North Beach Football Club

Smooth as silk 250

nbfc — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:41:36 +0000

Luke Smith demonstrates his style

By Gary Stocks
North Beach legend Luke Smith will tomorrow celebrate his 250th game when the Beach hosts newly-elevated club Swan Athletic at Charles Riley Reserve.
Smith, a veteran of nine A-Grade premierships, has this season taken on the mantle as A-Reserves captain and is so far undefeated in that capacity.
Nicknamed “Smooth”, probably as much for his calm demeanour as for his silky skills, Smith is a stalwart of the club who has also contributed a great deal off-field, currently serving on the executive committee as treasurer.
A man who expertly reads the play and distributes the ball to perfection, he was a key element of the defensive rebound which saw the Beach win seven successive titles, before slipping to third in 2011.
Appropriately, on his big day, a couple of other North Beach superstars in Simon Pearce and Chris “Tex” Perkin will also resume. Perkin, dubbed “the king” around Royal Chas Riley, played in 10 premierships and will take the field for the first time this season, while Pearce, who played in nine flags, will resume after a fortnight on the sidelines.
The A-Reserves will be looking to celebrate Smith’s milestone in style, while the A-Grade team will need to return to the winners’ list against Swan Athletic.
Again there have been a number of changes, with Tim and Andrew Langsford, Aaron Jarvis, Josh Bollen and Chris Casey all elevated to the senior team, with a mix of injury and unavailability creating those opportunities.
The best story out of the inclusions is obviously Tim Langsford, who missed all of last season through injury, resumed a few weeks ago and has quickly regained the form which made him one of the club’s emerging defenders.
The North Beach A-Grade team is sitting at two wins and three losses, in sixth position, while Swan Athletic, with just one more win in a tight competition, is in third position. This match looms as a must win game and the Tigers will be hoping for a strong home crowd to carry them to the line.
The Phil Scott Colts also face a must-win game, with finals hopes already starting to fade after a 1-4 start to the season. A tough draw has seen North Beach face all of the leading contenders, but must now start winning to stay in touch.
Claremont-aligned Albany product Nathan Willmott will be welcome addition as the Beach strives to hit the winners’ list.
North Beach faces winning opportunities in all other matches, so this game could hold the key to the day. Unfortunately resources in the colts have been thinned with a number of players opting to head to a concert in a Bunbury.
Round 6 Fixtures
A-GradeNorth Beach v Swan Athletic, 2.30pm at Charles Riley Reserve
A-Reserves
North Beach v Swan Athletic, 12.35pm at Charles Riley Reserve
Phil Scott Colts
North Beach v Swan Athletic, 10.45am at Charles Riley Reserve
D-GradeHamersley-Carine v North Beach, 2.30pm at Carine Open Space
D1-Reserves
Hamersley-Carine v North Beach, 12.35pm at Carine Open Space
Brett Jones Colts
Wesley-Curtin v North Beach, 10.45am at South Oval, Curtin University
E2-Grade
Warnbro v North Beach, 2.30pm at Warnbro Sporting Complex

