The Final Two Cents - Closing Ceremony, Tournament Function and Summary

Following our final game the team stuck around the stadium to enjoy the games left on show. The Bronze medal game was a tight tussle, Hong Kong taking third over Australia in golden goal much the the joy of our Hong Kong native Carl Chung.


Chinese Taipei again proved why they are leagues ahead in this part of the world taking the gold medal 43-16.

After the closing ceremony, teams made their way to a local hotel for the after-tournament function. Ale was flowing and the food was struggling to get past the Chinese contingent to the rest of the room. Special mentions were given to the tournaments top male and female goal scorers from Chinese Taipei, both cracking the 50 barrier. A tournament All-Star team was named with NZ's own Simon Cooper deservedly being named as one of the six boys on the back of some special performances on court. 

Once again the Kiwi's and Aussie's proved their prowess on the dance floor with Special Te Pou shuffling his way to dance floor legend status. Photobombing was another skill that came to the fore, I'm sure many of the players will get some surprises when the review their photos at home!!

The Adelaide night life was calling and many continued the night at some of the local establishments with our Aussie tour guides. As for the stories.......well what goes on tour eh!!


The next morning was to be a tough one, as the crew with at best a few hours of sleep under our belts, had to be at the airport by 6am. I'm sure it'll be a long journey home after the richly deserved celebrations the night before.


It was tough saying goodbye to the team as they boarded the plane. We have shared so much as a group through this week and over the past nine months that we all have special meaning to each other now.


I know that the future of Korfball in NZ will be bright with the right player and coach development. Each and every person involved with this side has grown stronger for the experiences. Development at a local level is now key and strengthening our international experiences with more trips overseas to raise our playing level. A trip to train and play in Taipei may be on the cards and fingers crossed with our bid to host the 2015 World Champs!


Keep smiling all and be proud of what you have achieved!!

Day 9 - Bateup is Cool and its Rosa’s Birthday!

Yeah….. Sarah wrote the title for today’s post!

So to the final day to round off what is most likely the most physically and mentally taxing week of the lives of any of the team members.

Fortunately for many weary bodies the were no training sessions today but that meant a whiteboard (in our case it was cardboard!) session to cover the key point and tactics we needed to undertake on court against China. I think Coach needs to work on his artistic skills a bit but his ‘creative’ drawings caused much amusement for the team!

Today was a special day as one of our co-captains Rosa Cooper was turning 23 today and after a tournament of struggling with leg injuries she was looking to celebrate with a win and stronger performance on court (not to mention a few beverages later on in the evening!!).

A final pre-game performance of Tutira Mai was performed on the bus by a pensive looking kiwi side. As we entered the stadium to Rise Up we passed a typical sight that was around all week, the Chinese having their pre-game cigarette outside the stadium. It’s hard to comprehend after the changes that have been made in NZ how smoking is such a normal part of the Chinese culture.

Today’s pre-game talk was about reflecting on the journey till this point, the people that have helped get us here and turning that into motivation for on court. A pumped up yet apprehensive NZ side took to the court. Attack Simon Cooper, Spencer Te Pou, Alisha Muir, Natasha Van Vuuren. Defence Carl Chung, Mikey Graham, Sarah Bateup and Rosa Cooper (C).

The game was to be typically physically intense as the size and basketball background of the Chinese players was evident. NZ began looking very promising, with the most cohesive attacking structure of the week being displayed on court.  After Simon Cooper and Xiao yang Liu traded two penalties each, the score was locked at 5-5 after 20 minutes. The seesaw first half continued with both sides showing good attacking play but neither being able to gain ascendancy in the game, China leading at half time 9-8.

The turning point in the game came at the start of the second half with China pressuring the NZers hard, scoring two quick goals and taking a three-goal lead in the game for the first time. We continued to hover two to three goals behind for the first 10 minutes until coach Garrett introduced the speed of Jamie Osborne with immediate effect. A subsequent penalty allowed the kiwi’s to close within one. China responded with a couple of sharp shots from distance to quickly return the lead to four goals. New Zealand continued to fight hard but could not recover from those two small patches where China took control. China took the game and the first reserve spot for world champs 21-19.

