Grand Final 11/9/2016: G.D.Warriors 0 v 1 Maccabi (Bell)

In a tough and pressurized final, Maccabi beat Dandenong warriors 1 – 0 in the Under 12 Grand Final. The team had been one of the form sides all year but Maccabi had not been able to beat Dandenong in its two previous encounters.

Dandenong were a tough well drilled team with a number of skilful players that were able to continually pressure teams into turning over the ball. Maccabi are a 1st year side with many new players.

In front of a huge crowd the game started well for Maccabi with a pass back to Jacob Irons who expressed a ball up field to Jeremy Grunfeld who beat two defenders and ran into the attacking circle and promptly missed his shot on goal. The initial signs were good but the next 40 minutes of play saw no score. Each team made a number of good moves, passing was crisp and the ball movement was fast. Both teams were here to play and put pressure on the opposition to force turnovers and when the ball was turned over the attacking team ran the ball down the field and so it went.

Maccabi kept the pressure on but Dandenong’s resilience and determination kept the score even.

Maccabi made a number of promising moves in the first half. Jacob Irons Daniel Lindros and Simon Valentine combined to move the ball wide to the right wing and looking for forwards Jeremy Grunfeld, Andrew Segeman, Jonah Bell or Jordan Tregar who were running hard to receive the ball and move it forward. Maddy Better and Gideon Miller were also contributing to the effort making good tackles and running hard to maintain the forward pressure.

To their credit Maccabi continually put pressure on the ball carriers and this resulted in turnovers.

On two occasions Maccabi almost got the ball between the posts but Dandenong were up to the task and repelled it back into play. Dandenong ran the ball down the field and formed a couple of threatening attacks of their own. They had some very skilful players that could run the ball. Five of their attacks ended up in short corners. Dandenong had a big hitting kid that could strike the ball well but Maccabi were up to the task on the short corners and backs Shai Chabbat and Daniel Lindros were solid in defence turning the ball over and getting the ball to Ions to move the ball forward.

One of the short corners Grunfeld ran out quickly to the hitter and reached him as he hit the ball. The ball flew off his stick and sailed 2 meters over the net.

Lindros also stepped up and made a couple of crucial tackles to stop Dandenong’s advances. Goalkeeper Henry Wise was at his best and stopped two shots in the first half.

Maccabi also earnt two short corners in the first half that did not alter the scoreboard.

By halftime Maccabi was getting into its rhythm and Dandenong were looking frustrated by the strength, resilience and hard running of Maccabi. Maccabi came off at half time chuffed that Dandenong had not scored and that they had made a number of promising moves.

Coach Daniel Grunfeld “Grunny” reminded the team that they were to keep moving the ball around and use our players to find holes in the Dandenong defence. Dandenong were getting tired and Maccabi looked a fitter side we had to use this to our advantage. Finally the team were reminded of the game plan and to keep pressuring the ball carrier and force the turnovers that ended paying off in the second half.

Dandenong started off with a flurry of attacks moving the ball through their insides and putting pressure on Maccabi’s defence. They earnt 4 short corners in the first 10 minutes and on one of them Simon Valentine ran out at speed and amazingly stole the ball off the hitter, another was stopped by a tenacious save by keeper Henry Wise who prompt kicked the ball out of the circle.

There were tense moments for Maccabi as Dandenong piled on the pressure but Maccabi was not done with yet and the team picked up their game and made more of their attacks toward the Dandenong goal.

Right inside Grunfeld, Centre forward Segeman and inside left Bell ran the ball into the circle a number of times but Dandenong put on solid tackles but they were tiring and starting to look vulnerable. With 12 minutes to go – In one of the many good moves up the right hand side Valentine passed the ball to Irons who pushed it to Grunfeld who skilfully dragged the ball around two defenders and into the circle where Bell was waiting he ran the ball to the base line and hit it into a defender’s foot. Short Corner.

Coach Grunfeld called the players to use the “Secret Number 2 play” and Treger pushed out the ball to Irons who trapped the ball and pushed it right to Bell and with an almighty wack he sent the ball into the net and the drought had been broken.