Bowed, but not defeated

nbfc — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:46:50 +0000

Andrew Langsford continued his good form for the undefeated A-Reserves

By Gary Stocks
The frustration of being so close, but narrowly missing victory was tempered by the belief that North Beach is capable of mixing it with the best after a fortnight of searching tests teams in the WAAFL A-Grade competition.
Backing up from the challenge of confronting Collegians in round four, the Beach faced Trinity-Aquinas at Bill Grayden Reserve on Saturday and lost a nail-biter.
While winning was infinitely more desirable, the Beach does take away some positives, having measured up against top shelf opposition and being within reach in both games.
Against T-A, the Beach produced an inspired second half and had victory in their finger tips, leading by two goals with a few minutes remaining, before the ladder leader found a way to win and clawed their way to a thrilling one-point win.
While the defeat represented the second successive loss for the Tigers against quality opposition, coach Bill Duckworth would doubtless have been heartened by the performance. He would have been disappointed with decision errors and skill execution foibles in the dying minutes, but otherwise would have been reasonably happy.
Down by 21 points at half-time and in danger of being blown away by Trinity-Aquinas, the Beach rallied, reduced the margin to just seven points and then took control in the last quarter. In a high calibre game, Trinity-Aquinas responded and kept their unbeaten record intact.
Ruckman Alex Hack continued his good form with another solid four-quarter effort while experienced midfielder Kyle Riemann produced the grunt and energy to kick North Beach into life while Josh Pearce was also in good touch.
While the A-Grade team met the challenge, but failed to win, the A-Reserves responded again to the contest against quality opposition.
Following a similar pattern in recent matches against teams likely to be finals opponents, the well-drilled combination again made light of many changes to its structure and were never seriously threatened on the way to a 19-point triumph.
Significantly, Tim Langsford, returning from a long-term injury, Matt Irvine, in his first game for the year, Andrew Langsford, Marc Welsh and ruckman Liam Vardy were important factors in the Michael Pratt coached team retaining its unbeaten record.
Unfortunately, the two colts teams fell well short of the mark with disappointing displays.
The Phil Scott Colts, after a good first quarter, dropped away badly and conceded seven last quarter goals on the way to a 77-point loss.
It was no better for the Brett Jones Colts, who failed to score after quarter time.
The D1 and D1 Reserves were also among those conquered by Trinity-Aquinas, although they were more competitive than the colts.
The D1 Grade was out-pointed by 10 goals, with the youthful combination finding it tough against their more experienced opposition. Ben DeRosa was effective in the ruck while Chris Douglas and Shane Duckworth also worked hard.
After being goal-less in the first half the D1-Reserves dug deep and fought the game out to the end before losing by 25 points.
Jack Collins, Mark Langsford and Dean Wilson set a terrific example which was followed by their teammates.
The E2 team produced a solid victory against Whitford with Cain, Tim Elliott and Shaun Reynolds strong and consistent across the four quarters as the Beach eked out a solid 12-point victory.
A-Grade
North Beach 2.1 4.3 8.6 11.8 74
Trinity-Aquinas 2.1 7.6 9.7 11.9 75
Goals – North Beach: Witheridge 3; Underwood 2; Bandy, Harwood, Holden, Ingham, Riemann, Wilson 1.
Best – North Beach: Hack, Riemann, J Pearce
A-Reserves
North Beach 5.2 5.8 6.9 8.13 61
Trinity-Aquinas 0.1 1.1 4.3 6.6 42
Goals – North Beach: Bowdal, Sitters, Faithfull 2; Mead, Taylor 1.
Best – North Beach: T Langsford, Irvine, A Langsford, Welsh, Vardy.
Phil Scott Colts
Trinity Aquinas 2.2 6.5 7.10 14.13 97
North Beach 2.0 2.1 3.1 3.2 20
Goals – North Beach: Begley 2; Baker 1.
Best – North Beach: B Collins, Zampogna, Messenger.
D1
Trinity-Aquinas 6.2 7.4 12.4 14.5 89
North Beach 1.1 3.1 3.3 4.4 28
Goals – North Beach: Foreman 2; Binks, Campbell.
Best – North Beach: DeRosa, Douglas, S Duckworth, M Collins, Hurley.
D1-Reserves
Trinity-Aquinas 3.0 4.3 4.6 7.7 49
North Beach 0.1 0.3 2.3 3.6 24
Goals – North Beach: Christie, Pope, Botica 1.
Best – North Beach: J Collins, Wilson, M Langsford.
Brett Jones Colts
Trinity-Aquinas 1.5 8.7 10.11 14.14 98
North Beach 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 7
Goals – North Beach: Grapiglia 1.
Best – North Beach: Fitzroy, Clapham, Galvin.
E2-Grade
North Beach 3.2 4.6 4.9 7.11 53
Whitford 2.0 2.2 4.4 6.5 41
Goals – North Beach: Perris 2; Smith, Cole, Braccia, Gangemi, Manokow 1.
Best – North Beach: Cain, Elliott, Reynolds, Manokow.

Beach ready for challenge

nbfc — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:22:08 +0000

Andrew Nunan in a typically heavy clash against Colegians

By Gary Stocks
After a solid week on the training track, North Beach is preparing for its second big challenge in as many weeks as it prepares to tackle Trinity-Aquinas at Bill Grayden Reserve tomorrow.
After locking horns with the competition’s big improver, Collegians, last Saturday the Beach now confronts another of the WAAFL’s early season pace-setters and will be looking to take the game up to the ladder leader.
Against Collegians the Beach paid dearly for skill errors when pushing forward and looking to score, only to turn the ball over and being burnt on the rebound. Collegians were cleaner with their disposal and that was the catalyst for a four-goal win.
The Beach won more than their share of the contested football and with Kyle Holden in good touch up forward, always looked dangerous and with better supply they can put genuine pressure on Trinity-Aquinas.
One of the issues for senior coach Bill Duckworth and his assistants has been establishing any sort of stability in the team, with injury and unavailability again causing a number of changes.
They will, however, welcome back Josh Pearce who will make a difference through the midfield with his class and experience while Jackson Harwood has earned a recall on the strength of some outstanding form in the A-Reserves.
He has been consistently strong in the undefeated reserves team and will be looking to make the most of this opportunity. Also coming into the team is premiership wingman Steve Bandy, defender Jake Robinson, experienced and clever midfielder Tom Hazell and Jason Hall, another man who has been exceptional in the first month in the reserves.
The Beach is ready for the challenge and will be keen to return to the winners’ circle.
The A-Reserves could hardly have been more impressive under coach Michael Pratt and will also be looking forward to a contest with a club that has consistently been strong through all grades.
Pratt has his team playing cohesive team football and that will need to continue against TAs who have been one of the better performed teams in the competition this season.
The Phil Scott colts face a big challenge against a team that has been the benchmark in recent seasons and one that has been the best-performed in the opening month. The North Beach colts, however, produced their best effort of the season against Collegians and will be looking to sustain that effort in this match.
North Beach will play Trinity-Aquinas in six matches at the weekend, with the A-Grade fixtures played at the opposition’s Como base, while the D1, D1-Reserves and Brett Jones Colts will play matches at Charles Riley Reserve.
Peter Panagopolous and his boys will play Whitford at Percy Doyle at 2.30pm.

