Round 13
Round 13. After some rain through the week, Saturday was a dry day as our teams took to the pitch.
U7 Falcons
Another tough game against the MR Ninjas, but the team showed how far they've come over the season. There were some great passes, dribbling by all and even a goal! Players of the day went to Winston, Marco and 'Brickwall' Billy thanks to Yahava, Two Cracks Coffee and LJ Soccer.
U8 Messi Kids
The MR Messi kids met their match against MR Magic in a thrilling contest full of skill and passion. Quinn weaved through defenders with clever ball skills, while Jack and Ezra joined him up front to turn hard work into goals. Malakai made some epic saves as goalie, Georgia was brilliant in defence, and Eliana showed courage returning to the field after injury. Clancy was a standout - named Player of the Day, standing strong in defence and using all of his skills to support the team. Many thanks to Golf Gardens in Metricup for sponsoring POD for Clancy - what a treat!
U9 Raptors
It was a stunning sunny day for the Raptors game against a strong Mackillop side. Raptors were intent on keeping their positions during the game and reaped the rewards! Hemi was solid in goal throughout the game, Jay and Bodhi were an awesome team up front and teamwork shone through from everyone. Players of the day were Louis for holding the striker position so consistently, and Nate for super strong defence.
U9 Mavericks
The Mavericks took to the field today with just six players, facing off against a strong Vasse side who chose to run with seven. Despite being outnumbered, the Mavericks showed grit, determination, and heart from start to finish. Every player dug deep, working hard for each other and never giving up. Although the scoreboard wasn’t in our favour, the Mavericks walked away with their heads held high, displaying outstanding teamwork, resilience, and great sportsmanship. It was a true testament to their fighting spirit and love for the game. Our POD is Ethan Dickeson. Photo attached. Ethan asked to play goals position and fought so hard to block over a dozen goals.
U10 Strikers
GMAS and the Strikers had a tight match resulting in one goal each today. Sam, Archer and Jake did a fantastic job in defence creating lots of turn-arounds. Chase, Mateo, Osiris, Josh, Arlo and guest player Ezra worked hard in midfield to create some good goal opportunities with Chase lobbing in one over the strong defensive line. Congratulations to Jake for his great work to get Player of the Day.
U10 Dragons
The Dragons were travelling again this weekend, this time to Vasse to face the Taipans. Despite being a player short, the Dragons rallied and were able to put on a winning performance. The Taipans defence held us off for most of the first half, but once we broke through with the first goal, the intensity lifted, we were able to find our rhythm and pull off another strong result. Players of the day today were Jake and John. Thanks to sponsors Yallingup Maze and Two Cracks Coffee for our vouchers.
U10 Serpents
The sun was shining as we took on MUSC Glory in what proved to be an excellent team performance. Our players showed great determination and energy throughout the match. At the back, Raya, Elsie, Abigail and Sasha were outstanding, communicating well and making crucial tackles and clearances when needed to keep our goal safe. Johnnie was our standout performer, covering every inch of the pitch with his tireless running and some excellent headers that kept us competitive all game long. His outstanding effort earned him Player of the Day - thanks to Two Cracks Coffee for sponsoring the voucher! Thanks to our wonderful coaches Benji and Monty.
U11 Roos
The sunshine was out as the Roos play away in Vasse. The Vipers played a very strong first half. But the Roos answered back and played well in the second half. Well done Hudson putting his body on the line in goals. All the players getting into positions to create pressure and bring a great attack. Well done Roos. POD was Mo, well done Mo you covered a lot of ground and kept it consistent. Great work. Enjoy the voucher from Scoops farm!
U12 Stars
An energetic and positive start to the game against The Legends this Saturday. Everyone was focused on being positive in their play, tackles, attitude and encouragement with one another. The game started evenly matched with good attempts from both sides. The Legends taking advantage just before half time, but The Stars came back into the game after half time with some good play and goals. The legends however finished the game strongly and edged out the game. The future is bright for FMR. Player of the day was given to Keeva Dodd for her positivity throughout, working hard for the team. She will enjoy some yummy food from the FMR canteen.
U14 Rockets
The FMR Rockets played GMAS Gladiators for the second time in two weeks, this time at the Gladiators home ground in Busselton. And just like last week it was another nail biting match from start to finish. With 1 sub this week, every player showed incredible heart and teamwork. After the Gladiators scored two goals, Albi responded with a skilful goal within 5 minutes of coming off the bench. The Rockets went into halftime trailing just 2–1—still in the fight and full of belief.
The Gladiators had speed and skill, but the Rockets never stopped pushing. Darcy gave the crowd a moment to remember with a mighty free kick that smashed into the net, evening the score 2-2 and the chance of a win. Charlie was a true wall in goal, making save after save and keeping the team in it for as long as possible.