The team was overwhelmed with joy but had to quickly refocus for the remainder of the game. Many games have been lost from this position.

Maccabi refocused and kept up the pressure but Dandenong were spent and they tried to form a couple of attacks but Maccabi were full of confidence and backs Shai Chabbat and Daniel Lindros made easy work of the Dandenong forwards.

Time had run out for Dandenong and when the final whistle blew Maccabi were victors 1 – 0.

 

Preliminary Final 4/9/2016: Maccabi 2 v 0 Bayside Blue (Bell 2)

The under 12 Maccabi team has won its preliminary final to advance to the grand final this Sunday.

A huge crowd came to watch the under 12s at Albert park. Thanks to those that made the effort.

The under 12s have had a stellar season and now face the only team that they have not been able to beat all year Dandenong.

The game started with great expectations for both teams as neither had played in a preliminary final before. But Maccabi worked well together and made early inroads into the Brighton Cougars defence early on and the signs were looking good.

The Preliminary Final started off at a cracking pace with both sides working hard to win the ball and drive forward but Maccabi had the home ground advantage and a stronger will. Players J Grunfeld, J Bell, J Treger, J Irons + M Better put their bodies on the line the whole game while S Valentine, A Segeman, S Chabbat and D Lindross worked hard in defence to keep Bayside scoreless.

The first goal can in the 16th minute when Jacob Irons passed the ball right to Jeremy Grunfeld who ran around the defence and smacked the ball across the face of goal to an awaiting Jonah Bell who slotted the ball into the back of the net. And Maccabi was one up.

The teams tussled up and down the ground and Maccabi’s backs held firm and returned the ball up the field for attack after attack. Maccabi earnt a number of short corners but could not convert and had some very near missed shots that could have secured the game but Bayside were not done yet and the kept repelling attack after attack and moved the ball into their offence.

The half time drosher was one of the best all year as Coach Grunfeld urged his little guns to give more and play for each other as the season was on the line.

The little Guns dug deep and went out with renewed enthusiasm. The drosher worked, within 7 minutes of the restart Maccabi scored from the extreme pressure they were putting Bayside under and Bell received a ball in front of the goals from a pinball machine play inside the D and converted the ball with a hard thud into the back of the net.

All Maccabi had to do was hold on and they did. Bayside tried every trick in they had but could not convert. Henry Wise (Goalkeeper extraordinaire)  was tasked with one thing, keep a clean slate, and he did. When called upon he was fierce and tenacious.

The game finished and Maccabi were ahead 2 – 0 and now look forward to the Grand final.

 

Qualifying Final 28/8/2016: Maccabi 0 v 3 G.D. Warriors

The under 12s went down 3-0 to Greater Dandenong Warriors, but will regroup before taking on Bayside to get a shot at the premiership in the grand final.

 

Rd 14 21/8/2016: Maccabi 4 v 1 Bayside Green (Bell 3, B.Gore)

Under 12 finished the year in good form finishing 1st. They played Bayside Cougars and their team lived up to their name. The game started off at a pace but Maccabi had trouble penetrating the Cougars defence. The Cougars had a couple of good defenders and it was clear that Maccabi had some work to do. Jonah Bell was in fine form along with Jessie Gaspar who had his best game of the season. Jacob Irons moved the ball well and Shai Chabat had a new role at right half.

So the team was well placed to pressure the Cougars and the pressure paid off with 3 goals in the first half, 2 from Jonah Bell and one from a fantastic shot at the left hand post where Boaz Gore (yes Robbie Gore’s youngest son) was waiting and with a Gore like reflex that brought a tear to his dad’s eye slotted the ball past the keeper.

The team was in good spirits and kept the pressure on but Brighton had other ideas. They were building good attacks and after three or four they were well stopped by Daniel Lindros and Andrew Segeman, one of their players got through and Henry Wise was beaten. Henry has had a good year and will face some tough teams coming into finals. The team performed well and are putting together passes and a good system of play. Maddy Better, Jordan Treger (who suffered a minor friendly fire incident) and Gideon Miller all contributed to a good win.

