CK Group - Colts Review

COLTS GET BACK ON TRACK

The Colts took to the road this week to take on Noosa on their home patch . After a challenging last 2 weeks, it was crucial they showed up ready to play and that they had learned the lessons from those games. The minimum requirement was honest effort, wanting to play for each other and to get back to the team 1st ethos that has served them so well this year.

It was pleasing to see that these 3 base requirements present, and the result was a solid victory 12.7-79 to 8.9-57.

The match was played in tough conditions on a ground that wasn't in great condition due to recent weather, so it was never going to be a pretty match.

Starting the game with a more familiar forward set up than last week, but some new faces through the midfield and half back, the first quarter saw them control the middle of the ground and hold firm across half back. Skipper Dom Misso was dominating at CHB, Highlands was strong the ruck and stoppages, which gave Grant, Gainsford & the rest of the midfielders the chance to set up play. Big Jeremy DeRooy & Will Burgess (in just his 3rd game) had the better of their tall defenders, but it was Chae Lawson who seemed to be playing at a different level . His work both as a lead up forward and at ground level was just too much for Noosa to handle. He's been quietly building a very solid run of games and it was not a huge surprise to see that effort turn into a blinder.

The second half was much the same, although Noosa had regrouped and were showing that they were not going to lie down.  Even after some interesting attacks on the Magpies boys, the team kept their cool and focused on the job at hand. It's at these times the Colts have been prone to get sucked in and want to reply in kind, but proudly it seems the message is getting through. The reward was no one sent off or reported, and Noosa realising the wasn't going to derail the boys.

Due to the ground's condition, the game was about maintaining effort , playing your role, and just being prepared to work harder than your opponent . Tom Roderick at half back was solid as you could get and the experiment of using theskillful Dom Morrison on the other flank was proving a success.  This gave the coaching group the flexibility to try some new things elsewhere ,some worked and some were not so successful, but the willingness to try new things shows that the attitude changes that needed to happen, for this week at least, had worked.

It was an important win for a few reasons, and now sets the Colts up for a good run into the finals. It's pleasing to see the side putting into practise the things the coaching group had identified as needing to change. It's wasn't pretty, Noosa made the young Magpies work hard, but in the end a 22 point win against Noosa at Noosa is a nice result.

Best: Lawson, Gainford, Highlands, Misso, Roderick

Goals: Lawson 5, De Rooy 4, Gainford, Burgess, Vine 1