Bullant Banter Round 8 2016

As a truly central Preston sporting club, we get the opportunity to mix with some wonderful and supportive organisations, small businesses and generous volunteers each and every week.

Organisations such as The Mighty Northern Blues led by their President Steve Papal and their General Manager Mr. Garry O’Sullivan, like the Northern Knights who along with AFL Victoria and the likes of their new talent manager in Rhy Gieschen set a high professional standard that we should all follow very closely.

Businesses such as club sponsors in Nixon Finance, Ararat Building Supplies (clubs longest sponsor) and Meehan Design who see value in financially supporting the Mighty Preston Bullants as well as our platinum sponsor in the super professional team at hockingstuart led by two footy tragic’s in Mr. Joe Ledda and Mr. Andrew Montalto who have again signed on for a further 5 years as the clubs Platinum sponsor! A massive show of support for our great club!

Hockingstuart are clearly the best in their game. With their true local Preston office in the heart of High Street Preston (555 High St Preston AND 268 Broadway Reservoir) and a truly responsive and caring team who will go beyond their professional duties to ensure you find, buy, sell or even rent the right house to best suit your budget and needs. Need I mention the special offer they have in place for the entire club? As premier sponsors of our club, they will refund a whopping 10% back to the club from any commission they receive as a result of a successful sale straight back to the club itself!

So do yourselves a favour, and have a chat to the team at hockingstuart about any of the needs I mention here above, then go and have a chat over a coffee to any of our other sponsors in Nixon, Ararat and Meehan about how they can assist you and your needs within their own businesses. For as mentioned before, we are truly privileged to be dealing with people, organisations and businesses of this ilk.

One last point. The main fund raiser is now only 10 days away (Friday June 24, 2016) being the Bullant Dinner Dance, and with a revamped line up, plenty of great food and drink for an all inclusive price, plenty of dancing to tire us all as well as some fabulous auction items up for grabs to the highest bidder, make sure you secure your seat and table and let’s make it one for the ages….

Go Bullants, give them your best enjoy your footy and support our sponsors!

Whitlam Malkoun
President
Preston Bullants JFC

We all have heard that footy is supposed to be fun, but everyone who has played, at whatever age group or level, knows that there’s lots of challenges involved. The fun part often comes as a result of meeting the challenge, physical or mental.

In footy, and any pursuit that can be measured in terms of performance, finding fun in facing challenges is a great habit for a club and its players to develop.

At Hocking Stuart Preston we’re playing the property game the same way.

Joe Ledda
hockingstuart/p>

Stay tuned for Tackers White Match Report in Round 9

Melbourne’s soggy weekend weather was replaced with fog for the tackers match at Pitcher Park, Alphington. Despite the recent rain the surface was in pretty good condition. Coach Scott warned the tackers that our opposition for the day, Parkside, were a tough, physical side and we needed to man up, run hard and be first to the ball. We would be sticking with our rotation strategy to continue to give everyone a chance to play in different positions.

Andre and Ziggy were assigned as Captains for the day, called the toss and got us off to a start. Thomas provided great run out of the middle early and showed endeavor with second and third efforts. It didn’t take long for Parkside to put our defense under pressure and that became the theme for the first quarter. Callum saved a certain goal with a solid last line of defense mark. Our team had several individual efforts but under pressure were not able to string together possessions in our usual fashion. Parkside were well drilled, shared the ball around, were consistently present at the fall of the ball and ended the term with 4 majors. That’s not to say that our team were not giving it their all. A crunching team tackle by Ned and Harry was a highlight of the term.

Coach Scott asked his players what we needed to do to get the upper hand? Manning up, being first to the ball and running hard were all offered up as the answers. Scott added long direct kicks and getting physical with our opposition. Under that instruction the little ants turned around their first term performance and dominated possession. Tamer was winning taps and our players bumped, shepherded and tackled hard and increased the speed of our disposals. Ziggy, Patrick and Marcus all had hurried shots on goal that resulted in behinds.

Last week’s match report described the theatre and poetry of the games. Today it was dance or perhaps ballet? Jake lit up the second term and the midfield with a mark, playing on with a couple of steps, a graceful pirouette avoiding the opposition and then a hand pass disposal to move the ball on. Parkside didn’t know how to combat Jake’s entertaining brand of play.

At half time our tackers were praised for turning around their performance. They were reminded that footy is hard, to run hard and keep up their efforts.

Parkside came out with renewed vigor in the third and asserted their dominance with another 3 goals. Despite the one way scoring the Bullants crafted plenty of highlights. Andre with last line of defense marks and clearances, strong tacking from Zach, Jack’s brave run out to repel the ball on a much larger player who got pinged for a high tackle. Thomas pumped the ball long to Tom who used his blistering pace to run and bounce the entire length of the midfield, delivering “lace out” to Marcus up forward and leaving the opposition gasping for air. Sam saved a certain goal by paddling the ball across the goal, then around the pocket clearing defense and followed up with aggressive tackles to keep the defensive pressure on. Felix was fast and determined in the midfield driving into attack and delivering to our forwards. Special mention to Zach who showed great sportsmanship and compassion helping an opposition player after a heavy clash and making sure he was OK.

The rain had held off until the last quarter but our tackers didn’t seem to mind with a dominant final term. Ava tapped to Tom who bounced and delivered to Marcus who made no mistake kicking our first major. It wasn’t long before we went coast to coast in a couple of passages of play for our second major. Callum marked in defense, pumped it long to Tom who moved on to Ned and then into our forward line. A roving Patrick snapped a high ball to Marcus who made no mistake with his second goal. Whenever the ball headed Parkside’s way there were Bullants, like Harry, putting their body on the line and tackling hard to repel and deliver the ball forward. Another highlight was a slick run by Ned around the boundary line, a Parkside player in hot pursuit and gaining fast, Ned looked over his shoulder to see Felix bearing down on his opponent in support…… with the sweetest shepherding bump you’re likely to see, Felix gave Ned the time he needed to have a bounce & drive forward. (With bumping Illegal in U9’s) Felix paid for his efforts with a free kick going against him however the effort & desire to support his team mate has to be commended! In the finale, with the clock ticking down, Patrick collected a loose bouncing ball and snapped the last goal for the game.

It seems that some teams have a home ground advantage that goes beyond the psychological aspect & that can make the going tough for our kids. I’m proud to say that our team just buckle down and get on with the job. If decisions go against them, not a word is spoken but you can bet that they’ll attack the next ball even harder. If there is some rough play off the ball, our kids will stand up and defend their team mates. If the opposition is better and a win out of reach, they’ll keep fighting till the final siren. Every challenge is faced head on, in good spirit and with pride in their club and team mates.

While there was no singing of our song as the players toweled off and got warm, coaches and parents were proud of our players efforts against a slick opposition. Well done little ants!

Goals: Marcus (2), Patrick

As always, many thanks to all the parents and helpers who make the day happen, (Jodi for last minute oranges, Cheryl & Karen for stepping up in Chris’s absence as Team Managers, Luc for waving the flags as usual, Jim for the match report, Paul for not only standing by with the first aid kit but for assisting with warm-ups & helping out when my rotations go pear shaped! Best Assistant coach ever – Rob, always a calming, sensible influence and Simon Reid, astute judge of this fine game, who’s sage advice and analysis of our team is always welcome!

Go Bullants!

Scott.

Ivanhoe B	Preston Bullants
Goal	Jaxson
Best Players	Lucas, Patty, Will, Samuel, Asher, Rylan, Anthony

An early start time of 8.30am combined with a soaked waterlogged oval it was no surprise to have a few late scratchings but to the 19 eager dedicated kids who fronted up to battle Ivanhoe, you all displayed a sensational attitude throughout this spirited dour contest!

Game mainly played in Ivanhoe's Forward line our Defence battled manfully against the tide but constant help from team-orientated Midfield dropping back.

Full forward player Lucas who played behind the ball after 1/4 time intercepting strongly, we managed to restrict Ivanhoe to just 2 Goals. Final scores 2-21-33 to 1-0-6 illustrates just how miserly our Defensive pressure has been most of the season forcing lots of rushed shots at goal & inaccuracy!

Well done to Lucas for receiving the best player on field medal.

Preston Bullants	Ashburton
3.11.29	2.3.15
Goal Kickers	Josh -1, Phoenix -1, Jacob -1
Best Players	Lachie, Oscar H, Liam, Josh, Phoenix, Harry, Ben, Julian

The Bullants were back at PCO for the second week in a row and the boys where pumped as Jacob was back in the team after a lengthy break due to injury. The boys were very keen to make amends for their loss the week before and could not wait for the game to start, it was also back to normal numbers after having no one on the bench the week before we had 5 on the bench for this game

The rain gods had held off for the start of the game but the game started in very overcast and very wet conditions after the rain of the previous 2 days but the boys seemed to revel in the wet (and especially in the mud in the centre) and played some very attacking football from the start. Harry was made Captain for the day and won the toss and kicked to Right of screen so to speak at PCO

The opening ¼ was mainly played down our end of the ground and we kicked a goal at the 5 min mark of the quarter from our little goal kicking machine Josh who roved the pack sensationally and snapped truly to bring up a 6 pointer…. We peppered the goals for a lot of the ¼ but we managed only to kick 2 more points for the quarter, Ashburton started to get their running game going and snuck through our defence to kick a goal as the siren sounded for ¼ time

The second 1/4 was a very tight contest Ben, Harry & Lachie where mustering the troops in the backline to build there wall and Anthony & Callum never stopped running and picking there loose players up in defence. Ashburton picked up there game in this ¼ and went into the main break 5 points ahead of us after they kicked 1.3 to our 2 points

The boys had a good rest at half Time and after the coaches had a word to them and reminded them to be in front and attack from the defensive side of the ground the boys come out in the 3rd ¼ and really played some good footy. Declan, Noah & The Kurt Tippett of the U’11’s Brody started to dominate the ruck duels with Liam mopping up everything and Phoenix giving us Great drive into the forward line, Michael as always was very lively in the forward pocket and was very dangerous and was unlucky not to score a goal himself, Oscar K was a full forward leading machine and was causing Ashburton major headaches with his attack on the ball. The highlight of the ¼ was when Coen ran from half back flank to deliver a pass to Oscar H who turned onto that trusty left foot delivered the ball to Adrian who kicked it skilfully to the forward line where Jacob (ala Jesse Hogan) took a strong mark 15 meters out and duly kicked the goal to bring the house down, all the boys ran to JJ and jumped all over him as a welcome back….. The boys Held Ashburton scoreless in this ¼ and went into ¾ time leading by 4 points

The last ¼ again proved that the boys can really put it together when they put their minds to it and from the opening bounce they weren’t going to let this game slip Phoenix ran onto a loose ball in the forward pocket and kicked a great goal to set the ¼ alight and with the backline standing firm especially with Jesse attacking the ball and running hard from defence and Julian running up and down the ground like Nick Reiwoldt the boys again kept Ashburton scoreless while adding a further 4 points and 2 those points being touched on the goal line……. And at the final siren we had won the game by 14 points a great result and a well deserved result for the boys and all the hard work that they put in.

The boys shook the opposition’s hands after the game and congratulated them on a great game and they all hurried back into the rooms and sang the song very, very loud and very,very proud….. Thank you to all the parents for their help on match day it is appreciated and Well played boys you deserved that win especially keeping Ashburton scoreless in the 2nd half as they kept peppering there forward line………….

Canterbury B	Preston Bullants
7.9.51	5.5.35
Goal Kickers	2 J.Martorana , 1 J.Beker , 1 T.D'Ath , 1 Y.Papaioannou

Congratulations to Jack Martorana and Henry Stratford-Browne on celebrating their 50 game milestone.

This was the first time the Bullants have ever come across Canterbury in their 3.5 years together and what we were presented with was a tall side.

The 1st quarter started off well with Nick winning the first ruck contest, which Alex received to then deliver the ball through to Xavier and onto Jack M who kicked our first goal within a minute of the game. All things were looking good, however our boys began to hesitate in attacking the ball while Canterbury started to find their feet started to control and move the ball quickly down into their forward line. We saw the ball head into the our forward line a number of times, however their talls just kept blocking us.

We saw some strong defensive work from Toby throughout the quarter while Samuel and Phoenix raked up the procession. Particular mention of Henry once again showing great composure in the Full back position.

The 2nd quarter saw us start off slow and it continued for the rest of the quarter. We just wouldn’t get our bodies over the ball and our boys were unable to man up due to the speed of Canterbury. I think our boys seemed to be a little spooked by Canterbury as they were going in harder at the ball. Our Bullants received quite a few unfortunate knocks from Canterbury which threw the boys, however we saw some glimmers of hope through the strong work ethic of Henry, James, Phoenix and in particular Luca. Alex was constantly seen chasing the ball down, however he seemed to be hampered by the condition of the centre square which resulted in him losing his footing many times.

After the half time break and a bit of a reset we asked the boys to improve their communication with one another and have confidence in their decisions. With all that said and much more the 3rd quarter saw the Bullants come out with an improved mindset. Samuel lead the charge by constantly getting in and running the ball. Nick was once again strong in the ruck while Jet was starting to get in amongst it and finally finding the ball. Yianni started seeing more of the ball as well while we then created a lose man with Jordan to help create some extra options for us which ultimately resulted in us out scoring Canterbury this quarter.

With our intensity dramatically improving we entered the final quarter once again trailing but not giving up. It’s was great to see the boys still had the “fire in the belly” as they entered the final quarter. It turned into a tug or war this quarter with the ball moving up and down both ends of the ground. We had great intensity and a desperation for the ball which was no clearer than when the “Mac Truck” Kristian made a huge tackle on one of there talls in the our goal square. Max D was once again working hard in the last quarter alongside James, Toby and Marcus in the backline. This was our best quarter for the day as the Bullants started working together and the ball was moving into the forward line more often.

Even though our boys found their legs in the second half and out scored Canterbury in the 3rd and 4th quarters the damage had been done in the first half. We were unable to chase down the score Canterbury had set for us, but to the credit of our boys they dug deep and never gave up which we will build on for the remainder of the season.

Keep holding your heads up high boys.

Go Bullants
Coaches Matt, Craig and Julian

Preston Bullants	Kew Comets
2.1.13	6.5.41
Goals	Ethan -1, Mr B -1
Best Players	T & BT
Injuries	Nil

The Bullants have gone down to a better prepared and more disciplined Kew Comets side who at times made the Bullants look small and tired.

Although all of the scoring was at one end of the ground, the Bullants were able to hold the opposition scoreless for two quarters, but that certainly wasn’t enough to hold off a very clean Comets side who leaped into top spot on the ladder with a very convincing 2.1 (13) to 6.5 (41) win.

