Welcome back to Part Two of the Midseason Review for Bardon Latrobe Football Club. In the first part we looked at the Senior teams within the club and in this part we’ll turn our attention to the emerging Bardon Latrobe stars of the future within our Junior Cohort. As with the first part, within this review we’ll take a look at how each team has been performing in their league and Club President, Samuel Irvine Casey will again make some speculations about how each team will finish at the end of the season.
Juniors
Under 18 Division 2
Bardon Latrobe FC were incredibly lucky to retain the services of talented coach Steve Box who has led his young U18s side to a strong midseason position currently sitting at the top of the table and four points clear of second. The U18s have played an attractive brand of football and at this point have the best attack (32 goals scored) and best defence (13 conceded) in the league.
Steve Box has been working closely with FQPL5 Head Coach Russell Mapri who has been impressed by the talent within the U18s. Russell has integrated them into his FQPL Training and Tom Maguire and Charlie Cowlishaw have made their Senior debuts for our U23s side in competitive fixtures. If they continue their strong form, the U18s will be favourites for the double as the season concludes.
Coach: Steve Box
Manager: Phil Cowlishaw
Current Top Goal Scorer: Paul Garbellini (6)
President’s End of Season Prediction: 1st in the League and Grand Final Winners
President’s Player(s) to Watch: Tom Maguire – A tricky winger and capable striker, Tom Maguire is a tough man to mark for defenders. I had the pleasure of playing against him in a preseason Metro friendly and he didn’t look out of place amongst the senior setup. He has been integral to Steve’s double campaign and has scored some cracking goals this season. When he’s not on the field, Tom has been an invaluable contributor to club operations helping out at both school holiday clinics and frequently serving club members at the canteen.
Under 15 Division 1
New to the club this season, the Under 15s have been an incredibly valued addition, plugging a critical hole within our Junior Pathway. It’s also great to see a number of ex-Bardon MiniRoos who left the club due to a lack of a connected pathway return to Bowman Park. Led by the enthusiastic David Gillman, it’s unsurprising that the U15s haven’t needed any time to fully embrace the Bardon Latrobe culture on and off the field.
In the league campaign so far, Dave and his U15s have had a mixed bag and currently sit in 5th, 3 points outside the top 4. At full strength, the team is exciting to watch and dangerous in front of goal with key signing Ethan Elix netting 9 goals this season so far. However, they have often struggled for numbers due to long term injuries and school or family clashes and this has heavily impacted their run to finals with three of their five losses coming when they fielded less than 11 players (including a forfeit for lack of numbers). If they can stay healthy, I have no doubt this team will solidify a finals spot.
Irrespective of where they finish this season, it’s been great to have them at the club this season and I look forward to seeing what Dave and the team can achieve next year and beyond. Finally, if you’re not already, then chuck them a follow on Instagram where you can keep up with the team’s antics.
Coach: David Gillman
Current Top Goal Scorer: Ethan Elix (9)
President’s End of Season Prediction: 4th in the League and Grand Finalists
President’s Player(s) to Watch: Ethan Elix – New to the club this season, Ethan has hit the ground running. After joining a couple of games into the season he made his presence known scoring a hattrick on debut against league heavyweights UQ. Calm and clinical in front of goal, Ethan has been a critical part of Dave’s plans. My personal highlight was watching him score four goals against local rivals The Gap in a fiercely contested derby at Bowman Park.
Under 14 Girls Division 2
Our Under 14 Girls have had a tough but enjoyable season so far, currently sitting in 9th place. Taking instruction from long-term Bardon Coach, Gareth Forde, the core of this team have played together for over five seasons and have developed a tight bond both on and off the field. While the results haven’t always been where they would have liked, the team is putting in a strong performance every week in what has been a highly competitive league.
It’s hard to predict how the end of the season will unfold as the performances have often been far better than the league position suggests. In the last five games Bardon have drawn against third place Toowong, beaten sixth placed UQ and only narrowly lost 1-0 to fourth placed North Lakes, showing that they are not to be written off.
Coach: Gareth Forde
Manager: Troy Pearse
Current Top Goal Scorer: Zali Shepherd (6)
President’s End of Season Prediction: 8th in the League
President’s Player(s) to Watch: Zali Shepherd – A veteran to the team, Zali has played with the Lightning for over five seasons and has always been a reliable finisher for Gareth and the team. This season has been no different and Zali has been in strong form, finding the back of the net six times including a streak of scoring four goals across three matches. Zali will be looking to continue this strong run of form as the Lightning are looking to finish the season strongly and move up the table.
Under 14 Division 3
The U14 Div 3 team have had a very even first half of the season currently sitting in third place with 5 wins and 5 defeats. Under coach Oliver Braben, the team have had no trouble finding the back of the net and currently have the highest goals scored in the league with 43. With the top two teams having created a comfortable gap at the top of the table, the U14 Div 3 will have their work cut out for them against UQ and Samford as they compete for the last two finals spots when the season resumes.
Coach: Oliver Braben
Manager: Bob Scattini
Current Top Goal Scorer: Noah Berkman and Jack Braben (7)
President’s End of Season Prediction: 4th in the League
President’s Player(s) to Watch: Ned Murray – Ned is a commanding midfielder and an invaluable playmaker for the U14s. Ned has a great work rate and during games will cover all parts of Bowman Park linking up with Noah and Jack in attack and tracking back to provide much needed cover in defence.
Under 13 Division 1
Another team that is no stranger to Bowman Park, the U13 Div 1 Thunder have played together for several years now under the leadership of part time doctor, full time groundsman Mark Keane. The team play a quality brand of football and this has set them up well in their first season of divisional football with them sitting comfortably in fourth place at the midpoint in the season.
The Division 1 competition has been a tight one this season with four strong teams breaking away from the pack and currently occupying the finals spots. With only 3 points separating second and fourth, Mark will be eying off a home semi final as his team gets back underway after the winter holiday break.
Coach: Mark Keane
Manager: Karen Dickson
Current Top Goal Scorer: Harry Coulter and Parker Stayte (6)
President’s End of Season Prediction: 3rd in the League and Grand Finalists
President’s Player(s) to Watch: Joe Hall – New to the team this year, Joe is a quality striker with silky footwork that leaves his defenders guessing. He has been a strong addition to coach Keane’s side and if his form continues it won’t be long before he is pushing Harry and Parker for golden boot for the team.
Under 13 Division 4
What a season it’s been for Ian Missingham and his U14 Division 4 team. Currently sitting in first place and unbeaten after 12 games. Bardon have rarely put a foot wrong this season, having scored 53 goals this season and only conceding 10. The midseason break has come at a good time for Ian and the U14s as their only two draws have come in the last two weeks suggesting a bit of fatigue for the lads as they look to tackle the incredible challenge of finishing out the season unbeaten. With some long term Bardon Latrobe players in the squad, it will be great to see what Ian and the team can do next year when they get promoted to a higher division in U14s.
Coach: Ian Missingham
Current Top Goal Scorer: Lewis Ransley (5)
President’s End of Season Prediction: 1st in the League and Grand Final Winners
President’s Player(s) to Watch: Lewis Mather – An often overlooked position, Lewis has been amazing between the sticks this season and has been a core pillar of the teams strong defensive form keeping 5 clean sheets and only conceding 10 goals across the 12 games they’ve played. In the words of Alex Ferguson “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles” and with Lewis in goals, the U13 Div 4s have the trophy in sight.