Coutas building momentum

QUEENSCLIFF is feeling full of confidence after pulling off a big upset in the Bellarine Football League seniors just before the league bye.

The Coutas showed grit and determination to defeat the previously undefeated Geelong Amateur by six points in Queenscliff.

Izaac Grant starred up forward for the home side, bagging five goals, while Jayden McHenry added four of his own.

Jordy McIvor-Clark, Harry Gower, Patrick Bradley and Lachlan McKane were also named in the side’s best players.

It sets up a mouth-watering clash tomorrow (Saturday May 24) with the much-improved Portarlington, coming off a narrow four-point loss to Anglesea.

Coutas coach Heath Jamieson said there was plenty of optimism in the seaside township.

“We knew we needed to work hard to get a few wins before the bye, and the Ocean Grove and Ammos wins have been our best footy for the year.

 

“The boys are starting to have confidence in what we are doing. We’ve worked hard over two pre-seasons to get a product in our players’ heads that we as coaches want them to play.

“They understand that if they hit some key measurements that we want them to hit then the results take care of themselves.

“[The wins] give us plenty of confidence moving forward.”

Jamieson said Queenscliff is blooding a side with an average age of 22.1, showcasing the strong level of up-and-coming talent on show at the club.

“If you look at the average age of the youngest team in the AFL, we are a year and six months below that.

“We had 16 players under the age of 22 playing last weekend.

“Our midfield group of Lachie Kidd, Che Durran, Sol Bowtell and Max Waight are the ones who need to set the tone every weekend and have started really well and kept us in most games.

 

“Izaac Grant up forward has got a hold of a few these last few weeks too, but he’d be the first to admit his job gets easier when the supply is better.

“The players just needed to know their best was going to be good enough. ”

Jamieson said the club had a belief the Couta bowl could be a fortress for them throughout the rest of the season.

“We think the Couta bowl is pretty different to other grounds, it’s oddly shaped, it’s traditional grass and we are comfortable in those surroundings.

“We know a lot of people don’t like playing down there. We do see the Couta bowl as a big advantage.

“But we have to realistic that we need to win at both home and away. We know winning just at home isn’t going to be enough.”

Tomorrow’s match in Queenscliff begins at 2.10pm.