The last goal coming out of a goalmouth scramble ricochet until it fell at the feet of Jonah Bell who whacked the ball into the middle of the net and the game was in the bag. Next week is the start of finals and we will see how the team performs. Well done to all.

Final Ladder after Rd 14

#	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts
1	Maccabi	11	9	1	1	24	8	16	28
2	G.D. Warriors	14	11	2	1	56	4	52	35
3	Bayside Blue	14	11	1	2	56	9	47	34
4	Knox	14	8	2	4	47	15	32	26
5	Frankston	14	5	4	5	18	17	1	19
6	Mornington Pen	14	5	3	6	22	29	-7	18
7	Bayside Green	14	4	3	7	24	30	-6	15
8	Casey	11	2	1	8	9	24	-15	7
9	Southern Utd	14	2	0	12	12	65	-53	6
10	Southern Utd Red	14	1	1	12	5	72	-67	4

 

Rd 13 14/8/2016: Maccabi 2 v 1 Casey (J.Grunfeld, Bell)

The under 12s made a great effort to beat Frankston on Sunday. The team lined up in good spirits and started the game off with their normal great running and passing and putting pressure on the opposition. Frankston were ready for the onslaught and had made sure their backline was strong and the players manned up but the Maccabi pressure was too great and a quick goal was scored by Jeremy Grunfeld. Centre half Jacob Irons was solid and ran well with the ball passing and defending with Simon Valentine and Maddy Bell on the half line.

All forwards had a job to get through the Frankston defence. Jordan Treger at centre forward was controlled in his approach and other forwards Jessie Gaspar, Gideon Miller, Andrew Segemen and Abraham Valentine played their roles well. But Frankston had a fighting spirit and turned defence into attack on many occasions. Maccabi had plenty of shots but either missed the mark or gained a short corner that the team has had trouble converting this season. One short corner got through and Jonah Bell (the wizard) punched a ball into the net and Maccabi were 2 – 0.

The sun came out for the first time and 18 degrees seemed like 35 on the field. The players came off tired for their efforts and after a discussion the team regrouped and came out well in the second half, picking up where they left off. But Frankston had other plans and they reorganised themselves to play attacking hockey

that paid off early in the second half with one of their players  getting through under 12’s fullback of the century Daniel Lindross to wake up Goalie Henry Wise and wacked a ball into the net from the right hand side. The players were tired from the game and came off 2 – 1 victors.

 

Rd 12 7/8/2016: Maccabi 1 v 1 Frankston (J.Grunfeld)

Sunday morning at Albert Park, 12 Maccabi warriors turned up to face 9 players from Frankston. In one of the best shows of sportsmanship Maccabi lent Frankston 1 player for the game. To even the numbers up. A big thankyou to Andrew Segman and Gideon Miller.

Maccabi started off at a good pace with Jacob Irons and Simon Nathan-Valentine working well together to move the ball into the forward line where Maccabi has always been good at attacking.

Jeremy Grunfeld and Jordan Treger held the ball in the forward line with Gidon Millar, Jessie Gaspar and Maddy Better all contributing to the team effort.

It was great to see some of the training paying off with good passing and players making position on the field. With all the positive pressure something had to give and after some good play. Jeremy Grunfeld received a great pass from Jordan Treger And wacked the ball into the back of the net.

But Frankston weren’t done yet they only had a couple of forward moves throughout the half and capitalized on a Maccabi mistake to push a ball past keeper Henry Wise who has only been called into action a couple of times.

Half time and 1-1 was not a great score line but Maccabi did not give up and in the unseasonal heat (17 degrees) played on but were starting to get tired and make simple mistakes. Passing was not as accurate and the Frankston backs were getting more confident taking the ball off  Maccabi players. Maccabi needed some magic but it was not forthcoming and the game finished 1-1.