The two-goal margin was a vast improvement on the 11-goal loss earlier in the week but the result was still a painful one for the Kiwi’s. Again, coach Garrett summed things up fairly but noting that simple errors cost us the game but the performance on court today reflected the incredible growth of the team this week. He was heartened by that fact and stressed his excitement about the future of Korfball back in New Zealand if we can retain players and build on the momentum gained this week.

On a personal note, I am immensely proud of what this young team has achieved and the growth in each and every player both on and off court, not just through this week but also through the whole campaign. I can’t wait for you all to join me on court as members of the NZ senior team to help build a bright future for Korfball in our country and for us on the international stage!!

Day 8 - The Trans-Tasman Battle

There was little riding on day eight of the tournament for the New Zealand team after losing the China yesterday we were unable to progress above the battle for 5^th and 6^th tomorrow.

Dj S², Spencer ‘Special’ Te Pou earned Koru for the day for his weeklong effort at inspiring the team through his music and helping lead the daily Tutira Mai rendition on the team bus to the stadium.

The game against Australia was about putting some plans into place for the playoff on Saturday and also seeing who would earn their spot in the starting line up for the final day. The starting attack was Simon Cooper, Neville Brooker, Helen Abernethy and Natasha Van Vuuren. Starting in defence were Carl Chung, Spencer Te Pou, Alex Clark (C) and Lucy Bolton.

In the first play of the game Simon Cooper continued his fine form converting a 7m shot to give NZ an early lead. However, basic errors, poor ball retention and a lack of structure on attack quickly hurt the kiwis with Australia scoring 12 goals to NZ’s two through the mid stages of the first half. Late in the half two further goals each to Te Pou and Cooper closed the gap to leave NZ trailing 14-8 at the half.

Five changes were made by the teams during the break to give players a chance to stake a claim for the all-important game tomorrow.

Australia continued to show their dominance over a kiwi side that struggled today. A 10-1 run for the Skippies sealed the game through the start of the second half as the eventually closed out the game 29-12. Spencer Te Pou had his most complete performance of the tournament thus far, scoring five, being more active around the court and most likely earning him a starting spot tomorrow.

On the menu for tomorrows battle is the size of China who will be desperate to repeat their comprehensive victory over the kiwi side from earlier in the tournament.

Day 7 – Judgement Day vs China and a Coming of Age!

Today was the day our goal of making the top four and heading to Barcelona was on the line.

After yesterday’s antics many people had put their hands up for the distinguished honour of Koru’s caregiver for the day. The lucky recipient was Alisha Muir partly for the entertainment of pushing Nev in the pool while wearing only a towel and also for freaking out Sarah Bateup with her best impression of the Shakespeare Stabber or Stabby Mc Stab Stab. Not to mention the burning bottom incident……I’ll let her tell that story.

Koru ended up having a great day with Alisha, having more outfit changes than Nev Brooker at a Justin Beiber concert!

China had not had a successful tournament thus far, being winless till this point, but still challenging some of the stronger sides with their size and accurate shooting from close to the korf, only losing to Hong Kong in golden goal.

The game was again about putting a plan in place to combat their strengths while still focusing on playing within our structure. Starting in attack Simon Cooper, Spencer Te Pou, Alisha, Muir, Natasha Van Vuuren, and on defence Mikey Graham, Carl Chung, Rosa Cooper and Sarah Bateup.

The plan was to giving up contesting the rebound against their big boys in favour of reducing their shooting opportunities around the korf. Initially this paid huge dividends as we quickly built a 3-1 lead on the back of many defended calls against the Chinese from close to the korf. Unfortunately, defensive errors crept into the game of the kiwi’s allowing China to go on a six goal run before NZ coach Garrett called a time out. While the break halted China’s charge, the rest of the first half was frustrating for us as any time we gained some momentum a defensive mistake again gave China the ascendancy leaving us trailing 10-18 at half time.

