Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 17 April 2010-04-19

What an excellent game from the boys for the season opener at St Matts.  It was a hot day and the boys had to do a lot of work against a good Narrabeen side.  The first half was a real battle up the middle with Narrabeen getting the first try after the boys defended 3 sets on the trot.  Cromer picked up a gear after that and some concentrated attack led to the first try to Nick Jennens after a great run down the left wing.  Tom Waltl converted the try.  There were good hard runs from Kyle Whittard, Harry Herbert, Ben Andrews, Woody, Will Kennedy and Nicholas Rushton.  Kyle Ingall and Tom Waltl pulled off some great tackles against much bigger players and Thomas Akhurst was outstanding in his tackling from marker.
After half time, the boys took up the challenge from Jason and started some great attacking moves including attempting the X-Box move for the first time.  Jake Walsh picked up on a loose ball after a great tackle and sprinted for the first try after half time.  Finn Kilpatrick and Jake Deangelis made some great runs out wide and were very unlucky not to get through the line.
Narrabeen then responded with a further 2 tries after some unfortunate penalties gave them some good field position.  The final score was Narrabeen 12 defeated Cromer  10 however this did not reflect the great effort put in by the boys. 
Nick Jennens was named man of the match and the Crunchie award went to Thomas Akhurst.
Well done for the first hit out of the year!

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 1 May 2010

Another fine day greeted the team as they returned to St Matthews Farm for the game against Avalon.  The first half was very much one way traffic with Avalon very strong in offence.  The boys did a good job defending their line but they were down on their own line too often.  Tom Waltl and Thomas Akhurst were standouts in the first half tackling boys much bigger than themselves.  There were some strong runs up the mid-field by the forwards however the support play was lacking and the Avalon tackling was too good.
The second half saw a big turn around by the team and we really won the second half.  Some great hit ups from the forwards Kyle Whittard, Will Howell, Will Kennedy and Harry Herbert saw some valuable metres made.  This was followed up by some great runs from the backs including Ben Andrews, Kyle Ingall, Kyle Wood, Blair Healey, Jared Mayo and Finn Kilpatrick.  Jake Walsh’s kicking game also came into its own and the team really showed what they can do.  A try to Jared Mayo after a big run down the left hand side was complemented by a conversion by Jake.
The final score was Avalon 22 to Cromer 6.
Man of the Match was Jared Mayo for his excellent try running down the sideline, good defence and teamwork.
Crunchie award went to Jake Walsh for his effort for always being the first one there after his kicks and tackling the opposition players.

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 8 May 2010

The U9W headed to Harbord for the first game of the season against Harbord.  Both teams were up for the game and it was a good tussle.  Harbord got going quickly with two tries in the first 10 minutes and despite the boys’ best efforts, the tackling could have been better.  Again, the team didn’t fire in the first half allowing Harbord too much latitude.  A great run by Blair Healey led to the first try which was successfully converted by Tom Waltl.
For the second week in a row, the second half was a major turn around.  Some great broken play opportunities were created by fierce tackling particularly by Kyle Whittard, Kyle Ingall and William Kennedy.  Harry Herbert and Kyle Whittard also managed some great runs up the centre and this was backed up by some great back line movements involving Jake Walsh, Thomas Akhurst, Connor Aitken, Kyle Wood and Ben Andrews.  Two excellent tries to Connor Aitken and a conversion saw the team really start to fire and this was followed up by Ben Andrews and Woody who both made outstanding runs down the wing only to have a knock on ruled just before the try line.
The boys did an outstanding job and although the final score was Harbord 22 to Cromer 16, it really could have been a Cromer win! The boys are edging closer to their first win for this season so watch this space!
Man of the Match was Kyle Whittard for great defence, hard runs and leading from the front.
The Crunchie award went to Harry Herbert for his great effort at training with the new defence structure and applying it on the weekend and always being the first up off the line.
Encouragement awards went to Ben Andrews & Kyle Wood for their great all round effort this season especially being new to league and combined with their enthusiasm to make covering tackles and to hit the ball up every time.

