NUAFC 1968-2018

2015 Reserve Team Report by Simon Milner
2015
Well what a season and a hard learning curve for all those
involved in the Ressie team, including me. It’s hard to talk about our
season without talking about how disappointing the results have
been with a big zero in the win column until Saturday saw our first
win 4-2, the first real 90min performance of the season.
Some would look at it as a huge failure but there have
been many positive and pleasing things that have come out of this
year. I would like to focus on these, rather than the score lines.
At the start of the season we had a total of 9 players that
had played in the very competitive Ressy team for 2014 return.
Three of whom were snapped up quickly by the first team, DJ,
Hayden and Jared. Matt M throughout the season has ended up
starting almost as many games for the first as Ressy and a late
season call up for Isaac means he too has become a first team
regular.
Four other Ressy’s have made first teams starts with a
further 3 (yes that include you Roo) getting game time thought the
year. This has for me been one of the pleasing things to come out of
this year.
This season saw 5 players make their senior debut for
Nga’s, several had player age-group footy for Nga but most have
come straight from high school football to a very competitive men’s
league and none of them have looked out of place.
Once you remove Roo, Kevin, Jared and Josh (pictured left)
from the squad we have an average age of 18 per squad member
with the norm being 17 (yes too young to drink but worse too young
to drive for those that have been!) and with the experience these
young men have got this year it can only but help them in their
footballing future. Unfortunately with this age group also next year
comes the need to move away to further their education, so we will
be losing 5-6 to other parts of NZ and I hope they take with them
the learnings from this year.
So what have we learnt this year?
To win you need to train, with numbers often in the single
digits turning up to training it proved that no matter how talented as
an individual you are this is a team game that needs a” team first
stars later” attitude to win.
Experience and consistency of playing together over
several years. This is a commodity we lacked this year and was
often the only difference between us and the teams we played.
Some of the teams we played this year would not look out of place
in the Premiers Reserves competition we played in in 2014 and after
talking to these teams you find out they have been together for
years and a large number of them have played first team footy for
their club.
This is our biggest challenge moving forward and one we
have to come to grips with as a club.
And finally before I hit you with some stats I would like to
thank some people. Josh thanks for all your help etc this year.
Without your help and leadership I know things could have gone
very pear shaped very quickly. The young guys respect and admire
you and it is well earned.
Jared Williams, thanks for your help also. We are a small
club with a very small number of people willing to step up, along
with everything else you do your playing time, advise and help was
great this year thank you.
And finally Roo (Andy Bell) not only would you pull your
boot’s on with a minutes notice to help out the team but for me you
are the true Hero of this club. I shudder to think how much time you
have sent this year getting the grounds ready for all team (be them
Senior or Junior) let alone over the years.
Stat’ time
This year to date we have had 43 players take the field for the
Ressy team.
Not once has the same 11 taken the field on consecutive
games.
We have had 5 goal keepers play for us.
Ten players have scored for the Ressy team: Dadire Odaine,
Isaac Barclay, Jack Clarke, Malik El’Badri, Hayden Gunn, Reuben
Henderson, Jeff Latham, Matt Milner, Hussain Mohammed &
Spencer Young.
In over 2100 minutes of play we have only given away 6 yellows
and 1 red (not deserved).
In four games the age difference between the youngest player
and oldest was 36 years.
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