WOMENS OPEN CUP FINAL

7th AUGUST 2010

This Cup Day was about the supporters. I should take you back and share a story Paul told following the Mitchelton game the week before. Paul was talking about how the winner of the League over a season is a testament to the Coaching Staff and that a Grand Final is all about the players, but a Cup Final is for the fans. Well I thought it was a nice story but as the crowd and yes I do mean crowd built on the day I saw this story take meaning. We had roughly 70 supporters and 3 Vuvuzelas to many. We had Ladies from the Div.6 team, plenty of guys from the Metro and other parts of the club and a flotilla of family and friends. The Change Room and Tunnel was decorated in streamers and balloons. Two little girls from Taringa Rovers Juniors came along and ran onto the field with the Ladies. The cheering and the supporting were superb and it had a true Cup Final atmosphere.

However, I'm not sure what to say about the game because as a supporter I have never felt more like taking up smoking or dragging out the Hip Flask for belts of strong alcohol at any game I have seen before. Perhaps it was the occasion that made the score line so tight but Taringa dominated the game but fulltime came around and the score was 0 – 0 and it was not till well into the second half of extra time that Katherine Wilson put away the winner. The crowd who by now had aged 5 to 10 years and who had chewed their fingers to the bone cheered loudly. As the game ended the boys gave a rousing rendition of the Team Song. (Ditty) The Ladies had truly run themselves into the ground but should be very proud of their win.

A Presentation followed with the walking wounded making it to the side of the club house for proceedings. Good speeches by both captains and the presentation of medals saw a fitting end to the afternoon. The player of the match went deservedly to Tabitha. Every player who took the field deserves a mention and it was unfortunate Tammy missed the final due to injury but you were a part of this achievement.

Congratulations also to Ben, Paul and Richie.

It is with a heavy heart that the stand in "Cup Winning" Manager must retire and will be replaced this weekend by the old Manager and I will drift quietly to the bar and back to my BBQ duties.

Good luck this weekend.

1st AUGUST 2010

DIVISION 6

GRANGE THISTLE 0 - TARINGA ROVERS 4

The Div. 6 Ladies had a good win although with a 3 - 0 halftime lead the final score should have been considerably more. It must be noted that the Coaching Staff wanted credit last week for the improved performance in the second half of that game, well clearly they have to be responsible for the lack of goals scored in the second half of this game. However, it was good to see the goals being shared with contributions from Megan, Anna, Amy and a rusty Barb who made a great effort getting from the airport to the game. It was also noted that Maddison failed to get involved in the game this week and was seen standing around doing nothing, but we know the coach is saving her for that critical time when he needs a goal and he turns to the Maddy Factor. Who was on the sideline one should ask because Harry having been substituted had to perform a Nappy change on Brett’s Grandson - now that is above and beyond the call of duty.

DIVISION 2

MITCHELTON 0 - TARINGA ROVERS 6

Well the superlatives abound for this game, let me start with excellent, outstanding, exceptional, inspirational, superb, brilliant, tremendous, sublime, talented, gifted, rousing, incredible, motivational and it is only my humble nature that prevents me from writing more on the performance of the Manager. Questions will be asked about whether the team will ever want that other manager back what ever her name was. As for the game, the players and the coaching staff were a distant second.

As I watched 8 players from Mitchelton warm up and listened to their Coach chasing some more up on his mobile, our ladies completed a disciplined warm up and I felt we had the edge. However, we seemed to start slowly and to often appeared to want to run through the opposition than to play around them. Emily played in some good crosses in the first half however it was Stephanie who broke through the middle and shot, the blocked save fell into the path of Stacey for an easy put away. Meagan followed up late in the half with a nice over the top header for a second and a half time 2 - 0 lead. The second half saw the Ladies improve and while we would all have like to see more goals the quality of some of the goals was excellent with good headers coming from both Megan and Rachael. My player of the match goes to Natalie who after playing some 75 minutes of the Div. 6 game came straight over and put in about another 60 minutes with the Div. 2 Ladies and was a solid performer who never stopped. And Tabitha you are a big bully – but it was a good tackle.

Bring on the CUP GAME and GOOD LUCK.

24th July 2010

Div 6.