Lessons learned in tight loss

nbfc — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:01:48 +0000

Forward Kyle Holden takes possession against Collegians

The competition benchmark came to Charles Riley Reserve on Saturday and provided the club with a barometer by which to measure its progress.
While a 23-point defeat by Collegians was not ideal, the loss did come with some positives, with the result determined to some extent by the Tigers’ own hand.
Collegians played precise, crisp football, executed their plan well and deserved to win, while North Beach paid dearly for skill errors in the quest to play their style of football which saw them hurt on the scoreboard by opposition counter attacks.
The endeavour and attitude of the Beach was hard to fault and there is no doubt the p;layers will benefit from the experience.
After an enterprising start, when the Beach kicked the first two goals, too often promising forward thrusts were ruined by poor skill execution. Collegians took advantage of those opportunities and worked their way to a 23-point victory – 14.12 (96) to 11.7 (73).
The Beach created a national amateur record of seven successive premierships before finishing third in 2011 and there is no doubt the bar has been raised by those clubs that now are the yardstick of the competition.
After a tight first half, Collegians took control and led by 38 points at the last change – an advantage that was built on slick ball use, hard run through the midfield and some clever finishing in attack.
To the credit of the North Beach players they mustered a challenge which gave them the scent of victory in the final term before Collegians engineered the last two goals to snuff out the challenge and remain undefeated at the completion of four rounds.
The Beach had a number of outstanding players who tried valiantly to lift them to victory, but unfortunately just as momentum was starting to shift and pressure was starting to mount, targets were missed and Collegians were effective on the counter attack.
For North Beach Andrew Nunan did so much of the bullocking work through the midfield, Jamie Sajich was efficient in defence along with the well-balanced Adrian Clark while Kyle Holden was a constant threat in attack.
The A-Reserves were clinical in their display against Collegians, who were also undefeated until the Beach dished out a comprehensive 47-point lesson.
From the outset the Tigers were in control, with a mix of experienced A-Grade players and rising young stars combining to carry their team to victory.
Tom Hazell and Jackson Harwood were the experienced heads who led the charge while ruckman Liam Vardy, playing his first game at the level, did a terrific job along with Jason Hall and Chris Mead.
The win was set up in the first half through a disciplined team effort, not allowing Collegians, at any point, to get their outside running game together with the Beach pushing hard, having numbers around the contest and ensuring maximum pressure at all times.
The Phil Scott Colts lost a tight contest by four points, but showed the capacity to match it with the best.
The win column did not receive a tick, but in so many other areas the team took a quantum leap forward. A break or two at crucial moments would surely have seen a better result, with Collegians eventually winning 5.8 (38) to 4.10 (34).
The Beach put severe tackling pressure on their opponents and with Josh Houghton-French, Simon Moore and Michael Hutchings setting the standard through the middle, the Beach, after a slow start, threatened to win.
The back six were outstanding, with Riley Carter slotting in to a role across half-back and combining with Sam Callow and Jordan Veitch to produce a terrific rebounding platform out of the back half.
Mat Barker and Tom Begley are working on developing some chemistry in attack and if the team can consistently produce the quality of football it did in this match, it will make many opponents nervous.
The D1-Grade scored a rare victory against University, surging to a 46-point victory on the back of an outstanding second half.
Reece Burns and Mark Foreman each bagged four goals while Adam Miotti chimed in with three to capitalise on the work a dominant midfield which included Jarrad Venus and Daniel Wheeler while defenders Michael Collins and Mitch Rakin were superb.
Unfortunately, the D1 Reserves paid the price for crucial skill errors and were beaten by 38 points, despite the impressive performances of Dave Hocking, Jordan Kickett, who kicked four of his team’s six goals, and Jake Collins.
After an even first half, the Brett Jones Colts fell away after the main break and slipped to a disappointing defeat.
Ryan Clapham was exceptional in the ruck, Tim Grapiglia led from the front and Joel Gray was typically tenacious, but too many players fell out of the game after half-time.
The E2 grade emerged victorious against High Wycombe by four points, but coach Peter Panagopolous is looking for greater consistency across the board, particularly from some players who have player in higher grades in previous seasons.
A-Grade
Collegians 2.6 7.9 12.12 14.12 96
North Beach 3.1 5.3 7.4 11.7 73
Goals – North Beach: Holden 3; Potts, Chamberlain 2; Bollen, Hann, Sajich, Dwyer 1.
Best – North Beach: Nunan, Sajich, Holden, Clark.
A-Reserves
North Beach 4.3 7.3 10.6 11.7 73
Collegians 0.1 1.2 1.5 3.8 26
Goals – North Beach: Harwood, Mead 3; Hazell 2; Griffiths, Hall, McComiskie 1.
Best – North Beach: Hazell, Hall, Vardy, T Langsford, Faithfull, Harwood.
Phil Scott Colts
Collegians 3.3 4.5 5.6 5.8 38
North Beach 1.0 3.1 4.6 4.10 34
Goals – North Beach: Begley 2; Hutchings, Waymouth 1.
Best – North Beach: Houghton-French, Moore, Hutchings, Callow, Carter, Zampogna, Baker.
D1-Grade
North Beach 3.1 5.2 9.3 15.4 94
University 2.1 3.2 6.5 7.6 48
Goals – North Beach: Burns, Foreman 4; Miotti 3; Piggott, Wheeler 2.
Best – North Beach: Venus, Foreman, Wheeler, M Collins, Takin.
D1-Reserves
University 11.13 (79) def North Beach 6.5 (41)
Goals – North Beach: Kickett 4; French 1.
Best – North Beach: Hocking, Kickett, J Collins.
Brett Jones Colts
University 2.2 3.5 7.5 9.10 64
North Beach 2.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 23
Goals – North Beach: Gray, Winterton, Grapiglia 1.
Best – North Beach: Clapham, Grapiglia, Gray.

