The Royal Review

The A Grade Kings played away at Kilburn last weekend. We haven’t had a lot of success at Blair Athol Reserve recently and unfortunately this was the case again on Saturday. The first half was a free-flowing game with both teams working hard to get their ball movement going. Although we weren’t winning a lot of the footy, we were able to apply good pressure to Kilburn and as the half went on, we were rewarded with some goals from their turnover. We held a small lead at halftime and were happy with the way we had restricted their scoring. We started the third quarter well, limiting their scoring whilst slowly getting some scoreboard pressure of our own. We weren’t winning a lot of the contested ball, but we were still putting enough pressure on them to get the ball back and score on turnover. Towards the end of the quarter we made some poor skill errors to continually give Kilburn back the ball. This resulted in them having good field position and kicking the last couple of goals of the quarter to give them some dangerous momentum. The last quarter was all one-way traffic as Kilburn won stoppage, dominated contested ball and were able to feed their small forwards. We fought hard to try to maintain our lead, but weight of numbers won out as they had 30 more possessions than us, kicked 5 goals to 1 (including three goals in the last 5 minutes) and won by 12 points. A really disappointing result after being in control of the game halfway through the 3rd quarter. This week we take on undefeated North Haven at home on Ladies Day. It’s the perfect opportunity to bounce back and get ourselves back on the winners list. See you at the footy Charles Canny A Grade Coach

We ventured out to the home of the Mountain Men, a venue we love more than most, only good memories here! We really wanted this win as we have done since that infamous game here last year and we did what we needed to get the W. This was as close as we have been to a 4 quarter performance so far this season, but we still have a long way to go. Although they didn’t really have cattle to put any great pressure on us, we played our game and rarely gave them a look at it anyway. Overall, a complete effort and we are pleased to come away with the win and some good percentage, but we must be mindful we haven’t played Edwardstown, Walkerville and Plympton yet and they are currently the benchmark. We must bank these wins now with percentage and get our game humming before we come up against PHOS at PHOS who we owe big time, then Plympton in Round 7 who we are yet to beat and also lost a GF too, Edwardstown in Round 8 and the Walkerville in Round 9. It’s going to be a massive month, but we have this week at home against North Haven to get it right so we can hit the next month with real confidence and play to the levels I know we can. We must also bear in mind that the 4 games that North haven lost so far this year and against the 4 sides we come up against in the next month, and the league benchmarks, we cannot take their 0-4 win/loss as an indication of the ability or commitment. Those small lapses in concentration that let our Oppo in and score against us must stop now and we must play with high intensity and pressure for every minute of the game. Small lapses in concentration hurt us in all grades, it has already hurt us against Uni, nearly cost us against Lockleys, and gave Kilburn half a sniff in the third quarter. On a positive note, we had winners on every line and best players in each line as well. Jonty Jamison continues to play like a multi-year veteran, Lovers is having a season so far, Ollie Borda has locked down the F6 role and the Gliz keeps getting better for longer now his game day fitness has improved, Will Cameron continues to be a strength in every role he plays and it was great to have Matty Roberston, Chaz Bowen and Raj back in the side for that senior voice in a young and developing side. We are improving each week, which is all I ask for, as we will never be perfect, but our real test is coming very soon. Lets make Ladies Day a special one, and put on a show for the crowd.

The Queens last Saturday afternoon took on Scotch at Haslam in a tough contest but the girls managed to snatch their first win of the 2026 season. Amber Hopkins made her return to the field with her first game of season , providing the team with a quick yet tall target up forward. Her immediate impact saw her kick two goals for the game and assisting with plenty of forward 50 entries. Well supported by the strong forward line with Charlotte , Chloe T and Ailis all kicking a goal for the day. Lucy white playing a terrific game in the ruck , competing strongly all day and giving the midfield first use around the stoppages. Through the middle Indira and Ash stood strong within the contest and assissted with some powerful forward clearances all game. The girls came into half time break up by 23 points and feeling ready for another great half of footy. Scotch clearly was as well, as they brought the same pressure, if not more, into the second half of their game. Coming into 3/4 time Lila Lloyd managed to shut down any further scoreboard pressure from scotch with a great chase down tackle . The Queens momentum remained throughout the rest of the game resulting in the girls coming away with a 17-point win!! The queens now turn their focus to this Friday night’s clash against Lockley’s under lights at 6:15pm. With Lockleys who are sitting 2nd on the ladder , it is set to be another strong and exciting contest for the Queens.

We travelled to Kilburn in Round 4 and produced a much-improved performance, coming away with a strong 21.9 (135) to 8.5 (53) win. We started the game with great energy and intent, moving the ball well and applying pressure around the contest. Our ball use and decision making showed how far the group has come since Round 1, with players backing themselves in and making smarter decisions with ball in hand. There was a slight drop away late in the third quarter where Kilburn were able to build some momentum, but the response from the group was outstanding. We finished the game strongly, kicking 10 goals in the final quarter and playing our best football of the season. Oscar LeMessurier competed strongly in the air all day and finished with three goals of his own, giving us a great target ahead of the ball. Through the midfield, Stewy Watts and Alex Fav were classy all day, winning plenty of the footy and driving the game our way. Harrison Prosser was dominant in the ruck and also had a huge impact behind the ball with his intercept marking. Up forward, Harvey Wood had a day out, finishing with seven goals in a standout performance. We now turn our attention to North Haven this week as we look to continue building our form and momentum.

We were back at home last weekend against Adelaide Uni with some huge inclusions. Former A Grade captain Jack Green, Haz George, Adam Zeni, Liam Switala, James Iannuci, Raz, and Alex Breda all came out of retirement to help the boys chase our first win of the season. When the team sheet went up, I think the boys — myself included — had this game circled as a win, but it was never going to be handed to us. Adelaide Uni fielded a young side with plenty of speed and skill, and they came out firing, leading by three goals at the first break. It was back and forth in the second quarter, with Uni kicking a couple of cheap goals out the back to maintain their lead heading into half-time. To their credit, our experienced boys tried to rally the group and lift the spirits in the change rooms. Coming out after the break, it was more of the same. Uni looked quality from back to forward and played like a side that had spent plenty of time together. They set up well around the contest and were strong aerially, taking some impressive contested marks. The boys were shocked when one of our star ball users, Ash Rawlinson, went down in a nasty-looking clash. After that, we dropped away and allowed Uni to take control in the third quarter. Fred Ligertwood continued his fine form, seeming to be wherever the ball was and proving once again to be one of our best ball users. Ash Rawlinson is quickly becoming one of my favourite players at the club, consistently sacrificing his body for the team and showing great versatility in his role. This week we have a bye, which couldn’t come at a better time for us. We’ve got plenty to work on, but also plenty of positives to take away from the first four games. We’ll reset, push on, and look forward to taking on PAC in Round 6.