Saturday, August 10 saw home matches for the Rovers and exposed us to what was likely the worst weather of the season, with an icy wind carrying nasty gusts.
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It made our field set-up particularly challenging in getting everything where it needed to go and keeping it there. The buckets of tent pegs in the storeroom really came into their own and everything stayed exactly where it was meant to be for the duration.
Players and parents heeded the weather forecast and rugged up well to combat the wind. The secret was layers - and plenty of them!
With a shortage of referees we called upon some of the junior referees to step up to bigger field matches so team coaches could stay on the bench to coach their teams. Stepping up a level in refereeing can be daunting, but Beau and Lanie held their own.
It's always satisfying to see the up and comers do well officiating sport and it's a great help to the competition to have them coming through the ranks. Fostering young referees by all clubs is an asset to the competition and without it players will have to referee their own matches.
Our under 12s match saw many goals, with Mittagong finding more in their 5 - 2 win. The wind was a factor with the ball taking to the air often and becoming unpredictable and difficult to control. Natasha Hamilton scored a beautifully executed goal in the first half and Riley Wallace one in the second.
The U13s ran a little short and called on the assistance of Zemirah and Natasha from the U12s. Again there were many goals but in this match Robertson overcame Moss Vale 5 -4 in what sometimes seemed a tit for tat match. Hamish Chapman found the back of the net twice, with one each to Duke Garske, Oliver Whitten and Isabella Sola.
The U15s met Mittagong and worked hard to overcome the wind, achieving a 1 - 0 win with a goal from Ethan Shobrook on what was the coaches birthday. Happy birthday Rob!
Our youth grade side went down 3 - 0 to Mittagong despite a big effort. James Remm was a stand out in defence with his goalie appreciating the protection.
The Maroon men took a turn in the early time slot and came away with a 4 - 0 win over Hill Top. Chester Kelly hit a double, with Mason King one and David Wright a thumper.
The Gold men continued their good form with a 3 - 1 victory over Exeter. Corey Zakara, Kurt Crawford and Ally Haining found the back of the net.
The Maroon ladies met Mittagong Yellow, overcoming the wind and the opposition 5 - 2. Keira Hol from the U15s debuted with a sturdy effort in defence that lead to her getting the oppositions vote in the player of the year tally. Ellie Handley of the Gold team stepped up and found the back of the net not once, but twice!
Not a bad present for her dad on his birthday who was there to see them both. Emma Green and Olivia Wann added one each along with an own goal from Mittagong Yellow.
The Gold ladies had a strong start with early goals from a determined Kaylee Louth and Hayley Plain. But the wind and the opposition wore them down and Mittagong Green took the match 4 - 2.
The pack up was a struggle with the wind determined to put up one last hurdle. We were all well pleased to get off the pitch and indoors away from the wind to finally start removing a few layers.
We're on the down-hill run now heading towards season end with only one more round of home matches to go but the work of the committee ramping up yet again.
Our annual fundraiser, the Rovers Race Night, occurs this Saturday, August 17 at Robertson Bowling Club. It's a cracker of a night, part of which supports the McGrath Foundation.
All are welcome and it's not too late to get tickets.
It's a hell of a day for the committee, with all the usual matches to get to from the juniors starting at 8.30am until our own matches in the 1pm and 3pm time slots. It doesn't leave a lot of time to fancy up for the night - the current PB from sweaty soccer gear to fancy pants race ready is 19 minutes!
Go Robbo!
