Open Women’s Team:
Sunshine Coast Fire 0 v Palm Beach 7
After a win over Mitchelton last week, the Fire Open Women’s Team travelled down to Palm Beach for Round 6.
Palm Beach was strong from the opening whistle and the Fire found themselves 4-0 down after twenty minutes. Palm Beach looked like they were going to score with every attack, but the Fire held on and started closing the Sharks down and competing in the tackle. Late in the first-half the Fire started to put some passes together without threatening their opponent’s goal. A Palm Beach goal in the 45th minute was another blow.
With a chance to re-organise at half-time, the Fire defended well in the second-half. Marceena Hunter and Keira Burgess were outstanding in defence against quality forwards.
Two goals late in the game sealed the result for the Sharks.
Coach Dave Bensted said the Fire deserved credit for fighting until the final whistle against an excellent Palm Beach side which will surely be competing for honours at the end of the season.
Under 18 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 3 v Moreton Bay 0
The Fire began the game against Moreton Bay Jets with purpose and intensity, dominating from the very first minute. The boys were rewarded with a stunning first minute volley from Matt Kennedy after a Chris Terpcou cross. The Fire’s strong form continued and in the 30th minute Brandon Lee took a 20 yard shot into the top-right corner to put the Fire 2-0 ahead. In the 43rd minute he secured a brace after great pressure from Gabriel Dennis forced an error from the Moreton Bay defence for Lee to latch onto and fire off a 25-yard stunner. The Fire went into half-time with a comfortable 3-0 lead.
When they returned to the field, the Fire players were strong in defence against a lively Moreton Bay. The Fire always looked the more likely team to score, however despite numerous chances the score line remained at 3-0.
Coach Paul Arnison said he was happy with the boys improved performance after last weekend’s game.
“After last week’s poor performance, the match against Moreton Bay was fantastic from the very first second,” he said.
“Our work rate, team play and domination of the game against a top-three side were great to watch and all credit is due to the boys. Three excellent first half goals won us the game comfortably. We did not capitalize on our numerous second half chances but this was not due to lack of effort.”
“Every one of our boys gave everything today – we have now set our standards and the boys need to believe that they can deliver this level of performance every week.
“The man of the match was awarded to Luke Devitt who matched is ability with work ethic until the 90th minute. His ability with the ball was a pleasure to watch. Nik Taylor was also massive for us today – well done to the whole team.”
Man of the Match – Luke Devitt and Nik Taylor
Under 16 Boys:
In searing heat the Sunshine Coast Fire took on last year’s premiers Moreton Bay in a top-of-the-table clash. The Fire was without three of its key strikers who are overseas, and the game was a good test of character for the remaining players and a chance to show their football ability.
In what was a high quality, technical game, the Sunshine Coast Fire and Moreton Bay played out a nil all draw. Both sides had the opportunity to win the game, however despite the 0-0 score line the teams put on an excellent display of football.
The first-half saw both teams feeling each other out while focusing on defence. It took until the 15th minute for the first serious attempt on goal, as a Moreton Bay header forced Luke Marker to make a good save. Shortly afterwards, Moreton Bay had a goal disallowed for offside.
The Fire’s two-man bench was reduced even further when Kaileb Hough was forced off with a serious ankle injury and unable to take any further part in the game. In the 26th minute, fast thinking from Jordan Vieira sent a quickly-taken free-kick to Kobe Fuller who had a 1 v 1 only for the Moreton Bay keeper to pull off a good save.
In the 31st minute, the Fire almost scored again. After good interplay in the midfield between Sean de Chastel and Kobe Fuller, Alex Van Kampen provided a good cross to Thomas Swane, who had his shot blocked. The deflection fell back to Van Kampen who’s delightful chip was saved by the goalkeeper. For the remainder of the half, the Fire defended very well not allowing Moreton Bay any room to get away their shots.
Following the half-time team talk, both sides came back into the heat with more room to play as the physical effects of the game and temperature began to take their toll. Both sides showed desperate defence but the Fire was well marshalled by Liam Culpitt, Tyler Morse, Jordon Irwin and Sean Pateman. The Moreton Bay team did not have a significant shot on goal in the second-half.
At the other end, Kobe Fuller saw his shot flash past the left-hand upright in the 61st minute and 2 minutes later, Sean de Chastel was put through on goal with a well-weighted pass from Thomas Swane only to cut the ball inside rather than shooting directly. While Moreton Bay dominated possession for a five-minute period towards the end of the game, the Fire had two excellent chances in the last 2 minutes to win the game. Sean Pateman collected the ball on the halfway line, dribbled forward and following a neat interchange with Sean de Chastel, saw his shot go directly to the goalkeeper. In the final minute, Alex van Kampen also flashed a shot past the left-hand upright.
A draw was perhaps a fair result for both teams in this high-quality game. It was pleasing to see excellent defensive structures from the Fire resulting in another clean sheet.
Man of the Match – Liam Culpitt
Under 12 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 2 v Moreton Bay 2
The Fire Under 12 Boys travelled to Moreton Bay over the weekend for the first taste of a local derby. Despite the 30+ heat and on a dry pitch it did not take long for the boys to find their rhythm. Some great interchange play through Joel Tuite, Sam Fleming and Colby Robinson released Jack Beardsley down the right wing. He showed clever footwork to beat the full back and carry the ball towards the Moreton Bay goal where desperate goal mouth defending by the Jets prevented the Fire taking the lead. At the 10 minute mark the Fire, now in complete control of the game, created many opportunities through Robinson, Sam Aitken, Kye Stopka and Jack Beardsley, however the Jets keeper performed some good saves.
