The Collingwood Victorian Wheelchair League (VWFL) Team played in a double header on Sunday coming away with one win and one loss.
The team came away with a remarkable win against Richmond winning by 26 points in the first game of the day. The Pies came ever so close to winning their second match of the day only to lose by 1 point against St Kilda.
Game 1 – V Richmond
The Pies started hot during the first game, holding Richmond to a 25-6 opening quarter, doing just as Coach Paddles had asked “getting a fast start to stamp authority”.
Pre-game, Coach Paddles highlighted the fact that Richmond were the reigning premiers and how much of a boost in confidence it would be to get the win. Paddles also reinforced his confidence in the team’s ability.
Collingwood didn’t slow down after quarter time and ended with an impressive win.
Anthony Perito shined in his debut for Collingwood, scoring 7 goals and earning himself the Sir Doug Nicholls Round medal.
Alex Gale-Grime also played a major role taking part in her first senior game of the season stopping Richmond’s dominant forward line in defence, while Josh Christian was unstoppable in the ruck.
Game 2 – V St Kilda
The Pies were off to a promising start in their second game of the day getting out to a 19 point lead by 3 quarter time however let St Kilda come back into the game in the 4th quarter.
Coach Paddles mentioned pre-game that the Pies needed to start strong coming into their second match and that it was crucial to throw the first punch on the scoreboard. St Kilda are a tall team and Paddles noted the importance of creating space and getting in front of opponents to win the ball.
Some key notes to take out of the match were that goal scoring accuracy became an issue in the later stage due to fatigue and the team must start making the most out of opportunities when given them.
The Pies aren’t disheartened though and look upon their ripping start to the match in a positive light.
With a two week break coming up, the team will look to be more direct with their decision making and be more accurate in front of goal.
Overall, both games were a great indicator of how the Pies are travelling this season.
Upcoming matches for both teams:
Collingwood VWFL – Sunday, June 4th against Hawthorn Starting at 2pm at the Boroondara Sports Complex.
Collingwood CWFL – Sunday, June 4th against Hawthorn Community team starting at 1pm at the Boroondara Sports Complex
VWFL TEAM RESULTS – GAME 1 RICHMOND
Collingwood 4.1 7.3 11.6 15.7 (97)
Richmond 1.0 4.2 6.4 11.5 (71)
Goals:
Collingwood: Riley Fitzgerald 4, Anthony Perito 7, Ben Jankovski 4.
Richmond: Chris Kotsanas 2, Chris Henderson 6, Vincent Naidu 3.
VWFL TEAM RESULTS – GAME 2 ST KILDA
Collingwood 2.4 6.5 9.9 11.13 (79)
St Kilda 4.0 6.1 7.2 13.2 (80)
Goals:
Collingwood: Riley Fitzgerald 1, Anthony Perito 3, Brett Newman 1, Ben Jankovski 6.
St Kilda: Tyler Nash 6, Ryan Smith 7.