Beach faces stern test

nbfc — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:08:21 +0000

Alex Billi...poised for his senior debut

North Beach faces its sternest test of the season to date when it hosts Collegians at Charles Riley Reserve in three grades tomorrow.
With Collegians unbeaten in both the A-Grade and A-Reserves and traditionally boasting a powerful colts team, the Beach will need to be at its peak to come away with points in any of those contests.
The club is looking forward to that challenge across all grades. Regardless of the level of football, challenging the competition benchmark is the key driver and all players are anxiously anticipating the clash.
Collegians have conquered last year’s premiers (University) and runners-up (Mt Lawley) in their three-game streak to start the season, so unquestionably are the early-season pace-setters, although Trinity-Aquinas also remain unbeaten.
The Beach has made four changes to the team which eclipsed Maddington at Harmony Fields last Saturday, with a couple of emerging players poised to debut. Last year’s colts captain Kris Hackett and another recent colts graduate Alex Billi have both been selected.
In addition ruckman Dave Martin returns after spending last weekend in his home town of Sydney for a family function and experienced defender Brent Stockden has also been elevated.
With changes to the senior team, that has a cascading effect down the grades, meaning there are seven changes to the A-Reserves and a similar number of changes to the D-Grade combination. Opportunities have been created, so much interest will be generated across all teams.
Even at this early stage of the season, the Phil Scott Colts face an important challenge against Collegians. The Tigers broke through for their first win against Maddington last week and will be looking to build upon that performance, particularly the second half exhibition.
The challenge for the colts is that the majority of the team is comprised of bottom age players who are starting to come to terms with the level of the competition.
The Brett Jones Colts, coming off strong consecutive wins, face a challenge against University, another club which traditionally carries great depth through its colts teams. The North Beach squad boasts similar depth with at least a dozen players in the Brett Jones team who could stake a claim in the Phil Scott side.
The D1-Grade and D1-Reserves will also play University at McGillivray while the E2 boys will travel to High Wycombe in what looms as an adventurous journey.