The Bullants chased hard all day with the Comets carrying the ball by foot and using their handball game to open up the Bullants.

With very few Bullants highlights for the day it was very pleasing to see Ben continue to put his head over the ball all day and apply pressure at ground level.

TALKING POINTS

Bullants coach Dom Vaiano has flagged more discipline for his team's next game against Bulleen Temp after having "too many passengers" in Sunday's deflating loss to Kew Comets.

The Bullants were swept aside by the Comets at the PCO, losing by 28 points and having their backline exposed by a fleet of forwards who repeatedly found space and kicked easy goals.

Vaiano said, “It’s not fair that I single out the back 6. Our mid’s transition play was non-existent today. If they aren’t prepared to run both ways the back 6 are going to be under a huge amount of pressure to hold off not only their man but a running goal kicking midfield.”

Vaiano could swing the axe after the positives of the past 4 weeks were undone against an opposition that was "prepared to work harder" and "structurally held up".

"We had some strong performances by too few and clearly there were too many fellas who lowered their colours today," the coach said.

MEDICAL ROOM

Apart from a lot bit of pride, there were no injuries on the day.

The medical staff did a great job during the week to get a few sore boys up to play after last week, said Bullants Assistant Coach George Michaelides said after the game.

NEXT UP

The Bullants will be looking to bounce back to the winner list when they return to their grand final venue in two weeks-time to take on Bulleen Temp.

Preston Bullants	Banyule
3.6.24	9.10.64
Goal Kickers	Ben M -1, Leo -1, Rhett -1

The Bullants fell to Banyule on a wind and rain swept mudpie of an Oval nestled in the wetlands between where Salt Creek and Banyule Creek flow into the Yarra as it meanders its way through the Warringal Parklands of Rosanna. This is picture postcard scenery on a good day. As families and supporters huddled over hot pies and coffees and the drizzle drizzled on it was agreed that this was not a good day. For the Bullants, who in recent weeks had started to get its mojo working, this was a bad day at the office.

The game was not without some stats that are worth bearing in mind. They tell a slightly different story of the competitive nature of the game than what players and family might have told themselves on that dreary drive home through the uncertain rain.

First, this is the lowest score Banyule has kicked since joining Blue division from Green four games ago. Their key goal scorer, the towering number 56 had his least day out in Blue division. He has averaged 4 goals a game in his last three outings. Against the Bullants he managed only 2. Finally, in scoring shots, while we were soundly beaten, in two quarters it was a real battle, including the Second quarter, where we had more scoring shots.

Confidence is a powerful thing. So are structures. On the day one team demonstrated them more than the other and that’s what set the teams apart. The skill level was comparable. In fact I would say we probably pipped them. But you need structures, running, handballing that sets up plays down field and the hunger. Banyule had it. Good luck to them.

In the First the Bullants found their way into the game and slowed Banyule’s run and belief. Both teams took good strong chest marks. But the team that managed the ball through chest marks had the advantage. That was Banyule across the ground and the Bullants in defence.

We bolted out of the blocks in the Second, with three forays into the forward zone before Banyule could blink. When Ben D and Suhail turned the game to soccer we found the needed entry and Ben M snapped our first. At times our structures showed and worked (Rhett, Anthony, Daniel and Ben M were involved in a terrific play, with quick movement of the ball through a series of handpasses). Maivia was working overtime across the half back line.

As the team trudged across the waterlogged ground for their half-time break you could feel for them. They had put the work in but weren’t rewarded on the scoreboard. The Third was all Banyule even though Bullants continued to work hard. Rhett’s snap over his shoulder for our second was a highlight.

Anthony, James, Chilli, Jesse, Perry, Jacob, Alex and others were tireless in their efforts. One thing about the Bullants, we don’t quit. But today things just didn’t click. When they did, we looked as good as Banyule. Like late in the game when Jackson (an outside runner for sure) found space and let his boot do the talking. He found Jesse who moved it quickly on to Leo and Leo didn’t miss. The Bullants lost this one but I trust they know that they are Banyule’s equal next time ‘round.

Preston Bullants	Ivanhoe B
3.8.26	2.6.18

The Under 15s welcomed their return to PCO for only the second game of the season, in a game against an opponent who had moved down from a higher division.

In a rather strange game of two distinct halves, the boys had nearly all the play in the first half and went into the break with a good lead. The first two quarters had seen the team comfortably on top with the backline repelling most of Ivanhoe’s attacks, the centreline using clean foot skills and handball to send the ball into attack, giving the forwards many opportunities to score.

The third quarter saw a committed Ivanhoe gain more disposals and match our team with their passion for the contest. Once again our backline stood tall and was able to reduce Ivanhoe’s score to an amount that was not indicative of the evenness of the game.

At three quarter time, Damian stressed to the boys the clear reality of the situation which was evident to most spectators. Ivanhoe now had the advantage of the scoring end and were seemingly full of running. It was up to the team to work together as they had done in the first half and commit themselves to the all important one per centers and the second and third efforts which had diminished in the previous quarter.

In a dour struggle, Ivanhoe gradually got closer on the scoreboard but a real commitment from the team to defend with vigour, denied the opponent enough of the ball to reduce their scoring opportunities.

In the end the boys were able to celebrate a close but well-earned victory of nine points that sees them inside the top four approaching the half way mark of the season.

Preston Bullants	GDU
8.10.58	1.4.10
Goal Kickers	Jack Hayes -2, Jackson Curic -2, Adrian De Sando -1, Liam McErlain -1, Christian Fakhry -1, Thomas Hallebone -1
Best Players	Adrian De Sando, Julian De Napoli, Nicholas Zonta, Christian Fakhry, Alex Bonadio, Christen Stella, Jack Hayes, Christian Renna, Callum Chilcott

Wet, miserable winter’s day. Perfect for the Bullants! The focus today was 1 v 1 across the ground whenever the opposition had the footy. We got better at it as the game went on and to keep GDU to one goal was a good defensive effort.

The game highlight was Jack Hayes playing well and kicking two last quarter goals in his 100th game for the Bullants. To see every Bullant player run to Jack after he kicked a goal on his left foot was special.

Other highlights were Adrian and Julian’s clean handling of the footy in the wet, Nicholas Z playing well with a run on the ball, Christian Renna and Christen Stella got plenty of it on the wing and Alex Bonadio won the golden fist award by a mile down back. Another focus was forwards leading up at the footy rather than backing off towards goal and it was pleasing to seer Christian Fakhry, Jackson and Connor all presenting very well.

Go Bullants!

St Mary's	Preston Bullants
15.13.103	1.3.9
Best Players	Jonathan Azzopardi, Jack Torcasio, Jack Perin, Paul Palazzolo, Sean O'Connell, Ryan Bonett

We made the trip out to Bulleen on a cold and rainy June afternoon. These conditions would suit us as we are a good contested ball winning side. Our biggest challenge would be to stop St. Mary’s scoring when they have possession. We knew that we needed to slow down the play by forcing stoppages wherever possible.

Unfortunately, we were let down before the game had even began by five players pulling out on game day. This left us with only 18 to play. Having no rotations in the heavy conditions was going to take a massive effort.

We started the game extremely well, kicking the first goal and applying tremendous pressure around the ground. St. Mary’s looked shaky with the ball as a result of our continued pressure. This is something we had worked on at training and it showed. We controlled majority of the first quarter and only trailed due to a red-time goal by St. Mary’s.

I was extremely pleased with our passion and desire in the first quarter. This is the one area that has needed improvement all year and to see it coming through was promising. We continued to play well in the second, however some undisciplined acts cost us easy goals and St. Mary’s clinical finishing gave them a handy three goal lead by half time.

Our second half was disappointing. We allowed the opposition to run all over us and kick 11 goals to nothing in wet conditions. The good start we made to the game now meant very little as as we couldn’t do it for more than a quarter and a half. Unfortunately, we continue to leave the hard work up to five or six players every week. The boys need to learn that football is played over four quarters and requires every individual to play their role.

Today’s result is disappointing but I am confident we can turn things around. We all need to stay positive and stick together! We have a great group of players and our excellent start to the season is proof that we are more than capable. Let’s ensure that we learn our lessons from these losses and do our very best not to make the same mistakes. If we can all get better each week then the results will turn themselves around.

Boys, keep getting to training and we will work on our areas that need improvement. We now have two weeks off so we will use this time to prepare for the second half of the season in which we have high expectations.

Thank you to the parents who help out on game day week in, week out.

Go Bullants.

Bullant Banters 2017

Bullant Banter Round 7 2016

Great results can only be achieved through great culture and with everyone believing in a vision of seeing the Mighty Preston Bullants grow and flourish on all levels whether that’s coaching on the field to all our life events off it, education in responsibility and accountability for ones actions are of the utmost importance in being able to achieve the heights of becoming a good/contributing member of society and a proud member of our club, which in my view is why local sporting clubs of all kinds play a vital role in all our children’s development on their journey through younger years.

There are multiple different pressures we all face these days more than ever and a lot of different challenges including drugs within our society, various forms of depression which has no bias to age as well as a culture of binge drinking and the worst thing we can all do as parents and representatives of our club is to turn a blind eye and pretend it doesn’t happen or fail to try and tackle it to the best of our ability.

The PBJFC committee have agreed unanimously that education and the opportunity to learn more about issues as such can clearly benefit us all in leading by example and taking our club to the next level and have secured an organisation to run sessions for us known as SALT (Sport and life training). We have engaged SALT to run sessions covering Drug & Alcohol, Positive coaching, Well Being (depression and anxiety) and Respect for Women which will be aimed at club officials, all coaches, regular volunteers, parents and players from the U14’s,15’s and Colts teams.

I can’t emphasise the importance to us as a club to move forward with a clear vision and purpose, and now with these sessions run by SALT will give us all a better understanding on how we can lead by example and aim to become better at what we all do in everyday life. Please keep an eye out for communications shortly being released through the club and your team managers for we want to fill the PCO function room with as many as we can to fill these sessions which we will all benefit from.

Go the Mighty Preston Bullants!

Whitlam Malkoun
President
Preston Bullants JFC

Each element of the game, either from a skill base or from the perspective of attitude and application, contribute to achieving the desired outcome. Aiming to win might be the big picture idea but it’s the attention to detail that will make the most important difference along the way.

As a footy club this approach is a key focus for Preston Bullants Juniors, just as it is for the team at Hocking Stuart Preston in the property context. Step by step we succeed.

Joe Ledda
hockingstuart/p>

Tackers white were excited to get involved in the Yarra Junior Football League round robin on Sunday, taking on four teams over the day.

It was great to see so many parents keen to chip in and before you knew it we had a base camp up and running, BBQ's sizzling and smiles on dials. Before we knew it we were into our first match and expectations were high! And what a performance. I'm saying best game of the year so far. At training we've been working on handball and it was terrific to see the team employ those skills to great effect, with quick movement out of packs releasing players to run and pump the ball into our forward line. We were really solid across all lines and the backline stuck to their men. A great way to start the day.

The second game couldn't come fast enough and again the team were on top of their game with great effort and terrific skills on display across all lines. Lachie led the team out and there were some really good examples of running into space and passes hitting teammates. Again, all the parents and friends were impressed by how the team worked together and they came off with their heads held high.

It was time for sausages and the boys got stuck in...really stuck in! So much so that our third game wasn't quite up to the level of the first two and the legs were a little heavy. Captain Brock led the team showing great improvement over recent weeks, getting his hands to the ball and tackling hard. Well done mate. We did slip into some old habits and not picking up our men handing our opposition a couple of easy ones. Not to worry, one more game to get back on track.

And what a great final game it was. Captain Thomas A led us out and the Bullants gave it one more go. It was a good even tussle, but gee there were some great efforts from our guys. Ethan's tackle in the final game was a cracker and Omar laid two crunching tackles in a row to release the ball our way. It was also great to see Kade running hard and taking on two opponents and locking the ball up.

Although the games were great, the highlight of the day was seeing all the Bullants White players spending time together and bonding as a team.

Thanks also to all the parents who came down and got into the spirit.

What a fun day, topped off by a rousing rendition of the Bullant's song.

The Tackers Day Round Robin has proven to be a great day for all kids (and parents) & this years was no exception! A massive logistical exercise undertaken by the YJFL is a credit to the league and all those who work to make the day happen.

The Bullants Reds were rostered against teams they wouldn’t normally play during the season & the day is a great test to see where we are at against a variety of teams, skills & structures. It’s also an opportunity for the coaches to mix things up a bit and to have some fun too!

Caitlin and Ava made an awesome banner for our team to run through (quickly destroyed by an exuberant Bullants after a quick team photo!) and were duly made Captains for the day! Well done girls!!!!! Great work & awesome team spirit!!!!

Game 1 saw the Bullants take on Glen Iris who were a big, slick outfit. The frenetic pace of 2, 6 minute halves caught the Bullants napping to a degree and the opposition scored on a quick goal early in the term. What could have been a devastating first half was stemmed by a brilliant defensive mark from Cameron who then pumped the ball back our way. Another push by Glen Iris was repelled by a beautiful run of play from Jack, to Sam to Felix & into attack! The 30second half time allowed coaches to call for Bullants to get in front at the contest & be first to the ball. Forwards quickly became backs & the second half started with a quick goal by Glen Iris. The Bullants rallied to drive forward but unfortunately Callum’s kick drifted wide for a minor score. Another quick push by the opposition and the siren sounded to see Glen Iris slightly ahead.

Game 2 saw us taking on close neighbours Parkside who proved to be formidable opponents! Parkside piled on 3 goals in the opening term to have our Bullants on the back foot. Again they were called on to be first to the ball & have a crack and in the second half our Bullants responded with a great passage of play from Thomas G in defence tackling to get a free & kicking to Jake who marked & passed accurately to Callum. Ned Reid then took a great defensive mark which ultimately saw Andre mark in attack however Andres kick drifted to the left for a minor score. The damage was done but lessened by a diving save from Ziggy in the last line of defence as he lunges to touch the ball over the line in the dying stages.

Games 3 & 4 were determined by a friendly challenge between coaches Rob & Scott. “Forget rotations etc. Pick your team in the positions you think they’re most suited to!....”

Game 3 (Robs choice) saw us take on the “other Bullants” Bulleen Templestowe. It was immediately apparent that our team was more balanced & in control. The tackling was ferocious & a quick break forward saw Sam mark solidly & goal. The midfield had a spark of life with Marcus teaming well with Tamer in the ruck & winning the ball out of the middle. The cheeky “6 O’clock tap” backwards was a delight to watch & we were constantly pumping the ball forward. Xavier came into defence & fought hard, his chasing & tackling was fantastic…. I am constantly learning and amazed by these kids….Xavier, I’m so proud of you!!!!

