Luke making a tackle

After an interesting few days of playing with NelsonBays Football. We were drawn to play the Richmond Unos at Ben Cooper once again. The ground was sodden but at least there were goals on the pitch this time. However, it was a tough call deciding whether we were going to play up hill or down hill in the first half. We decided to play up hoping we might get the avantage of going down in the second half.

We knew the Uno's were going to be stronger than in the first game as they had some of their players back and their season had improved from then. We decided once again that the best way to approach the game would be to come out firing which we did successfully. We scored first and shocked the Unos. It was obvious that it was going to be a tough game from the get go. The first goal was a cracker off a free kick which Matt powered in to Jono who was standing close to the far post which he guided in.

The score was level at half time 2-2 and the boys had their fair share of possession and shots at goal.

The second half was a different story as they brought out their goal keeper who then played up front. With the extra fire power they put a great deal of pressure on our defence which tried hard but couldn't quite match them on the day.

We went down 5-2 for the first loss of the season. The team held together and took it well. We had a few opportunities that may have swayed things but that's sport. We are better for the experience and will work hard to improve.

Player of the Day: Riley

Goals (Jono 1) (Matt 1)  

Jono chasing hard

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The end of the Round Robin and the MIGHTY TAHUNA MAGPIES finish on top!!!

After a long season the Magpies finish on top of the table. The boy's and their supporters can be extremely proud of the way they have played and conducted themselves on and off the field.

A new finals draw has been made for this season which means that there is still a bit of work ahead. We'll enjoy the moment and relish in the fact that we are the minor premiers of the top 10th Grade division in Nelson. YEAH!

NBF 10th Grade Blue

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Tahuna Magpies	9	7	2	0	57	13	44	23
2	United Mighty Lions	9	7	2	0	45	9	36	23
3	Richmond Unos	9	7	0	2	57	10	47	21
4	Suburbs Warriors	9	6	1	2	45	13	32	19
5	Waimea Dragons	7	3	1	3	20	20	0	10
6	Richmond Cougars	9	3	1	5	19	27	-8	10
7	City Knights	8	2	1	5	15	35	-20	7
8	Moutere Rangers	8	1	0	7	14	39	-25	3
9	Motueks Busy Bees	8	1	0	7	7	55	-48	3
10	City Cyclones	8	1	0	7	12	70	-58	3

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Magpies being Magpies

The last game of the round robin for the season. We all tripped over to Motueka for the first time to arrive at 10am. The fields only had one with nets so we decided to wait an extra 15 minutes to play on that field. We were pretty confident going into the game and we played as such. The Buzzy Bees looked as though they had improved over the season and offered a good deal of competition.

The boys mixed things up a little and attempted to retain possession a little more than usual. Some nice passes were made and there was even some back passing and good switching.

We were winning quite comfortably so we took Ben out of goal and moved him forward. Riley was also given the opportunity to have a go up front. Matt still scored his share of goals with 6, Tony scored and absolute cracker as did Riley. Nice to see some of the mid field get on the score sheet. Ben was unlucky not to score again.

Score 8-0 Magpies. (Matt-6), (Tony 1) (Riley, 1) Player of the Day: Luke Simpson

Now at the business end of the season.

Motueka Buzzy Bees

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After a three week lay off due to some poor weather and the school holidays we lined up to face the City Knights.

We were once again at Beach Road and we met up at 10am as we had missed the Wednesday practice. The boy's looked keen and ready to go. Unfortunatley we were missing Nick due to an illness.

City kicked off and we were into it. Trent was ref'ing the first half. We started in our usual postitions but TJ started out playing in the back with Riley. We started very slowly and it took a good 15 minutes before we started playing our real game. Matt quickly got on the scoresheet with two goals. Jono looked dangerous as he got himself back on the scoresheet as well with two fine goals. He gained confidence and looked great as he used the offside line extremely well and made desisive runs to break the defence. Luke scored what was argueably the best goal of the game. A beautiful right footed shot from out by the goal box that steamed into the netting. It was noticed before the game that his kicks were looking stronger while he was warming up. Ben had another strong game in goal showing no signs of lost form from the holidays. He used the box well, choosing the right times to come out and also kicked well to his players out in the field. He managed to get a run out as Matt went into goal for the final 10 minutes and almost scored a couple of goals. Word from the sideline was "that was lucky, you'd never be able to get him back in goal if he'd scored!" I have my doubts as he is definately finding a niche in that position. Tony continued on his way of increased confidence and self belief. He almost grows another inch or two when his Dad is on the sideline. He went hard at the ball and managed a couple of good shots at goal which narrowly missed. TJ started out of position at the back but seemed to enjoy the opportunity. He made some timely tackles to stop the flow of some good opposition forwards. The boy's began to play better in the second half after blowing out the holiday cobwebs. Unfortunatley the weather does not look promising for the week and we will once again miss practice on Wednesday. Motueka on Saturday if it is fine, then into the business end of the competition.

Result: 7-1 to the MAGPIES. (Matt 2, Jono 2, Luke 1) Player of the Day: Jono Mills  

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Name : Riley Mehrtens

SSL10855-1

Age: 9

Nick Name: Riles

Star Sign: Libra

School: Tahunanui

Position (Soccer): Left Back 

Favourite Club: Tahuna

Favourite Player: Trent

Favourite thing about Soccer: "When the other team has the ball and I have to go up and tackle them".

