The 2017 season began early for J5 Gold with summer training based at Little Shoal Bay – consisting of hill running in the bush plus some contacts too.

By the time our first game arrived, we had a couple of months of training under our belt.

With some new personnel in the team, we carried on as we had from 2016 with some excellent straight running and solid defensive play.

Malcolm Greenwood stepped up as a ref and with James Morrison also assisting; we had some quality decisions makers on the pitch for home games.

Mid-season there was a ‘player reshuffle’ between the two J5 teams that certainly changed up the team dynamics. Nonetheless, the Gold team had a highly successful season scoring 700 points with only three losses!

Special thanks to Jacob Brothers who took on the role of assistant coach – for a young man he generated much respect from the players and parents alike.

Thank you to Mandy for managing the team and me!

Both Jacob and I really enjoyed the team spirit, commitment and comradery that this team has generated. It has been a pleasure to assist with their development.

To conclude, a huge thank you to the parents and supporters who are there each week with clean jerseys, oranges, chocolates and that wonderful atmosphere on the sideline.

See you all in 2018 for full-field.