Tag: Oakleigh Chargers

“Mercurial” Kemp praised

 Written by Jarryd Barca

Calder Cannons Under 18 boys assistant coach Chris Nolan named forward-mid Joshua Kemp as one of his stand out performers in the team’s Round 2 loss against the Oakleigh Chargers.

Kemp was a live-wire for the Cannons up forward booting three of the team’s seven goals of the contest, two of which coming in a five-goal second quarter blitz by the home side.

The 19-year-old collected nine disposals for the game and took three marks in an effective performance in tough conditions. 

“I thought Josh Kemp was really dangerous – he looked like the ‘Kempy’ of last year at times today,” Nolan said post-game.

“You really don’t want to give him five yards as an opponent when he’s on because he can be quite mercurial.”

Two quick-succession goals on each side of Kemp’s last quarter snap in the ninth minute saw the Chargers steer clear by 23 points when the final siren sounded at a wet and windy Highgate Recreation Reserve. 

Nolan also sung the praises of midfielders Harrison Minton-Connell and Sam Ramsay, as well as defenders Mason Fletcher and Brodie Newman. 

The Cannons gave up a four-goal head start and were held scoreless at quarter time to trail by 28 points. 

But the table completely flipped, with the Cannons returning serve to hold the fancied Chargers scoreless in a second quarter that saw the home side pile on five unanswered goals. 

“It was the most animated I’ve heard Ross (coach Ross Smith) since he joined the club,” Nolan said of his quarter-time address.

Calder was also held goalless in the first half of its Round 1 match against the Sandringham Dragons, while they gave up a five-goal head start to the Eastern Ranges in a practice match a week earlier. 

“It was three weeks in a row we haven’t got out of the blocks so he had every right to give the boys a rocket, he challenged a few of them and a couple of the challenged actually stood up,” Nolan said. 

“The effort after quarter time was pretty good, not good enough at the end of the day but a big improvement on last week.”

The one-goal lead at half time was short lived and despite the brave effort, the Cannons recorded their second loss in as many weeks to start the NAB League season. 

But it’s not all doom and gloom according to Nolan who, proud of the boys’ fightback, noticed their “desire for the contest” was a lot stronger than Round 1. 

“I thought we hunted the ball a lot better,” he said.

“We found ways to stay involved, and guys that weren’t getting clean disposals found ways to get involved.

“In the end we gave up 28 points, nosed in front, five minutes to go we have the ball at the top of the forward 50 and if you penetrate deep there you just don’t know what happens. 

“Instead we gave the whole length of the field and they scored, it just comes down to moments sometimes. You can get so close, but they kicked another one and it gets out to three (goals) and a bit instead of one.”

The question back to the group post-game was whether they need to revamp their pre-game preparations, after again being slow out of the blocks.

“We don’t want to be where we were today at quarter time next week,” Nolan said.

“We’ve got to, for confidence sake and reward for effort, get out of the blocks and hopefully really work towards a win next week against the Jets.”


Chargers hold off brave Cannons

Calder Cannons vs Oakleigh Chargers – Round 2

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Oakleigh Chargers overcame a half time deficit to record a 23-point win against the Calder Cannons under inclement skies on Sunday.

The overcast conditions – which turned the Round 2 contest at times into a regressive slog – meant champagne football was a far cry to what was required on the day. 

Joshua Kemp looked a match winner up forward kicking three of the team’s seven goals in the 10.9 (69) to 7.4 (46) result at Highgate Recreation Reserve.

Harrison Minton-Connell’s 22 touches was the most for the Cannons on the day, with captain Brodie Newman again impressing for the second successive week in defence. 

The home team will again be left lamenting a slow start after being held scoreless at quarter time.

The Chargers looked a superior outfit and it was their clinical ball use going forward that saw them make the most of their opportunities to head into quarter time with a 28-point buffer.  

But the tide suddenly turned.

Nineteen-year-old Tye Browning converted his set shot in the nine-minute mark to put through the Cannons’ first major, before Kemp asserted himself on the contest to convert two more goals in a three-and-a-half minute span. 

The momentum had shifted the Cannons’ way and the match took an unexpected but deserved turn, Ned Gentile and Sam Ramsay adding themselves to the goal-kickers list and handing their side a one-goal half time advantage.

There was a noticeable increase in intensity in the third quarter as the first half rain soaked the oval, with the four points truly up for grabs.

Finlay Macrae’s goal for the Chargers was cancelled out just seconds later by Cannons forward Jake Sutton, who was awarded a down-the-field free kick from close range. 

Chargers ball-winner Noah Anderson stepped up to the plate and converted from a free kick to wrestle back his side’s two-point lead, before a 12-minute dry patch to end the term meant the scores remained 40-42 heading into the last quarter.

Kemp converted the Cannons’ only goal and scoring shot of a final term that could have gone either way, with his nine-minute snap on the counter-attack sandwiched by two Chargers goals before and after. 

The result puts the Cannons on the bottom of the ladder after two matches, with their chance of kick-starting their season coming this Saturday at Highgate Recreation Reserve against the Western Jets.

Goal kickers: J. Kemp 3, S. Ramsay, N. Gentile, T. Browning, J. Sutton

Best players: H. Minton-Connell, B. Newman, J. Kemp, S. Ramsay, J. Sutton, D. Mott

Stats leaders: H. Minton-Connell (22 disposals), C. Brown (five marks), D. Mott (four tackles), M. Fletcher (five rebound 50s)J

Cannons fall short in late comeback

Calder Cannons vs Oakleigh Chargers – Round 4

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls lost their first match of the season in their Round 4 clash against the Oakleigh Chargers at Highgate Recreation Reserve.

