Colt Corner with Beau Wardman - Round 5
Thursday, May 3, 2018 - 8:19 AM
The Subiaco Colts had a bye at the weekend, but there was no rest for Colts Coach Beau Wardman who checked in for his weekly update on subiacofc.com.au.
Hear what Beau thought about the sides gutsy win, in one of the Colts games of the year against Claremont back in round four, what the coaches and players got up to with the week off and the challenge that is presented by rivals West Perth this coming Saturday.
Check out the Q&A below in the AE Hoskins Colt Corner:
Beau, weekend off last week as the boys had the bye, what did you get up to and what expectations were the players given across the past week as you enjoyed your first bye week of the year?
It was timely, our boys came off a 5-day break into the Claremont game and the end of seven game stretch including our pre-season games. To the boys credit they have done everything right to get themselves up each week. For most of our group it is a big step up to this level with training loads and expectations so we gave them a bit of time off to relax and refresh mentally. We still had a couple of tough sessions over the break to ensure we don’t drop too much conditioning.
Probably the dream scenario to be unbeaten after four rounds and sitting on top of the ladder, did it help you enjoy that weekend off a little bit more knowing the team has gotten a strong start to the year?
Certainly, it was a bit of time for reflection as well. We have done really well to start the season, I think we rank number one for our disposal efficiency – this is great based on the work and focus over the pre-season. Our coaches have been really driven to improve the players fundamentals and combine this with a team first focus we have got some positive results. Footy can be fickle though, we enjoy the successes at the moment, knowing we can still improve and will have challenges in the coming weeks.
Last game before the bye was a Thursday night tussle with Claremont, and for those who missed it, really missed a great game of WAFL Colts footy. It was free flowing at times, physical at times, you got a couple of run ons, they got a couple of run ons; a great advertisement for Colts footy this one would you agree?
It was a great game! It had a finals feel to it, with the strong pressure throughout, some class and individual talent shining though but neither team able to get an ascendency on the scoreboard. We thought we started to get on top early in the third, but Claremont kept coming. We had to really compete hard with a couple of soldiers down. It was really a whole of team win and we reiterated with the players that they had to compete for the full 100-minutes to get the result.
Luke Foley has been outstanding to start the year, but he went to another level against Claremont, 36 possessions, 13 tackles and two goals, is that one of the best games of colts footy you have seen from an individual?
Luke has been terrific for us and pleasing for him he has taken his game to another level. He has some clear goals at the moment and we are working on these, but this game was certainly a standout performance and shows what he can do against some of the best players in the competition. It is testament to his work rate more than anything, he wins his own ball when required, shows great composure with the ball in hand and is elite with his disposal. The shot on goal from 55 hit the post half way up, not many can do that at his age – would have been nice to go through.
You’ve mentioned your teams tackling pressure a few times, but this went to a whole new level against Claremont. Your boys laid 101 tackles, were plus 24 in this area and really the pressure seemed to be a big reason behind the win, happy with that tackle pressure in the last game?
Its always good to walk away with more possession of the ball and have a clear dominance in the tackles or pressure acts more specifically. This shows great buy-in from the players for our system and intent. We have been so impressed that the players have been able to implement this and it provides a blueprint for success. The boys that haven’t been playing yet know what is now expected and need to come up to that mark.
Noah Ash debuted against Claremont, a local product hailing from Kingsway juniors, great to see Noah get a chance and he was a part of that tackle pressure himself laying five tackles along with seven possessions, how did you see the debut game of Noah?
Noah is a great young kid with a bright future. Hi is a quiet kid but has really good skills and has been impressive with his work rate at training and deserved his opportunity. He did his job down back, I thought he grew in confidence as the game went on and will gain a lot from playing in that type of game, its worth 2 or 3.
Your team kicked a couple of very good goals, some good individual efforts and some good team goals. The two of Nathan French stood out though, the snap in the first quarter and then a good team goal where he combined with Mitch Georgiades to help seal the game?
We like to keep things pretty simple for the players in our expectations, this enables them to back themselves and showcase their skills. I think we are seeing this in front of goal. Jason Hoskins and Nick Visser have been doing some good work with the boys on their goal kicking and we try to include it into training as much as possible. It certianly helps the players up the field if we can execute the finish.
West Perth this week, they have dropped their last two games, albeit were very competitive against Perth last week, did you see much of that game and what do you see as the key towards beating West Perth?
They have been really good in all games – certainly unlucky not to have 4 or 5 wins. They are going to be really competitive and have controlled the ball for large portions of their games. We will really focus on our game plan and executing that as well as we can. Certainly our boys are going to have to lift. They beat us twice last year.
Last year you had three entertaining battles with West Perth, they won two, your boys one; it has always been a strong rivalry the Falcons and Lions, do you get the sense that your boys enjoy the challenge of beating West Perth?
Certainly these are big games, a number of the boys cross over at both teams at school and local footy – they have grown up together being adjacent districts. It provides another good challenge for our players to showcase themselves as a team.
Colt Super Round last week, a bit disappointing that as the top team Subiaco were not able to compete in it, did you get down to Fremantle to watch the action and does it give you a greater understanding of where you will need to keep improving to maintain your early season form?
I wasn’t able to get down there on Saturday, I had a training session on Saturday morning with one of our young fellas and then watched some senior footy in the afternoon. Hopefully we will be part of the next Super Round later this year or next year.
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