Logan City Kings 0 - Taringa Rovers 3

This game saw goals to our new/old recruit Megan as well as Perdy. Even though Megan has been playing for some time my sources tell me that she may need a refresher in the "offside rule". It has also been noted that the Coaching staff wants to muscle in on some of the credit for laying out some profound words of wisdom at half-time, which they then believe was followed in order to help secure the win. Don't worry ladies; we know you wouldn't be listening to the coaches. There has also been an enquiry stating today at Centrebet with all betting suspended following a late money plunge on Kier to score from a corner - and I mean from taking the corner with a very close attempt during this game. It is great to see the ladies back to winning - well done.

Div. 2

Eastern Suburbs 1 - Taringa Rovers 1

The match statistics showed Taringa with 64% of field domination and 58.9% of possession (Statistics from Riley & Assoc.) and yet this failed to give the domination on the scoreboard it should have.

There didn't seem to be the killer instinct in front of goals needed and too many low percentage shots were taken. For this reporter a low percentage shot is not necessarily one taken from a long way out but the harder the shot the more balanced the player has to be to take it. It must be noted that the Easts team was physical and did get a lot of players back and behind the ball which made life that much more difficult. Things looked brighter as Katherine snatched a goal, however, the ladies desperately needed a second and perhaps it was the rain which made for a miserable night but it seemed the decision making was too slow and Taringa were closed down or hassled off the ball to often. Anyway it was a tough night at the office and the girls worked hard throughout the game which was a credit to them. Jess, Stephanie and Katherine were my choice of best on field - but remember I'm just one opinion.

While I normally, congratulate those hardy supporters who come out each week and support the team, I have to note you were a little quiet this week. It would appear that the distraction of the Canine and Puppy minding services took precedence to cheering on the team.

I have to give Sophie another mention this week as doing one of the best deputy deputy deputy coaching jobs I've seen. For those of you who don't know Sophie is off with the Metropolitan West Squad midweek and we wish you all the best - well done.

A huge "Thank You" for all the players and coaching staff from both teams who came along and enjoyed Jess's Farewell get together on Friday night. It was great to see so many there and I am still enjoying leftovers. Thanks to everyone who bought food and particular mention must go to Rebecca for her Cookies and Rhen (probably Rhen's mum) for her Rice Cakes which were exceptional. Thank goodness I have the figure to carry it. Thank You to Michelle and Whiplash Whitby for their kind words and I'll make sure we are kept updated with details of Jess's adventures. News just in is that from next Monday Jess will be doing 1.5 hours fitness every morning and 2 hours training every afternoon for the first few weeks when she gets to campus and to make it more exciting the temperatures are around the 35degree Celsius mark during the day. My highlight of the night came while taking Chocolate Cake around and offering it to some of the over 35's that had just played, one player thanked me and said "what a perfect night - Bourbon and Chocolate cake what more could you want"

17th July 2010

Taringa 1 - Olympic 1

Kier scored the goal which is great news following an unfortunate experience at Annerley recently which was noted by the reporter but being kind and sensitive I didn’t want to mention it earlier in your time at Taringa but it has been long enough now. Yes the ball does fit between the posts. A dubious free kick saw the scores leveled and that is how it finished.

Helen and Brownie were both hit in the head with the ball which must be differentiated from them heading the ball. There was some concern about the effect it had had on Brownie and whether it had stunned her or slowed her down in any fashion but without a previous baseline upon which to compare, the decision was no harm had been done. Helen, who I know loves seeing her name in print is rumoured to be renamed the "Smiling Assassin" because after being hit in the head she was secretly seen giving an opposition player a solid shove. It must also be noted that the Coach should play Brownie on the opposite side of the field to the dugout, why you ask? Well it is simple really because on the weekend Brownie from the field of play heard her phone ring and somehow lost all concentration on the game. So with opposition players running past her as she pondered how big, strong and handsome the caller might be the coach finally pulled her from the field. With the mystery solved it was thought she played much better in the second half.

Taringa 7 – Slacks Creek 1

Channel Nine has the Wide World of Sports and each week they have a great moment in sport, well this week readers I will let you make your own decision - Louis Oosthuizen wins the British Open, Will Power wins Indy Car Toronto Grand Prix, Alberto Contador leads the Tour de France and Olivia scored with her left foot. I know it is a ridiculously easy choice.

