Following a warm up we spent some time speaking with the players about how they were going to challenge themselves on the pitch today taking into account their learning at training. We missed Gabriel today, but remained a strong team with Kaden, Leo, Lucas, Archie, Charlie and Corey. Charlie was captain this week after showing good effort and focus during training. He discussed with his team mates which position they felt most confident in/enjoyed more and decided he would be sub first.

The boys really pulled together as a team today with lots of touch/passes and improved communication between players to effectively move the ball forward. Leo, Charlie, Archie and Karen all played creatively allowing for many goal opportunities. Corey was a strong goalkeeper throughout, making some excellent saves and maintaining his confidence with support of his teammates.

As usual, at half time, the boys were asked what they thought they had done well in the first half and what they planned to focus on in the second half. They were encouraged to think about what they would want to do to finish the match a better player. We also discussed what happens to the boys thinking and behaviour when they receive negative feedback from a team mate. The boys reflected that they think things like 'they think I'm rubbish' and 'I can't do this' leading to them feeling sad and upset and feeling like giving up and urges to quit. We spoke about 'respect' and encouraging their team mates with kind words to maintain motivation and interest/enjoyment.

The second half was really exciting with many goal opportunities and successes. Lucas was a strong defender, showing great effort and resilience as always. The whole team worked hard to make some timely tackles.

Effort of the match - Charlie for his leadership and effort shown throughout.

Player of the match - Archie and Lucas for the effort, teamwork and skills shown.