Under 16
AFTER taking home the State Championship win earlier in the year, the Under 16 Limestone Coast Football Association was unable to back it up with a Country Championship title.
The championships were hosted in the Blue Lake City and the LCFA side finished third overall in the tough competition, while Fleurieu took out the honours with a perfect record.
LCFA went down to the eventual winners 4-0 in the opening match of the championships, while another 4-0 defeat was dealt by runner-up Whyalla in game two.
The team then made a comeback to win over Broken Hill 3-1 and claim the biggest win of the carnival with an 11-0 result against Cooper Pedy.
However, that was not enough to be in contention, as Fleurieu won all its games and Whyalla dropped just one.
A broken arm to Tyler Michielan added to the turmoil of the weekend, but players should hold their heads high as many played their final junior championship.
Under 15
IT was a tough weekend for the Under 15 LCFA Country Championship team, but it was up to the challenge as it claimed the title by the slimmest of margins.
The first match of the tournament was against the Limestone Coast’s hardest opponent, eventual runner-up Fleurieu.
With some impressive play up front from Banay Say and Broc Linden the clash resulted in a two-all draw, which left the remaining games to decide who finished on top.
After that result, the Limestone Coast players needed to win both the remaining games by big margins to secure the championship.
And they did just that, with coach Nick Morony proud of the way they performed.
“To the boys credit the next game against Riverland finished 5-1, which was a really good result for the team as Noarlunga (Fleurieu) won only 3-1 against Adelaide Hills,” he said.
“Our last game was against Adelaide Hills and we knew to win the championship we needed to win by at least four goals or more, with a three-goal win putting us tied for first.”
The first half of the match with Adelaide Hills saw the LCFA boys just 1-0 up, with plenty of work left to do after the break.
The second half was more free-flowing and saw a total of seven goals in total, with the final result a 5-2 triumph.
That saw the side tie with Fleurieu, but with LCFA scoring more goals in total, the Under 15’s claimed their first Country Championships victory.
Under 14
THE Under 14 LCFA Country Championship team finished top of its pool and made it all the way into the grand final, which saw it finish runner-up to Fleurieu Red.
The weekend started with a dominant 6-0 win over Port Pirie, which set the tone of the minor round games.
Whyalla was expected to be strong, but the Limestone Coast played its best game to win with another 6-0 result.
A win in the third match against Fleurieu Blue would put the side into finals.
With two early goals, Fleurieu pulled one back and tension was high.
But with another goal before the break, backed up by three more in the second half, a comfortable 6-1 win was the outcome.
The closest game of the championships was played against Adelaide Hills.
LCFA scored first, but at half time the scores sat at one apiece.
A change of formation in the second half helped the cause and the final goal of the game went the way of the Limestone Coast to secure a 2-1 victory.
Up against Sunraysia in the semi-final, the back of the net was elusive early on, but two quick goals set up a 2-0 lead at the break.
Eventually the match resulted in a 4-1 win and a grand final berth for the LCFA.
With the two pools consisting of four and five teams, Fleurieu Red was one game fresher than the Limestone Coast.
That showed in the final and with the breeze at its back the opposition managed two quick goals early.
LCFA failed to control the ball and gave up some chances, which saw a 5-0 deficit at half time.
A valiant effort saw two goals in the second term, but Fleurieu also scored two, ending in a 7-2 result.
Coach Adam Hodge was proud of his team’s achievement regardless and looks forward to next year.
“After finishing in fifth place in the State Championships to making the grand final (in Country Championships) was a big improvement from our players,” he said.
“We are all looking ahead to the State Championships next year to try and go one better.”
Under 13
THE Under 13 LCFA boys team took out the Country Championship title on the weekend, when Mount Gambier hosted the annual event.
Over the two days of competition, the team played four games, which saw it finish with two wins and two draws in the smallest age group at the tournament.
With just three teams in the division, the LCFA’s results were enough to secure it the top spot above Fleurieu, which finished with two wins, a draw and a loss.
