Adelaide Hills Hawks Juniors 2014 season wrap-up The Hills Hawks had a great season in 2014. The club fielded squads in the younger ages for the first time and had two under 9s one 10s in the FFSA’s Miniroos competition, as well as an 11s squad. In the competitive competition, the Hawks fielded under 12s, 13s, 15s and 16s squads. The under 13s rant out C Division Champions and the 15s and 16s were runners up in their divisions. All three squads earned promotion through their efforts. U9s All the players in these two squads were new to the Hawks. They started off as raw soccer players and as the season progressed their skills and football acumen developed under the coaching trinity of Jonathan Gomez, Fraser Henderson and Darryl Harvey. They played in a 7-a-side modified rules format. At the start of the season it was a tough learning curve as they faced squads that had been playing together for a number of years. In the second half of the season they were a much more refined team and the improvement showed in their play. One of the coaches, Fraser Henderson was heard saying, “If this is the Hawks future, then it is going to be a great decade.” U10s The players in the under 10s team were learning and developing new skill sets under the supervision of coach Dan Hosking. They were playing in a 9-a-side modified format, which gives players the opportunity to get more touches on the ball. The squad started slowly and, as the season progressed so did they and by the end the squad was playing high quality football and individual players’ development was on display for all to witness. By season’s end, the squad were giving some of the best clubs in their league some hard fought contests. U11s The under 11s played a modified nine-a-side format of the game. Again, the players were new to the club and new to football at this level. Coached by Paul Rees and James McCarthur, the squad performed with great spirit throughout the season. The most impressive thing from the season was the turnaround from when the squad faced superior squads in the early part of the season to when they faced them in the latter stages. On most occasions, the squads second half season performance was superior to their first and this surprised and many of the opposition coaches complemented the squad on how well they had improved. The supporters of this group saw this when they were provided with some nail biting games as the season drew to a close. U12s The under 12s played in a non-modified full rules competition. There were many new players to the squad and, at the beginning of the season, they were finding their feet in a highly competitive league. Coached by Paul White, the squad tightened up its defensive play as the season progressed and performed with a much more refined sense of the game in the second half of the season. So much so that some of the more established squads were finding them a much harder team to defeat form when they first met them. To their credit, the squad finished 7th place in their division. For 2015, the squad will start in their first truly competitive division and will be matched against squads of equal ability. It is expected that they will thrive in this environment. U13s This squad was created out of half junior veteran Hawks and half new players to the Hawks club and Junior Premier League football. After some early defeats, the squad began to gel and under the coaching of Evan Vavayis and Connor Hudson the squad started to put the results on the board. It went on a unbeaten streak of 15 straight matches. The squad went into the last game of the season top of the league but needing a win to be crowned champions. With ten minutes remaining in the match they trailed 3-2 and their championship hopes in tatters. One thing that sets this squad apart is its self-belief, which saw them make an unbelievable come back to win the final game 4-3. The squad is now promoted to the FFSA Junior Premier League B Division for the 2015 season. U15s This squad had a lot of experienced players in it, some being with the club for over six years. In a pre-season match, they were reminded that between them they had 41 years of playing experience; they then went out and thumped Modbury Jets 4.1. The squad were very competitive from the get-go and managed to be in the top three for the whole season. They went in the last month of the season looking to win the league and under the coaching of Paul Rees and Paul Hyder were going to give it their best shot. They went into the top of the table decider against Playford, but lost the encounter. With five matches remaining their goal was to secure the runners up position, which they did convincingly. The squad is now promoted into the FFSA Junior Premier League A Division for the 2015 season. U16s Promoted into the B Division last season, coach, Robbie Bucco, knew this season would be test for his squad. However, the team rose to the challenge brilliantly. After a shaky start, the squad got its mojo back and started to play the way everyone knew they could and the second half of the season saw them in a chance of taking out the championship title. The squad went into a top of the table clash with Playford who they were on equal points with, they drew but Playford had played a game in-hand, which they won. So, the 16s went into the last game of the season away to Gawler needing just one point to take the runners up spot, they trailed throughout the match but managed to end the game with the draw they needed to secure the runners up spot. The squad is now promoted to the FFSA Junior Premier League A Division for the 2015 season. “The Hawks junior season is following a predictable pattern and the success of the older squads just shows how, if you get the development of the younger players right, the payoff is delivered in well-played football and recognition for the squads through promotion up the ranks of the Junior Premier League. I can’t be more prouder of the squads this season, it is a testament to the hard work of the coaches and the supporters and of course the players. We will be hoping to field squads in all ages next season and we welcome anyone wishing to trial for the squads,” said the Adelaide Hills Hawks Coaching Director, Craig Leith.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 03:52:27 +0000
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