Warriors Women’s Non Contact Match Report
Saturday 5th April 2025

Report by Helen
Saturday saw the Warriors Women’s Non Contact team trek out to Werribee.  The sky was blue, the sun was out and the breeze was fresh – a good day for footy.  There was a good turn out from the Warriors and our numbers were enhanced by Sharon (1st timer, friend of Jen), Maddison (daughter of Ren), Jodie (returning to footy following an injury) and Charlie (No 1 fan of non contact). 
After warm up, the teams were selected, Sue and Charlie were to share the umpiring and Flea nominated timekeeper. Any nerves that were fluttering were soon forgotten as the whistle went to start the first match of the 2025 season.  We were rusty in places, crowding the ball being our main fault but after a pep talk from Flea at the first break we spread out and more efficient and effective passages of play emerged in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. 
Ren reminded us why she is so good in defence with her positioning and big kick outs, Sandra dominated in the ruck and special mention has to go to Sharon our 1st timer who kicked 3 goals! As always in our matches there was a  lot of celebrating individual efforts as there were plenty of marks taken, plenty of goals, a few bloopers and lots of laughing.Well done to all who played and a big thank you to all who came and supported us. 
See you all next time for round 2 in Altona (26th April).

Mens Over 35s Match Report
Sunday 6th April – vs De La Salle at Waverley Oval

What can I say? The excitement was palpable as Round 1 of the 2025 season finally arrived. The 35s this year had some departing talent from last year’s team but we had some new talent added, which was a promising sign that this year wouldn’t be a lost cause.
We made our way down to De La Salle’s Waverley Oval in Malvern East, with the weather looking perfect – sunny with just a hint of a breeze. I’d been told they might be short on players, and if needed, we could step in and play short. However, we didn’t get the call, so I had the team ready, despite some unexpected player withdrawals.
Fortunately, we had a late inclusion that turned out to be a real asset – big thanks to David V for stepping in when we needed him. However, when De La Salle took to the field, it quickly became clear that they had more players than we were initially told. In fact, they ended up with a full side plus five on the bench. Interesting, to say the least.
The game kicked off, and De La Salle wasted no time coming out strong. They looked like a well-drilled team, full of talent, and they hit the ground running. Despite some adjustments, we couldn’t halt their momentum. The first quarter ended 44 to 6, with Clappers slotting a great goal – which, by the way, earned him the fine for kicking the first goal of the season! :)
I made sure to encourage the team to keep pushing, to try new things, and to not drop their heads. And they did just that. They fought on, never giving up, even though we started to suspect something was off with the opposition. There was definitely a bit of a mystery brewing at Waverley Oval.
By halftime, the score had ballooned to 76 to 13, but there were still highlights. One came from Jules, who made a great defensive play, stopping an opposition goal. The ball quickly transitioned down the field, allowing Lil Pete to finish with a clever goal off the ground at the other end.
The second half saw more of the same. Despite our best efforts and adjustments, we couldn’t get into our groove. But the credit goes to every player who got out there and kept fighting until the final siren sounded. The leadership from the 35s was exceptional, with our captain Junior always standing tall no matter where I placed him. Bomber and Harley gave it their all, while O’B had a fantastic game in the ruck, clearly getting the better of his opponent most of the day. The backline held firm, as they always do, handling whatever was thrown their way.
A special mention to Herry for his first ever game – he might’ve only had a couple of touches, but he never gave up, stayed positive, and truly enjoyed the experience.
The final score was 144 to 13, but let’s just say De La Salle looked a little different on the field than they did on paper. Regardless, the effort from our team was outstanding, and I’m proud of everyone who played. The standouts for me were Jules, Junior, Velardo, O’B, Harley, Clappers, and Jamie.
Also a special Mention and thanks to Mitch who was runner for the team, great job.
Another mention also goes out to the three 50’s players that came after their match and were on the bench and on the ground for me Bruiser, Grant and Speedy, thank you!

Score
DeLaSalle 20.24.144 d Eastern Warriors 2.1.13

Over 50s Mens Match Report
by Grunta

With a new coach, captain and vice captain for 2025, the Warriors Over 50s headed down to Beaconsfield to take on the 2024 grand finalists on their home turf. We’d faced off against them in the pouring rain a few weeks before in a competitive practice match, but had some big outs for this first clash for points.

The skies were clear and we were led out for the first time by Paz, into a warm-up representative of 20 elderly men with limited skills and fitness serving no purpose. We can do better.
Beacy won the toss and opted to kick with the wind, a big advantage as the goals piled up despite the hard efforts of the defensive unit. Thorney, Kenny and Frenchy showed some dash out of half back but the height and spread of a well-drilled Beacy kept movement into the forward line minimal. Al was hard at everything and the mids and wingers came down to defend, but we were well beaten in the first quarter.

Eddie was out early with a popped calf, but he managed to persuade spectators Col and Dusty to suit up and take the field. There was also some excitement that Carbo was a late in when a white kidnap van turned up, but it was a false alarm.

The second quarter was an improvement in ball movement, getting it in more regularly and giving Lou a shot on goal that drifted just wide for our solitary point. Jules and Rev were lively, Marty did a fantastic job in the ruck and presenting as a tall target around the ground, and Kenny was relentless in the backline punching above his weight. And Dusty just wanted me to mention him somewhere.

By half time Ari was out with a groin and the Warriors had no bench left.

During the second half, the tiring Warriors struggled to keep up with the spread, height and speed of the more youthful Beaconsfield, who showed why they are likely to be a contender for the flag in 2025.

Bruiser was huge in the middle all day, new vice-captain Gezza moved back to defence and had an impact. The Warriors never caved and we continued to fight hard. With seven minutes to go and the game well and truly in the balance, a Beaconsfield player went down with what looked like an innocuous injury, but nonetheless the stretcher was called out while the clock was still running. The controversial incident ran 2 minutes off the clock, when all the Warriors needed was a 20 goal burst to win the game. Absolutely robbed.


SportsBet was paying $450 for the following multi –
1. Kenny to take a running bounce.
2. Lou to kick the entire team score.
3. Col to get sent off.
4. Al to get in a punch-on.


I got everything except the last leg. Just.


The final result was one point vs a lot, and the Beaconsfield captain reminded us post-game just how old and useless we were, in a polite way. There’s lots to work on, and our first two games of the year are against last season’s grand finalists, so it’ll be a tough start but there are some big ins to come and work to do at training under our now-injured coach.

In terms of this match report, I’m filling in for Dusty, who is being managed this round, but will be back in the match report chair soon. It’s also a reminder that if there is one truism in football, it’s that there’s always some prick after your spot.




Score

Beaconsfield 17.16.118 d. Eastern Warriors 0.1.1