It was another big weekend of Albury-Wodonga Football Association action, with mixed results for Cobram across the divisions.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
In the Division One Men’s competition, it was a tough day out for the yellow and black, with the side going down to Wangaratta 2-0 away from home.
Goals on either side of half-time to the home side proved too much for the Roar and coach Vince Iannucci said with a number of players out of the squad it was a difficult day out.
“That was the strongest side that Wangaratta will put on the park this year,” Iannucci said.
“Are they two goals better than us? Man for man absolutely not, but on the day they were, I’m not going to argue that point.”
Cobram was without Spiros Vourgaslis, Thomas Corso, Florian Dambricourt and Bill Puckett for the clash, with a number of division two players stepping up.
While the result could see the Roar concede top position on the ladder to Albury United, Iannucci was optimistic as the season drew closer to an end.
“There’s five games to go in the season and if we win all of them we win the league,” he said.
“At the end of the day we’re going to play in the finals so it’s not the end of the world.
“We can only do what we can do with the personnel at hand.”
A number of the players that missed Sunday’s game return this weekend, with the side travelling to Myrtleford.
The Sunday afternoon clash is sure to be another tricky contest for the Roar, but if the side is to secure top spot on the ladder it is a must-win.
– Daniel Webb
Division two men
Cobram Roar
A quick start from the young roar team saw Rocky Perri score two goals in quick succession.
A series of errors and lack of experience saw Wangaratta back in the game and take the lead into the break.
A free kick to Taner Tekin resulted in Cobram’s third goal but the opposition was too strong on the day and the win went to Wangaratta.
Goals: Rocky Perri 2, Taner Tekin 1
Division two women
Cobram Roar 2 d Wangaratta 0
The women took on third-placed Wangaratta in what was an early and very cold and wet morning on Sunday.
With the women’s squad missing the captain and goalkeeper Judy Cakebread due to illness, the focus for the game was supporting young goalkeeper Helena Zito and helping her keep a clean sheet.
The conditions and surface of the pitch were very unpredictable, with simple passes hard to judge.
Cobram created many chances in the first half, but credit to Wang's goalkeeper, who made some incredible saves.
The scores were level at 0-0 at the half-time break.
The second half was very similar to the first with the Roar dominating possession, but unable to score.
After 50 minutes of play the Roar scored its first goal through Laydah Samani, who struck a wonderful shot from 25 yards to beat the goalkeeper.
Moments later the side scored again, with great ball movement through the middle out to Alyssa Iannucci who showed individual greatness to beat four Wang players and cross the ball into the 18-yard box with her left foot to Jenna Mason, who hit the ball for a great finish.
The game continued to be dominated by Roar.
As the clock was running low, the side kept grinding to keep that clean sheet and Zito made a few great saves of her own to keep that clean sheet.
This win sees the side one step closer to being league champions.
Under-16
Cobram Roar 3 d Wangaratta 2
The boys headed to Wangaratta in freezing conditions for a crucial away game against a very strong opponent.
The boys started very well with an excellent early goal but found themselves behind 2-1 at the break.
The boys were challenged to increase their intensity and, in perhaps their best half of the season, were able to fight back and win 3-2.
An excellent performance.
Goals: Jackson Koopman 2, Luke Goodin 1
Under-14
Cobram Roar 2 d Wangaratta 1
The under-14 team played a closely contested match in cold and wet conditions, which saw the half-time score level at 0-0 with very few scoring opportunities.
The players battled and found their rhythm in second half and were able to get two goals on the board to win the game 2-1.
Goals: George Wiles 1, Ted Thomas 1
Under-14 girls
Cobram Roar 5 d Wangaratta 2
Roar came out strong in trying winter conditions.
Improved positioning allowed good ball flow by the side.
A number of well-placed throw-ins from the defence combined with a solid team effort in the fast-paced offensive line, helped the side take home the points, with a 5-2 win.
Under-13
Cobram Roar 1 lost to Wangaratta 5
Wangaratta scored its first goal early in the game, leaving Cobram on the back foot.
Goalkeeper Alex Hawke moved with confidence around the box, making several great saves.
Despite Roar’s efforts, the half-time score was 4-0 in Wangaratta’s favour.
The second half saw Cobram Roar players come out to the pitch with more confidence, creating lots of great plays in both defence and attacking lines.
Their efforts in the forward line paid off with a great goal from Lenny Power.
Wangaratta scored a late goal, leaving the score line at Cobram Roar 1 to Wangaratta 5.
Goals: Lenny Power 1
Under-12
Cobram Roar 2 d Wangaratta 0
The Cobram Roar boys arrived feeling excited, pumped and ready to face Wangaratta away from home.
The game kicked off and the boys knew this was an important game to win, with some great passing connections from Owen Stubbs and Jeremy Egan creating chances.
Defending centre back duo Lachlan Pardy and Will Hutchinson kept up a rock solid wall at the back, making sure the opposition stayed goalless.
The half ended with the scores level at 0-0.
A massive second half was needed to get the young Roar boys across the line.
Only one minute into the half Harvey Boake dribbled past the defenders and scored.
Massive work ethic from Henry Watmore and Jack Woods pushed for a goal to win the match and did so through Boake, who grabbed his second goal in the 2-0 win.
Another great performance from the young Roar side getting back-to-back wins, well done boys.
Goals: Harvey Boake 2
Daniel is a passionate sports fan and proud Tasmanian.