New Zealand captain was building what was looking like a promising game with four goals in the first half and showing a high degree of control in shredding the Chinese defence.

China started the second half the stronger of the two teams scoring five early goals, only punctuated by a single goal to the NZ captain. With the game effectively over, both sides made a number of changes and during the final stanza the young Kiwi’s outscored China by 9-8, with Simon Cooper adding three further goals for a total of eight for the game, the highest by a NZer in a single international game.

The disappointment of losing this game and consequently being resigned to playing in the 5^th/6^th playoff on the final day was evident in the team after the game. However, Coach Garrett lifted the team by focusing on the positives of the game, our progression in on-court team play and our ability to put 20 goals on the board.

For both Coach Garrett and this physio who has played his entire Korf career with Simon, this game was a special moment. It represented the coming of age in his career as for the first time he controlled a game and scored freely against a tough defence. Today, a Korfball star from NZ was born on the international stage. There is no limit to what you can achieve mate, very very proud of you!

Lack of Posts

Sorry all, have ended up being a bit swamped dealing with injuries to haven't had time to do the blog. Will put the posts up from the last days later on today and give you all the low down from the end of the tournament!!

Pics From Day 6

Team foam roller torture

Star foam roller exponents Bateup and Osborne

Team Lunch :-)

Pool session with great dolphin impressions

Aquasize

Quiz Time - Rob's deep in thought!

Day 6 - R&R

After one tough day yesterday on the court, it was time for some time freedom.

Writing an entry in Koru's Korfball Adventures diary has become a task for those who have been Koru's minder for the day. There are some hilarious entries which I'll find some time to put some info up from sometime soon. For now, today Koru was passed on to one of our co-captains Rosa Cooper! Rosa earned this honour be being a great friend to Bubbles and providing some great spooning action to Rosa on the physio's bed.

The drive down to Mark's place in Willunga, an hour south, scenically wasn't that exciting but Neville Brooker had his nose pressed to the glass the whole way searching for a Kangaroo. Koru also had an eventful interview with Bubbles and Rosa, a video that has to be seen to be explained.

Once at Mark's place, after some emailing and skyping catch up with people back home, the physio put his torture hat on. Foam rollers were the device of choice, for those who haven't come across them before, they are dense foam cylinders that can be used in different ways. We worked on massaging our leg muscles to the sound of many groans from the players and chuckles of laughter from the physio!

After Mark's son Lachy served us his famous spag bol, some free time after lunch brought about many entertaining moments. The pool became to centre of attention after some piggy-back tennis. Bevan the team physio managed to attain the honour of being the first person to be pushed in Mark's pool, including being fully clothed, thanks to the wonderful Sarah Bateup. Needless to say, payback after the chase around the house was worth it as Bateup became the second person to end up in the pool fully clothed! That theme continued as Nev Brooker left himself wide open while standing in just a towel by the pool and Alisha Muir took full advantage, sending Nev plunging into the water below. Simon Cooper and Carl Chung also showed off their prowess as swimmers from their past sporting lives.


Once out of the pool seven people managed to squeeze into Mark's shower and I think you all need to ask Mikey Graham about his choice of underwear!!


The afternoon was rounded off with a game of 3 truths before dinner. Each player wrote down three true statements on a piece of paper, these were split into a 3 round quiz. It was a great way to learn some fun facts about each other including one individuals ability to eat and apple with her feet while reading a book!! Rosa Cooper took top place with Alisha Muir a close second.


Everyone was feeling much more physically and mentally brighter after a day away from the stadium and the hostel. We are looking forward to the challenge of China tomorrow in a must win game to make the top four.


PS - Photos will come soon.

Day 5 - Two Games.....it's getting hard core!

