Final game reports from Melbourne for the New Zealand Men’s Development team.
Game 4: South Australia 14 | New Zealand 2
A strong SA team that made it to the finals of this year competition gave the boys a tough game. Good defense from SA limited the offensive threat from NZ, but our defense showed their grit as they played tough for the full 80 minutes.
Game MVP: Heath Simone
Game 5: West Australia 14 | New Zealand 3
Another tough game against a strong WA side for the kiwis. Like the SA game this was a tough defense to crack, but a great learning experience for our young midfielders who pushed everything between the lines and got a good taste of high level lacrosse.
Game MVP: Zane Smyth
Game 6 Presidents 11 | New Zealand 10
The last game of the tournament was a tough loss for the kiwis against a much stronger Presidents team. A slow start to the game, perhaps off the back of two tough games, showed early as the the team fell behind and couldn’t execute their game plan. However the team hung tough and a massive 4th quarter rally saw them come from 10-6 down to tie the game at 10-10 with 30 seconds remaining in the game. As is the cruel nature with sport sometimes, a little bit of luck can decide the game. The Presidents controlled the ball in the last 30 seconds of the game and a perfect team defense turned the ball over, only for the ball to awkwardly bounce and somehow roll into the goal to give the presidents a 11-10 lead. The Kiwis almost pulled it back once again, winning the next face off and driving in on cage and getting a shot off that hit the crossbar with 3 seconds remaining in the game… sometimes things just don’t go your way.
Game MVP: Casey McLain
Overall a good tournament for New Zealand and a great learning experience for all the players involved. We would like to thank all the organizers, refs, supports and players that made this possible. All the support from home and aboard was also greatly appreciated. Thank you all for taking part in the journey!