Comment about the Tahuna Magpies: "We all work in our positions well and we all strive to win"

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Another chance to get to know another member of our team.

Name : Tony Jenkins 

Tony

Age: 9

Nick Name: Fill the Hole! (that's what the coach yells to me)

Star Sign: Scorpio

School: Enner Glynn

Position (Soccer): Centre 

Favourite Club: Tahuna (yeehaa)

Favourite Player:  My Dad

Favourite thing about Soccer: Playing with my friends  

Comment about the Tahuna Magpies: "I like our winning attitude".

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Final Victory

I found this photo today, this just after we had beaten the Tahuna Spurs to win the 9th Grade 2nd Division 2007. As you can see, we're all pretty happy.

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United Mighty Lions and Tahuna Magpies

We new this was going to be the game that would test our metal. The top of the table clash the fans had been waiting for. A true test of our skill, determination, style and good looks. After last weeks close (but not) game, we were far more prepared for a tough match. The lads new what they had to do when they arrived at the stronghold, that is Beach Rd. After a good long week of rain which hindered our build up (very little practice) the ground was sticky and slightly messy around the goal mouths.

We warmed up well and got set to roll. Tane once again got the whistle duty and we started with our usual line-up. United kicked off and we were into it. We started strong and put pressure on straight away. Their coach commented to me after the game that they weren't used to this so our plan had worked. We scored first to take an early lead. The game was intense and everybody was feeling it. There was a great deal of expectation and excitement from the sideline from both sets of supporters. The boys held strong for the first 25 and we went into the break 1-0 up. There were some interesting times in the first half which needed to be addressed. The most obvious was letting them get in front of our goal unmarked. To their credit, the boys listened and fixed the problem in the second half.

We conceded a goal for the score to level 1 all. We shifted some players around and mixed things up a bit. TJ went into defence where he finished the game very strongly, intercepting some forward passes at crucial times. Riley continued his good form with some awesome corners and goal kicks which took a lot of pressure off our defensive end. Nick battled away as usual with some big tackles. Luke made some great passes setting up our second goal and began looking for those spaces. Tony continued with his hard running and made some critical tackles in the mid-field to slow things down. Ben has established himself as the number 1 goalie. His confidence has increased unmeasureably and it has given the team confidence and another very positive string to its bow. Jono gutsed it out as usual, running a half marathon in the space of the game. Matt did very well even making it on to the field considering he had been sick the previous day.

Another own goal from us off another corner (something to work on coach!) drew the score to 2-2. A late flurry from both sides could have seen another goal to either team but the result was probably a fair indication of the game. Two top sides giving it their all in an evenly contested match. Our boys left it all out on the field and can be extremely proud of themselves. The teams 3 cheered as a group and we got a great photo of them both.

Score 2-2 (Matthew 2) 

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Name : Taylor Dallimore

TJ

Age: 10

Nick Name: TJ, Tay Tay

Star Sign: Gemini

School: Tahunanui

Position (Soccer): Centre (Right)

Favourite Club: Chelsea

Favourite Player: Deco (as at 8/7/08)

Favourite thing about Soccer: I like to make dashing runs down the sideline to enable me to make clean, crisp passes into the centre for my team mates to score fabulous goals ( I like kicking the ball). I enjoy developing the essential footwork and ball skills to beat opposition players. ( I like doing skills). 

Comment about the Tahuna Magpies: "We are the Champions my Friend..... and we'll keep on fighting 'till the end". (aren't magpies birds?)

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Warming up Saxton Field

As we arrived at Saxton field we realised it was the first time the Magpies had ever played there. The boys were keen and everyone was on time. We warmed up and were looking good.

We knew that this game was going to be harder than the previous week so we were trying to mentally prepare for this. The game on our pitch was running late so we agreed to play on number 3. We kicked off and the fun began. We scored an early goal which was a good sign. However, the game fell to pieces for most of the first half. The Warriors scored an outstanding goal from a beautifully crossed ball which was volleyed into the back of the net. We couldn't get any combinations going and we struggled with our positional play. There were glimpses of hope but we were definately not in top form. The Warriors scored another goal from a nice corner to take a 2-1 lead into half time.

The boys got a little rev up at half time about the fact that they looked like they had all been up till 3 in the morning on the booze. The call was made to step it up in the second half and play out of their skins for the remaining 25 minutes. I was to ref the second spell so some of the boys frustrations about inappropriate language and questonable tackling would be alleviated. The guys turned on an impressive 25 minutes of attacking football. They had excessive amounts of shots at goal and had it not been for an outstanding game from their goalie a large score line would have resulted. The boys clawed their way back to a 2-2 draw and with about 5 minutes remaining scored what looked like a game winner. The Warriors had not looked like scoring and had barely made it out of their own half. As sport goes, it took only one break away which resulted in another corner. It was beautlfully taken again and put pressure on our defence. Somehow (wink) it made it over our goal line with only a couple of minutes left on the clock. Desperation took over as the Magpies tried everything to try and seal another goal before the final whistle. Unfortunately, the ball didn't make it into the net again with the final score being 3-3. Matthew (3) Player of the Day: Riley Merthens- solid in defence and put pressure on in attack. Great corners. 

Things to work on: Sleep on Friday nights, corners (for and against), shooting at goal (all).

Suburbs Warriors

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