Day five, physically and mentally one of the toughest day we were going to have on tour! Two games against Hong Kong and Malaysia, both games we were capable of winning if we were able to continue to progress from the improvements made so far this tournament.


As a result of having two games we decided to flag our usual morning training in favour of a a much needed sleep in. Our most avid slumberer Lucy Bolton seemed particularly happy about this idea!


Koru also continued his journey by being awarded to the inspirational Helen Abernethy for the constant positiveness and energy she displayed in overcoming her ankle injury!


Game one for the day vs Hong Kong began with Simon Cooper (C), Mikey Graham, Alisha Muir and Natasha Van Vuuren in attack with Carl Chung, Neville Brooker, Rosa Cooper and Sarah Bateup in defence. Thanks to some inside knowledge from Carl, we were able to set up a plan to support our female players as our main attackers and rebounders.


Early on the plan was used to good effect with top-scorer for the game Natasha Van Vuuren draining consecutive six metre shots from the same spot on the court to draw us level at 3-3. As the first half wore on, defense dominated heavily but late in the half Tash grabbed another two goals to again tie the game at 7-7. A flurry of action in the last three minutes saw Hong Kong leading by one at half time 10-9.


The second half saw Hong Kong make a key substitution in bringing on the tournaments leading goal scorer. He had an immediate impact and created more attacking opportunities which our defenders struggled to cope with. A six-goal run from Hong Kong effectively put the game beyond our grasp at 18-11. The Kiwi's continued to fight, closing out the game 20-14.


Again, there were some very encouraging signs during this game with the team able to better implement desired game plans but an inability to consistently put the ball through the Korf and missing shots from close to the hoop, has been holding the team back from achieving great things.


After a quick dinner it was back to the stadium to duke in out in round two for the day. Our opponents Malaysia, while playing in their first international tournament, had proved with results to this point that they were not to be taken too lightly. Admittedly, they look pretty cool with the entire team wearing matching shoes. Although Hong Kong would have to get the award for team with the coolest shoes overall!


This game was a significant moment for the squad with the only player yet to take the court finally being able to make her debut for NZ! Helen Abernethy had proven herself through fitness tests in the morning and with the help of a bit of tape and our good friend voltaren she managed to play the full 60 minutes.


Starting attack Mikey Graham (C, being rewarded with captaincy for the game as our usual captains were being rested), Spencer Te Pou, Jamie Osborne, Helen Abernethy and defence Carl Chung, Alex Van Schaardenburg, Alex Clark and Sarah Bateup.


With two early goals it looked like this should be a comfortable game, however Malaysia quickly proved how much they have grown through this tournament scoring seven straight goals! After calling a time-out to address the fact we were being given feed, the gap slowly closed and we trailied 7-10 at half time.


Half time consisted of a bit of a bollocking for the team with Coach Garrett particularly frustrated with the lack of identification of easy attacking opportunities. Needless to say most spectators were also pretty stunned with the half time score!


The second half started with NZ slipping to four goals down and things were starting to look a a bit grim. However, NZ started to gain some ascendancy on attack and five straight goals including two each from Sarah Bateup and Spencer Te Pou put us back in the lead with 11 minutes to play. New Zealand continued to look more controlled over the closing stages with Malaysia beginning to panic on attack. Spence added his forth for the game to earn NZ our first win for the tournament at 16-13. 


It was a huge relief to get that monkey off our back. While it was highly frustrating to have to dig ourselves out of the hole we put ourselves in, to have achieved that and keep our chances of making the top four still alive certainly brought a lot of smiles to the changing room.


The Malaysian game was another massive learning curve for this young team and as each game goes by we see growth within the team both on and off court that reminds us why we do this and the joy we get from it.


A much needed rest day is ahead tomorrow with the plan being to head down to coach's house in Willunga, an hour south of Adelaide, to chill and have a swim in his new pool!

Day 4 - The Full Story incl. Match Report vs India

Day 4 of our journey and the second day of matches was always going to be a crux point for our young side.

