U16s REPS CARNIVAL REPORT

Newtown U16s players Sam Lonergan-Stewart and Tom Killingly both put in very good performances in windy conditions at the U16s Reps Carnival yesterday at Blacktown Olympic Park.

Playing for Sydney City U16s in a squad of 25, Sam mostly as an on-baller and Tom mostly in half back line, both boys saw a lot of game time. A gruelling schedule that saw them play four 50 minute games (2 25 minute halves) in the space of seven hours against mostly older opposition, their fitness and resilience to some very heavy hits was tested time and again.

They both came through with flying colours, and are a testament to the amount of training and fitness work they do.

The Sydney City team struggled in the first two games, as clearly they weren’t used to playing together, but gelled well by their third game (which they drew) and their final game (a solid win against the Central Coast team).

Both Sam and Tom saw a lot of the ball and contributed in the goal-scoring department, and were a credit to themselves and their club.

A letter from a Club veteran....

Longtime club stalwarts witnessed one of the greatest days and games in club 
history as the pioneering 16s team nearly pulled off an incredible upset win
against top side Glebe in appalling conditions at ADO yesterday.

Severely undermanned due to injuries to a quarter of their regular playing list, 
the 16s together with half a dozen hardcases from the 14s stayed with Glebe
on the scoreboard right to the end hitting the lead briefly in the third quarter
before a mounting injury list, which meant they often had less players on the
field than the opposition and no bench, took it’s toll.

The courage and attack on the ball and man in the rain and on the muddy lake that was much of ADO that the team showed yesterday against an older team
(with four Pigeons players in it’s ranks) was football at it’s finest.

To both teams credit the game was played in good spirits. Glebe being our
closest team “neighbour”, many of the players know each though school and 
representative footy.

Earlier in the day the 14s carried on their winning way this season braving the
dismal conditions with a comfortable win over Wests, and are now 4-and-2 and 
third on the ladder.

That six of their number stood tall and volunteered to go out into the rain and mud again to help out the 16s in the titanic two hour struggle against Glebe says a lot about the character of that group.
After 10 years at the club, and watching two sons play close to 250 games between them in the Red & White, I for one can think of few greater days in the club’s history.

posted 24th May 2010