The second term saw a lovely passage of play from Tamer to Marcus to Ziggy who just missed for a behind but other opportunities were created by great tackles from Tamer & Harry who handballed to Ned….slick pass to Thomas G……GOAL!!!!! Thomas then took a great mark for another shot at goal that drifted away for a minor. The dying stages saw one of the plays of the day when Ned Reid tackled an opponent with not one, but four separate efforts….the resounding call of Ball!!!!! echoed around the ground as Ned was duly rewarded for his efforts. The result was a minor however the game was ours…... The song was sung in front of our supportive crowd, with all of the pent up frustration that the previous two games had left us with!

** Note to reader. As always, the coach reserves the right to “put a little mayo” on his match reports.....

The final game for the day saw the Bullants pitted against a professional looking Surry Park, however a ground mix-up had the Bullants scrambling for position moments before the siren sounded. The carefully constructed Bullants side was undeterred & what unfolded was described by some as poetry….others, a ballet…all agreed it was conducted beautifully! A source close to the team was quoted as saying “it was like a game of chess, in fast forward, set to a symphony…where the players were both puppets & actors & dancers in their own right…it was a game for the ages & a script only a master could write!” however described, it was pure Bullants!

A lucky break saw Surry Park draw first blood but the Bullants were spurred into action with silky passes from Callum to Sam to Tom, to Cameron who kicked truly to score the equaliser. Ned then combined with Thomas G to add another to see the Bullants 1 goal up at the break.

The second term saw the brilliance of the midfield selection come to fruition. Felix was ferocious with his tackles as usual but took it to a new level. Marcus & Tom collectively had the ball on a string & showed the opposition complete contempt & a clean pair of heels. The pair combined to deliver the ball to Callum “lace out “ who converted confidently., and again from the midfield to Callum to Andre for another major. Tom then burst from the centre (fed by beautiful Ruck-work by Ava) to kick long to the vacant square….a bouncing goal from 30 out, just reward.

Like any play, every classic….there must be a finale, a swan song…This game could not have been written better. With a nod from the coach, Tom was given leave to take the game on & play on… a deft tap from Ava and he was away, side stepping around two opponents (closely shadowed by the shepherding Marcus), he gained 20 meters before hitting Andre on the chest directly in front. Making no mistake, Andre closed the curtains on the final act to a resounding ovation. Six goals in 12 minutes of play against quality opposition!

High 5’s all round and a ripping rendition of our mighty song before adoring parents & friends saw a fitting close to a great day!

Some friendly banter between coaches & Team Manager belied the fact that both owed coach Scott a 6-pack (Rob for being beaten with his team selection & Chris for generally dropping the ball as TM! Love you guys!).

We are constantly amazed, surprised & proud of our Bullants. We learn something from them every week & they make us laugh regularly…when we least expect it!

Thanks to everyone who came & helped on the day. Ismail, you are a genius with the camera!!! Thanks to the PBJFC for the Marquee & for Karen & Ismail for getting it there!

Thanks always to Rob, Paul, Chris, Luc & all of our supportive parents.

I love our kids & our club!

Go Bullants!

Scott.

Camberwell	Preston Bullants
10.8.68	4.2.26

Coming off a last win our 10s were excited about our trip to Camberwell but we were instantly brought back to earth with a thud, conceding 7-4-46 in  the 1st Qtr while we failed to score. A lot of emotion hit the boys hard this week.

2nd Qtr With players back in familiar positions, there was renewed vigour. The team gave a stronger effort and showed real character to match a superior opposition kicking 4-4 to 4-7 over the last 3 Qtrs.

Out scoring Camberwell in the second half showed a lot of guts and brave efforts from Rylan and Jaxsyn playing with such heart in light of their mum's car accident earlier in the week.

We all would like to send our best wishes to Michelle for a full recovery!

Preston Bullants	Park Orchards
2.2.14	6.2.38
Goal Kickers	Josh
Best Players	Oscar H, Harry, Liam, Josh, Phoenix, Anthony, Ben, Julian

The Bullants were faced with an unusual situation – only 18 available players!! (this was after Nathan had agreed to play despite having a bruised foot). So the boys knew that they would be on the ground for the whole game which was both exciting and challenging for them at the same time.

We played well in this game and for long periods of the game controlled the ball. Unfortunately Park Orchards were able to convert their possession much better than we did and maintained a healthy gap throughout the game which they ended up winning by four goals.

There were some really pleasing insights that were revealed throughout the game. Ben was brilliant at talking in a constructive way to his team-mates in the backline by instructing them on where to go. In his first year of playing football, Anthony is starting to work the game out and provided us with a really energetic presence in the forward line. Julian, Adrian and Jack played the wing defensively and were very good at playing a kick behind at the stoppages. Harry was exceptional in sweeping across the half back line and took a number of important marks. Liam moved like a hovercraft as he glided gracefully through traffic with the ball. Josh and Phoenix looked dangerous every time they got the ball. Oscar H was magnificent playing the defensive mid-field role (proud dad). Nathan was his usual courageous self and only has eyes for the ball if it gets anywhere near him. Makaio competed really well in the ruck. Oscar K and Callum were strong and tough over the ball. Remy was creative either on ball or in the forward line. Brody and Tyler got better as the game went on, particularly with their strong leading at the ball. Michael looked dangerous all game and if a couple of balls had bounced his way he could have had a couple of goals as well.

Although we were disappointed to lose I was really proud of the four quarter effort that the boys provided. They never dropped their heads and always believed they were a chance.

Preston Bullants	Surrey Park W
7.7.49	6.3.39
Goal Kickers	1 J.Beker , 1 O.De Hond , 1 S.Mariani , 1 P.Prince , 1 H.Stratford-Browne , 1 J.Nicolo , 1 L.Hoo

Congratulations to Jordan Nicolo on celebrating his 50 game milestone.

The last time we played Surrey Park was back in the under 10 green division, so we had a fair idea of the type of game we’d be up against.

So we let the boys know that they would be playing a tall side that would move the ball fairly quickly, not dissimilar to our own new style of play. We were also anticipating them to push our back line and forward lines down to the opposite ends of the ground.

The first quarter started very slowly for both sides which was reflected on the score board at the end of the quarter.

The Bullants were just a bit flat after a hard game last weekend. However with that said our backline continue to work hard, lead by Felix and James against Surrey Parks continued push into their forward line.

Stand outs for the quarter were Luca, Henry and Nick for their ball reading and constant run at the ball.

Preston Bullants	Surrey Park W
0.2.2	0.2.2

At quarter time we reminded the boys to get in front and first to the ball, that way we could start to control the play of the game.

The second quarter saw the boys pushing the ball into our forward line a lot more however we just couldn’t get it through the two big sticks. Jordan did a great job this quarter by locking the ball in our forward line and kicking our first goal for the day, while Phoenix had a really strong quarter as our extra lose man. With the boys slowly improving this quarter we still left areas on the paddock too open which resulted in Surrey Park kicking 3 goals this quarter.

Preston Bullants	Surrey Park W
1.4.10	3.2.20

At half time we saw the boys trailing by 10 points, not a large margin. So we reminded the boys that they needed to move the ball faster and again, push it down the grand stand side of the oval into our forward line for the third quarter. Surrey Park came out strong this quarter by kicking the first of their three goals early in the first few minute. We did however see a glimmer of the form the boys have shown us so far this year with a play that started in the centre from Jack B to Oliver to Phoenix and finally to Lachlan H who kick our only goal for the quarter.

Preston Bullants	Surrey Park W
2.5.17	6.3.39

With three quarters behind us and our boys still moving quite slowly they had a big task ahead of them, to claw back the gap that had ballooned out to 22 points. To their credit, the Bullants were still very composed, so we reminded them that they needed to talk to one another and move the ball quickly, the rest will come on its own, and it did.

We saw a very different team, a side which came together as one unit. Our backline was quickly reminded to not move to far up towards the forward line which then locked Surrey Park out. Our dominance over the ball and fast movement resulted in a quarter that left Surrey Park shell shock and the biggest turning point was a huge tackle made by Ty in the centre square. With this new energy and composure our boys lead by Felix, Nick, Lachlan H, Jordan, Luca and Alex just to name a few, we were able to kick five goals this quarter and leave Surrey Park scoreless.

To see our boys struggle mentally for three quarters and then to turn it around to kick five goals is a tremendous effort. It just proves that no matter what the scoreboard says you should never give up on yourself or your team mates, well done boys. Another pleasing result was` to have seven individual goal kickers.

Preston Bullants	Surrey Park W
7.7.49	6.3.39

Go Bullants

Coaches Matt, Craig and Julian

Preston Bullants	Beverley Hills
2.3.15	1.5.11
Goals	Patty -1, Rodda -1
Best Players	Very even across the ground
Injuries	Mr B (foot - 1 to 2 weeks)
Reports	Nil

The Bullants have snatched a thrilling four-point victory from Beverley Hills at PCO on Sunday afternoon, after trailing all day. Ruckman Billy Rodda kicking the winning goal from 30m early in the last quarter to ice the win.

The Bullants had looked out on their feet at 3 quarter time, but came to life to after Rodda’s goal to notch a memorable low scoring hard fought 2.3 (15) to 1.5 (11) win.

Small forward Patty, kicking the Bullants only other goal in the first quarter whilst also racking up the majority of the hard ball get’s around the ground to play his best game in 2016. His heroic role played a huge part in the Bullants win.

TALKING POINTS

"It's tough but that's the brutal nature of footy. There was only one winner on the day and I’m so pleased for the boys it was them," Vaiano said during the press conference.

"We just made the right decisions at the right times.”

"We didn’t play our best footy last week but good sides always bounce back."

The first half of Sunday’s curtain raiser to the Colts 2 clash saw both team's at their worst – butchering the ball in general play, missing opportunities in front of goal and making bizarre decisions under pressure.

Their combined disposal efficiency of 72 per cent didn't do justice to the poor skills on display, with errors at critical times preventing the contest from having any flow.

With the team's combining for just three goals across the four quarters, the bumper crowd of 100+ had to look hard for highlights.

Second gamer Frank Fagan, who played hard and ran courageously all day, played in his first win for the club. Bullants Assistant Coach George Michaelides said after the game, “Frank is still learning the Bullants game plan but was really pleased how the boys have made him feel so welcome.”

MEDICAL ROOM

Gun mid fielder Mr B was a late withdrawal with a foot injury after apparently trying to snap a goal and kicking an opponent’s boot in school footy. “You’re a midfielder, stay out of the forward 50,” Vaiano said after the game. Mr B will undergo scans on Monday morning to access the extent of the damage and is unlikely to play next week.

Billy Rodda went down early in the 1st quarter after receiving a kick to the shin. He sat out the 2nd quarter but returned in the second half to play a pivotal role.

Casey also left ground with blood pouring from his beak like a fountain in the third, but some clever work on the sidelines saw him back out on the ground.

NEXT UP

The Bullants play Kew Comets at PCO in a top of the table clash. We can’t wait for this one. Bring it on!

Parkside	Preston Bullants
1.4.10	5.8.38
Goal Kickers	Leo -2, Jesse -1, Rhett -1, Alex -2

So this is the week where Ang the coach was unavailable and Ted’s dad, Matt stepped up and then Ang found that his commitments were finished earlier than expected so he made it to the game but Matt was already warming the team up prior to the game with drills and ball skills so Ang took a back seat and put on the assistant coach bib and Matt coached the team. Did you get that? Oh, and we won our second game for the year. Comfortably. Here’s how it went.

The team took to the field as it played last week. Matt asked the boys to play accountable football. Simple mantra: run, handball, talk and support each other. Then the game got underway. Jesse goaled pretty quickly. Charbel played an excellent first quarter. Leo had the ball kicked down his throat, couldn’t take it cleanly. Nevermind. He swirls around, steadies and slots it through. Bullants were stronger in the centre and were able to push forward with plays and the ball. But our forward entries were sloppy. Our defence, as ever, was solid. Still, enough players were getting their hands on the ball, Finn and Matty almost sealed a forward run. Charbel was everywhere and Ben D again was giving more than 100%.

The first quarter was in simple terms the story of this game. Missed opportunities. The team will get better that’s for sure but the key to success is the forward line. That is where we have to improve the most. We’re not too far away. Ben M and Rhett are really establishing their credentials in that zone. Leo too.

In the Second the big wheels started turning (to kinda quote John Fogerty). Chilli put his stamp on proceedings. The 4 or 5 tackles he laid in one piece of play was worth the price of admission. That’s strength and determination right there. Ben D took a strong mark. Darc was running rings around rings and making the opposition dizzy. The play was clean. But we didn’t see this great work translate to the scoreboard. Then, Darc placed it neatly to Rhett who kicked it to the top of the square where Alex roved the pack and snapped true.

The ever alert Max stopped a sure goal at the half back line. Parkside had two runners heading toward goal unchecked but Max wasn’t going to let the ball past his watch. Fantastic defensive work by Max and Ben D.

The Third was the hard fought quarter. Parkside had best use of the wind, Bullants the better endeavours. Anthony just won’t quit running or getting in and under the contest. Parkside were doing their best but Rhett and Ben M, playing across the backline helped our fortress. And Darc, roving the centreline held off attacks late in the quarter.

The game was a fierce contest right down to the last siren. But with players like Alex and Chilli and many others besides it was always going to be tough for Parkside. Ben M and Rhett contributed to the next Bullants goal, another to the ever reliable Leo. Rhett scored a late goal and the Bullants won by 28 points. Truth be told they probably should have won by a bit more. There were many clean carriages down the ground through the game but we lack forward strategies. This is the work that lies ahead.

Parkside	Preston Bullants
10.4.64	5.4.34

Predictions going into the Round Seven match against our opponent Parkside, had all the hallmarks of a fierce contest against two evenly matched teams. Right from the outset, it was evident that Parkside were going to match our boys with their attack on the ball and a willingness to move the it forward with speed at any opportunity. In essence, they were playing a style that we had been bringing to our games and trying to perfect, but they were doing it a little better.

Not only were our boys up against a very good opponent, but our own hardness, confidence and skill was slightly astray compared to previous weeks. Compounding our issues, was the fact Parkside had a couple of taller boys who were able to mark relatively unopposed against our smaller team and thus bought their smaller teammates into the game.

It must be said however, that for the majority of the game Parkside never had more than a two goal lead and that our boys continued to battle out the game with courage and resolve. The game was always in the balance and on occasions our boys threatened to draw even or take the lead except for the final part of the last quarter, when our opponent skipped away to a five goal win.

Whilst not making excuses, it was evident that we missed the strength and hardness of Stevie who was unable to take his place in our team and when Xavier came off injured early in the second quarter and missed a proportion of the remaining game we were down to one tall Jack, to battle their four or so tall boys (and what another sensational game Jack played).

