RESULTNUS Saints 12 MS Victoria 2
SCORER (ASSIST)
Period 1 (2 - 0)
09:21 Syafiq
17:58 Donald (Edwin Ong)
Period 2 (7 - 1)
20:20 Victor
30:21 Victor (Nicholas)
30:39 Denis (Jirong)
32:59 Kwanaik
36:04 Victor (Denis)
37:70 o.g.
39:42 Baolai (Zhaohui)
Period 3 (3 -1)
45:41 o.g.
47:42 Nicholas
49:54 Tengyen
MAN OF THE MATCH
Nor Syafiq Bin Tubi
- For maintaining composure and keeping things simple throughout the game. Syafiq showed all of us how going-back-to-basics can win us games. The simple board-pass to the forwards (rather than the square-pass ACROSS goal to your centre) will get the play-up going for your line. The simple quick, low shot on target will allow your forwards to pick up important rebounds. Fulfilling his basic defensive duties, Syafiq also stepped up well to support the attack of his line. As a result, he was rightfully rewarded when he scored the first goal for Saints in the 1st period.
MATCH DEBRIEF - BY DENIS CHAI
Firstly, we allowed too many shots on our goal. If not for Khairul's brilliant performance, our victory margin would have been significantly narrowed. Our defence isn't holding up well because of a few reasons. At times, our forwards are slow to recover after being beaten. Our defenders are also not marking their men tightly enough, allowing the opponents to take simple shots towards our goal. Remember that when Khairul makes a save, defenders have to use their bodies to box out the goal area to prevent further rebound attempts by the opponents.
In addition, our defenders are not taking note of their blind side and are occasionally ball watching. This is crucial as not marking our blind side would allow the opponents to simply dump the ball into our goal area. Khairul is only able to cover 1 side of the goal, and if there is an unmarked opponent in our goal area, he would be able to easily score against us. Communication is vital in this aspect as everyone would be certain of their markings as well as it helps us to regain our focus in the game. Centres have to learn to be more commanding especially when in transitional defence when our structure isn't formed up yet.
Most of you would have noticed that the court we played on today is smaller than our usual training ground. Therefore, do take into account of the court size because defenders still take too long to clear the ball or send the ball up. In a smaller court, it is not only easier for you to take out the opponents strikers but for them to pressure you as well. Remember to lay the ball off quickly either with a lift or a simple board pass. A simple board pass does gets the game going and the goals coming. A simple yet golden rule for defenders to take note, "when in doubt, just knock the ball far and wide towards the boards of the opponents goal area". Do not be afraid to trust your forwards.
Besides coming to terms with the court size, we took 1 period to come to terms with the small stature of our opponents. We adopted a "go easy" attitude on the opponents by "respecting" them way too much until the end of period 1 where HC had to tick us off for playing like wimps. The bane of NUS floorball is that every time we encounter a seemingly easy team, we would underestimate and belittle them and in doing so, we tend not play to our actual potential as we play with a laid back attitude. This is detrimental as teams that can capitalize on us would do so, and the one and only punishment for our condescending attitude towards them would be utter defeat in humiliation. Think of ms victoria's no. 29 and 39 which are skilled players despite their smaller physique. Know that if you really want to respect your opponents, play hard and fair to do so.
On a good note, we did have an increased number of shot attempts at goal. However, we need to keep our shots on target as HC aptly said that if you intend to blast the ball 3 storey high, you should be playing rugby instead. When you’ve caught the keeper off guard, a simple pass/shot into goal would suffice. It is better to score with a simple touch than to use so much brute force that it becomes a rugby conversion. Remember to always have your stick on the ground and be prepared for any passes or rebounds.
Our individual lines are also gelling as evident in our game today. We had several good game plays and our ball possession is also better now and this includes the resetting of play. However, some of us might have felt that we didn’t contribute much to the team or that we didn’t do well because we were yelled/scolded at. I think that though some of the stuff that we do on court might not have visible results, but its latent effect is significant. For example, drawing away an opponent creates the much needed space to shoot and subsequently score. If you feel that you didn’t contribute much, talk it out with your line mates or seek HC for clarification. Sometimes, even you yourself might not be aware of your contribution to your line and the team. For those of you who felt that you played badly because you were nitpicked at, think of the situation then. What did you or did you not do? For example, if you were yelled at because you didn’t make a pass but did something else instead, think through it and consider your options. If you feel that you made the right decision then, talk it out with the other party and gain an insight into the different playing styles of your line mates. You can also look for HC to seek his opinion on the matter. It is through thrashing things out that a line would be able to gain a better understanding leading to better line play. For the rest, be more patient and put yourself in his shoes, it really isn’t all that simple to make the pass to you, know that you done your part by providing an option for the ball carrier, and if he doesn’t pass to you, move on and make yourself useful and available.
In conclusion, touch your hearts and ask yourself whether you did well today. If yes, give yourself a pat on the back. If no, reflect on why not. Was it because you did not give your all today? Or was it because you played with a relaxed attitude? No one else but you can search for the answer. Know that only you can seek for the answer for you alone hold the key to it…
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