That came as a positive sign for the team, after finishing runners-up to Fleurieu in the State Championships earlier in the year.
“After finishing second to Fleurieu in the recent State Championships in Adelaide, our Under 13 LCFA team was able to turn the table and finish the weekend one point ahead at the top of the table,” coach Jim Cornola said.
“All of the games were very close contests and played in good spirit.”
Cornolo said the team progressively improved over the weekend and he was pleased with the solid 4-1 win over Adelaide hills which secured the championship in the last game.
“All players were valued team contributors which made the team enjoyable to coach,” he said.
“Thank you to all involved in making this a successful championship.”
Under 12
THE Under 12 LCFA team competed in the largest grade in the weekend’s Country Championships and went into the event with hopes to back up its State Championship win in June.
In a nail-biter of a grand final, the Limestone Coast went down 2-1 to Sunraysia to finish runners-up.
Split into two five-team pools, the Under 12’s was a competitive division.
A total of 21 players tried out for the 16-player LCFA team, with almost all clubs represented in the final side.
With four minor round games, the team claimed solid wins over its three Saturday opponents, Fleurieu Red, Whyalla and Adelaide Hills.
On Sunday morning the side lined up against Sunraysia for the final minor game.
Having played the team in other tournaments, there was no doubt it would be a tough contest.
The match finished with a one-all result, with the LCFA players holding their own against a bigger and more physical opposition.
That saw LCFA finish second in the pool on goal difference and progress to a semi-final meeting with Riverland.
With a 2-0 win in the semi, another clash with Sunraysia was to be the decider.
The game was another hard tussle with both teams pushing hard to maintain the ball and score.
Sunrysia managed to score the first goal with a good shot from outside the box in the first half.
The Limestone Coast fought back to level the score in the second half and the game went into extra time.
Sunraysia managed to add another goal to its tally and a 2-1 result was the outcome.
Coach Michael Prior gave his praise to the team for its efforts throughout the carnival.
“Overall I am extremely happy with the team,” he said.
“All of the lads tried extremely hard for their teammates and the LCFA should be very proud of their achievement.
“We won the state titles held in Adelaide earlier this year and to come runners-up in the country’s is a great achievement.
“I am very proud to be part of this group of people and look forward to seeing them grow as players and young men.”
Prior also thanked Lindy Michielan for her services as team manager.
Under 12 D
A FAULTLESS Country Championships was had by the Limestone Coast Under 12 development team, as it went through the tournament undefeated.
Coached by Robert Vorwerk with the assistance of Jason McCrorie, a 10-0 win was the result of the grand final match against Fleurieu Red.
The first match was a close affair, which saw a 4-3 win over Port Pirie.
With some discussion on what needed to be changed to improve, the team went on to not concede another goal for the championships.
The next game against Fleurieu Blue saw a strong start from LCFA and players worked well to score four unanswered goals in the opening half.
Vorwerk changed a few players around at half time and the final result was a 5-0 win.
On Sunday moring, the final minor round game was played against Yorke Peninsula.
The Limestone Coast were off to a blinding start and bagged six goals before the break, while adding two more to the tally in the second term to run out 8-0 victors.
A tough match was expected in the semi-final against Adelaide Hills.
Knowing it would be a tough game, the Limestone Coast pushed hard early, but the back of the net remained elusive.
However, the dominant play was eventually rewarded and two goals in the first half and one in the second set up a 3-0 win and a grand final berth.
Unsure what to expect from Fleurieu Red, a good start resulted in a 4-0 half-time lead, while another six goals in the second term extended it to a 10-goal win.
“I was really happy with the boys’ performance,” Vorwerk said.
“Everyone pushed hard all the way to the end.
“I was honoured to get the opportunity to be able to coach these talented young men from both the State and the Country teams this year and so very proud they have come away as State and Country champions for 2018.”
He thanked parents, McCrorie and his team manager Eloise Vorwerk for all their assistance on the journey.