It is inevitable that we will play Parkside again this season, and what is apparent from last Sundays result, is that our boys can certainly beat them if they play at their best.

Damian and I would like to acknowledge the great games played by Julian who is rapidly developing into one of our most important players, Daniel whose game goes from strength to strength, Rory who battled manfully all day against the flu and his opponents and Matty, Jackson S, Ethan, Brodie and Harry who played in unfamiliar positions but showed great skill and composure.

Preston Bullants	Whitehorse Colts
5.5.35	8.6.54
Best Players	J. De Napoli, L. McErlain, L. Epifano, N. Zonta, J. Curic

Our biggest test since the regrading saw us host Whitehorse Colts at PCO.

Dan Zou and Christian Fakhri made their first appearance in the Colts 1 team for 2016 and would go on to be solid contributors.

From the outset we won the battle in a number of KPI's but fell down across our forward half with some poor entries, but also some outstanding defending by the opposition.

We got jumped early and trailed by a couple of goals before steadying. We won the inside 50 battle in the first half by more than 10 but couldn't put it on the scoreboard and with some lapses in concentration trailed by 3 goals.

The second half was a mirror or the first half, we clawed our way back to be down by a kick before Whitehorse steadied and kicked a couple to close out the match & run home 3 goal winners.

Lucas Epifano stuck to his task all day. Julian De Napoli simply doesn't get beaten and must be the inform small defender in the competition whilst Liam Mcerlain was as determined as ever off half back.

We left too much to too few today and paid the ultimate price. It was a very good lesson for us & a reality check that we won't always have the game on our terms.

We will be better prepared next week and hopefully get back on the winners list against GDU.

Go Bullants!

Richmond	Preston Bullants
14.21.105	0.3.3
Best Players	Matt Webb, Jack Perin, Paul Palazzolo, Sean O'Connell, Nano Henry, Jonathan Azzopardi

Coming off back-to-back losses we came into round 7 looking to bounce back and get ourselves onto the winners list. We had worked hard throughout the week at training and fixed some things that stood out in previous weeks. We were all looking forward to the challenge.

Matt Webb was named captain for the day after showing tremendous leadership both during games and at training. Today would be a big challenge for Matt and our mids as we faced a fast and skilful Richmond midfield group.

The first quarter was not the one we had hoped for. Once again, our boys left all our energy in the changerooms and were too reactive in the first quarter. We quickly fell behind by six goals by the first break. Jack Perin and Nano Henry were both good rotating through the ruck and the backline all day.

At quarter time we discussed lifting our intensity at the ball and slowing down Richmond’s run. This definitely lifted in the second term, however Richmond’s confidence was sky high and they continued to kick away. Our attack at the contest was much better, however our ball use let us down and we failed to hit the scoreboard. Our defensive group were once again impressive led by Ryan Bonnet and co.

The second half was about restoring some pride and confidence amongst the group. We started the third term well, controlling the ball and continuing to slow Richmond’s good transition play. As a coach I was impressed by our intensity and continued dedication even when the game looked gone. We were outscored in the second half, however it was a much tighter contest and we made it hard for our opposition to play the way they wanted.

If we were able to start with the intensity we brought in the second half, today may have been a very different story. However, football is a four quarter game and once again our consistency cost us.

Boys, make sure we keep our heads up and stick together. With hard work and dedication things will turn around for us. Let’s continue to learn and develop as a team and turn things around next weekend.

Thanks to all the parents who helped out on gameday. Sundays wouldn’t be possible without your assistance.

Go Bullants.

Bullant Banters 2017

Bullant Banter Round 6 2016

I had the privilege of attending the first Auskick event at Zwar Park for season 2016 last Saturday, and what an impressive lot of Auskickers, families, helpers and managers we are blessed with here at the Preston Bullants Auskick Centre.

Perfect sunshine greeted the 100 plus people who attended with Zwar Park looking its best it ever has been with a shiny new surface that will only get better as the grass sows and settles. What I never get bored of is seeing the enjoyment that all the kids are getting out of each and every contest they find themselves in. Whether it is a contested drill, a line skill session or the best of the day being a practice match, the sheer joy and excitement they get out of doing something no matter how big or small then seeking out their teammates for a “High 5” before finding their parent/carer for more acknowledgement is simply awesome and worth every minute of being a part of.

The team in Kate Wood, Dave De Bono, Katelyn Stanyer and David O’Brien have certainly got it all working together very nicely. Superbly organised, everyone knows their roles, volunteers are onto their jobs for the day and the coaches have got it all worked and planned out for the following 90 odd minutes of fun and activity, which is a real pleasure to watch. I even had a go at goal umpiring myself which I hadn’t done for years.

Also pleasing was the “appearance” or 3 of our Under 13’s team member in Pantelis Georgiou, Joshua Malkoun and Alistair Adlem who came down to assist the coaches with running drills and playing mentor roles to the junior Auskickers which is really please to see and would encourage as many Bullants players to come down and offer a hand for these juniors very much look up to you and we should all lead by example and help out in any small way we can, for it goes a long way to these kids and makes it “that” much more special of an event than it already is.

The very same group had turned on a match at half time for the Northern Blues game at PCO on Sunday that by all reports was a huge success across the board with great feedback from the Northern Blues themselves who are always welcoming of any of our junior participants to get involved in any of their matches which is an awesome experience for the kids in particular. A huge success Preston Bullants Auskick has been thus far with the team well on top of it all and looking to grow it even further by welcoming down new friends and family members to add to our already impressive group. Check these action shots from Sunday’s half time match and more importantly the smiles that come with them. Well done all! Keep up the great work for your efforts are clearly being relayed onto the field as you yourselves lead by example with a great team of coaches and volunteers.

Go Bullants, give them your best and enjoy your footy!

Whitlam Malkoun
President
Preston Bullants JFC

Tackers white played their first game at the brand spanking new Zwar Reserve. The oval was picture perfect, it was a lovely day and it was great to have the Reds playing next door. Tackers white were up against St Marys and it was a good even contest from the outset. It was a bit of an arm wrestle over the first quarter with each team taking their turn to go forward. St Marys did well and took a couple of their chances, but the Bullants answered with a goal of their own before quarter time. The wind picked up a little in the second term and it proved challenging to get the ball out of our defensive zone, but our backline fought hard, put our training drills into practice and the damage was minimised. It wasn’t all played down back though and in one of our forays forward we worked hard in the midfield to get the ball in Dom’s hands, who licked truly. Result! It wasn’t the last time Dom had a chance either and he slotted his second soon after. Dare I say that the Whites were on a roll! It really was an even contest, but St Mary’s had their noses in front going into the second half.

Preston fought on and one of the best passages of play for the year saw Brock, Eddie, Kade and Ethan tackling hard in the forward zone to lock it in, until a cheeky handball out of the pack found Dom who kicked another. Our boys need to get a bit more desperate around the contest and this was a great example of the rewards that hard work can bring. Great work fellas! A real team goal.

The final term was played in great spirit, about three goals to our one…but who’s counting! So lots of good play and reward for our efforts. Great to see Omar kicking a backward spinning drop punt that hit Thomas V on the chest.

We’ll get down to training on Friday to work on our skills and getting our hands to the ball first!

Onward and upward Whites.

Goals

Marcus - 4, Patrick - 2, Ziggy - 3, Tamer - 2

The Bullants U9's had the great pleasure of taking to the newly improved Zwar oval for the first time. Pre match they were reminded that it was "Our home ground. Our ball and we needed to want it more!

Captains for the day Tom and Felix lead our players onto the field to take on St Mary’s Kookaburras.

The ‘little ants’ got off to a flyer with all the running. Tom Maddison, back to his preferred position, was dominant in the midfield and didn’t let up all match. Two early goals to Patrick (who had struggled to take the field due to illness) shook it off for his team and got the scoring started. Marcus took a strong mark in the latter stages of the term to kick our third goal. It was silky, controlled, one way traffic and the Bullants were clearly on!

Coaches instruction at quarter time was for the forwards to be first to the ball and to get in front of the opposition. Before that could happen our mids needed to drive the ball forward and Felix was up for the challenge with great drive. Our first goal for the term came from Marcus with great delivery from Tom. Tom then again took a strong pack mark, side stepped the man on the mark and pumped it long to Ziggy who got two hands to the ball and was payed the mark. Ziggy made no mistake with a confident set shot.

Half time was full of high 5's and praise. It was a text-book first half & the challenge to the team was to keep it up. Tom who had been dominant in the first half was told to take his turn on the bench & Scott called on Ned Reid to take up the challenge & perform the same role.

St Mary’s improved their efforts in the third term making for a tight struggle and no early scoring. Ned, Felix, Harry & Xavier soon turned up the heat in the midfield and put on a show. Felix chose to barge through the packs while Ned sidestepped around them & all hit their opponents with fierce tackles should they ever gain possession! Slick delivery from the middle saw Marcus scorer another major after a great handball from Tamer who then followed up with a mark in front to convert on the siren.

The final instruction was for our forwards to spread out, keep up the great tackling and running. Coach Scott rewarded several players including Xavier for great run, manning up and strong tackling. The Bullants wanted the ball more in the final term and applied plenty of team pressure. Ziggy snapped over his shoulder for his second goal. Tom then deployed the side step and delivered to Ziggy who kicked his 3rd. Jack Heffernan took a knock to the back of the head and showed how hard he is to shake it off and go on. Ned continued his great game, full of run and attack on the ball. Before the final siren Tamer kicked truly once again. Daniel took a great mark in the middle and aptly Marcus closed out the match with his 4th goal.

It must be said that the backline had trained passionately during the week and were all ready to try out their new plays....unfortunately for them,they saw little of the ball & were unable to try them out! Next week guys! But great work for repelling the few attacks you had to!

After the match both Red and White teams linked arms to sing the Bullants song. A really pleasing team effort for all involved. Well played Bullants!!

Thanks to everyone who helped out on the day. Special mention to Chris who is not only best Team Manager ever but a great Umpire as well! Thanks JB for the match report under trying circumstances! Thanks Rob for your constant support, ideas & insight (especially post a big Saturday night!) Extra thanks to my Little Bullants who constantly give me great pleasure with their passion, application, fun and humour!

Preston Bullants	Bundoora
2.7.19	2.4.16
Goals	Samuel -1, Ayden -1
Best Players	Whole defensive unit + Ayden ultimately the Match winner!

Our 1st Home game this year at ZWAR we were confronted by a howling gale that saw all the scoring & 95% of play down the pavilion end where our vocal passionate crowd cheered on every passage of play. A dour scrappy but tough game of 10s Footy ensued until the frenetic final half-minute delivered a thrilling climax so this is where we pick up the action: Bundoora work ball forward along Tafe side wing desperately defending 3-point lead. Samuel swoops onto loose ball at Half Back and kicks to Will in centre circle who is surrounded by 3 opponents yet with amazing awareness, classy footwork + fortuitous bounce he wins possession, dodges all around him and boots ball to Half Fwd where we have extra numbers, Pat taps ball into path of little but rampaging Anthony who bursts his way through an oncoming opponent, short kick forward sees Rylan pounce & his quick kick finds Ayden who manages to break free of 2 tacklers, steady himself in front of point post, then skilfully squeeze through a brilliant banana Goal seconds before the siren blissfully sounds! The euphoric jubilant scenes that followed a true reward for this tireless group who never gave up and played out that final minute with poise & maturity beyond their tender years!

Richmond	Preston Bullants
7.4.46	5.8.38
Goal Kickers	Oscar K, Josh, Liam, Callum, Declan
Best Players	Liam, Josh, Callum, Coen, Tyler, Oscar K, Lachie, Harry

At a picturesque Kevin Bartlett Reserve and on a strangely warm May day, the Bullants set to play Richmond.

We began by kicking into the wind and held our own for much of the first quarter. It was an absorbing battle and we were able to contain their very good runners and taller options for long periods. Coen was impressive and got a number of really important possessions for us through the midfield and Callum was battling manfully in defence. We went into the first break a couple of goals down.

We were confident kicking with the wind that we would be able to breach the gap. Unfortunately, thigs did not go the way we hoped and we found ourselves on the back foot for much Harry and Lachie were excellent in their defensive action in that quarter and Josh and Liam were working hard. Tyler was also providing constant leads at the ball carrier and Seb F and Michael were trying hard in defence. Unfortunately, Richmond’s height and running power proved too much and despite a first half goal to Oscar K we went into the long break a long way behind.

The third quarter was a continuation of the first half to a degree with the game played in Richmond’s half for long parts of the quarter. What did improve though was our defensive action and even though we were under pressure there were some excellent bits of play.

At three quarter time we just wanted to win the last quarter. The boys came out hard and Oscar H was really good in the middle of the ground in stopping Richmond’s run from centre bounces. Suddenly we found both structure and run and we were able to hold the ball in our forward line for most of the quarter. The midfield were disciplined in making a wall and Noah and both Oscars were excellent at driving the ball in time and time again. Goals to Liam, Josh, Declan (who had obviously watched the FA Cup Final) and Callum (who was enjoying a run up the ground) gave us some real belief that we could snatch an unlikely win. Unfortunately, we ran out of time but it was really pleasing to see the way the boys fought out the game. We went down by 8 points again, but the effort for the four quarters was fantastic and gives us good hope for next week.

Preston Bullants	Banyule
6.7.44	0.2.2
Goal Kickers	Luca - 2, Felix - 1, Serge - 1, Lachlan H - 1, Jet - 1

Congratulations to Serge Mariani and Phoenix Prince on celebrating their 50 games milestone.

FIRST QUARTER: Jet into the ruck, he set the tone for the whole day and the rest of the boys took it on board and ran with it. We controlled the centre with strength, speed and very quick ball movement, it was great to watch. We got the ball up to the forward line and we were in front, making the most of our opportunities resulting in two goals. It was the attack of defenders that controlled the day. We did not let Banyule have the upper hand, our boys tackled, ran, set up and smothered the ball and best of all, they moved the ball around like it was a training drill. Banyule did not know where the ball was going next!

SECOND QUARTER: The defence seen a lot of the ball and we held them off well. Our midfield got on top and gave our forwards a good go at the goals, scoring another 2 goals with the wind.

THIRD QUARTER: This quarter started off the same as the first. But this time was lead by the backline attack. Banyule put up a good fight, which we held off well. That allowed us to put on our secrete weapons, two of our under 11 boy’s and they did a great job.

FOURTH QUARTER: We were strong all over the ground. For the boys that are use to playing 3 quarters, it was very good to see that they were as good at the end of the game as they were at the start of the game. This also allowed us to use two more secrete weapons from our under 11s team.

It was a great result considering that we started with the bare 18 players and that it was a horribly windy day. Great effort boys! A special thank you to the under 11 boy’s who rushed over to support us.