 

 

Rd 11 31/7/2016: Maccabi 3 v 0 Southern Utd Red (J.Grunfeld 2, Treger)

The under 12s kept up their winning form with a comfortable 3-0 win over Southern United, Jeremy Grunfeld (2) and Jordan Treger scoring the goals.

 

Rd 10 24/7/2016: Southern Utd 1 v 2 Maccabi (J.Grunfeld, Segman)

Sunday morning was cold 5 degrees on the car gauge. 10 am start at Moorabbin and the team needed a good warmup to get the icicles off. Unfortunately, a couple of the players were running late, so Maccabi were not off to a good start. Maccabi has started well all season and today was no different. Jacob Irons and Simon Valentine worked well together to get the ball to Jordan Treger

And Southern United were already under pressure. The backs we able to repel the first few Maccabi attacks but after 7 minutes of relentless attacking Jeremy Grunfeld was able to get the ball and weave his way through the plethora of defenders to slot the ball into the net. Maddy Better, Nathan Valentine, Gideon Miller all did good work.

Southern United were not done they held the ball and passed it to their attackers working the ball around Maccabi players. Maccabi defenders Daniel Lindross and Shai Chabbat stood firm and repelled each attack. Southern United kept finding ways through the defensive structure and in one of their breaks they got into the circle and Henry Wise was up to the task.

The second half started as the first half with Maccabi attacking but missing crucial passes and running the ball at defenders turned over the ball. The ball went end to end a number of times and Maccabi had some near misses but southern united were determined to equal the score and did with an impressive effort through their right side attack. Maccabi who had much of the attack was a bit surprised but fought on and midway through the second half  attack mounted by Simon Valentine pushed the ball to Jordan Treger who pushed the ball to Gideon Miller across the circle to the awaiting Andrew Segeman and into the net. You never saw a bigger smile on a kid. He was chuffed with his effort.

Southern United tried to equalise but had run out of puff and Maccabi won 2 – 1.

 

Rd 9 17/7/2016: Bayside Green 0 v 3 Maccabi (J.Grunfeld 3)

The under 12s continued on their winning ways this Sunday. Playing against the Bayside Cougars Maccabi came out firing, putting the Cougars on the backfoot for almost all of the first half. The forward line of Gideon Miller, Jeremy Grunfeld, Jessie Gaspar, Jonah Bell, Andrew Segeman, Jordan Treger and Abraham Valentine put pressure on the Bayside defenders all game.

This resulted in an early breakthrough for Jeremy Grunfeld scoring 2 quick goals from good positive play. The Cougars really did not have an answer to the hard running and team play of Maccabi. Jacob Irons held the centre well and Simon Valentine made sure there we no defensive breaches. The odd occasion the ball did get through backs Daniel Lindros and Shai Chabat were there to repel the attacks leaving Henry Wise in Goals little to do.

The second half Maccabi kept up the pressure making sure Bayside did not get much breathing space. The team kept running the ball into the circle but just could not finish off the good play. After more pressure another goal was scored by Grunfeld and the game finished at 3 – 0.

 

Rd 8 26/6/2016: Casey 0 v 2 Maccabi (Bell, Segman)

Maccabi Under 12’s have been having a stellar year and kept up the good work on Sunday at Berwick. After a long drive into the countryside the team hopped out of their warm cars into 5 degrees that quickly woke them up. Luckily the sun was shining and the team fired up to play.

Maccabi took control from the start. Missing our regular centre half, Jeremy Grunfeld stepped up and played the role well. The passing was good and with the halfs Simon NV and Andrew Segeman they formed a formidable defence. Centre forward Jordan Treger received some great balls to run into the circle with and the Berwick defence was up to the task. Maccabi kept the pressure on and most improved new player Gideon Miller used his new skills to weave through players. After a number of missed attempts Johnah Bell received a ball and pushed it past the goalie to score his first ever goal and put Maccabi ahead.