Another slow start by Calder saw them chasing the Oakleigh tails for the majority of the contest after conceding the opening four goals of the game.

There was no doubting the girls’ effort after successfully outscoring the away team in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as the Chargers held on for a tough 7.2 (44) to 5.4 (34) result. 

Tahlia Gillard was solid up forward booting two majors for the Cannons, while Emelia Yassir, Alana Barba, Kasey Lennox, Mali McLeod and Terira Fry were also named in the best players. 

Gloria Elarmaly can also hold her head high after laying seven tackles in the contest – the equal-most in the game with Chargers’ Nicola Xenos. The 18-year-old half-forward is fifth in the NAB League for total tackles this season. 

The Cannons were held scoreless in the first term and it was the third time this season they have trailed their opponents at quarter time. 

Two more goals to the Chargers in the second quarter before the home side’s first major meant the Cannons had to fight hard to wrestle back the momentum, trailing at the main break by 18 points.

The side re-grouped and came out to play in the third quarter with the Chargers unable to re-stamp their first-half authority. 

The Cannons’ two goals were cancelled by a double from Oakleigh, setting up an exciting fourth term.

A grandstand finish was on the cards in the final stanza with the Cannons firing off four scoring shots to one. 

But the two goals two behinds outcome wasn’t enough as the Chargers hung on for dear life in a hard-fought 10-point contest. 

The result sees the Cannons girls drop to third on the ladder, who’ll look to bounce back this Saturday when they host the Murray Bushrangers at Highgate Recreation Reserve. 

Goal kickers: T. Gillard 2, A. Magri, F. Theodore, G. Elarmaly

Best players: E. Yassir, A. Barba, K. Lennox, M. McLeod, T. Gillard, T. Fry 

Stats leaders: E. Yassir (14 disposals), G. Patrikios (three marks, four inside 50s), G. Elarmaly (seven tackles), M. McLeod (three rebound 50s)

J

Girls raring for “biggest challenge” yet

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 Girls are eager to take the field this Sunday ahead of what will be their biggest challenge of the season so far, according to head coach Paul Tilley.

Calder is one of three undefeated teams in 2019 and is looking to stretch its winning run to four weeks when it hosts the Oakleigh Charges at Highgate Recreation Reserve. 

“Oakleigh will be our biggest challenge so far this year,” Tilley said.

“They move the ball pretty well, they have a pretty good game plan, they switch the ball, they run the ball. 

“They have a couple of good solid players who move surprisingly quick and kick some really good goals so it’ll be interesting to see how we actually stack up against them, it’ll be a good challenge. 

“They drew with Northern and Northern I thought were probably, and I still think they will be, finals contenders easily.” 

The girls only won two matches last year in Tilley’s first season at the helm, who believes going back to the basics is the catalyst for the side’s rise in fortunes. 

The Cannons averaged 24.2 points per game last season compared to this year’s 49.3, albeit just the three matches have been played. 

“The first couple of games that we played (last year) we got beaten rather comprehensively and so we actually looked at it and thought ‘you know what? We’re probably not as good as we thought’,” Tilley explained. 

“We just went back and started teaching a little bit more about the game itself and we started really concentrating on skills. So much so that I think we played Geelong who were eventual premiers and we only got beaten by a few goals against them and it was only one quarter that let us down. 

“If we had have played them earlier they probably would have beaten us comprehensively, and we won the last two games, so we’ve taken that same philosophy into this year, teach the girls about the game. 

“A lot of girls who come to us, they’re the best from where they come from, but they all tend to play on the ball for their local clubs.

“When they come here they don’t know how to play back, they might not know how to play forward, so it was a bit of an eye opener for me teaching the young girls how to play football.” 

Asked whether the internal mood amongst the players has changed since last season after winning three from three, Tilley said the confidence levels in his players are always soaring. 

“I think what they’re seeing is what we’ve asked them to do is working so that does give them a little bit more confidence to try stuff out during the game,” he said.

“We ask them to do certain things and they are trying it because they know it can work and so I expect that that will continue to increase as well.” 

The Cannons couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year and sit rather comfortably in second position on the ladder, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, trailing their opponents multiple times in the first three weeks. 

“We actually need to make the most of our opportunities, we probably have the ball inside 50 just as much as the opposition but we just don’t put it through the goals,” Tilley said.

“I think last week against Sandringham, and nothing against Sandringham – they’re a young side and all that – but we were off the boil in the first half and I can’t really put my finger on it, but you just know when a side isn’t there collectively, and basically after half time it clicked.

“Maybe it was because the girls had to wake up early to go to Sandringham! I don’t know, but it’s not that Sandringham played more exceptional football but we played quite poorly. 

“After half time we started sticking to the game plan and we started doing what we know we can do and eventually we ran over the top of them.”

Tilley expects to see much of the same from his side on Sunday, urging the players for a better start to the contest. 

“If you look at the first game, we weren’t leading at quarter time but I think we were something like one goal seven before we started putting goals through,” he said.

“We really need to make the most of our goal kicking. Some of the girls who I think are rushing probably have a little bit more time to take those shots, some of the choices that they actually make could probably be a little bit better as well.”

Be there at Highgate Recreation Reserve from 1:45pm to help steer the girls to their fourth consecutive victory of the season. J