It was a great display of mateship and team spirit. Thanks boys, it was great to be part of it. Every player, played their role and made a huge contribution to our win. We couldn’t be prouder!

Coaches Craig, Julian and Matt

Heidelberg	Preston Bullants
7.6.48	4.2.26
Goals	Charles -2, Ethan -1. Patrick -1
Best Players	Our two ruckmen
Injuries	Rodda (Knee - test)
Reports	Nil

The Bullants were not able to back up last week's breakthrough win in brown division with another victory, going down to Heidelberg by 22 points in an error-riddled clash at  Warringal Park on Sunday.

Heidelberg dominated for much of the day but struggled to convert before eventually kicking 3 goals to 1 in the final term to come away with the 7.6 (48) to 4.2 (26) victory.

Billy Rodda played arguably his best game for the year, notching up plenty of disposals and hit outs in the first half before going down with what looked like a serious knee injury.

The Bullants had closed the gap to 10 points at 3 quarter time after Heidelberg held a 3 goal advantage for much of the game.

3 quick goals in the final term to Heidelberg proved to be the difference, not before the Bullants mounted a mini comeback with a clever snap at goal by Patrick who read the ball from the kick out to convert.

TALKING POINTS

Vaiano’s boys clearly had the better of the hit outs with the two rucks dominating around the ground but the Bullants mid’s failed to win the clearances.

Vaiano rued his side's errors, but was pleased with the effort his players showed.

“They need to hit their targets and lift their eyes. Kicking around the body plays straight into the opposition’s hands.”

"I thought statistically we were pretty good in this game. We had our fair share of the ball around the ground, we won plenty of 50-50 contested ball, and we got a lot of forward half turnovers," Vaiano said after the game.

"Defensively we're holding up. But if our mid’s aren’t able to shut down the opposition and win their line share of the stoppages we are going to put out back 6 under massive pressure. We've still got a heap of improvement but by and large, we're giving a good account of ourselves.

"We're good at making what is incredibly easy, incredibly hard."

MEDICAL ROOM

Billy Rodda went down early in the 3 quarter with what looked to be a serious knee injury and played no further part in the game. Mum said “he got a stinger, that’s it and bit winded as the player crunched him when he was down.” Rodda is expected to make a full recovery and is likely to play next week, which is great news for the Bullants big man.

NEXT UP

The Bullants play Beverley Hills next Sunday at PCO which is again another huge challenge for this young tough side.

Preston Bullants	Dragons
19.11.125	2.2.14
Goal Kickers	Leo -5, Charbel -3, Jesse -3, Ben M -3, Rhett -2, Alex -2, Ted -1

The Bullants welcomed their return to Zwar Park with the first win for the season. And what a win it was. The Bullants completely outplayed the Dragon, from the first bounce to the final siren. Across the field, and because they played as a team. They shrugged off a tough Grading period and last week’s loss in the first game in Blue division to simply outclass the smaller, less organised Dragons.

Captain Courageous, Darc, led brilliantly from the front but it was many others that made this the win the team needed. His lieutenants are multiplying. Four weeks ago we might have counted Alex and Jesse and they have kept up their work rate. But they would be as pleased as anyone, especially our coach Ang that they can now count on Ben M, Chilli, Ben D, Rhett, Leo, Max and the always impressive Anthony to take more of the load.

In this wind there was even more carrying the load. Key defender, James T in the backline, River on the wing and Charbel in the forward zone (more of his game later) all stood up. But the fire in the engine was Daniel Q. Running off the half back flank, he gave the Bullants the third runner (after Jesse and Anthony) this team needs.

The significant move that has almost awakened the mechanics and mobility of the Bullants was moving Chilli to the back flank, as a runner (and mover and shaker) and moving Darc to the centre line. The backline with its defensive role, and its springboard strategy has been bolstered by this move, freeing up Darc to move up and down the ground as required.

The Bullants started the game kicking against the wind. On a big paddock like Zwar that wind can swirl around, and pick up speed without warning. With drainage completed, the ground is solid and springy and a good team will use that traction to offset the nuisance wind factor, and trust their skills and fitness. This is how the Bullants played.

Two standout things from the First quarter. The tackling (especially Ben D and Daniel) and centring the ball in forward zone attacks. The team used the flanks and pockets as you should but were then able to find space with a better angle on goal. By half-time the Bullants had the momentum. With the wind they moved the ball forward quickly. Alex, particularly used his strength and the wind to send the ball 40m at a time. One time his kick outside 50 beat all for a goal.

In defence Suhail was terrific. He has come leaps and bounds in just six games but this was the game he showed the team just how good he will be. Ben D continues to improve and impress. Finn was throwing himself into the play and made a mark. And then there was Charbel. In five minutes he locked in the Bullants win with three goals, against the wind! All snaps. In fact his first was from a set shot that fell short of the 10m square. Never-mind, he roved his own ball and snapped a goal!

The Bullants kicked 7 in the Last, including the goal of the year. That wasn’t Leo’s airborne soccer goal to take his game tally to 5! Even though that was pretty cool. No the big goal was Ted’s. The ball was scrambled in the square when Leo shot a handpass to Ted. He put his boot to ball and sent it through the big sticks. The team jumped for joy. Ted was beaming. The spectators cheered wildly as team-mates ran from all over the ground to congratulate Ted. This was Ted’s moment. This was a team win.

This is true Bullant spirit!

Parent helpers: Assistant Coach: Aidan, Runner: Rob, Trainer: Sylvia, Boundary Umpire: Matt, Goal Umpire: Luc, Water carriers: Damien Gray and Richard Mills, Umpire Escort/Interchange steward: Freddie Rahme, Timekeeper: Charlie, Oranges: Rashid, Canteen: Odette, Barbeque: Jo Knight, Scoreboard: John Morgan

The Under 15s had a BYE this week

Preston Bullants	G D U Demons
16.14.110	5.2.32
Goal Kickers	Moleta -4, Chilcott -3, Howard -2, Curic -2, Rentos -1, Hachem -1, Baynes -1, De Sando -1, McErlain -1
Best Players	De Sando, Moleta, Sutton, Vaiano, McErlain, De Napoli, Curic

We traveled out to Balwyn to take on GDU in windy conditions. GDU had proved a bit of a bogey side for us and we were very keen to get one back!

Webster-Mcallister & Torcasio made there debut in Colts 1 after some good form under Josh Whelan in Colts 2.

We began brightly - Tom Hallebone completely dominating centre bounces seeing us kick 3 goals within 5 minutes. Rentos looked busy across half forward whilst Baynes, Chilcott, Curic & Howard were causing all sorts of headaches.

As has been the case all season De Sando, Captain - Liam Sutton, Vaiano & Mcerlain dominated through the midfield whilst Anthony Moleta has been dynamic through the wings.

We kicked 6 goals to 1 in the opening term with the aid of a handy breeze.

We were challenged in the second with us only kicking 1 goal in the opening 10 minutes to GDU's 3. Fortunately we kicked a few late to ensure that we won the quarter by a couple of points. Hachem was rock solid alongside De Napoli in our back 6.

In the 3rd we began sluggishly - 1 goal in the opening 9 minutes and although we were dominating in terms of field position we couldn't put it on the board. The lads kicked in to gear with Moleta slotting a cracking goal on the back of a Bonadio chase down tackle whilst De Sando who brought his own footy to the game kicked a classic goal from a stoppage.

Mcerlain who had been industrious as always took a terrific mark as the siren sounded deep in the pocket..Liam calmly slotted a left foot banana much to the delighted of Chilcott who let everyone know what he thought of it!!

We kicked 4 majors in the last quarter to 1 which was really pleasing. To run out 78 point winners is a credit to the boys, who although not at our absolute best, cracked in all day and got the job done.

We are now 4 wins 2 losses & have a real opportunity to make something of this season. From a coaching perspective I'm enjoying seeing the determination amongst the group as well as the resolve to play for the mighty Bullants jumper!

We hope to make it 3 in a row next weekend v Doncaster at PCO.

Go Bullants!

Key Statistics

Stats	PBJFC
Tackles	35
Inside 50's	61
Clearances	20
F50 Tackles	10

Go Bullants!

Preston Bullants	Fitzroy
1.2.8	17.6.108
Best Players	Christian Fakhri, Christen Stella, Matt Webb, Jack Sammartino, Ryan Bonett, Paul Palazzolo

After a disappointing loss in round 5 we were determined to bounce back this week against a strong Fitzroy outfit. We knew that we would have to play at our best and apply intense pressure on our opposition for four quarters.

This week marked a great achievement for Oscar Chaplin, who would captain us in his 100th game. Oscar has been a terrific leader for us all season in the backline.

Round 6 was also the return of Zwar Park, which had been out of action since before Christmas. It was great to be back at Zwar and playing in front of our home supporters.

The game began in perfect conditions. Both sides started strongly and I was extremely impressed with our aggression at the contest. We made Fitzroy work hard for their scores in the early stages, however they kicked very accurately which put us on the back foot. By quarter time we trailed by three goals.

Still very much in the contest, we spoke about capitalising more on our forward entries and trying to limit Fitzroy’s efficiency going forward. Unfortunately, our opposition found an extra gear and we were unable to go with them in the second quarter. We fall behind by nine goals at the main break. Christian Fakhri was excellent all day, providing leadership, run and carry from our back half. Our backline were impressive given Fitzroy’s repeat entries. If not for Oscar Chaplin, Christian Guidice and others we would have trailed by more.

At half time we discussed trying to stop Fitzroy’s momentum. This is an area we needed to improve on from last week’s big loss. To our boy’s credit, we did a great job in slowing down Fitzroy’s scoring. We showed a lot more character this week in comparison to last which was promising. Josh Bruzzese, Sean O’Connell and Jonathan Azzopardi stood out in this area.

It wasn’t until the late stages of the game and the result was already well determined that Fitzroy were able to get loose and kick six or seven late goals. This made the loss look a lot worse on the scoreboard than what it showed for three quarters.

As with last week, we will learn from today. We were good in patches and we will look to improve our consistency going forward. As we know, football is a four quarter game and it takes a four quarter effort to beat good sides.

With hard work and determination, we will turn the last two weeks around. Keep your heads up boys and we will continue to get better as a group. Go Bullants!

Bullant Banters 2017

Bullant Banter Round 5 2016

What is it that makes being a part of The Mighty Preston Bullants so special and homely?

Is it the rich history that keeps getting added to each and every season that passes?

Is it the special friendships and life long memories players get a chance to create as they line up week in week out while their army of family supporters and volunteers cheer them on and fulfil their role?

Or perhaps it could be as simple as being part of a true central local Preston Club and community that we all love to congregate at and be a small part which is open and welcome to all that choose to be a part of our wonderful club.

Either way, Bullants football returns this week to add a new chapter at Zwar Park which has been resurfaced and ready for 2016 action. It has been a long time coming with past presidents and many committee members meeting, discussing working the best way forward with all interested parties including local council departments, co-tenants and just about anyone else who would hear the plight over the condition that Zwar Park once was.

That plight is now about to be put behind us once and for all. For all the emails, meetings, phone calls and the like, have come to a head and after meeting with council last week for one final inspection, before tearing down the temporary fencing at Zwar Park, I personally am very excited about what lays ahead for our wonderful club as we get the opportunity to play on 2 manicured surfaces moving forward, for Zwar Park is looking very, very schmick!

So on behalf of the club, a big thank you to all the people who had a massive hand in getting Zwar Park to where it is today, which will only give all players the opportunity to do the best they can and really enjoy those very memories they are about to create…

Go The Mighty Bullants!!

Whitlam Malkoun
President
Preston Bullants JFC

When the combination of coach and players, solidly supported by all the essential people who provide the background assistance, is at its best the impact can be outstanding. In such a situation, each individual contributes to an overall effect shared by everyone.

At Preston Bullants Juniors and at Hocking Stuart Preston, this is the aim. We are constantly striving to achieve excellence in what we do, individually and as a united group.

Joe Ledda
hockingstuart/p>

Tackers White travelled to Heidelberg to take on the Tigers. It was a good day for footy and the team were in good spirits.

During the week we worked hard on our kicking skills and kicking out from full back and the team showed some real improvement in those areas. Heidelberg were a pretty good side though and they got on top early. The great thing about Tackers White though, and what makes me proud as a coach is that we never give up. This is going to be a real asset as we spend more time together and improving our team play.

Up to half time we had some good movement forward and were unlucky to miss a couple of opportunities. The real fight was down in our backline and the guys did a terrific job picking up their men and fighting to keep the ball away from our goals. In the midfield the boys tackled really well, took some good marks and ran for their teammates.

We've been working on leading for our players and Issiah W made the coach proud by running 30m into space to receive a kick from Captain Kes! Issiah marked and pumped it into our forward line for another scoring opportunity. It was great stuff.

We went into half time full of confidence and big smiles.

The second half showed some real improvement, and while Heidelberg were a bit strong on the day, we continued to work on manning up in the backline and transferring that ball into the midfield. Just like last week I've got an eye on the guys who are learning the trade and are new to the game. This week it was Lachie's turn to take a couple of marks and to earn himself two kicks. At training we've been working on dropping the ball straight and pointing our toes to our targets. Lachie showed us how it's done with lovely backwards spinning drop punts leaving his boot. Good work mate!

So all in all a lot of positives to take away and some things to work on at training. Tackers White is all about improving each week, digging in and supporting our teammates. Each week the guys make their coach and parents proud by running out there and giving it their all.

Well done Bullants. Can't wait for training!

Round 5 saw the Tackers Red team return to Beverly Rd Oval, the home of the Banyule Bears. As was the case 2 weeks ago, Coaches were feeling nervous as we seem to have a history of frustrating games on this ground. A friendly chat with the Fitzroy coach who was there for another game, confirmed that we were up against Banyule’s “A” team & would be in for a tough one.

After a solid warm-up, Xavier and Marcus were appointed captains. In their pre game address the coaches highlighted that all players were in different positions this week and that we had new jobs to do. The focus was on going for their marks and hanging onto them, thus leaving no room for “interpretation”. It was also vital that players stuck to their zones as we had paid dearly for “Zone infringements” however small in the past.

It was a tight first quarter with minimal scoring and both sides going hard at the ball. The Bears were very good by foot & hit targets frequently while the Bullants made a good account of themselves with their tackles & second efforts. Highlights of the quarter included a great mark by Harry.

At quarter time Scott said "tough games are about hard work" and encouraged players to work on the structure of their new positions & man up.

In the second quarter Callum, Sam and Felix all took great marks and the backline did the most work they have done for the year. Caitlin executed a great tackle, Cameron, Darcy & Andre all showed that they wanted the ball just as much in the backline as they had for the last 4 weeks as forwards. Despite a great coast to coast passage of play that got us within range, we were still without a goal at half time. The players were asked to focus on not leading too early and getting to the ball first by the coaches.

