Coachy's Corner: Round 3, 2011 Hi everyone, Round 3 kicked off with The Bullets playing On Target, who were making their debut in AFL 9s. Our match, which was scheduled for 7:20pm, got off to a bit of a flyer for us with Dean and Olivia combining really well for the team's opening goals. After missing last week's game, I was looking forward to seeing the skills of our players with the notable rule changes from past seasons. With forwards now being able to shoot for goal on the run and take snap shots round the body, rec footy/AFL 9s has become a much faster paced contest, which I'm also looking forward to watching unfold throughout the season. If that wasn't enough, all players can now run anywhere on the field, plus, any dropped mark from a defender can result in a goal to the opposition. To cap it off, a third player is now positioned in the midfield.  The Bullets welcomed Laura Prendergast to the side for her first game with the club. We went with Brent, Laura & myself in the backline, second gamer Eddie, Luke & Renee took the mids and Olivia, Dean & Andrew made up the forwards. As I said earlier, Dean continued on his merry way, doubling back to take marks and looking for and finding Olivia with strong leads and marks. Andrew chimed in for a major, and the forwards functioned really well. Brent ran off centre back beautifully and as usual, his use of the footy was fantastic. Luke and Renee both played a good half, pushing the ball forward, while newcomer Eddie was a livewire with his saving marks on wing/defence and picked up kicks at will. I was particularly pleased with one of Renee's pieces of play, intercepting a mark and quickly passing the ball to Dean who marked then gave off to Olivia, who goaled. We were up 38-19 at half time. Olivia had three goals, Dean and Andrew one each. The second half had to see us switched on in order to win this, because On Target had scored easily in a five-six minute gap near the end of the first half. I kept the side the same to see how we'd respond. It really did turn out a half of missed opportunities in front of goal for both teams. We missed some soda shots throughout the 20 mins, but in saying that, so did On Target. Olivia's marking was in a word, sensational. Juggled marks plus marks on the lead was a delight to watch. Look, she did miss a few of those set shots, but was also terrific in slotting her fourth goal. She played a very good game of AFL 9s and showed how well she can get the ball. Andrew was great, finishing with three goals and helping out down back, taking a couple of saving marks. Dean ended up with two goals, also missed a couple of shots in that half, but played a good game. It was interesting watching Ed, he seems to cover a lot of ground. He plays the midfield role well, and I think will be a reliable player for us. He'll offer leads into defence and take safe chestmarks, which is where the reliability comes in. He backs himself with his kicking, which is good - it didn't always come off and he wasn't alone there - but I love watching players back themselves. I must say Laura was solid for the team too, she's played quite a bit of sport in the past and she'll be good for us. Brent and Luke were also very good players, both giving our forwards opportunities in the second half. With On Target missing multiple goals and skill errors, it allowed The Bullets to rebound and keep the lead we had. We came through, 74-27 in a great team win.