We woke in the morning to the good news of the rapid improvement Helen 'Bubbles' Abernethy's ankle sprain. While she wasn't going to be ready to take the court today, all signs are looking good for her to make her debut soon. It's amazing what someone can do with a disciplined approach to her rehab and positive attitude. Helen must also get a mention here as being a huge inspiration to the team through her unrelenting positivity through this challenge for her. Helen said she has learned a lot about our game play from being able to observe from the sideline. All other players' niggles seem to be well managed at the moment.

Koru continued his latest Korfball adventure by being presented to Lucy Bolton for her effort in her international debut the previous day. Koru, who was gifted to Korfball by our mentors Grahame and Doreen Felton when the senior side traveled to China last year, said this of his latest experience "Cheep, cheep.......cheep........cheep, cheep, cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!" Unfortunately at this stage no one has mastered the translation of Kiwi however, if we ever need to translate Horse, Sarah Bateup is the girl to call! (If you were at the hypnotist night, you'll know what I mean)

Anyway, enough of my randomness.......on to the match vs India.

India were always going to be a team who looked to try and dominate the Korf area and push for run-in shots. We picked a team to start the game who could best combat their unique style and six-foot plus male players. Starting in attack was Simon Cooper, Mikey Graham, Alisha Muir and Jamie Osborne with our starting defence Rosa Cooper (C), Sarah Bateup, Spencer Te Pou and Carl Chung.

New Zealand and India in the pre-game line up.

The kiwi sides starting eight singing the national anthem.

Once the game started it was clear the Indian side were not going to bring any surprises to the court, sticking to the style of play the worked effectively for them against Australia the previous day. During this mornings training, we put a defensive plan in place to combat this. Our plan certainly worked well, limiting India's attacking opportunities throughout the game. However, early in the game, silly defensive errors allowed the Indian side to score three of their first four goals through penalties. At the other end of the court, we were creating effective attacking opportunities but lacked the finishing finesse, missing too many easy shots from under the hoop.


The game continued to be played in a physical way, typical of the Indian style, through until half time where they held a 16-5 lead.


New Zealand began to stronger of the two teams in the second half and looked more threatening in attack as some shots began to drop. Mikey Graham continued his highly impressive debut with some very effective work around the Korf both in rebounding and limiting the opposition attacking opportunities. Coach Mark Garrett called his performance one of the best he had seen by a kiwi at international level. We closed the gap to trail 19-10 but basic defensive errors continued to hurt the team. The NZ team worked hard to create scoring chances but all to frequently the Indian side would be allowed to score a simple goal at the other end of the court. Lucy Bolton and Neville Brooker were substituted for Jamie Osborne and Spencer Te Pou respectively in the second half. Sarah Bateup also capped off a solid performance, bagging four goals for the game.


Towards the end of the game the Indian shooters also started to find their range further from the Korf and ran out winners 29-15.


While for the team there was some satisfaction gained from putting plans in to place during the game, there was an overarching sense of frustration afterwards in knowing that an opportunity had slipped by.  This match proved that while we are heading in the right direction as a young Korfball nation, our accuracy in all aspects of the game, particularly shooting, must improve for us to overtake nations like India in the long term.


As is our normal routine, the evening ended with individual player reviews from the coaching staff, an exercise in self-reflection that is key for our development both as players and as people.


Special mention must also be given to Helen Timms for her tireless work this morning overcoming a few gear challenges we faced and for always providing the team with great food to keep the energy flowing.

Tomorrow we have a big day with games against Hong Kong, who lost to Australia in golden goal this evening, and Malaysia who are continuing to develop through the tournament. No training in the morning as a result so time for me to catch a few winks, count some sheep and catch you all tomorrow!

Day 3 - The Rest of the Goss

Day three started with Carl Chung being awarded Koru for the day. Sarah Bateup made a lovely speech about how Carl, an ex-Hong Kong player now living in New Zealand, has become a truly integral part of our New Zealand team culture and an inspiration to others within the team for the energy he brings to our family!