The Bullants started the third quarter with renewed enthusiasm and determination. Patrick and Tamar kicked their first goals in the forward for the year. Tamer following up his goal with a run to high five his Dad behind the goals was a lovely reminder of why we all get up early Sunday mornings! Marcus was everywhere forward & marked strongly while Felix took some great marks and provided plenty of drive out of the midfield. Tom had a terrific run down the wing weaving around 2 Bears....he should have kicked it then but elected to take on the third Bear charging down on him, caught in a solid tackle he landed heavily on his knee and took no further part in the game. It was a much better quarter by the Bullants and a tougher match than the Bears might have been used to.

The final quarter was a tough slog. Midfield continued to work hard against strong opponents and provided opportunities for Patrick to kick his second goal and Ziggy a point. Despite our small backline standing tall, Banyule managed to score a couple of goals to keep the game out of our reach.

In the post match address the coaches emphasised that it will take a while to get to know their new positions and that we will focus on tightening up the defence in all areas prior to the next game. The kids were clearly disappointed but can hold their heads high in the way they fought out the game and the spirit in which they play.

Thanks to Alissa Bubbers for the match report and to everyone who helped out with the various jobs on game day. Thanks Paul Wilson for your work as Trainer & for looking after Tom. Special mention to Team Manager Chris....you know you’ve got a good team around you when you get handed a Berocca in the car park pre game!

Park Orchards Sharks	Preston Bullants
5.5.35	8.7.55
Goals	Lucas -3, Jaxson -3, Thomas -1, Grady -1
Best Players	Team Effort

May 14th Rd 5 - Park Orchards Sharks v Preston Bullants: No gale-force wind or pouring rain last Sunday allowed for another fast start with our quality midfield linking up well & winning deep direct clearances to set up a sizeable lead at 1/4 time 4-3-27 to 0-0-0. 2nd Qtr saw a more even contest with game predominately played in Park Orchards' Fwd line but our desperate miserly Defence stood up strongly to only allow 1 Goal whilst we managed 1 from limited entries to lead 5-3-33 to 1-2-8. 3rd Qtr it was all Park Orchards as they closed the margin to just 8 pts at 3/4 time. After a big rev-up from Ray & Craig at the final break + vocal support from enthusiastic parents our Bullants approached last Qtr with a positive mindset to firstly defend as a tight unit, then work our way forward with precise ball movement, then ultimately close out the game with dominant authority slamming home 2 late Goals from Jaxson & Grady securing a stirring away win 8-7-55 to 5-5-35.

Goal Kickers: Ayden -1, Thomas C -1

Preston Bullants	Hawthorn Citizens
6.4.40	3.8.26
Goal Kickers	Noah -2, Josh -2, Michael -1, Tyler -1
Best Players	Liam, Noah, Declan, Dion, Tyler, Callum, Nathan

Finally we were back home at PCO for a game of footy. The ranking period over, we were playing against an opposition who had been promoted to our division after winning all of their games. We started the game kicking into a slight breeze and fought really hard to restrict the opposition to a couple of goals as well as giving ourselves a couple of good opportunities to score. Brody was really solid at centre half back in this quarter and Dion was also really reliable in Hawthorn’s attacks.

In the second quarter we started to gain ascendancy on the scoreboard as our midfield and forward line began to get on top. There were some excellent passages of play and Noah and Oscar K were providing excellent targets up forward due to their superb long leading at the ball carrier. Goals to Noah, Josh and a ‘goal of the year’ contender from Tyler ensured that we went in ahead at the long break. Even though the skills displayed were superb, it was our willingness to do the ‘one percenters’ that made the difference. A great shepherd by Tyler and Nathan and Jesse’s usual tenacity to fight for the ball in their areas epitomised the determination of the team. A special mention for some multiple and repeated efforts by Liam in our forward line to hold the ball in and eventually give our team a goal.

The third quarter was a bit of an arm wrestle. The back line again stood firm and Callum and Ben were fantastic on the last line of defence and they were well supported by Harry, Lachie and Makaio. Josh was able to make a couple of scything runs through the middle of the ground and drive us into attack. We went in to the last quarter with a good buffer and the confidence that if we played well we would win. Unfortunately the opposition didn’t read the same play book and at the start of the last quarter Hawthorn dominated territory and were able to hold the ball in their forward fifty for about the first ten minutes. Fantastic defensive efforts by Callum, Oscar H, Coen, Seb R and Seb F, meant that we were able to minimise the damage. Suddenly we broke out of our defensive half and got the ball down into our forward line. Some desperation from a number of players gave us possession of the ball and Michael seized the opportunity to push forward, get out the back of the opposition and calmly slot the winner. Soon after Josh confirmed the result with an excellent goal under pressure.

Everyone contributed to the win and a special mention must go to Declan who won the medal from the opposition. It is great to see all the players developing each week and Declan has certainly improved and in combination with Noah and Makaio is giving us first use of the ball around the ground.

Preston Bullants	Ivanhoe W
8.2.50	3.4.22
Goal Kickers	Toby -1, Max L-T -1, Max D -1, Serge M -1, Felix M.S-B -1, Jet T -1, Shahayar N -1, Lachlan H -1 -2

Sunday morning was another beautiful morning for playing football at PCO. We congratulate Toby Hallebone and Lachlan Hoo on celebrating 50 games of junior football. Both boys are valued members of our player group and reaching 50 games is a huge accomplishment.

The coaches’ messages to the team before the game were: 1. First to the ball. 2.Focus on the ball not the player. 3. Quick ball movement. 4. Strong tackles. 5. Back your team mates up 6. Four full quarters.

1st Quarter Pressure from the backline was fantastic from the start, forcing Ivanhoe on the back foot Jordan’s pressure and running on the ball in the backline helped set the scene for this quarter and the rest of the game. Nicholas dominated the ruck work Jack Reed showed real courage by throwing his body in to the defence. Maxim showed true grit with a couple smothers which resulted in the ball turning over quickly in our favour. Jack B kept running hard. Once we moved the ball forward our numbers around the ball were fantastic, which resulted in three goals for the quarter. As we expected, Ivanhoe tried to push our backline into our forward line and our boys responded well by holding the line and building a solid wall across the backline.

2nd Quarter Goal for goal this quarter, Ivanhoe upped the ante in their defence and our boys struggled to push the ball through the goals; however our forward line kept plugging away which finally saw a couple results. Samuel stepped up this quarter and in fact the rest of the game with strong and fast movement in the backline. His smart thinking and quick changes in direction prevented Ivanhoe from scoring more than their 2 goals. We saw strong ruck work and running on the ball from Pheonix, however unfortunately he was on the receiving end of a knock which resulted in him coming off for the rest of the quarter. Alex was constantly delivering the ball from the midfield into the forward line - in one instance Max D was on the receiving with an awesome mark low to the ground. Jet showed his versatility as a player today, working hard in the forward line.

3rd Quarter After the harder second quarter we reminded the boys to move the ball down to the forward line as soon as they take possession. Straight away the communication between our midfield was happening with boys setting up for the bounce. Ty increased his intensity on the ball with some strong tackles while sharing the ruck with Henry. Samuel continued to own the backline with Jordan, Jack M and Luca. Cracks started to appear in the Ivanhoe game with their emotions getting the better of them - it was a credit to our boys who showed great composure. Jack B did his job well by consistently outplaying one of Ivanhoe’s stronger players. Our game style changed from a running game to a more defensive game, however we still controlled most of the play and prevented Ivanhoe from scoring.

4th Quarter The Bullants entered this quarter refocussing after reiterated the game’s key messages. 1. First to the ball 2. Focus on the ball not the player. 3.Quick ball movement 4. Strong tackles 5. Back your team mates up. The boys delivered with Ivanhoe only scoring 1 point to our 2 goals 1 point. Our team showed great pressure on the ball with the constant movement all around the oval. It was a good win.

We thank every player for their efforts. The Bullants played with determination, focus, confidence and composure. In addition, they displayed great maturity – it was pleasing to see that when they came across individual challenges on the day, they put their heads down and helped each other out to play good, solid football.

Coaches Matt, Julian and Craig

Preston Bullants	Surrey Park
4.6.30	4.3.27
Goals	2 to 1 person, 1 to 3 individuals
Best Players	Bullants back 6. In particular the Full Back

The Bullants have withstood a poor 1st half to snatch a last-gasp three-point victory over Surrey Park at PCO for their first win in brown division.

Zach D was the hero in the 4.6 (30) to 4.3 (27) victory, achieved despite being down for most of the afternoon.

The Bullants hit the front late in the final term on Sunday before Surrey again took back the lead before a few cool heads prevailed to seal the game.

The final quarter produced some of the most thrilling football of the season as the Bullants threw out the conservative style they'd played for three quarters and put their foot to the floor.

They emerged from three-quarter time to kick 2 goals to 1 goal in the final term and to hold the momentum.

Surrey had appeared destined for their first win of the year as they trapped the ball deep in their forward line with less than a 2 half minutes to play, but the Bullants launched one final challenge and were rewarded.

FIVE TALKING POINTS One of the club's toughest wins. It was a coming-of-age match for a few big men, who through their bodies in all day, and an important calming goal in the dying minutes to seal the game to make it five from five in 2016.

First-year Bullant, Jamie also stamped himself on the contest in the 2nd half, including a brilliant 4 tackle effort in the 3rd quarter that set the tone for the final term.

It was a win that will release the mental pressure on this playing group, with players rewarding their coach's unwavering faith in their ability to mix it with the best teams in the competition.

The Bullants pressure in the second half was nothing short of intense, with Surrey staying in front, if not in control for most of the game. Each time the Bullants challenged for the lead, Surrey found a response.

When Surrey kicked a goal with just 6 minutes left, it looked a challenge too far for the besieged battling Bullants.

Bullants Assistant Coach George Michaelides heaped praise on the big men, and said that with no rotations from the bench at many stages, the coaching panel had to be creative."That's why we're so proud our guys endured – they found a way," he said.

"Particularly late, they had cool heads under pressure."We're making some huge steps forward."

MEDICAL ROOM Zac V hobbled off in the 2nd with a bad case of heel pain but after some close attention from the medical staff at half time he managed to re-appear in the second half. “Zac will be managed throughout the week and will under-go a fitness test later to determine if he is available for selection” said Bullants trainer Vince Spataro.

NEXT UP The Bullants play Heidelberg Y at 1pm next Sunday at Warringal Park which is again another huge challenge for this young tough side.

INJURIES

Preston Bullants: Zac V (foot - test)

Surrey Park: NA

Reports: Nil

Preston Bullants	Camberwell
0.0.01	2.17.29
Goal Kickers

Now, that’s a game of footy! Sure, we didn’t win it but we gave it our best shot.

First, quick recap. Grading period has been completed and the Bullants were granted our request to play in Blue division. This division, following Grading comprises of 4 Blue, 2 Green, 1 Black and 1 Brown grading division teams. So, it is a healthy mix across a range of divisions. Our first game in Blue was against Warrandyte, who dropped from Green to Blue.

Now some handy stats. This was a very competitive game and the stats back that up. We had 14 scoring shots to Warrandyte’s 17. (I have argued that to even contemplate a winning score you must take at least 15 shots at goal.) At half time we had 7 shots (4.3) to Warrandyte’s 6 (2.4). At half time the stats were gold for the Bullants. It was the first time this year we lead at half time; the most scoring shots we had achieved (in a game!) and had more scoring shots than the opposition. At half time. In the second half (actually, in the last quarter) they pulled away with 11 scoring shots to 7.

Now the game: The team ran onto PCO in overcast conditions and a slight wind favouring the Bell St end. Because Warrandyte forgot to bring their ‘clash’ jumper the Bullants agreed to wear our white jumper with the red Myrmecia glaring at its opposition. Along with the generous act of wearing our away jumper, we also gave Warrandyte the wind in the First.

From early on you could sense the desire from both teams in this contest. Bullants were getting the ball into its forward area but without reward. Then Darc, breaking several lines, cut through to set up a forward entry attack. Ben M took a strong mark and goaled truly.

Into the second and the team started to string structured runs, out of defence and into attack. One run, with great control down the wing by Charbel led to Rhett snapping our second. The game had picked up the pace. The Bloods (Warrandyte) were pushing hard into their forward line. Jakeb was getting a few touches, Alex was everywhere, Finn forced the ball into enough space and Rhett was starting to make the goal area his. I wrote, “this game is tight and will go down to the wire”. Then Jakeb earned a free and due to a Bloods indiscretion, earned a 25m extra free. He lined up and put us in the lead. Ben M, playing a terrific game kicked a beautiful curved punt to extend the lead going into the half time break.

That was the quarter that showed how good the Bullants are and can be. It also showed what the Bullants must strive for. Team work, team structure, team effort. Starting with centre clearances … actually all clearances. Alex is terrific reader of the play and our set structures have to get more benefit from this. I can imagine he and Darc would be great assistance to the coaches. Zippy little Johnson can get the ball. More importantly, if we can get the ball out to him, he can take off.

We had a bunch of contributors, like Leo setting up Rhett for a goal, Ben D, stopping several likely goals by breaking the Bloods’ lines, and our usual committed and highly competitive backline. Unfortunately, we ran out of run. The Bloods fitness and running game (using the handpass for advantage) won them the game. They certainly weren’t the more skilled team on the paddock. But they did have a more joined up game going on.

We will get there, you can already see that the team is more formed than it was 5 weeks ago. We have a strong set of excellent players led by Darc, Alex and Jesse. We have a good group of developing players, with Ben D, Jack and Jakeb showing strong signs of exponential improvement. Our newer players such as River, James and Suhail are slotting in nicely. As individuals and as the team, if we can continue to build our fitness and our running game we will just keep getting better. Go Bullants!

Parent helpers: Coach: Ang; Assistant Coach: Aidan; Runner: Rob; Trainer: Jodie/Sylvia; Boundary Umpire: Matt; Water carriers: Damien Gray and Richard Mills; Umpire Escort/Interchange steward: Nadim; Timekeeper: Steve Johnson; Oranges: Odette; Canteen: Cathy; Barbeque: John Morgan; Scoreboard: John Mantis

Boroondara Hawks 3	Preston Bullants
5.9.39	13.14.92

After the previous week’s return to form, round five saw us up against our round three nemesis, Boroondara. Playing them only two weeks after our first encounter, gave the boys the opportunity to rectify their previous inconsistent implementation of our game plan and a chance to show our opponent that we were indeed a physically strong, committed team.

Right from the word go, Damian and I could see that the boys were “on” in their preparation and warm up and this became evident within the first couple of minutes of the first term.

