Round 1 begins

U14 Blue vs Wonthaggi
It was with some trepidation that the U14 Blues headed down to Wonthaggi to face the reigning premiers.
With a fearsome reputation as a side of big lads and tough tacklers, the Wonthaggi Power had shaped up as a hoodoo side for Coach GaBierdomenico’s young chargers. 
The Blues were also to be without their star captain Leo Savona (out for a week getting a new bionic leg fitted) and power forward Anosh Azizi (at a training camp for the Olympic weightlifting team), adding to the boys’ tensions.
The coaches managed to keep a lid on the nerves during the morning warmup, and as the Blues ran through their paces, they looked sharp and eager for the match ahead.
The atmosphere was electric as the two sides took to the oval under a cloudy sky and with a stiff breeze blowing across the ground.
The fears of the Power’s strength were well founded, with much of the early play locked in their forward half, a gruelling arm wrestle with neither team getting the upper hand.
It wasn’t until the twelfth minute that Daniel Caffieri scored against the run of play.
Then the Blues switched on.
It was like GaBierdomenico had inserted an extra set of batteries as all of a sudden, the intensity lifted, and the boys started to play in the dominant fashion of the previous week.
Eden Goldsbury seemed to be everywhere, his trademark shock of sun-bleached hair clearly visible across the ground, as were the fluoro boots of Noah Muller and Daniel Caffieri.
Courageous tackles from Alex Barbarti and Sonny Merryfull, plus the run and carry of Ollie Hibbert were inspirational.
Jake Hughes goaled with seconds to go, and the Blues went into the quarter time huddle with two goals on the scoreboard to zip.
In the second term the Blues picked up where they left off, with most of the play locked in their forward fifty.
Caffa slotted his second goal from a set shot right in front, but again the Blues missed too many opportunities with six kicks sliding through for a minor score.
Ryder Evans took a powerful mark in front of goal but although outside his normal scoring range, the monster kick fell just short.
In the final moments a courageous Will Peppard cleared the ball from centre half back, finding Max Taylor who marked, turned and kicked to Ollie Hibbert, himself playing on to Joel Robinson who marked and goaled – a scintillating passage of play that elicited cheers and horn honks from around the ground.
The game had turned more physical, with Ziggy Bowman Kissane taken high and Tama Nihver-Tenali almost having his head removed.
But the Blues stuck to their skills-based brand of footy, and at half time the margin had extended to thirty points with Wonthaggi still yet to open their account on the scoreboard.
The second half was more of the same, with the boys hitting targets by hand and foot, keeping the shellshocked Power out of the game with old fashioned selfless team play in what was surely their best quarter of football for the year.
Ziggy Bowman Kissane brought the crowd to its feet when his kick-off the ground scuttled through for a goal, his first in AFL since being lured to the Blues from soccer with promises of free Koala Packs for life from Kristo's Charcoal Rotisserie.
Ziggy then combined with Ollie Hibbert who kicked another two goals, and at the final break the Blues had stretched the margin to a devastating fifty points to zero.
The Blues started the fourth quarter well but had lost some intensity, and after Goldsbury, Russell and Kennedy all missed their kicks at goal the Power scored against the run of play.
It energised the local team who were back in the contest, putting the Blues defence under serious pressure.
Will Peppard led his backs with gutsy determination, stopping two certain goals, and a flashing run up the wing from Noah Forrest brought the ball back into the attacking fifty.
Goals to Tama, Robinson and Hibbert put paid to any Power resurgence, and a superb pickup and kick through the big sticks from Yianni Caffieri finished the game with style.
The U14 Blues disconnected the Power today and will return to the Island for their home game against an improved Tarwin Lower next Sunday.
With the likely return of their upgraded “bionic” Captain Sav and “deadlift” Anosh they will have high hopes of meeting the Phillip Island Reds the following week with their winning streak intact.
Final Score: PIFNC Blue 11.12 (78) def Wonthaggi Power 1.0 (6)

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