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 15 May 2010

The team travelled to Beverley Job for the first game against Narraweena this season.  The first half was a fantastic effort with all the boys showing how well they could play!  Narraweena are one of the more fancied teams and the game was tight, hard and very well played.  Kyle Whittard, Tom Waltl, Ben Andrews, Kyle Wood and Jared Mayo tackled superbly all through the first term.  Harry Herbert, Thomas Akhurst and Will Kennedy carried the ball forward with great intent and made many yards for the team.  Jake Walsh’s kicking was accurate, Kyle Ingall and Finn Kilpatrick made some quick dashes up the field and Jared Mayo made a number of line breaks and scored a great try out wide.  The try was converted by Tom Waltl.  The game was tied at 6 all at half time.
The second half was a very Manly like affair with the team not being able to hold Narraweena back with the same intensity and unable to make the line breaks that had been a feature of the first half.  The boys tried really well with Nicholas Rushton making some good runs and providing cover defence, Connor Aitken and Blair Healey also provided great ball movement around the ruck but the team just couldn’t convert this into points.  Narraweena ran away with it in the second half scoring a further 5 tries.
The final score was 32 to 6 but this didn’t reflect the true nature of the game nor the effort the boys put in.  The key thing is that the boys are improving each week and the wins will happen – we proved that in the second half of the previous two weeks and the first half of this week where the team was a match for any of the other teams in the competition.  We just need to get it happening for the full 40 minutes.
Man of the match was Tom Waltl, the Crunchie award went to Jared Mayo  and the encouragement award to Finn Kilpatrick.

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 19 June 2010

A dry day greeted the team as they travelled to Lake Park for the game against Narrabeen.  With the first win under the belt, there was an air of expectation amongst the team.  The game got off to a great start with some good runs – in particular Kyle Whittard, Nick Jennens, Harry Herbert, Will Howell, Will Kennedy and Nicholas Rushton.  Having made some good ground, Kyle Ingall and Jake Walsh combined to give Nicholas Rushton the opportunity to run at a gap in the defence breaking through for the first try.  The conversion was unsuccessful.  Narrabeen then pushed hard and eventually made a break for the corner for their first try and then scored again scored before the break.
Following the break, Kyle Wood, Ben Andrews and Jared Mayo made some good busts but were unsuccessful in getting over the line.  In the first part of the half, the tackling was excellent with Kyle Ingall leading the way and Kyle Whittard also making some big tackles.  A try to Jared Mayo (from a grubber that had been practiced all year) kept the Kingfishers in touch.  Kyle Wood went close to a try but it was ruled lost.  Unfortunately some poor defence let Narrabeen extend the lead with another 2 tries but Jake Walsh pushed up on a last tackle and grabbed a 4 pointer in the far corner.  Jake then converted his own try.  Narrabeen then really put some pressure on and scored a further 2 tries.
The final result was Narrabeen 24 defeated Cromer 14.
Man of the match was Jake Walsh, the crunchie award went to Kyle Ingall and the encouragement award to Nicholas Rushton.  Whilst beaten on the day, the future really looks bright for the team with good plays being run together with real improvements in their tackling.