The boys were able to run forward of the ball giving their teammates attacking options and when Boroondara gained possession the boys were able to immediately transition into a defensive mindset. On another well grassed and rather small ground, the boys were able to move the ball with speed, accuracy and confidence. The forward line was working as a team and sharing the goal scoring opportunities around, always looking for a teammate in a better position. After a dominant first term but more even second term, the boys went into half time with a rather comfortable but very gettable lead.

The third term was to be the premiership quarter, and unlike our previous encounter with our opponent, the boys were able to hunt the football in groups, consistently outnumbering their opponents and continue to move the ball forward with appropriate attacking handball and well weighted kicks. As the final quarter began, Boroondara had had three quarters of play, in which they had been consistently reminded that they were facing a different opponent to the one they had faced previously. Whilst they continued to battle with spirit, they began to run out of legs and our boys marched onto probably their best win of the season so far.

A win of this calibre only comes from every boy contributing throughout the day, and this was certainly the story of our side last weekend. However Damian and I would like to mention the great games played by Nicholas Fraser and Noah Myers, who continued all day to put their bodies on the line, and were able to show great confidence in their skills to take the game on with contested marking and run. Congratulations to Peter Edge who played his first game of football on the weekend, and who with Louis Foster gave the team some further attacking options. Both boys were rewarded with goals that were celebrated by teammates and parents with gusto. Lastly both Damian and I are very excited by the progress of our “new” recruit Xavier Chamoun. As Xavier’s fitness levels improve on a weekly basis, we recognise his strong overhead marking and creative thoughtful play as being a very important part of any success we hope to have going forward.

Go Bullants!

Preston Bullants	Macleod
10.11.66	5.4.34
Goal Kickers	C. Chilcott -4, C. Howard -2, A. De Sando -1, L. Black -1, D. Hachem -1, K. Rentos -1, L. Sutton -1
Best Players	A De Sando, M Vaiano, T Hallebone, N Zonta, L Sutton, L McErlain, D. Hachem

The grading games had been completed, we were to remain in Division 2 after 1 goal losses to Banyule and Surrey Park. We were excited to be back on PCO to take on a Macleod outfit that had easily won it’s opening 4 games in Colts 3 before earning promotion.

Mai, Rentos and Renna made their debut in Colts 1 and all would go on to play important roles through the wings and forward line.

We started brilliantly, the guys understood the roles expected of them and committed to our focus points. We went inside 50, 15 times to 4 in the opening quarter thanks to the midfield who have been ultra impressive in season 2016. Chilcott who was under an injury cloud managed to shrug it off and slot 2 opening quarter goals whilst Karl Rentos was looking busy up forward and was rewarded with a goal of his own.

Liam Sutton led the charge in the second quarter with Vaiano, De Sando and Moleta having important touches. Our back 6 led by key backs Hachem and Zonta were rock solid and Julian De Napoli simply hasn’t been beaten all year as our small defender. Bonadio provided great rebound resulting in Chilcott slotting his 3rd and Conor Howard showed fantastic aerial power again to pluck a couple of telling marks.

We had a 5 goal lead at half time, the boys were very determined to play out the minutes and execute our plans.

From a coaching perspective I couldn’t be more pleased with how the boys went in the 2nd half, we moved the ball brilliantly (a couple of times we overdid the handball), listened to instructions, hunted the opposition and played team first selfless football.

To run away 7 goal winners was massive for our group, we had 20 more inside 50’s so I felt like we were definitely giving our forwards opportunities. I think we will continue to get better each week and the attitude towards training / playing has been excellent – a real determination to make this year a successful one.

Congrats to Tom Hallebone who is in the u/16 Vic Metro squad. Great reward for effort.

I would also like the thank the parents for coming down Sunday – we had a great crowd in attendance.

We hope to continue on our winning ways this weekend against GDU away.

Go Bullants!

Tackles: 35 / 36

Clearances: 16 / 14

Inside 50’s: 46 / 26

F50 Tackles: 10

Key Statistics

Stats	PBJFC	Macloed
Tackles	35	36
Inside 50 tackles	10
Inside 50s	46	26
Clearances	16	14

Go Bullants!

Parkside	Preston Bullants
22.11.143	1.3.9
Best Players	Liam Webster-McAllister, Josh Torcasio, Jack Sammartino, Christian Fakhri, Paul Palazzolo, Ryan Bonett

After a great start to the season we headed out to Parkside to play against a side who had moved up from Colts 5. They were undefeated and had shown that they deserve to move up to our division. As we consider ourselves a side that can contend in colts 4, we spoke about sending a message to the rest of the competition by having another good win.

Dan Zou would captain the side in his 50th game for the club. Dan has been a great servant to the Bullants and has had a good start to the season. We needed Dan and others in the midfield to lead from the front today.

The first quarter began fairly evenly with both sides kicking an early goal. It looked as though we would have a good contest on our hands in the perfect conditions. Parkside then kicked four unanswered to end the quarter in a clinical display of ball movement.

At quarter time we spoke about trying to stop Parkside’s run as they were getting out loose and linking up far too easily. The boys worked hard in the second term and managed to slow down Parkside’s scoring. Unfortunately, we were unable to hit the scoreboard ourselves and fell behind by seven goals at half time.

The third quarter proved too much for our boys as we were comfortably outplayed. Our desire to fight back had disappeared and Parkside were able to kick away. By the end of the game Parkside had kicked 21 unanswered goals. Today showed that we need to work on slowing down the oppositions momentum when we fall behind. This will be the focus throughout the week at training.

Today was a big wakeup call for our boys and we will learn a lot from this loss. Sometimes teams need a game like this to identify problems to improve. We will continue to work at it and put forward a better performance next weekend.

Thanks to all the parents who continue to provide their time and support to the boys.

Bullant Banters 2017

Bullant Banter Round 4 2016

As the season rolls on, it becomes more and more apparent each and every week the true value of volunteers and the remarkable work they do.

As we all know, each Bullant team rosters on rotating roles week to week throughout our family groups, roles such as boundary umpires, scoreboard, BBQ, canteen and the list goes on and these roles should be taken and conducted with a smile on each and everyone’s face.

We all understand the absolute importance of being involved directly with our child’s daily activities and this is yet another wonderful opportunity to give back to the club albeit for an hour or 2 once only every 4 odd weeks. We have the opportunity to lead by example, show our children that no matter where they are, we are there too, and the ongoing value of giving back to something that gives us all pleasure each and every week and that is to be involved in the Bullant community that makes us all better for the experience.

With our wonderful committee we again conducted our regular monthly meeting which was the best part of 3 hours as we discussed topics relevant to the club, with agenda items including apparel for our children, canteen ideas, sponsorship ideas and of course the up and coming Bullants Dinner Dance which I can’t encourage enough of you to jump on and organise tables ASAP as it is going to be an absolute beauty yet again, and yes it is being organized by volunteers.

So when you walk past a family member at the game who is “rostered” onto a duty for the week, don’t look at it as if it is their role, but rather stop and ask, do you need a hand with anything? Ask this of our wonderful volunteer team managers who do it week in and week out and heavily rely on your help to get the job done and have us all contribute to what makes this club such a strong and positive environment to be involved in.

Go Bullants, give them your best and enjoy your footy!

Whitlam Malkoun
President
Preston Bullants JFC

The values projected by Preston Bullants Juniors are most visible on the field, but their foundation happens behind the scenes. Hocking Stuart Preston operates the same way. Our ‘back office’ values drive our ‘front of house’ performance.

Application of effort and the willingness to participate, to engage with the team spirit – these are the principles that earn, and deserve, praise in footy. At junior level, these are clearly the most important elements of the game.

Joe Ledda
hockingstuart/p>

Tackers White were all revved up to make their Mum's proud last Sunday morning and they started in great style against Macleod.

The team showed a lot of improvement after a bit of a tough day last week and began full of run, leading for their teammates and tackling fiercely.

The first quarter was neck and neck. We had some great opportunities to score and nailed a couple of them too. Our backline were terrific, manning up and running the ball out to our midfielders.

The second quarter was all Bullants with plenty of run and gusto. There were so many terrific efforts that resulted in three goals for the Bullants a great team effort. Our team mates who filled in for the opposition also played well with plenty of Bullant spirit! We've got a few guys just starting out in Aussie Rules and each week brings firsts for our guys. Last week it was Omar's first tackle and free kick and this week was Ethan's turn to lay a tackle and win the ball....took a pretty good mark while in the other team's colours to! Well done you guys.

In the third term our concentration was a bit shaky, Macleod got on top and our backline were under the pump. They stood up well though and led by Sonny sent the ball out of the backline time and again! Macleod went on to play some great footy. But we didn't give up and kicked on in the last term which was pretty even, but in the end that third term meant Macleod had the better of us for the match.

The whole team were much improved and we were led really well by our captain for the day Eden and each week brings great improvement.

See you all at training on Friday!

Round 4 saw our tackers have a later, more civilized, Mother’s Day start at Preston City Oval, challenging the Bundoora Bulls.

Pre-match instruction directed the players to be first to the ball, want it more, man up, focus on fast disposals, backs to kick wide and long and keep your feet. We had a slow start last week and Coach Scott made sure our players were revved and ready to go from the first bounce. And did they go……..

Captains for the day Zac and Jack lead our players out onto a wet ground, lined up and wished their mums a Happy Mother’s Day. It wasn’t long before Darcy took a diving mark and kicked truly to open our account. Followed quickly by a pass from Sam to Callum who kicked his first, then a behind and a terrific roving goal. Our success up forward was driven by our midfield, great examples of strong tackling and willingness to fight for the ball. The quarter was rounded out lovely passage of play with slick passes from Ziggy to Callum then Andre who kicked and goaled. Jake in defence took a chest mark right on the siren in what was otherwise a quiet period for our backs.

Coach Scott was full of praise for the team who did everything he asked of them. The teams challenge was now, "Could they do it for a sustained 3 quarters?

The second term was another dominant display of team work. Our forward line of Cameron, Jack, Zac, Sam and Andre had plenty of the ball and converted with goals to Zac and Jack (2). The latter giving everything on one kick forward including his boot. Again our hunger for the ball and strong tackling lead us forward. Highlight of the quarter was Catlin showing the opposition who was boss with strong tackles in the midfield.

Bundoora lifted in the third quarter and were unlucky not to be rewarded with a goal. Our defense were hungry for some action, determined to stop any score and showed the same desperation for the ball. On the flip side the Bullants scored freely Andre (2), Darcy and Callum all slotting through majors. Darcy’s goal was the result of a technical infringement (kick off the ground) and showed that Bundoora, despite their efforts, could not take a trick. Highlights included; tenacious tackles from Ned, Tom, Patrick and great passages of connected play taking the ball from defense, through the mid and into attack.

Three quarter lollies = last term onslaught. The Bulls had been chasing our fresh legs all game and our forwards were relentless. 10 shots on goal saw 4 majors for the term (Callum 3, Cameron 1). Highlights; Backing each other up, communication, unselfish play, manning up on the kick out and Felix’s strong marks.

A great team effort from all of our players. It is worth mentioning that the Bundoora Bulls were an undermanned side with no bench to start. Several head clashes with their own players reduced their numbers further as the game progressed. In the second half some this writer was proud to see concentration on the ball and determination to let our football skills shine.

Hands were shaken, umpires and teams given 3 cheers and the mums joined the middle of the circle for our 4th rendition of the Mighty Bullants Club song.

The pouring rain held off for the duration of the match,

Well played Team!!

Goal Kickers:

Callum 5, Andrea 3, Darcy 2, Jack 2, Zac 1, Cameron 2

James Bubbers

Thanks to James Bubbers for another great match report.
Thanks to everyone who helped out on the day with all of the various jobs.

And a very special thank you to our little team of champions! You all made massive contributions to a great game. You played for your Mums. You represented your club with pride and most importantly, you played as a team! I couldn't be prouder of every one of you! Go Bullants! Scott & Rob

Doncaster	Preston Bullants
2.12.24	2.2.14

May 8th Doncaster v Preston Bullants: On a miserable wet Mothers Day morning our team was dealt a major blow with late withdrawal of Rylan due to illness leaving us one less versatile tall against a very big & heavy Doncaster side. Despite this setback our Boys + 1 Girl started full of energy but in slippery conditions our ball movement kept hitting a road-block at Half Fwd while our Defence, Marianne with her 2nd and 3rd efforts held up strongly to force a Goalless 1st Qtr.

In 2nd Qtr Ayden reads flight of ball better than 3 Doncaster Defenders to mark & convert from the Goal Square but then Doncaster respond with long torpedo Goal from 30m to edge ahead at half time, Grady took a very strong one handed mark in very wet conditions. Strong efforts from Ike after stopping the ball with his face, ignoring the pain to play on strongly

3rd Qtr: was another hard slog with several inspiring pressure acts but just on 3/4 time siren Doncaster edge away literally by centimetres as Lucas' lunge to touch the ball cruelly a fraction behind their Goal-line.

Final Qtr we continue to show our excellent defence skills, Jude, Marianne, Patrick, valiantly denying Doncaster any more Goals, then last 10 mins direct Footy through the guts sees Thomas pluck a mighty pack mark in Goal Square to reduce margin to just 10 pts. With all the momentum we continued to pump ball forward but sadly time runs out. 

Goal Kickers: Ayden -1, Thomas C -1

Parkside	Preston Bullants
2.5.17	1.3.9
Goal Kickers	Josh
Best Players	Josh, Lachie, Oscar H, Liam, Harry, Makio, Nathan, Adrian

We ventured to Pitcher Park for a game against a team that has had our measure over the last few years. Nevertheless, we were quietly confident that we could turn the tables.

However, the first quarter showed us that it was not going to be easy to win this game. Indeed, Parkside seemed to jump us early and were clearly the better team for long periods of the first half. Luckily we held up defensively and the damage wasn’t too great. A special mention must go to Lachie whose defensive actions were brilliant throughout the first two quarters of the game. Liam, Phoenix, Josh and Oscar H also started to get some of the ball and their tackling pressure was also a feature of the match.

Although we started to even things up over the ground we were finding it very difficult to score. This trend continued in the second half despite a number of near misses. Josh, Jack and Adrian were lively in the forward line and Seb R and Tyler were also getting involved. It was also really pleasing to see Makaio, Noah, Brody and Harry having an influence around the ground and Anthony getting better with every game. Nathan was showing his normal determination as well and some of his multiple efforts were inspiring the team.

Unfortunately the game became very congested during this period with the umpire unable to find a free kick. Finally though Josh broke free and slotted a really skilful and well deserved goal. We were only a couple of points down at three quarter time!