As expected it was a physical game and while Taringa took an early lead it was quickly cancelled out. A second goal saw Taringa begin to stamp its authority on the game and following an amazing outburst Taringa began to dominate the game and came away with a solid win.

Special mention this week to Sophie who made this reporter eat his words. As Sophie was substituted onto the field, I suggested to the Manager (my big boss) that this would not be a game that suited Sophie because it was such a physical affair. Well I'm only to happy to have been proven wrong and it was great to see Sophie knock 2 goals in. Our defensive unit on the night of Tammy, Tabitha, Jess and Rhen were kept busy but always looked in control.

Cat Whitby should hang her head in shame after blatantly playing to the crowd. This sort of shameful promotion of one self in front of a corner of the crowd which you had stacked with your own supporters for a few cheers and chatter from biased fans is simply cheap. In fact after an intolerable 10 minutes in the second half when it seemed your objective to keep play locked in the corner Cat's behavior lead the captain a stray. Naomi then decided to come to the same corner and take not one, not two but five corners in a row - it was no wonder the opposition keeper had to be substituted, her neck was sore.

In closing I don't wish to in anyway be criticised for making gender biased remarks but I have heard both teams at training and before and after games and it is without question that they can and do all talk a lot so I'm often amused that at times on the field it can sound like a Mute's Convention. Come on ladies yell loud.

Good luck this weekend.

I have watched the World Cup at great length, many a late night and early morning and a tough day at work to follow and back home and do it again.

One thing that has amazed me is the criticism leveled at Coaches by the media and so in an effort to be true to the cause I must take up the mantle and level some harsh but just criticism at our Ladies Coaching staff. I know that on the surface both Teams are performing well on their respective Ladders but these are issues that can not go without mention.

Last week I went down and saw a small part of the Training session. What I saw was 2 lines of players each with a ball at their feet. Ben was then calling instructions on the direction they were to move. While I could hear Ben clearly there were 2 words that were apparently causing a massive amount of confusion and were not being understood by about half of those training. Interestingly, it was not actually half of the players present but half of the players at any one point in time. Clearly it is a Coaches responsibility to communicate his intentions in words that the players can understand. I must give some concession to Ben because recognising the lack of understanding that of his communication chose to add a visual medium and went out in front of the Ladies so that those who could not understand the complexities of the instructions could overcome the difficulty by following his example. This seemed to reduce the error rate to about 25% but alas he then made another mistake by adding an additional 2 words. His first error that caused enormous amounts of confusion were the words "Left" and "Right" and then he added "turn around". I'm sorry Coaching Staff but the ramifications when play is taken to the field is huge so this is an issue you must address.

Then there is the responsibility of teaching the basics. I sat on Sunday afternoon with Emily and Jessica's Grandparents and directly in front of us at one stage Taringa won a throw in. Well I'm sure any writer of note should not legitimately use the term lost for words but alas I have no ability to accurately describe what we saw. Even Grandma was heard to say what was that as a player who shall remain nameless but who scored 2 goals on the night took the ball and half flopped and half dropped it back into play. Confusion reined because the Referee did not really blow his whistle but almost inhaled it in surprise before giving the other team a throw in. This is not the only time we have seen this strange interpretation of a fundamental element of the game so again it must be the Coaches that come under close review.

Div. 6 Ladies Taringa Rovers (a big number) - North Star ( a little number)

Once again a commanding performance with very good sharing of goals. Clearly when things are tough and this team needs a goal the coach goes for what he knows best and puts Madison up front and once again she delivered. I can't mention all the scorers but I will give a well done to the fill in keeper Anna.

Div 2 Ladies Taringa Rovers 2 - Albany Creek 0

It was a tight first half in which Taringa dominated field position yet were unable to convert the advantage to goals and so they went in 0-0 at halftime. While we hear the term "back from the dead" the game wasn't quite at that stage but just in case Megan did arrive from a First Aid Course to score the goals with a big mention to Stephanie assisting with the second. Special note to Rhen for a good save. My summary of this game is perhaps best explained by the fact I struggled to find names to record here as having had good games. So lets hope it was a case of everybody not being at their peak and it will be back on track this week..

