Teamwork, determination and a strong competitive spirit were the factors that ultimately led to a Premiership for the 2008 Hampton Rovers Under 13 East side. This was the fourth flag over five years for this group of boys and it was again achieved in a manner that left all parents feeling very proud of the boys.

It was great to see the boys improve their ball winning, offensive and in particular, defensive skills to constantly overcome challenges from the opposition ? efforts against Beaumaris and Oakleigh come to mind. The boys only dropped one game for the year ? this being a narrow loss to East Brighton, however we were missing ten of our regulars and still staged a stunning come back in the final quarter ? ironically, one of the highlights of the season.

The best effort was saved for last, with three victories within five weeks against eventual Grand Final opponent Ajax. After a big build up, including some tips from Saints legend Danny Frawley at training, the boys were ready for the GF. They resisted everything thrown at them in this match, maintained their sportsmanship and outclassed the opposition to record a much deserved victory ? a fantastic team effort.

Congratulations to all twenty eight boys who were a part of the team this year and a special acknowledgement to our Best and Fairest, Christian Salem, Runner Up, Luke Verma and our Captain, Matt Hooy who led the side brilliantly throughout the season. These three boys along with Calum Macleod were further rewarded for their efforts by being selected in the MSJFL representative side ? congratulations to all four. 

My thanks to all of the parents for their support in completing the weekly jobs throughout the year and also for their willingness to stick to our player roster, enabling all boys to get a fair run during the season.

Special thanks to Ron Verma (Runner) and Tim Jones (Assistant Coach) for supporting me with the coaching at training, on match days and all times in between ? and finally, a huge thank you to Michael and Cath Campion, our stalwarts of team management, who have been there to communicate, support and manage our boys teams for five years and Auskick prior. 2008 was a great year for this group and it was a privilege to be coach ? my thanks to the club, the committee and all concerned.

Craig Knox

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