Unfortunately, just after the resumption, Parkside ran the ball forward and kicked an amazing goal from the boundary line. What ensued was more frustrating football with lots of congestion and not much flow. We also lost our structure so that even when we did win the ball, we had little to kick to as a result. Ultimately we went down by 8 points but the effort for the four quarters was fantastic and gives us good hope for next week.

Hawthorn Citizens	Preston Bullants
8.17.65	6.4.40
Goal Kickers	Xavier -2, Samuel -1, Luca -1, Jack M -1, Kristian -1

The Under 12s had a 3:00pm game on Sunday. It was a late start for our mums to watch their boys, however we had a great crowd supporting the Bullants.

We went into this game knowing it was going to be a really tough contest. Hawthorn was coming into this match undefeated. We went into this match knowing that no team had scored more than 8 points against Hawthorn this season.

Knowing how strong Hawthorn has started the season, we asked our boys to commit to playing a strong tackling game with quick movement of the ball through the corridor of what is a small oval in comparison to PCO.

The first quarter started and we knew immediately that it was going to be a tough contest. Hawthorn’s ruck stood at least one foot taller than our boys, however the Bullants stuck to the game plan and committed to putting in a strong performance. Henry played in full back and turned on his A-game from start to finish. Hawthorn was bombarding our back line with fast, intensive play but to the boy’s credit, our whole backline held up strong and prevented a lot of scoring opportunities. Our mid field worked very hard to get the ball out of Hawthorn’s possession to drive it up to our forward line. It was very tough. Toby did not stop working in the wing; he seemed to be everywhere trying to take possession of the footy at every opportunity. The Bullants kept Hawthorn to 2.6, and we were scoreless.

The second quarter saw Toby express the need to play in a different position given that he had worked so hard in the first quarter. So we put Luca in the wing position and moved Toby to the forward pocket. It’s great to hear the boys communicate with our coaches about how they are feeling and what may work best for the team. The boy’s are maturing and thinking about how they can support each other to put in a solid game of football as a team. This position change saw immediate results with the ball feeding through the left wing down to Samuel, who scored Preston’s first goal within the first minute and a half. This quarter saw strong performances right across the oval. Pretty much everyone got their hands on the ball and really went toe to toe with Hawthorn. Xavier scored two very important goals in this quarter. And Preston actually outscored Hawthorn.

The third quarter turned into a more one sided game for Hawthorn, with Hawthorn returning from half time really dominating play and consistently pushing the ball into their forward line. Once again our backline worked hard – Alex did a fantastic job pushing the ball out and Phoenix put in some impressive defensive work. Oliver, Maxim, Felix and Max L-T also went in 100%. It was pleasing to see that despite Hawthorn showing us why they are so far undefeated, our boys were undeterred in their mission to keep trying, to keep competing, to never give up. Hawthorn kicked 2.5 to our 0.

The final quarter had the Bullants kicking to the favourable scoring end. We asked the boys to dig deep and to take the game to Hawthorn once again. We knew the boys had to step it up and they did not disappoint. This was the most pleasing quarter of the game. Luca, Kristian and Jack M scored goals and the whole team really got behind each other to put on a great display for the mums. Jordan was a constant strong presence in the forward line with great ball movement and great use of his body to help win ball possessions in critical moments of the game.

The fourth quarter also saw more rotations than any other. The intensity and commitment shown by our boys warranted the constant rotation of boys to give the team much needed fresh legs. The boys gave it their all until the final siren. Even though Hawthorn outscored us again this quarter, the coaching team all felt our boys put in a marvelous effort and we were very proud of them all.

We can applaud every member of the team for their performances today as every single player lifted their game to compete against the top team. Special mention to Yianni, Lachlan H, Ty, Jet and Steven as they ran hard all day and influenced some very important plays throughout the day.

What we took away from the game is that the drills and strategies we have been working on at training are coming into play on game day. We saw a cohesive, hard-working group of boys who came into the game to play great football. We played against a team who has set the bar high for this division – we left the ground feeling that if we continue to see the boys improve and play strong team footy each and every game, we can achieve great things this season.

Well done to all – it was a great team effort.

Go Bullants!

Coaches Matt, Julian and Craig

Preston Bullants	Opposition
6.2.38	2.6.18

The Bullants have held off the Richmond JFC and maintained top billing with an engrossing 20-point win in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash at PCO.

In a combative and defensive slog that will leave both teams bruised, the Bullants went 4-0 for the first time since Tackers in 2012, winning 6.2 (38) to 2.6 (18) in front of a record crowd of Mum’s and Dad’s on this wet Mother’s day clash.

The Bullants led from the opening 4-minute mark of the first quarter to the final siren and fended off multiple runs from the brave Tigers, who weren’t able to narrow gap that existed for most of the day.

Perhaps most pleasing for coach Dom Vaiano was the defensive manner in which his usually attacking team won, kicking its lowest score for the season but holding the Tigers to just two goals.

"It was pretty keenly fought and it was a good sign we can get the job done multiple ways, regardless of what the opposition throw at us," Vaiano said.

"When it is hot in the contest you don't necessarily get really attractive spectacles and high-scoring games.”

"But from a coaching perspective they're great wins, because when you can match it in the contest with a side that really values that, then you know you're going to be a chance in most games."

With a combined 8 goals, it was the lowest scoring game of the season, but that was not an indication of the contest's quality, with both teams pushed to the limit in their first top-of-the-table clash against each other since they entered the competition back in 2012.

Key forwards continued to play a clutch role in the Bullants perfect start, sharing the goals, including the sealer halfway through the fourth quarter.

The midfielders wound back the clock with plenty possessions and the defenders played a critical role, holding the Tigers stars to just 2 goals, and winning the rebounds.

The Bullants won despite back up ruckman Peter K suffering a huge cut across his right eye which required 10 stitches, while their other ruckman Billy R played through with a foot problem.

Played at a frenetic pace, both teams looked up for an attacking shootout, but the Tigers started to lose their cool with the ball and their scoring quickly dried up.

The Tigers lost no friends with their endeavour, winning many contested possessions, clearances and inside 50s.

MEDICAL ROOM

Bullants ruckman Peter K will most likely miss 3-4 weeks with 10 stitches to the forehead, but coach Dom Vaiano would not give any more detail on Sunday afternoon. “He went off early in the second quarter after a ruck contest and was quickly taken to hospital.” Vaiano said. Rodda bravely played on through a foot injury and produced some brilliant efforts under duress and is likely to play next week.

NEXT UP

The Bullants now enter unchartered territory with the grading games all but completed and next week’s opponent in the hands of the YJFL.

GOALS

Preston Bullants: 6 individuals

Richmond Tigers: 2 individuals

BEST

Preston Bullants: an even contribution across the board

INJURIES

Preston Bullants: Peter K (head), Rodda (foot)

Richmond Tigers: NA

Reports: Nil

Preston Bullants	Camberwell
0.0.01	2.17.29
Goal Kickers

The Bullants have made the best of a tough grading period in Brown division. After getting thumped in the first two Rounds they put up a great contest in the Third game. Against Camberwell they improved again. In fact through this period their improvement has been excellent. On any measure their improvement has been terrific. Yes, they have lost all four games. But the margin has gone from 197 points in Round 1 to 28 points last Sunday. From a differential of 52 scoring shots in Game one to 18. That is a clear sign of constructive team development and purpose.

At the heart of the improvement is the backline’s workload. Bullants have always had a good backline but this could well be our best. Following the first quarter when Camberwell kicked 2.3, they did not score another goal for the game. That is impressive work. Or put another way, this is the first time this year that Camberwell have been held goal-less for three quarters! Both Camberwell’s goals came late in the quarter, after the Bullants showed signs of tiring. That was the last time they tired in the match!

Led by our ever reliable captain, Darc, the backline repelled attack after attack. Darc played as good a game as I have seen him play and I reckon he will get even better as the season goes on. With great support from Maivia and Max who just refuse to quit. Suhail, in only his fifth game of Aussie Rules stuck to the game plan and didn’t let his player get an inch, like all good defenders. Jesse and Daniel Q played great roles as the sling man out of defence.

During the First quarter, the Bullants, through sheer pressure around the ball, moved the game past centre and into our forward area. We had a chance or two but couldn’t complete the runs we set up. Here is where the development needs to take place. As good as our backline is, we must build up the structures and capability of the forward-line.

Another area of development is with our midfield clearance strategies and running game. We certainly have the players. Alex, in another great display across the ground, and Jesse, Anthony, Ben M, aided by Jack King (whose improvement in the last two weeks has been a stand-out) and River is more than enough skills. As this group develops its team sense of each other, and strategic positioning in centre clearances we will see a greater first use of the ball. That will allow the team to create a loose man going forward, which will provide relief and space to make better use of the forward area. We’re not there yet, but it will form.

Sunday’s game was a dour struggle and the Bullants did not quit. It was a team effort. Which is what Finn deserved playing his 50th for the club. The team delivered with strong tackling, they were hard at the ball, determined and unrelenting. What was most appealing? You could tell that the team wanted it. If they keep up their fantastic spirit, build skills, run harder and faster and learn to spread and the forward line takes shape then the year will open up for this most deserving Bullants unit.

Preston Bullants	St Mary's 2
13.11.89	5.2.32

Round 4 of the final grading games saw us venture out to AK Lines Reserve in Watsonia to take on St Mary's 2. Still hurting from dropping last week's game against Boroondara the boys attitude was obvious from before the game with many of the boys early to the ground and ready to go for the warm up.

We welcomed back Stevie, EJ and Julian to the lineup and from the first bounce, the boys showed they meant business. With Jack Nicolo dominating in the ruck it gave our midfielders first use of the ball and we capitalised on every opportunity out of the middle.

In light drizzle, the ball was wet and slippery and we had to adjust our usual run and carry game for sure hands, bodies behind the ball and long kicks to the forward line. Many of the boys struggled with the greasy conditions and there were many fumbles as the ball spent the majority of the time on the ground. Julian Pizzo showed wonderful ball control and sure hands all day and was able to deliver one of his best games in the last two years. Stevie was dominant at Centre Half Back and repelled many attacks and Matty Maiolo provided great dash out of the backline. Jackson Vangelista did a great job stepping in at the last minute to the unfamiliar territory of full back. Xavier Chamoun at full forward snared two early first quarter goals and with Jackson Sbrizza moving smoothly around the forward line they were great forward line targets for our midfielders. In the second quarter, Kenny had a run in the forward line and proved to be a ball magnet. Hopefully, with a few more games the ball will sail through the big sticks!

William Geary, Josh Di Natale, Jackson Tierney, Elijah Gonas and Rory Howard all provided great midfield pressure on the opposition. Whilst in control of the game on the scoreboard we were under pressure from St Mary's for much of the game and we certainly had to battle hard for possessions and scoring opportunities.

In the end, we came out comfortable winners and it was a great team effort in trying circumstances. Another outstanding game from Jack Nicolo who has really taken a huge step in playing four solid quarters of football this year. Stevie Hadj was dominant at Centre Half Back before moving to Centre Half Forward where he snared a couple of bullocking goals to ease the scoreboard pressure.

Next week we hope the boys take the same attitude into the pre-match warm up and are prepared for the next challenge that awaits.

Go Bullants!

Preston Bullants	Parade St Damians
22.22.154	2.1.13
Goal Kickers	Conor Howard -4, Callum Chilcott -3, Liam Sutton -2, Max Vaiano -2, Adrian De Sando -2, Matt Webb, Jack Hayes, Julian De Napoli, Anthony Moleta, Tyson Lowe, Lucas Epifano
Best Players	Adrian De Sando, Max Vaiano, Ant Moleta, Liam Sutton, Connor Howard, Liam McErlain

Milestone: Matt Webb (100 Games)

In wet conditions we headed out to play Parade St Damian's in what was to be Matty Webb's 100th game for the mighty Bullants!

From the outset we really did dominate kicking 4.8 in the opening quarter. Jack Hayes kicked a ripper & the midfield of Sutton, Vaiano, Mcerlain was being provided silver service by Tom Hallebone. We had 20 inside 50's in the opening quarter and to be honest didn't get great reward for effort.

Anthony Moleta was clearly the best player on the ground in the first half with his speed / skill a feature whilst Lucas Epifano was providing lots of run and carry & Lachy Black commanding his troops wonderfully well down back.

We kicked 8 majors in the 3rd quarter with Chilcott slotting a couple whilst Adrian De Sando couldn't be touched & set up plenty of goals.

With the game well & truly over at 3/4 time our goal was to finish off the game - play the minutes and also look to be selfless in what we do. I'm pleased to say overall the boys team care was very high and we were able to kick another 6 majors to run away convincing 141 point winners.

Well done to everyone and thanks to all the parents who came down in huge numbers.

A happy Mother's Day to all the Bullants mum's.

Key Statistics

Stats	PBJFC	STDFC
Tackles	49	51
Inside 50 tackles	11	2
Inside 50s	70	5
Clearances	42	13

Go Bullants!

Preston Bullants	Banyule
11.10.76	2.0.12
Best Players	Liam Webster-McAllister, Christian Renna, Sean O’Connell, Karl Rentos, Oscar Chaplin, Jack Perin

It was a wet Sunday afternoon at Preston City Oval, but the boys were wrapped to be back at home after two consecutive away fixtures. We came up against a hungry Banyule outfit who were yet to win a game for the year.

Jack Perin was made captain for the day and lead from the front in the wet conditions, hitting the contest hard and winning 50/50 balls all day. This set the tone for the rest of the side who were very strong in winning the contested footy, which proved vital in the wet.

We started the game strong in the first quarter by kicking the first three goals and putting our opposition on the back foot early. We knew that this early lead would be handy in what would be a low scoring game. Christian Renna was again influential, making the most of his opportunities up forward.

The second term was a tighter battle, with Banyule showing they had some fight. Our backline was once again fantastic under pressure lead by Lucas Fragale, Oscar Chaplin and Ryan Bonett. Not only did our backs stop goals, but they set up attacking options for us going forward through John Karahountis and Sean O’Connell. Largely thanks to our backs we had a five goal lead at half time.

We changed some things at half time to ensure we continued to dominate proceedings in the wet. Some bigger bodies went on-ball and the mids got some rest up forward. Jonathan Azzopardi provided the highlight of the day with a brilliant solo effort and goal from the boundary. Christian Fakhri, Johnston Mai and Dan Zou all provided great service for us when playing through the midfield.

At three quarter time the boys were asked to play out the game and finish off strong. We did just that increasing our lead to over ten goals by the final siren.

This was a real character building win for our side, showing that we can be a powerhouse team in this competition when we come to play with the right attitude.

Well done to Nano Henry, Dan Beck and Louis Gigiambattista who all contributed in their first games for the year.

As always, thank you to all the parents and volunteers who help out during the week and on game day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all our beautiful mothers who we couldn’t live without!

Go Bullants!

Bullant Banters 2017