God, it’s been a tough week for me. I’ve come to the realisation that our season is over and I need to move on until season 2014 kicks in again.
But what a glorious year, hey? Would it be too much of me to describe it as a fairy tale season?
At this point, you might be saying, what the hell 1Eyed. Have you been hitting the crazy juice?
No, I haven’t. Now if I was talking about the Eels, I’d be quick to agree with you. But I’m not. I’m talking about the mighty Wenty Under 6 Red 2s.
Many of you will have picked up that I had my debut coaching year, coaching my son’s Under 6 side at Wenty. I have to be honest and say that the Eels have been my second team this year, because my Wenty boys have always been top of mind.
We were meant to be the Wenty Under 6 Yellows. That’s the colour code for division 2. However, Parramatta decided to put two Wenty teams into division 1. I was a bit worried for my kids, because in our pre-season trial we’d already been beaten 11 tries to zip by a second St Mary’s side, and I could foresee a season of senseless floggings, which does nothing to encourage kids to enjoy the sport.
However, in our first hit-out, we competed pretty well. Only a couple of my boys played the year before, but they picked things up pretty quickly and although they lost their first four games, they didn’t get flogged in any of them. And more importantly they were having a ball, and getting better and better. (Genius coach of course!)
The boys then won their next two games and went on to win five games during the season. Not that that winning is important at that age, but it was a reward for how much they were improving both as individual players and as a team. My proudest moment as a coach came when we scored the try that meant every boy had scored a try during the year.
On the weekend, Parramatta held the Kilgour Shield which included clubs across the Parra, Penrith and Catholic comps. The competition proper isn’t actually meant to be competitive - there’s no ladder or finals (which I think is a good thing because some coaches/parents/etc just can’t help themselves), so this was the only real competition for the kids. My boys ended up making the semi-finals and acquitted themselves pretty well against the first St Mary’s side. It was an amazing way to end the season, and for my team to see what progress they had made compared to that pre-season trial.
I couldn’t have been prouder of them.
At times I’ve wondered what I’d have of been like this year, if it I hadn’t been coaching. To be honest, I’ve been able to stay pretty chilled about Parramatta’s plight because I’ve had the joy of coaching eleven awesome six years how to play footy. As Parramatta got pummelled against Melbourne I was still basking in the pride of my boys making it through to those semis.
So I thank my team. You made what would have been an otherwise painful year of footy, a lifetime highlight. And if you’ve ever thought of doing something at a grassroots level, I cannot recommend it more. Rugby League truly is the greatest game at all and you don't have to experience it at NRL level to experience the thrill of the game.
Replies
onya Phil!
Good on you little wenty under 6s, and nice coaching work Phil.
But i hear on the grape vine theres a peptide scandal surrounding wenty under 6s, whats your involvement in this?
Nice bait grunta, just keep your obsession with homosexuals and pictures of minors going, the AFP and DOCS will be paying you a visit very soon if they havnt already.
Fergo at it again.
Terrific blog 1eyed, and it puts all the NRL stuff into perspective. The game should be left better than when you first started playing, and your team will remember their first games, tries, funny moments etc and not to mention their parents. I coach/manage at school level, and rep level for primary schools and I have to say the most enjoyment I have is when the kid who has not played before scores his first try, or does something good, and his teammates are happy for him. I love the rep stuff but the high order coaching / pressure / game time stuff etc can make me feel peeved at times; so we always say to the boys its about enjoyment and improvement first; winning comes after that.
Great blog mate and I needed to read that after some of the press stories going around about our club; the afl; and of course the poor little NRL boys who don't want to play for their clubs anymore because either their ex has moved state...or because they have others in their ears telling them to leave clubs. Gee I wish the NRL would grow some nuts......that is another story. These players and sections of the press need to remember that these NRL players need the game of rugby league more than we need them. I know there are plenty of examples, Dugan is another one who thumbed his nose at his club.....it gives me the tommy bits. So many players never make the NRL due to injury or opportunity- it's a privileged few who make first grade, let alone play 20-50 NRL games....
"........it puts all the NRL stuff into perspective"
No, it doesn't.
LOL correct Bert, the thing is Grunta thinks he is funny coming into Phils blog about his kids, its a nice blog in a season of otherwise doom, instead of adding in a positive way to a good blog, Grunta comes in to start shite in a blog about Phil and his kids.
And how much support does Grunta get from it, ZERO, thats because everybody here is onto his low life crap, and it seems everybody is onto Gruntas preferances too..
Well done Phil……………...
Great read and congratulations to the kids and to you. Just an idea, you should get the same bunch of kids together to play Touch Footy this summer. My boss has done it for the last few years with his boys and now they are unbeatable.
Congrats Phil.
I’m in a very similar position in the U6 Balmain Comp - they put a smile on your dial every time.
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