defeated Noarlunga 9 6 60

Best Players: Brad Kirk, Nathan Beenham, Macca Short, Adam Bunworth, Sam
Jacobs, David Kearsley.

Goal Kickers: Sam Jacobs 3, Nathan Beenham 2, Sam Smith 1, Blake Aldridge 1,
Mitch Johnson 1, Brendan Hillier 1, Ryan Mountford 1, Cameron Blake 1.

Congratulations to the B, C and Women’s Grades for making their respective Grand
Finals over the next 2 weeks and good luck to the Under 17.5 and 13s teams this
weekend as they are one step away from a Grand Final. A great achievement for the
hard work the entire club has done up to this point.

On Saturday the A grade travelled out to Christies Beach for the Semi Final against
Noarlunga, a team we faced two weeks prior but knew going in, that the game was
going to be very different due to the personnel changes they had made and they
would be looking to rectify the loss from Round 18.

In the rooms pregame the feeling was good, there was good balance of nervous and
excited energy which is expected for a game where the winner heads into the Grand
Final. It was a perfect day for footy and we started the game well hitting the
scoreboard first and settling into the finals contest. It was very quick for us to notice
this Noarlunga side were looking to have a physical presence on the game and they
were up for the contest, their fast style of playing was working on the bigger ground
and we were working hard with our back 6 holding strong. In a seesawing first
quarter we took a 1 goal lead into quarter time. Second quarter was much of the
same, we couldn’t quite play the style we wanted to, much due to the pressure
Noarlunga were placing on us and we couldn’t get our movement going or take a big
advantage of kicking with a slight breeze. At half time we extended our lead to 13
points but we knew this was a close game and the way Noarlunga were moving the
ball at times, they could score quickly.

Our messaging for the day was the team that’s better for longer would come away
with the win, the third quarter was an arm wrestle with both teams hitting in hard,
with 10 minutes to go in the third we managed to string together multiple goals after
Noarlunga had trimmed the margin to 6 points. At the final break we held a 18 point
lead but again we knew the style the Shoes were playing it can turn quickly. And it
did, by halfway through the last Noarlunga had the margin trimmed to a goal and
were peppering their goal face constantly. Our back 6 held strong but we were
unable to exit defensive 50 and hold the ball down our end long enough, Noarlunga
levelled the scores and felt like they had momentum. Much to the groups credit they
did not panic, they won crucial one on one contests to keep the ball in our forward
half and we were able to score 2 goals in the last few minutes to hold on for a 12
point victory. Final Score Flagstaff Hill 11.6-72 to Noarlunga 9.6-60.

Our best player for the day was Brad Kirk, he was outstanding in defence, he was
composed and looked great in one on one contests constantly repelling the Shoes
attack, Nath Beenham was second and his speed on ball was needed along with hitting the scoreboard when forward was vital, Macca Short was third best with a
solid 4 quarter game who looked to love the finals contest. Adam Bunworth, Sam
Jacobs and Dave Kearsley rounded out our top 6 best players. Sam Jacobs kicked 3
goals, Nath Beenham kicked 2 with multiple kicking singles.

We now move on to the Grand Final on the 23 rd  at South Adelaide, it’s a nice
recognition for the senior group to have 3 senior male teams in the Grand Finals for
the work they’ve put in so far, but we know who ever we play in each grade will be a
great contest and we are looking forward to the challenge.

Zane Kirkwood – A-Grade Coach

A Grade Women – Sponsored by KX Pilates

Flagstaff Hill 7 3 45 defeated Christies 7 2 44

Best Players: Emily Brockhurst, Brooke Watson, Alana Baker, Kelsey Rodman,
Chloe Meyers, Liz Johnson.

Goal Kickers: Emily Brockhurst 4, Amber Cloughessy 2, Tiana Lush 1.

After a strong, statement win against Port Noarlunga in an Elimination Final we
returned to Morphett Vale against a strong opponent in Christies Beach. Over the
past 6 weeks, our women have adjusted to a style of footy that is synonymous with
Finals football, providing a tough, contested matchup for our opponents. The Saints
finished minor premiers and as a collective, we knew they were going to come out
firing after a loss against Reynella the previous week. A massive credit to our girls as
we endured the physicality of the first five minutes which was chaotic and entered
quarter time ahead 4.1 to 2.0. The 2nd quarter saw us maintain the lead through
strong performances of Emily Brockhurt through the middle of the ground and Kelsey
Rodman marshalling the troops in defence. After leaking a few goals in the 3rd term,
we entered the 4th quarter fatigued and Christies were applying the pressure. They
jumped us in the first 10 mins and a massive credit to our girls who persevered and
kept grinding. The Saints aimed to chew down the clock whilst they were 1 point
ahead but after transitioning the ball into our forward half we scored a point to get the
scores level. After a stoppage in the centre of the ground, enter Amelia Morriss with
an impactful intercept mark which saw us transition down the far side of the ground
with Brooke Watson, Bella Nicholls and Emma Hoppo linking up well. After the week
off prior, in comes Amber Cloughessy with a sliding mark along the boundary inside
our forward 50. Amber settles herself and scores a point to put us ahead in the dying
stages, we lock the ball in our forward half and drain the clock until that beautiful
sound signalling the end of the game occurs. 

After a rollercoaster of a season where opposition teams had written off our finals
chances early in the year, we now get to play at Flinders University Stadium in the
Grand Final against our biggest rival in Reynella. It’s on Sunday where we get the
answer to a question that we’ve asked ourselves since scraping into finals.

“What if?”

Michael Hegarty – A Grade Women’s Coach

C Grade – Sponsored by Charlesworth Nuts

Flagstaff Hill 14 9 93 defeated Morphett Vale 5 10 40

Best Players: Angus Fisher, James Hackett, Cooper Ames, Ben Hawkins, Todd
Alexander, Matthew Hunter.

Goal Kickers: Matthew Hunter 5, Sam Speak 2, Declan White 2, Bailey Richman 1,
Michael Wright 1, Todd Alexander 1, Liam Edgecumbe 1, Cameron Nuske 1.

Wade Stone – C-Grade Coach

Milestones

Tim Meinecke – 250th Club Game 
Rachel Crockart – 50th Senior Game
Ali Baltagie – 150th Club Game
Peter Robjohns – 50th Junior Game