I guess I have to award one special mention for the night and that will go to Carolyne for the Coffee which saw Ben and Paul over the line - do you add something special to their coffee?.

Good Luck this week with both teams playing Annerly.

�@

This report comes to you all the way from Perth, WA but the story must be
told.

Div 6 V Redlands

Firstly the Taringa Ladies Division 6 had a solid 2 - 0 victory with goals
to Nikita and Amy. The story of the game starts on the balcony where the
Lilly's support crew told me how they had encouraged her pre-game to get in
and head the ball. Well for those of you who were there it happened about 20
minutes into the game where Lilly leapt to head a ball making contact with
the top of the head and the ball lobbed in some uncontrolled direction.
While I'm sure the coaching staff will take to the training paddock with
ideas and noble thoughts of teaching heading with the forehead I'm afraid
their cause is lost. As Lilly arrived on the balcony post game she informed
those present she would never be heading the ball again because it really
hurts. Then there is Amy's goal which gets a huge note as an assist by Helen
as it was her shot that rebounded back off the post and the look of anguish
on Helen's face was one of pain, hurt and disappointment, quickly followed
by the glee of seeing the ball put in the back of the net by Amy. Thanks to
Danielle for filling in and having a solid game and lastly I can't not
mention Jo celebrating her 32nd Birthday (the press never lies) with another
hearty performance.

Div 2 V Bayside

Then there is the Taringa Ladies Division 2 who had a good 4 - 0 victory
over the top team in the competition, with 2 goals to Rachael, 1 to Sarah
and a penalty to Naomi who had to contend with comments from on high about
catching the ball as it passed the cross bar. Instead it was an unstoppable
shot into the bottom left corner of the goal - well done. While it was a
good result this reporter hopes he is present the day the girls put 90
minutes of good football together because that will be a sight to see and a
scoreline to be feared. It was good to see Katherine Wilson back on the
paddock and her speed through the middle saw a great opportunity which
unfortunately received a slightly heavy touch and fizzled. The Oscar
performance of the game has to go to Olivia, as from the clubhouse there
were calls for the ambulance and at one stage consideration was being given
to measuring her up for a Pine Box but we were all pleased to see her walk
from the field. Another solid performance from the defense saw few real
opportunities for the opposition. The team has a bit of any injury parade at
the moment with Stacey still out, Katherine and Megan still on the improve
and the ice bags were out post game for Naomi and Spud so let's hope
physiotherapists have a successful week.

Importantly, the chef was healthy and it was great to see so many post game
for a sausage and a drink. Good Luck this week.

Sporty K.

Well there is some debate about whether the Div.6 Ladies went to the right
ground, because of the "Goat Track" nature of the pitch, but apparently
there was another team there and so they played them in what could be
loosely termed Football (Soccer). However, the other team played on the same
pitch so that can't be the excuse, but this reporter understands that the
teams "get up and go" had "got up and gone" and that there was a lack of
intensity and the ladies let the level of their play slip to match the
opposition. The goal came from Nikita but the highlight was Helen
controlling a ball turning and smashing a shot which just cleared the cross
bar. Well done ladies you remain undefeated.
Taringa Rovers 1 - Centenary Stormers 1

This is the first time this year I have sat close to the dugout and have
watched and heard the Div.2 Ladies Coaching staff at close quarters. Coaches
are all funny people if you can watch them in isolation of the game. Paul
verbalises his frustration mostly to the grass or the closest inanimate
object but yells his praises loudly encouraging the girls for their good
play. Ben takes his frustrations out the back for a Cigarette and Coffee
and certainly during play is more specific with his direction and then
there is Richie who sits calmly watching play unfold without any comment or
emotion. The balance seems to work well although it was noted Paul took a
long time to bring the coffee back after half-time and then didn't bring me
one.

I was reminded on Saturday night about the story of the player who asked a
Referee what would happen if the player called him a @#%*$&#% (make up you
own word) to which the Referee replied that he would send the player off.
The player then asked the Referee what would happen if the player simply
thought that the Referee was a @#%*$&#% (make up you own word) to which the
Referee replied that he would not be able to do anything because the player
was only thinking it. The player then informed the Referee as to what he was
thinking.