Beach scores important win

nbfc — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:25:04 +0000

Adrian Clarke poised to gather possession against Maddington

By Gary Stocks
Pretty it was not, but North Beach came away from the long trek to Maddington with four precious premiership points from the round three WA Amateur Football League clash last Saturday .
The Beach had to contend with a spirited effort from Maddington, who drew within a straight kick in the middle stages of the final term, before the class of the Tigers midfield prevailed and found a way to propel their team to victory.
Beau Witheridge was outstanding throughout and in the final term he found valuable allies in Josh Bollen, Kyle Riemann and Ryan Underwood as the Beach staved off the challenge to fight their way to a 20-point victory.
That margin was blown out to some extent when Ben Wilson marked strongly on the bell and slotted it through from 30 metres to put the cream on the cake.
Ruckman Alex Hack and defenders Anthony “Chooka” Ingham, Jamie Sajich and Reece Cunningham also did some good things to ensure the Beach, who took the lead in the middle of the first quarter, never relinquished that hold.
The reserves scored a solid victory on the back of a brilliant performance from ruckman Simon Pearce.
There were winners all over the ground, although it took a half to shrug off the Bulls challenge. Marc Welsh and Jackson Harwood always looked dangerous up forward while the result was never really under threat.
A disciplined performance resulted in 67-point margin, which would have been a lot greater in not for the inaccurate kicking in front of goal, missing a number of easy shots.
Harwood put in a terrific performance in the forward line presenting all day, capitalising on the work of Simon Pearce who was dominating in the ruck and also when resting deep in attack. Alex Billi showed his class down back providing many counter attacks and run from deep in defence.
The Phil Scott Colts started the day on the right foot, claiming their first win of the season courtesy of an 84 point triumph.
With the Bulls having just 14 players at the start of the game, that created an interested prospect, with the Beach having to play with equal numbers. It took a strong mindset to remain focused on the task and also made it difficult for players to get involved in the contest with so many players being rotated off the bench.
The midfield, led by Simon Moore, Josh Houghton-French and Michael Hutchings were outstanding, while Tom Begley and Sam Waymouth finished off the good work with five goals each.
The Brett Jones colts scored a magnificent and convincing come-from-behind victory against Collegians.
Down by 20 points at half-time and at risk of fading out of the contest, the Beach were terrific, especially small forward Terry O’Brien who produced his best game for the club.
O’Brien kicked eight second-half goals to pilot his team to an emphatic 35-point victory, which was also built around the defensive effort of Jacob Fitzroy, wingman Gus Davis and midfielder Mitch Clark while half-back Reece Messenger was also in the thick of the action.
The D-Grade team was dominant against Collegians, particularly in the second half. Already 20 points up at the long break, the Beach held Collegians scoreless after the break, while rattling on nine goals of their own.
Jacob Griffiths kicked five goals, while Dan Wheeler generated plenty of opportunities through his midfield work, along with ruckmen Ben DeRosa and Liam Vardy as well as defender Tim Langsford, who is on the comeback trail after a serious knee injury.
The only blemish came when the D1-Reserves failed to make the most of opportunities, falling to a three-point loss to Collegians.
The Beach failed to make the most of opportunities, kicking a wasteful 5.11 to their opponents’ 7.2.
Jarrad Venus, Michael Bramley and Scott Cheatam were among the four-quarter performers for the Tigers.

Match Details:
A-Grade
North Beach 5.4 6.6 11.9 13.13 91
Maddington 3.1 5.3 7.3 11.5 71
Goals – North Beach: Underwood 3; Casey, Holden, Riemann 2; Potts, Witheridge, J Pearce,Wilson 1.
Best – North Beach: Witheridge, Underwood, Dwyer, Bollen, Nunan, Casey.
A-Reserves
North Beach 2.6 5.8 9.17 13.19 97
Maddington 1.1 3.4 3.5 4.5 29
Goals – North Beach: Hackett 3, Welsh, Lang 2; Hall, Harwood, Mead, Pearce, Sitters, Smith 1.
Best – North Beach: S Pearce, M Welsh, Harwood, Billi.
D1-Grade
North Beach 4.3 6.5 9.8 15.10 100
Collegians 2.0 3.2 3.2 3.2 20
Goals – North Beach: Griffiths 5; Binks, Campbell, Ewen 2; Collins, Burns, Foreman, Piggott 1.
Best – North Beach: Wheeler, Griffiths, Vardy, DeRosa, T Langsford.
D1-Reserves
Collegians 2.1 4.2 6.2 7.2 44
North Beach 1.1 1.5 3.7 5.11 41
Goals – North Beach: Bramley, Christie, Misikos, Smith. D Wilson 1.
Best – North Beach: Venus, Bramley, Cheatam.
Phil Scott Colts
North Beach 5.2 6.3 11.7 16.9 105
Maddington 1.2 1.4 1.6 2.9 21
Goals – North Beach: Begley, Waymouth 5; Moore 3; Hutchings 2; Hackett 1.
Best – North Beach: Moore, Houghton-French, Hutchings, Waymouth, Begley, Hackett.
Brett Jones Colts
North Beach 1.2 2.3 5.8 11.11 77
Collegians 0.3 5.2 5.2 6.6 42
Goals – North Beach: O’Brien 8; Schultz, Davis, Tincknell 1.
Best – North Beach: O’Brien, Fitzroy, Davis.

