2018 is here. This weekend the Blackwood Football Club starts is premiership defense with the Round 1 clash against the Mt Lofty Football Club at U-Install-It Kitchens Oval. The Woods aims to record their first back to back premierships since 1953, 1954 and 1955.
The Woods have had a strong pre-season playing trial games against the Goodwood Saints, Sacred Heart Old Collegians and Flagstaff Hill. Coach Damien Salievic said after the last trial match “we have ticked off our goals in the trials. We have got game time into new players, worked on our game plan and structures.”
“2018 will be a different season. We are the premier team in the competition and opposition clubs will be wanting to take our scalp.”
Round 1 sees the Blackwood Football Club face Mt Lofty at U-Install-It Kitchens Oval. It’s the first time the Woods have played Mt Lofty in Round 1 since 2015. Back in 2015 the Woods defeated the Devils by 18 points at Heathfield Oval (Match Details). The last time we faced Mt Lofty at home in Round 1 was in 2012 where a recorded a 2 point victory, 15.9.99 to 16.1.97 (Match Details).
Game details
Who – Blackwood vs Mt Lofty
When – Saturday, April 14
Where – U-Install-It Kitchens Oval
Times – U14s (8.30am), U16 (9.50am), U18 (11.10am), Bs (12.50pm), As (2.30pm)
Special Event – Ladies Day starting from 1.30pm. Click here for more details
U-Install-It Kitchens Oval
The opponent
After recording a premiership in 2014 in Division 2, Mt Lofty moved back up to Division One in 2015. Since then, the Devils have struggled to find consistent form finishing in 9th, 8th and 8th position on the ladder in the last three seasons.
Season 2017 saw the Devils finish in 9th position on the ladder but play some good football in the second half of the season recording victories over top 5 finishers Uraidla Districts in Round 10 and Mt Barker in Round 13. The Devils finished with the eighth best attack in the competition (56.1 points for) and the eighth best defense (89.7 points against)
In the 11 years between 2006 and 2016, Mt Lofty ranked as the fourth best attacking side (87.9 points for across Division 1 games) and the fourth best defence (73.6 points against across Division 1 games). These figures are boosted by when Mt Lofty was a powerhouse of the competition in 2006, 2007 and 2008 averaging 130, 133 and 135 points for across those seasons.
Last five matches v Mt Lofty
- R18 2018 – Blackwood 18.12.120 defeated Mt Lofty 2.9.21
- R 9 2018 – Blackwood 17.13.115 defeated Mt Lofty 13.9.87
- R11 2017 – Blackwood 9.14.68 defeated Mt Lofty 4.6.30
- R2 2017 – Blackwood 18.12.120 defeated Mt Lofty 8.4.52
- R10 2016 – Blackwood 18.15.123 defeated Mt Lofty 5.2.32
- R1 2016 – Blackwood 15.4.94 defeated Mt Lofty 11.10.76
Players to watch
Seeking to improve on 2017, the Devils have recruited over the off season. These players include:
Michael Pope
Recruited from Mt Barker, Pope has had his run of knee injuries across previous seasons. At his best, he is a solid midfielder who has the ability to move forward and kick goals. Since 2014, he played 69 matches for Mt Barker kicking 46 goals (0.67 per match) and being named in the best players on 28 games (40.6%)
Henry Pope
Also recruited from Mt Barker, he has played 65 matches since 2014 kicking 42 goals (0.65 per match) and being named in the best players on 10 games (15.4%)
Brett Pistola
Returning to the club after playing in Western Australia at the Railways Football Club, Pistola is a capable forward with a knack of knowing where the goals are located. In this 44 matches for Railways since 2014 he has kicked 65 goals (1.48 per match).
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