Carl and his new buddy Koru

Carl also managed to get the entire Hong Kong team to high five Koru on the team bus!


Other highlights of the day were the opening ceremony. Alex Clark was awarded the honour of leading our team out, reflecting the many years of service she has given to the game of Korfball in NZ. The brief opening ceremony was capped off by a former Australian player singing Waltzing Matilda..........what is up with the Aussie's obsession with this song??!!! Can't see how it can fire you up like a good old Haka. PS - we not doing any Haka's over hear but hoping to teach Carl how to do one by the end of the tournament.

Malaysia, India, Australia and China about to walk out to opening ceremony

After the opening ceremony a few of the teams spent some time getting to know each other. This always has to be one of the highlights of any tournament like this; meeting, greeting and understanding different cultures from around the world. Spencer 'Special' Te Pou and the NZ team physio spent plenty of time perfecting their photo bombing skills, especially with the Malaysian team who couldn't stop laughing at these silly lads!


The day ended with one of the big shocks of the Korfball in this part of the world with India beating Australia 23-18. 


Tomorrow we play India, a key game for us and we got to RISE UP.

Rosa, Helen and Bevan dominating the back seat of the bus1

Day 3 - Match Reprt vs Chinese Taipei

Welcome in international Korfball NZ U23s!! The toughest task possible presented itself in our first game facing the defending champions and one of the top teams in the world Chinese Taipei.

After an inspirational pre-game build up reflecting on where we had come from and all the hurdles the team had overcome to be here, our starting eight took the court. Helen Abernethy was intended to start the game but unfortunately during training that morning she sprained her ankle and had to be rested. Starting in attack for the first game Simon Cooper (C), Neville Brooker, Alisha Muir, Natasha Van Vuuren and starting defence Spencer Te Pou, Alex Van Schaardenburg, Lucy Bolton, Alex Clark. Watching our team sing the national anthem before the game with such passion was an emotional sight for this physio.


As expected Taipei began strongly and asserted their dominance quickly through accurate passing and deadly shooting accuracy. By the time NZ was forced to use the first of our time outs half way through the first half, Taipei had reached a 12-2 lead. Following the time out we started to look a bit more settled on court and created more effective scoring opportunities. However, all too often aggressive team defence from Taipei forced our young team to shoot from 8-10m, allowing Taipei to go into half time 23-6 up.

At half time the typically passionate coach Mark Garrett asked the players to focus on maintaining our team structure to create better scoring opportunities. Jamie Osborne was substituted for Alisha Muir.

Early in the second half, Sarah Bateup substituted for Lucy Bolton and had an immediate impact on settling our attacking patterns. Taipei eased back on their defensive pressure allowing more freedom in our attack half. The difficulty came in maintaining possession as we would get one shot and Taipei would crash the hoop and control the rebound. With our shooting accuracy being lower than that of the opposition, Taipei continued to run away with the game. Bateup tweaked an ankle with 10 minutes to play and was subbed out of the game for Rosa Cooper. Towards the end of the game Neville Brooker capped off a solid shooting effort with his 3rd goal as the game ended at 43-11 in favour of the tournament favourites.


Coach Mark Garrett called the game "A valuable learning experience" and Simon Cooper, captaining his first game for his country "a huge honour, especially against one of the best teams in the world"

First Game Day

Ata marie!!

Just thought I would jump on here before our training this morning to remind you about the live feed IKF runs of the game progress. Just click on the link below, then click on the game you want to watch and the game progress will update infront of your eyes! http://www.worldkorfball.org/competitions/59.html

Alright, we are off to training now. Yeah for those who don't know how a Korfball tournament runs each morning the teams will train for an hour with the opposition doing the same at the other end of the court, before playing the game in the afternoon/evening.

See you back here later on with the match report and run down of the opening day of AOYKC 2011! 

RISE UP!