It was neck and neck at 2-2 a piece for about 20 minutes of the second half and was anyone's game, both sides showing skill, speed, determination and grit. The Gladiators found the back of the net with about ten minutes to go putting the score at 3-2 to the home team. The Rockets fought hard but couldn't get past the defensive wall of the Gladiators before the final whistle blew, and a final score of 3-2 to the GMAS Gladiators.
Player of the Day went to Flynn and Myles for their great passing and attack at the ball. Well done, Rockets. It’s always an incredible experience to watch you play. Shout out to Coach Jay for his dedication, cadence, and steady belief in every player on that pitch.
U14 Warriors
A fantastic game by the Warriors who had no subs and 3 injured players, but gave their best all the way to the end, as they have through the whole season. Player of the day went Declan, Pedro and Savana who has been consistent and captained so well through the season in a variety of positions .
U15 Tigers
The Tigers turned on a strong team performance to claim victory over Geographe Bay Seasiders in an action-packed clash. The Tigers came out firing, dominating possession in the first half. With Levi in goals, calm and reliable, gave the defence confidence and kept the Seasiders out with excellent positioning. Luca was dominating the play, peppering the goals with shots and forcing saves from the opposition keeper. Mia and Piper, Hunter and Charlie worked tirelessly in the backline, keeping the Seasiders’ players under constant pressure.
Zoe, Isaac and Riley worked brilliantly down the wings, creating plenty of attacking chances. After a free kick and Hunters clever tactics with a quick tap-on, which set up the perfect shot for Luca to send the ball hurtling into the net for the first goal of the day! Ben started on the bench due to injury but it didn’t hold him back for long, once he was on the ground he and Lucas played fiercely together in the centre. Charlie stood tall in defence, making a string of crucial saves, running hard and marking up strongly. Despite the dominance, the Seasiders managed to pull one back to level the scores at 1–1 just before half-time.
The Tigers’ pressure only intensified in the second half. Luca’s corner hit the post before bouncing out, and Zoe continued to test the Seasiders’ defence with multiple efforts. Isaac rotated into goals, showing composure with smart saves, strong throws and kick outs to spark counterattacks. Riley was tireless through the middle, winning possession and driving the team forward, while Zoe and Arie kept stretching the Seasiders’ defence. Levi finally broke through, finding space in the centre and slotting one home to make it 2–1.
The Tigers forced corner after corner, with Luca delivering quality balls into the box with multiple attempts at goal. The Seasiders were reduced to 10 players after a red card, allowing the Tigers to continue piling on the pressure. Despite more missed chances - including efforts from Riley, Zoe, Arie and Levi - the team’s hard running and defensive wall in the back line ensured no late comeback from the opposition. The Tigers sealed the victory with a 2–1 scoreline. Every player contributed, with standout moments of skill, energy, and determination across the park.
YL Wanderers
Always an intense matchup between these two sides. Passion often leads, with physicality in tow and the sideline will often play an emotive role too. We do love a Home Game!
The scene was set, not just with sunshine and warmth, but the Official stating expectations set down by LNJSA, in addition to the FIFA Laws of the Game. We took a while to connect with each other and to work as a unit. Allowing shots from 20m out, with disorganised midfield and backline defence forced the first save, but also the first Goal. It took 25 mins to settle. Probably lucky it only cost one. We started taking some control of the game back with ball at feet, playing football, rather than crash and bash. A couple of nice through-ball options, unfortunately let down by the weight of the pass. Once those moves started turning into cutbacks, we could see momentum swing, but it was tough to finish in that goal mouth mud that has plagued the pitch for some years.
The Wanderers were definitely finding opportunity while Busso were working out how to play with 3 at the back, but it was allowing the Busso midfield to dominate space and disrupt our usual engine-room style. There were a couple of special plays throughout the game, a passage with the ball out from goal, wide, then cut in, Ryder makes his run through the middle, from in to out, dragging 2 defenders and opening space for Jay, perfect pass, excellent shot. It clipped too much of the post, unfortunately not landing with Ryder on the way through, but it was class. It was football.
Emotion took over. The Official warnings at the start of the game long forgotten, Cards being shown, yellow and red. Add a head knock for Stirlo and our boys were up against it. We started playing up the middle where they had the additional players. Not a lot of learning being shown along the way. We need to calm the farm and adapt.
Not exactly the game we had been looking forward to, I suspect, but certainly some quick wins and lessons to learn for the last couple of games. If we play football - passing, not just clearing the ball, move it in 2-3 touches, keep our heads and show patience, use our width on attack, we can play some good football.