Those of you there Saturday night for the Div.2 Ladies will understand this
story and will be impressed how much effort it took for Olivia not to say
@#%*$&#% (make up you own word) to our Referee after a running battle.

The game was messy for a long time at the start with players not making
calm decisions but instead trying to play one touch football with ambitious
passes which were just not on. When the Ladies did settle they were clearly
in control of the game but again some decision making was poor. Goals to
Racheal, Naomi and Jessica were all solid and a cracking shot by my little
girl Jessica was unlucky to comeback off the post but my player of the
match for her outstanding performance at the back was Tabitha who stifled
many attacks with her tenacious defense. Well done ladies you remain
undefeated.
Taringa Rovers 3 - Park Ridge 1

Football fanatics, all senior teams, family and friends - make sure you
come along this Saturday 29/5/2010 for the games at 5.00pm and 7.00pm. Both
games are 1st playing 3rd so they will be exciting. The Award Winning A La
Carte Chef of the Sausage Sandwich will also be present and it is worth
attending just for that reason.

15th May 2010

How does a team which is so high on the ladder struggle to beat a team so
low on the ladder? How do you look at a game when player for player the one
team has skills above those of the opposition and yet the win is a scrappy
one? How do you explain the apparent leveling of play to a common
denominator? How do you account for so many unlucky chances in front of
goal? How do you understand what seems to be poor choices taken by the
stronger team? Well on Saturday night you might be forgiven for asking all
of these questions and yet at the end of the night we still got to sit back
and realise that the better team won.

and that is my view of the FA Cup.

and now for the Taringa Ladies.

oh oh

hang on

maybe the differences aren't as great as we thought. It just happens.

The Division 6 Ladies review has to begin with a goal that should clearly be
earmarked at this early stage of the season for goal of the decade. Having
pulled off a remarkable one handed save, Madison took the ball to the edge
of the box for a raking 50m clearing kick down field. Then it happened -
time stood still - and Brett had an epiphany and made what will be known
always as the most enlightened decision of his coaching career, he swapped
Madison out of goals and moved her to the forward line. As time appeared to
restart Madison trapped her clearance before turning and beating 3 players
and sent a delightful ball out to the right wing to some other player in the
team. They ran to the backline and cut a ball back which Madison met on the
edge of the 18yard box with a volley that flew into the top left hand corner
of the goal, tearing the net on the way through. There was also a fantastic
treble on the goal scoring front to Perty along with goals to Barb, Lilly
and Luisa. Special mention to Harry and Amy who put in solid performances.
Taringa Rovers 7 - Grange Thistle 1.

What of the Division 2 Ladies. An unfortunate event early in the game makes
it critical that any evaluation of this game starts with an understanding of
a strange but true scientific event known as the Taringa Bobble. For years
this event has occurred and understanding it has been a mystery to players
and coaches alike. This reporter has researched the matter in depth and
while I can't explain what makes this phenomenon occur I can now reveal the
person to blame for it. His name is Rob and "Yes", the grounds look
fantastic and he is clearly doing a great job but remember the next time the
Taringa Bobble appears and it works in your favour then it is your good play
but when it works against you, curse loudly the name of Rob. We saw a treble
from Sarah along with goals to Rachael and Olivia. Special mention to the
defensive line which was solid albeit bored for most of the game.
Taringa Rovers 6 - Mitchelton 1.

It was great to see so many supporters from the earlier games stay and
support our Ladies as well other visitors and family that came along. It was
an excellent turn out in the Club House after the game which will only
improve. I trust that any non-attendees were not put off by rumours that
this weeks cooking (Chocolate Muffins) was being done by Emily because fears
of Botulism and Gastric Intestinal failure were unfounded and the Muffins
were excellent. We all look forward to a bigger turn out at our next home
game. So it is a philosophical review and this reporter is glad that both
our ladies teams came out on top. Well done to both teams and we'll look
forward to next week.

Sporty K.

�@

�@

Question: What do Argentina and the Taringa Ladies teams have in common?

~ Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win. ~ Nadia Comaneci

I was surprised to notice that a number of our players mark the opposition when we are in attack - sounds funny doesn't it, but instead of their defender chasing our players till they couldn't chase any more they typically find our player right beside them. I think back to an early trial game the Division 2 Ladies Team had against the Under 16 boys. I remember Emily talking about how every time she received the ball how Dewan (Under16 player) was there closed her down and stole the ball. The game was a dominating performance by the boys and at the time I gave it very little thought but I now wonder if it perhaps gave the Ladies the drive to play the game faster and more assertively than they had to that point in the season. Now we have turned the corner, the opposition have all seen Taringa once and they know what they are up against and they are going to close our players down faster and increase their effort to beat the top team. That simply means the Ladies must lift their intensity on and off the ball, playing faster with the ball and constantly providing options off the ball, and when they attack the ball they do it ferociously and shoot like they will rip the net apart. I had the chance to watch the Ladies train Monday night and with a lot of focus on sharp, fast and accurate passing, I'm confident we'll see a renewed energy and confidence on display.

It must also be noted that there were some slightly older gentlemen that participated in the Training and the skill shown by them was sublime and reinforces how good they all thought they were.

In conclusion I must protest at the unfair criticism I received on the weekend. It started on Friday night when I filled in for the unwell Manager who then stayed at home being both warm and dry. As I returned home that evening with the news of the loss I was informed that this did not happen when the Manager was attending, the obvious implication being that the loss was as a result of my position. Then to make matters worse a personal attack by the same Manager took place on Saturday. We attended the Ladies Div. 6 game and at a point before half time I rose to my feet in order to stretch my legs and simply quipped that "some of the crowd were rising to their feet in excitement". The retort was that "the bulk of the crowd was rising to their feet". Now my estimation was that Taringa Rovers had about 12 supporters present and seated around the ground, and if one of those supporters rises to their feet and is described as the bulk of the crowd then clearly the perception of the mass of that person is enormous. I will be making a formal complaint about the Manager of the Division 2 Ladies Team as soon as I find someone who will take my complaint seriously.

It isn't much of a Match Review title but it came as we were discussing "the
old days" at home on the weekend and I was regaling my children with stories
of how the first training of the season was generally measured in the
success of how many players were leaning over the back fence and "throwing
up". While I was reminded of my age and that stories like that are from a
bygone era I couldn't help but wonder if it sets the tone for the effort
that is put into the game. I know that the "Beep Test" has occurred at a
number of Training Sessions and I wonder if dropping out happens because a
player is tired or because they have pushed themselves so hard they are
about to meet CHUCK?

It seemed this game carried an extra edge due to player movement in both
directions over the off season however, it was played in a good spirit with
our ladies turning in a better performance. A good goal to Olivia who
started up front plus an "own goal" saw a 2 - 0 lead at half time and it was
worth the price of admission to see 2 great strikes in the second half from
Jess and Naomi to reach the final score of Western Spirit 0 - Taringa Rovers
4.

There was a marked improvement over the previous week and yet there is so
much further to go. With a healthy and full bench I am amazed that the wide
midfielders aren't constantly moving up and down the field and that our
forwards aren't constantly putting pressure on the opposition defensive line
forcing them into error high up the park. (Just watch what Spain did to
Germany)What a difference it would be and I'm sure the Coaches would be
happy if they were pulling players off the field because they had run
themselves into the ground. I have to give special mention to Spud who came
on and really pushed herself and forced error after error from the
opposition and applied some real pressure and options for the central
midfielders to supply. So when you are substituted this weekend or the game
finishes and you sink to your haunches I hope you all think CHUCK is very
close.


Of course it comes as no surprise that I was reminded that with the best
Manager back, the team played alot better. I was also amused that Ben
asked me if the opoosition No.5 had played at Taringa last year to which I
quickly replied "No". Shortly after as the player in question got within 5
meters of me I could see I was wrong and I sent Jack off to enlighten Ben.
That explains why I no longer whistle at young ladies - who knows what
trouble I might get into - it could be my wife.

It was a great effort by our team to have so many supporters at the game
including, injured players Megan, new players Megan (not a typo), our
Division 6 keeper Maddison and the best Division 6 player in the world
Rebecca Kippax who came and supplied all the supporters with Choclate
Muffins. We also seem to have healthy Canine support at our games but I
think we'll need some more Taringa Rovers jackets

Good Luck for this weekend ladies for both teams.