On Sunday, 16^th July, both Collingwood wheelchair teams were back at Boroondara Sports Complex to take on St Kilda in Round 10 of the Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL) and the Community Wheelchair Football League (CWFL).

Following a loss last week, both teams worked hard during the week at training to ensure they were in a stronger position facing off against the Saints.

The last time Collingwood’s VWFL team came up against St Kilda, they lost by only a point which meant the team knew they needed to bring the pressure early.

Moving into the match, the team was aware of the height that St Kilda bring which was emphasised by Coach Andrew Paddles in his pre-game briefing. To combat the height discrepancy between the sides, Paddles asked the team to create short and sharp handballs instead of opting for long handballs.

Coach Paddles also asked the Collingwood forwards to push up the court as much as possible to become another passing option when moving the ball from the backline.

Numerous mistakes with disposals in Collingwood’s forward end in combination with St Kilda’s height made it difficult and cost the team the opportunity to capitalise and score more points.

The Pies were able to hold on until the third quarter, but St Kilda pushed away by continually utilising their tall forwards.

With a disappointing result, Collingwood will look to change certain aspects of their game ahead of the double header on Sunday 23^rd July for both Pride Round and the Women Showcase Round.

COMMUNITY WHEELCHAIR TEAM

The CWFL team were looking to bounce back against St Kilda after their first loss of the season in round nine against Hawthorn. Unfortunately, the Pies didn’t perform to the level they train hard for.

Before the match, Coach Paddles asked the team to always be on the move and to never be stationary throughout the four quarters. Paddles insisted Collingwood keep the pressure on the Saints ball carrier to create turn overs.

The Pies needed to utilise the whole court to create space and different movement patterns as keeping possession and generating scoring opportunities were crucial.

The team pushed St Kilda during all four quarters and were able to access more scoring opportunities but couldn’t convert these opportunities into goals.

Despite the loss, Collingwood left the court positive about their performance and proud of their effort and determination throughout the match.

The team looks forward to their next match up against St Kilda again in two weeks.

Upcoming matches for both teams are as follows:

Collingwood VWFL – Sunday, July 23^rd against Richmond and Hawthorn in a double header starting at 11am at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC).

Collingwood CWFL – Sunday, July 30^th against St Kilda and Richmond starting at 11am at the Boroondara Sports Complex.

VWFL TEAM RESULTS

Collingwood    2.3      4.3      7.5      8.5 (53)

St Kilda           2.1      5.4      10.5      14.9 (93)

Goals:

Collingwood: Perito 4, Jankovski 3, Ford.

St Kilda: Welsh 10, McKay 4.

CWFL TEAM RESULTS

Collingwood    1.2      2.5      3.9      5.11 (41)

St Kilda           3.0      6.0      7.1      9.1 (55)

Goals:

Collingwood: Paddle 3, Elliot, O’Connor.

St Kilda: Walker 9.