The Jets began to get into the Fire half but with Brodie Boyce being in outstanding form, keeper Ben Potter was only called into action on one occasion.
The Fire continued with wave after wave of attacks and the pressure eventually brought reward; on 29 minutes Beardsley again beat two defenders down the right and took a strike towards goal. The ball cannoned down off the cross bar to bounce over the goal line, and just to make sure Robinson pounced on the loose ball and drove it into the back of the net. The referee later confirmed that Beardsley’s effort had crossed the line.
The Fire again pressed for a second goal. Shots from Arnison, Aitken and Captain of the day Fleming narrowly missed the goal and brought the end to the first half.
The second half was much of the same – the Fire was in complete control and Croft, introduced into midfield, was finding room and combining well with the forwards to release Beardsley, Aitken and Robinson on goal again. In the 34th minute Croft again freed Beardsley down the right, his delivery was dropped by the GK only for the ball to fall kindly to Aitken who had made a good run in from the left to be in a position to finish.
The Fire then fell into the complacency trap and instead of playing as an effective team like they had for 45 minutes, decision making and ball retention was wasteful. The Jets rallied well and began play a territorial game, placing the ball in behind the Fire backline. As the left winger for the Jets sensed Boyce covering to his right he immediately centred the ball; Hawkins collided bravely to prevent the Striker having a shot on goal and as the ball rolled out of the box a crisp drive from 25 yards beat Potter high to his left hand side. At 2-1 Moreton Bay was back in the game.
Fire had chances when Stopka picked up good positions in-between the left back and central defender to tease a couple of challenges. He squared the ball to Arnison to unleash from the edge of the box and only a great save again by the keeper kept it out of the goal. In the 56th minute the Jets regained possession in the midfield and released the ball to a quick front man. As he outpaced a couple of defenders he showed good composure to identify a player in a better position who slotted the ball past the diving Potter to equalise the score.
To the credit of the Fire players they continued to press for a goal and Jack Beardsley again caused problems for the Jets backline, earning a free kick on the edge of the box. Arnison’s crept over the cross bar bringing the game to an end. The Fire players were bitterly disappointed with the result as expected, however fill-in coach Kevin A’herne-Evans said they should take pride of the some of the passages of play.
“I though some of our football was great, the players for the majority of the game showed a level of play far beyond their years,” he said.
“The boys were disappointed with the result, however from a development viewpoint we are encouraged by what was displayed in this game. Decision making during game situations are generally in a very healthy space.
“We received positive comments from the opposition coaches about individuals and about the team.”
Man of the Match: Brodie Boyce – “As an ex-central defender I was very impressed with Brodie, his reading of the game, timing of tackles/interceptions and then composure in possession was very encouraging. He dismantled a number of very threatening break-aways with such precision and assurance it was hard not to be impressed, I will go as far as to say it was the best performance I have seen by a young player in a long time. All class.” – Kevin A’herne-Evans.
Under 15 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 11 v Moreton Bay 1
The Fire was switched on in the game against Moreton Bay before even stepping on to the pitch. From the first whistle the boys worked hard to retain possession, get forward, and finish clinically.
The front three put in strong performances, while the midfield seemed to click and some nice combination play gave the team lots of room to create goal scoring opportunities.
In the 7th minute Kobe Fuller found some space and took on his opponent only to be brought down in the penalty area. He slotted the resulting penalty away nicely from the spot.
In the 25th minute Josh Nisbet extended the Fire’s lead after receiving a pass from Jack Bowen and clotting the ball past the keeper. Just two minutes later Nisbet became the provider with a neat 1-2 with Bowen for Bowen to volley home into the left corner.
The back four were fantastic in their commitment to get forward and support but in defence they were strong in the tackle and motivated to keep possession, preventing Moreton Bay from scoring in the first half.
The Fire dominated the second-half with a flurry of 8 goals starting in the 46th minute with Ty Dawson who finished his 1v1 chance nicely. Bowen secured a hat trick and Nisbet and Dawson each scored a brace. Mason Bell assisted Jez Lofthouse and then scored with a long-range strike later in the half. Abe Reeves also received a great cross from Kye Chapman and took a touch before driving a shot into goal.
Man of the Match: Jack Bowen
Under 14 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 3 v Moreton Bay 1
The Fire Under 14 Boys were looking to continue their winning streak against second-placed Moreton Bay after an emphatic defeat of the QAS Women’s Team in Round 7.
The first half saw the Fire create multiple chances without scoring; chances fell to the Fire in the 3rd, 25th and 32nd minutes and shots from Jesse Gibbs and Mitch Bridge forced the Moreton Bay keeper to pull of some great saves. Both sides went into the sheds at half time scoreless.
Moreton Bay was first on the scoreboard after a counter attacking run in the 37th minute which saw the winger drive down the line and cut the ball on the inside for the striker to finish comfortably.
The Fire soon created a chance as Tyson Williams went 1v1 but unfortunately placed his shot into the keeper’s hands.
In the 42nd minute the Fire’s efforts were rewarded a great through-ball from Aiden Vitale allowed Jesse Gibbs to go 1v1 with the Moreton Bay keeper to slot the ball in with ease. Just five minutes later a great corner from Mitch Bridge led to a scramble in the box during which Brady Williams slotted the ball in to bring the score to 2-0 to the Fire.
The Fire sealed the game in the 56th minute after great build-up play delivered the ball to Aiden Vitale on the outside of the box to dribble inside and finish comfortably.
Man of the Match: Oli Duncan, Mitch Bridge and Brayden Huston