Maddington is next challenge

nbfc — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:35:00 +0000

The A-Grade competition is poised to enhance its reputation as a hard-fought, even 10-team battle so every game carries significance.
If one team happens to be slightly “off”, the opposition will pounce and take the points. That much has been evident in the first two rounds with University, the reigning premier and the club tipped to be hardest to beat, win-less after two rounds.
The students, after a tense and pulsating first-up loss to arch rivals Collegians, then ran into a white-hot Trinity-Aquinas. Of course, there is still plenty of time to retrieve that situation, but it does highlight the depth within the competition.
North Beach, after slipping up against North Fremantle last Saturday ay Gil Fraser Reserve, finds itself travelling to Maddington for an important clash at the impressive Harmony Fields Complex.
There is just one change to the team which fell to North Fremantle, with the important inclusion of class midfielder Josh Pearce, who was ruled out with injury last Saturday.
Pearce, who enjoyed a successful career with West Perth before joining his brother, assistant coach Chris Pearce, at the Beach can also push forward and offers strong leadership. Former Falcons teammate Kyle Holden was also important last week and will be looking to continue that form line.
Defensively, the Beach were a little short of expectations against the Maggies, not just the back six, but across all areas of the ground and that will be a key focus against Maddington.
Senior coach Bill Duckworth, who will be at the helm on Saturday despite undergoing surgery during the week, will be looking for Anthony “Chooka” Ingham and Aaron Jarvis to lead the way in that respect while ruckman Alex Hack will need to initiative the offensive out of the centre square.
He will have an abundance of talent at his feet through Kyle Riemann, Josh Bollen, Pearce, Jon Turner and Ryan Underwood, all of whom will need to be at the peak of their game against an opponent which has won respect from all competitors in the last season and two games.
The A-Reserves have won the opening two rounds without playing their best football, which sounds an ominous warning for their rivals. With a large influx of players, Michael Pratt is busy trying to mesh their respective talents in a team-based effort.
Newcomers Tom Hazell and Cade Faithfull, along with colts graduate Ben Sweeney, were among the strongest contributors against the Maggies and will be looking to sustain that form as they search for higher honours.
The Phil Scott Colts have made a disappointing start to the season, with the coaching staff working towards finding and settling on a balanced line-up. A high percentage of first-year colts are in the side and for many of them they are learning about the requirements of a demanding and highly-competitive league.
The return of highly regarded midfielders Kade Golisano and Riley Carter will certainly assist in this match against Maddington, another club that is yet to taste victory in the opening two rounds.
While those three matches will be at the southern end of the city, those looking for their local football fix, can still catch the Beach in action at Charles Riley Reserve.
The Brett Jones Colts will kick off action at Tigers headquarters at 10.45 against the highly-regarded Collegians outfit, followed by the D1-Reserves (12.35pm) and the then D1 game (2.30pm).
All of those games should produce some quality football and the boys would certainly appreciate the support.

North Freo master the beach

nbfc — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:42:28 +0000

By Gary Stocks
Travelling to Gil Fraser Reserve to play North Fremantle comes with a couple of guarantees and at the top of the list is that each contest will be fierce and it will always be a test of character and will.
So it was on Saturday when the A-Grade teams ventured south to tackle the Magpies on their home deck.
The day started full of promise with a tight and intriguing first quarter in the Phil Scott Colts, before North Fremantle took charge and romped to a 10-goal win, improved when the A-Reserves won a tight contest and then dropped away when the A-Grade team was unable to combat a flourishing final term blitz by the Magpies.
In the A-grade match there was never more than a few points between the teams, with North Fremantle holding a five-point advantage at the last change. The Beach had early opportunities in the last stanza, but did not convert and when North Fremantle scored from deep in a pocket they managed to get on a roll and kicked away to a 25-point triumph.
Kyle Holden and Cale Potts were dangerous in the key attacking posts, while Josh Bollen, Kyle Riemann and Mitch Hann were enterprising through the middle, but there simply were not enough contributors which resulted in a disappointing loss.
Conversely, in the reserves encounter, where a similarly tight contest ensued, it was North Beach who kicked away in the final quarter to score an impressive 14-point victory.
It seemed throughout that the Beach had the answers, particularly through Tom Hazell who was most impressive through the midfield and finished off his work with two telling goals in the final quarter.
Colts graduate Ben Sweeney was also impressive, as was Cade Faithfull.
The Phil Scott Colts were level with North Fremantle at the first change, but fell away from that point forward.
Michael Hutchings, Josh Houghton-French and Shaheed Duke worked hard throughout, but too many of their teammates fell away after the first change.
The Brett Jones Colts, however, produced an outstanding first half to set up victory against Mt Lawley.
After keeping the opposition scoreless in the first half to set up the win, Mt Lawley was much improved after the break, but could not peg back the deficit as the Beach notched up an important 30-point win.
Ryan Clapham gave the midfield first use of the ball with some terrific ruckwork while Kade Golisano, Riley Carter and Paul Clarke were also outstanding.
The D1-Reserves were beaten comprehensively by Mt Lawley, despite the best efforts of Mitch Christie.