After the play resumed the team was buoyed by Jonah’s first goal and kept the ball in the Casey half. Abraham Valentine (right wing specialist) , Jessie Gaspar (left wing specialist) played their roles to perfection attacking and passing the ball to evade the Casey defence. Shortly after pocket rocket Andrew Segman received a ball from a goalmouth scramble and wacked it into the goal with a deafening thud and Maccabi was up 2 – 0.

A number of good attacking moves were made by Maccabi and on the odd occasion Casey took the ball over the half line where Daniel Lindros and Shai Chabbat (the fortress) were waiting for them. Needless to say Casey did not threaten Goalie Henry Wise and the couple of times they got through Henry was up to the task. Despite almost 7 short corners and a number of other near misses Maccabi could not convert and the game finished 2 – 0.

Well done to all and enjoy the break.

 

Rd 7 19/6/2016: Maccabi 2 v 0 Mornington (Chabbat 2)

Continuing on from a successful start to the season the under 12s advanced their finals hopes beating Mornington 2 – 0 in a well-structured game. Maccabi controlled much of the ball in the initial 15 minutes of the game by centre half Jacob Irons and right half Jordan Treger who worked well to push the ball up forward. The other half was secured by Maddy Better who played her role well in attack and defence making sure Mornington could not break through down the right hand side. The ball moved well down Maccabi’s right hand side on a number of occasions with Jeremy Grunfeld, Gidon Miller and Abraham NV teaming up well to make a number of attacks into the oppositions goal. Maccabi’s persistence earnt a number of short corners that resulted in a goal mouth scramble and Shai Chabbat scored a well-earned goal.

All players contributed with backs Shai Chabbat and Daniel Lindros shutting down the Mornington attacks and contributing to the teams good passing and provided valuable support for the midfield. Left wing Jessie Gaspar and left inside Simon NV and centre forward Andrew Segman worked the ball into the circle on  a number of occasions keeping the pressure on Mornington defence that tried to repel the attacks. Maccabi started well in the second half and again all players were enthusiastic and kept running. Another short corner was earned and again Shai Chabbat converted from a goal mouth scramble for a 2 – 0 lead. Goalie Heny Wise did not have much to do but late in the second half when Mornington made a breakthrough he was up to the task and kept a clean sheet. Well done to all, the team is improving each week and we look forward to a good second half of the year.

 

Rd 6 8/6/2016: GD Warriors 3 v 0 Maccabi

 

Rd 5 29/5/2016: Maccabi 3 v 0 Knox (Grunfeld, Wise, Irons)

The under 12s notched up their second victory of the season with a 3-0 victory over Knox. It was an excellent team effort, with the goals being scored by Jeremy Grunfeld, Jacob Irons and Henry Wise

 

Rd 4 25/5/2016: Bayside (Blue) 1 v 2 Maccabi (Grunfeld, Irons)

 

Rd 3 18/5/2016: Maccabi 3 v 1 ECHO

 

Rd 2 8/5/2016: Maccabi 0 v 0 Camberwell

The under 12’s are a new team with many 1st year players who have never been on a hockey field before. Playing at Koonung Secondary College – Vrs Camberwell, Maccabi started off well with Jacob Irons, Jeremy Grunfeld and Jonah Bell Moving the ball up forward. Simon Nathan Valentine, Daniel Lindros and Shai Chabat were solid in defence as the ball moved up and down the field. The ball was won and lost as players found their form and as the Maccabi tried to spread the ball wide but Camberwell shut down the moves with their well drilled players.

Maccabi new players Abraham Valentine, Andrew Segeman, Maddy Better, Jessie Gaspar were all contributing to the effort. Goalie Henry Wise was solid in defence when called upon but not needed as Maccabi has the majority of the midfield and forward play. Sadly it did not result in a goal but try as they might the little tikes put all their efforts into attacking and defending. The second half was much the same as the first but the under 12s gained valuable experience and all came off smiling with their effort. Well done to all.

 

Rd 1 1/5/2016: Maccabi 5 v 0 KBH Brumbies (Walk Over)

Maccabi Under 12s had the easiest of wins on the weekend with a walkover to KBH Brumbies.