Two wins for United juniors

Two wins and two losses for the Warragul United juniors on the weekend.

Under 10 boys: Warragul lost to Dandenong 2-14

In their third game of the season, the tenacious under 10s were playing in Dandenong against the much touted boys in orange.

The Warragul United outfit came into this match full of confidence after their headline grabbing comeback only two weeks ago. Combined with fresh legs from the bye last week, there was a whiff of invincibility in the air.

Clearly none of this meant anything to the Dandy boys, as once the whistle blew it became apparent to all and sundry, that there was more to these Dandy kids than just their fancy haircuts.

With individual ball handling skills Lionel Messi would admire, combined with a game plan that Alex Ferguson would be proud of, the Dandy boys proceeded to nonchalantly put the Warragul boys to the sword. Strategic plays and well honed structures in both forward and defensive ball movements saw the Dandy boys pepper the goals seemingly at will.

Despite some notable hard work in defence by Shyam, goalie Ben was never out of the action and did incredibly well to keep out as many as he did.

The Dandy boys must have been distracted by the smell of hot chips in the canteen late in the first half, allowing Warragul to score two late goals. First Macca and then Riley were able to breakthrough the Dandy defensive wall to score two much needed goals.

For a fleeting moment, there was a sense the deja vu from two weeks prior as the Warragul boys knew the deficit was not insurmountable. These thoughts quickly evaporated when Dandy slotted another just on half-time for a solid 8-2 lead.

While the never say die attitude of the Warragul boys was still evident, after half-time it was more of the same from the classy Dandenong unit who continued to play on their terms.

They say you learn more from your defeats than your victories, and there is no doubt Warragul will gain a lot from seeing and experiencing how well it can be done.

Under 11 boys: Warragul defeated Richmond 6-4

The boys bounced back to record their first win of the season. Playing away to Richmond, the young Warragul team would be forced to play without key players Oliver Lee, Jesse Davis and Jun O'Connor. However, with the depth of the team, coach Stuart Davis was confident the others could step up.

With players in some unfamiliar roles, it took awhile for Warragul to settle. But two early goals to Richmond seemed to wake Warragul up.

Some handy work down the right wing and a great finish by Hudson Riess saw United claw one goal back. The United backline of Lewis Manzo, Sid Box, Liam Arbon and Beckham Bremner held strong and repelled attacks by Richmond, with Isaac Sharp working hard down the left wing and Harry Lee running hard up front.

Jimmy Fkiaris found himself in a different role in the midfield and did well to hold up the middle of the ground.

At 2-4 down midway through the second half, it would have been easy for Warragul to give in. This wasn't the case, with Isaac Sharp and Jimmy Fkiaris scoring to level the match.

In a genius coaching move, reserve goalkeeper Tynan Newsome was brought on up front and didn't disappoint, presented with an opportunity to score and calmly slotting a goal to give United the lead.

A great team performance. Warragul will play on Wednesday night against the Latrobe Valley representative squad team.

Best: Liam Arbon, Hudson Riess and Beckham Bremner.

Under 13 girls: Warragul lost to Seaford 0-2

United travelled to the bayside suburb of Seaford for their round four match.

Both teams played well in a closely contested match. Georgia, Taleah and Asha worked hard in defence while Anika in goals stayed composed and made some great saves.

Towards the end of the first half, United created some good goal scoring chances but we were held out. Alana, Jenny and Amélie combined well up front.

Ruby put the gloves on in the second half and made several great saves. In the midfield, Edith and Amelia worked hard and passed the ball well, creating more chances going forward. Match award went to Amelia for her work in midfield.

The girls continued their improvement, with passing combinations the feature.

Under 13 boys: Warragul defeated Lynbrook 5-3