A-Grade
North Frem 4.1 7.3 9.5 14.6 (90)
North Beach 3.2 5.4 8.6 9.11 (65)
Goals – North Beach: Potts 3; Wilson, Holden 2; Witheridge, Hann 1.
Best – North Beach: Holden, Bollen, Hann, Riemann.

A-Reserves
North Beach 2.2 3.3 5.5 9.6 (60)
North Frem 2.0 3.3 5.5 7.4 (46)
Goals – North Beach: Harwood, Hazell 2; Boys, Hall, McGinnity, Taylor 1.
Best – North Beach: Hazell, Sweeney, Faithfull.
D1-Reserves
Mt Lawley 15.9 (99) def North Beach 3.7 (25)
Goals – North Beach: Christie 2; Brown 1.
Best – North Beach: Christie, Hocking, Pope.

Brett Jones Colts
North Beach 5.2 8.6 9.6 9.12 (60)
Mt Lawley 0.0 0.0 4.2 5.6 (30)
Goals – North Beach: Gomer 2; Carter, Elphick, Golisano, Bryan, Hopkins, Davis 1.
Best – North Beach: Clapham, M Clarke, Carter, P Clarke, Golisano.

Changes made for Magpies clash

nbfc — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:35:56 +0000

By Gary Stocks
A 49-point win in the season opener against 2011 runner-up Mt Lawley to open the new season, has not allowed North Beach to retain that winning formula.
A brace of injuries and a WAFL call-up for forward Dan Leishman, means Bill Duckworth and his brains trust have made four changes to the team to tackle arch rival North Fremantle at Gil Fraser Reserve tomorrow.
Leishman, who trained with Subiaco for the first part of the pre-season, received a call from the Lions and will play reserves on the weekend, while West Perth recruit Josh Pearce, utility player Michael Italiano and midfielder Josh Bollen could not be considered.
Italiano strained a hamstring in the warm-up last Saturday, consigning the Beach to play one short because the injury occurred after team lists had been submitted.
While that talented quartet will be absent, some ready-made replacements loom with Mark Chamberlain being elevated to play his first senior game at the club, along with experienced forward Ben Wilson, midfielder Jon Turner and hard-nosed utility player Jeff Waldock.
All of those players were influential in an outstanding team performance when the A-Reserves opened the season impressively against the Hawks.
Traditionally North Fremantle is strong right through the grades and all three teams travelling to the Magpies’ home ground can expect to meet a challenge.
While Michael Pratt’s reserves team has provided the talent required to fill vacancies in the senior team, the depth within the club means it will cause little disruption down the line.
A-Grade premiership players Josh McGinnity and Steve Bandy will start their 2012 campaigns in the early game, while Marc Welsh, another senior premiership player, and Trevor Lang have also been promoted from the thirds.
The colts teams made an inglorious start and changes have been made across both teams, with Phil Scott Colts captain Aaron Miller absent through a hand injury and a number of other players earning early opportunities.
Tim Grapiglia will play his first game of the season, while Dave Dillon, Ben Fletcher and Harry Byrne will play in the top division for the first time. Shaheed Duke also gets an opportunity after a typically feisty display last week.
Fixtures, Round 2
A-Grade
North Fremantle v North Beach, 2.30pm Gil Fraser Reserve
A-Reserves
North Fremantle v North Beach, 12.35pm Gil Fraser Reserve
Phil Scott Colts
North Fremantle v North Beach, 10.45am Gil Fraser Reserve
D1-Grade
North Beach v Mt Lawley, 2.30pm Charles Riley Reserve
D1-Reserves
North Beach v Mt Lawley, 12.35pm Charles Riley Reserve
Brett Jones Colts
North Beach v Mt Lawley, 10.45am Charles Riley Reserve
E-Grade
Wesley-Curtin v North Beach, 5pm South Oval, Curtin University