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 07 August 2010

At last the semi finals arrived.  After a thrilling win against Narrabeen, the boys fronted up to play Avalon with whom we had drawn in the last encounter.  The game started the way it finished – hard and fast with all the boys putting in a great effort.  Avalon took the early advantage taking advantage of some hard running.  The defence though was working hard with Kyle Whittard, Nick Jennens , Thomas Akhurst and Kyle Wood making some fantastic  tackles.  Some great mid-field work by Tom Waltl, Harry Herbert Will Howell and Will Kennedy kept the team in the hunt.  Avalon managed to run in 2 tries in the first half but not before Jared Mayo made an outstanding run down the left wing working off the edge of the ruck.  His try kept us well in the game at half time.
The second half got off to a tight, hard and fast start with Nick Jennens making a great run down the left side to score our second try.  Some serious defensive effort was put in with Ben Andrews, Kyle Ingall and Nicholas Rushton making it very hard for Avalon to break the line.   Jake Walsh made some good metres around the edges of the ruck and was unlucky not to get a try.  Fast thinking by Blair Healey and Connor Aitken opened up some opportunities near the line with Connor eventually managing to get over the line for a try which he subsequently converted.  Avalon managed to score another 2 converted tries in the second half leading to a final score of Avalon 20 Cromer 14.
Man of the Match went to Jared Mayo with the Crunchie award to Nick Jennens.  The encouragement award went to Jake Walsh.
And so the season comes to an end.  The boys have done an absolutely fantastic job over the season and have demonstrated some real potential.  Opposition coaches have been very impressed with the defensive work and the attacking plays we have put on all year.  All of us are proud of the boys and we really would like to thank all the parents for their help over the season.  Without you, none of this is possible.
Have a great break over the summer and we look forward to seeing you all back next year.

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 17 July 2010

St Matthews Farm was the venue for our game against Narraweena.  It was a cold but sunny morning and the boys were ready for the game.  The game got off to a quick start with both teams pushing hard at each other.  Some great tackling from Tom Waltl, Thomas Akhurst and Kyle Ingall together with some good cover defence from Nick Jennens and Nicholas Rushton kept the Narraweena boys out for a good part of the first half.  In attack, Kyle Whittard, Will Howell and Jared Mayo made some great runs opening up the Narraweena defence.  A foray to the line following a big push saw Nicholas Rushton open the scoring with a strong run to the line. Tom Waltl converted the try.
Narraweena then stepped up a gear and ran in two unanswered tries before the half time break.
After half time, Kyle Wood, Ben Andrews and Nick Jennens held out some strong attack from Narraweena but they managed to run in another try before Connor Aitken struck back scoring a pair of tries off some good forward movements.  Connor also converted one of his tries.  Blair Healey added some good momentum making breaks around the edge of the ruck with good support from Kyle Wood. Narraweena went on to score another try close to full time.
The final score was Narraweena 24 Cromer 16 but the game was much closer than the score suggested.
Man of the match was Kyle Wood with the Crunchie Award going to Nick Jennens.  The encouragement award went to Will Howell & Kyle Ingall.

Cromer Kingfishers U9 White
Match Report 24 July 2010

St Matthews Farm was the venue for our last game of the regular season against Narrabeen.  The game got off to a frenetic start with both teams going hard at each other.  Some great attacking plays led by Kyle Whittard, Nick Jennens and Jared Mayo had Narrabeen on the back foot before Jared made a great break down the left wing to score the first try.  This was converted by Tom Waltl.  Some great defence by Kyle Ingall, Jake Walsh and Thomas Akhurst kept the sharks well away from the try line until late in the half when they managed to score a converted try.  Our attack was working well with Will Howell and Kyle Wood making some good hard runs that putt us close to the try line.
After half time, the game resumed at the same fast pace.  Good attacking play from Harry Herbert, Blair Healey and Connor Aitken made for some great footy and kept up the pressure on the Narrabeen defence.  This culminated in a great run from dummy half by Thomas Akhurst that led to the second try that was converted by Connor Aitken.  Will Kennedy, Nicholas Rushton and Ben Andrews stepped up their defensive effort and this resulted in Narrabeen being restricted to only 1 try in the second half.  A late try to Connor  that was converted by Jake Walsh finished up a fantastic win for the boys.
Man of the match was Will Kennedy and the crunchie award went to Ben Andrews.  The whole team got the encouragement award for a fantastic effort!
The win confirmed our place in the minor semi-final – a great achievement for the boys!