Flying start for Beach

nbfc — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:54:55 +0000

By Gary Stocks
The 2012 season kicked off as senior coach Bill Duckworth had hoped when North Beach hosted Mt Lawley at Charles Riley Reserve.
A new-look team, with eight players making their first senior appearance for the club, produced a refreshing brand of football and a 49-point victory against a team which last year lost the Grand Final to University.
North Beach had been accustomed to playing in grand finals, but was a distant third to those clubs last year and resolved to do something about it. The initial signs were encouraging, though any coach will tell you there is a long way to go before the medals are distributed in 2012.
Just the same, band of newcomers were impressive as the Beach defeated the Hawks by 49 points - 15.14 (104) to 8.7 (55).
While stalwart Beau Witheridge was the architect of s many of the good things the Beach produced, a number of debutants showed they will be valuable acquisitions.
Former West Perth trio Josh Pearce, Kyle Holden and Adrian Clark were all effective while Chris Casey provided plenty of drive through the middle.
After Mt Lawley had led by seven points at the end of an entertaining first half, the Beach stepped up the intensity with ruckman Dave Martin giving them first use of the ball.
Typically, the Tigers found strong rebound out of defence with Anthony Ingham and Aaron Jarvis leading the way. In attack Cale Potts, who earned all-Australian under-23 selection last year, kicked three goals along with small forward Rob McComiskie.
Ryan Underwood and Daniel Leishman also looked threatening throughout.
The A-reserves also started strongly, although like the A-grade team they took a little while to gel on the way to a similar eight-goal result.
The presence of several quality recruits has added depth righ through the club and two multiple a-grade premiership players, Luke smith and Simon Pearce, were central to the success.
Another recruit, Mark Chamberlain, was also influential while colts graduate Chris Mead presented strongly in attack and finished off his work with four goals.
Unfortunately, the colts teams suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Mt Lawley and CBC Fremantle.
After leading at the first change, the Phil Scott team could not combat the run and drive from their opponents and were eight goals down at three-quarter time before “winning” the last term.
Despite the loss, there were some encouraging performances particularly from Michael Hutchings through the midfield, Glenn Pullella in the last line of defence and wingman Kieran Ridley.
The Brett Jones colts were soundly beaten, failing to kick a goal against CBC when si much more was expected.
The losing margin was 100 points, with the few who played in the traditional North Beach spirit being Jono Hopkins, Paul Branden, Alex Clark and Ryan Clapham.
The D1 Grade scored an important first up victory, eclipsing Whitford by 15 points.
Jordan Kickett was a prime target deep in attack throughout and capped off his work with five goals while Simon Wilson, Marc Welsh and Trevor Lang were all in good touch.
A relentless effort from the D1-reserves saw North Beach cruise to a 133- point victory over Whitford. Sam Harrison enjoyed the steady flow of opportunities from a dominant midfield to kick seven goals while Daniel Stocks set a wonderful example with his work rate around the stoppages.
Michael Bramley and Khalil Campbell were also prime movers.
A red-letter day for the senior teams was completed when the E grade team won by 124 points against Cockburn Lakes.
Luke Fereri, Gus Barwick and Trevor Girvan were influential while Novak Smith finished off their good work with four goals.
A-Grade
North Beach 2.3 5.3 9.8 15.14 104
Mt Lawley 2.1 6.4 7.6 8.7 55
Goals – North Beach: McComiskie, Potts 3; Underwood, Bollen 2; Casey, Holden, Leishman, Martin, J Pearce 1.
Best – North Beach: Witheridge, Casey, Jarvis, Ingham.

A-Reserves
North Beach 2.3 4.5 8.9 11.10 96
Mt Lawley 0.0 2.2 2.3 4.5 29
Goals – North Beach: Mead 4; Faithfull 3; Harwood, Robinson, Wilson, Chamberlain 1.
Best – North Beach: Smith, Chamberlain, Robinson, S Pearce.

Phil Scott Colts
North Beach 3.1 3.3 4.3 7.3 45
Mt Lawley 3.0 6.4 12.6 14.9 93
Goals – North Beach: Brooks, Gray 2; Baker, Winterton, Zampogna 1.
Best – North Beach: Hutchings, Ridley, Pullella.

Brett Jones Colts
North Beach 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 3
Fremantle CBC 4.2 8.7 13.8 15.13 103
Best – North Beach: Hopkins, A Clarke, Clapham, Brandon.

D1-Grade
North Beach 6.5 7.7 8.10 10.11 71
Whitford 1.0 5.1 6.1 9.2 56
Goals – North Beach: Kickett 5; Barber, Foreman, Griffiths, Miotti, Wilson.
Best – North Beach: Wilson, Welsh, Lang, Rakin, Wheeler.

D1 Reserves
North Beach 6.4 12.9 14.11 20.15 135
Whitford 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 2
Goals – North Beach: Harrison 7; Bramley, Christie 3; Holdman 2; Brown, Mirabile, Stocks, Campbell 1.
Best – North Beach: Harrison, Stocks, Bramley, Christie.

E-Grade
North Beach 6.3 9.9 11.12 20.13 133
Cockburn Lakes 0.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 9
Goals – North Beach: Smith 4; Perris, Marchani, Barwick 3; Thompson 2; T Cavanagh, Popovski, Gangemi, Pike, Reynolds.
Best – North Beach: L Ferreri, Barwick, Girvan, Smith, Pope.