The Low Down from Adelaide Day 2 - 9/7/2011

Told ya it was going to be an epic blogging session so I could catch up but here is the last one for tonight.........although still battling with the sound flushing water about to hit my head and creaking floor boards up stairs reminding me about aftershocks back in Christchurch!

Everyone now seems to be settling into tournament life.......finding out which shower works best, which pillow is just right to rest weary heads on and the finer tactical points of the card game Kings and Assholes (or Scum as some people know it). All the essentials seem to be falling into place!

After a rather tasty batch of poached free-range eggs for breakfast cooked by Rosa Cooper, our captain both on court and in gastronomic satisfaction, we jumped on the bus to our morning training session and first look at our playing venue the Distinctive Homes Dome - home of the Adelaide 36ers basketball team.

As with all Korfball tournaments, morning trainings are the norm and today we were joined by the Aussie's on our bus ride to the stadium. After welcoming the green and golds on to the bus with an 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi' chant we continued with tradition as Koru the Kiwi was passed on. Natasha Van Vuuren deservedly awarded him to Sarah Bateup for her stand out performance against Australia the previous evening. DJ Spencer Te Pou was on top form again with supporting tunes as the team cranked out stunning versions of Tutira Mai and Ten Guitars. We also introduced the Aussie crew our favourite 'Arrow' game. For those who haven't seen this before, the way it works is that you say someone's name and if they turn around without saying anything you can shoot them with a pretend blow dart. Once shot, the person must sit down in that exact spot and not move until someone else removes the arrow! However, if the person who's name has been said, verbally responds to the person who shoots the arrow, the arrow rebounds back and the shooter must sit until the arrow is removed. More stories on this later in this post!

We arrived at the venue and walked in to our team song Rise Up by Six60! Stepping in to this vast stadium was a little different from the school gyms we have been used to training in till this point. We had a solid 90 minute training session where the team showed real progress from the lessons learned the previous evening and our structure really seems to be gelling well. Everyone is hanging out to test ourselves tomorrow against one of the best teams in the world.

The bus ride back provided one of the hilarious highlights of the day when Mikey 'RJ' Graham, the arrow games keenest exponent got hit in the isle of the bus by our head coach Mark Garrett and had a uncomfortable trip back! Karma eh Mikey!

With the free afternoon we caught a tram out to Glenelg, a seaside suburb of Adelaide. This was a great chance for the team to unwind and enjoy some of the benefits of playing international sport and seeing new sights. After arriving in Glenelg we took a stroll along the jetty, one which was typically interrupted by more arrow shooting! If you are a fan of gelato make your way here! We have never seen so many places selling the drool-inducing stuff in such a small area........sweet-tooth paradise! Pretty cool sunset to end the trip with too.

The evening was rounded off with confirmation of the new draw, meetings to prepare the players for tomorrow's first game and some inspirational posters with key phrases from our mentors Grahame and Doreen Felton.

NZ U23's tomorrow we RISE UP!

The Bunk Cave

Here is the pic I promised from an earlier blog........the team's bunk cave, spare time spent well I think!

 

New Draw Confirmed

Bit of an update if you haven't already seen the news from another source........Pakistan were a late withdrawal from the tournament, reducing AOYKC 2011 to seven teams. Tonight a new draw was confirmed and is below.

We now play a full round robin with a final's day to determine overall rankings. Beginning with the toughest task of Chinese Taipei tomorrow.

Sunday 10 July       

1330  Hong Kong v Malaysia

1520  Chinese Taipei v New Zealand

1710  China v Hong Kong

1835  Opening Ceremony

1930  Australia v India

Monday 11 July                        

1400  Australia v Malaysia

1550  India v New Zealand

1740  Chinese Taipei v China

1930  Australia v Hong Kong

Tuesday 12 July                        

1210 India v Malaysia

1400 New Zealand v Hong Kong

1550 India v Chinese Taipei

1740 Australia v China

1930 New Zealand v Malaysia

Wednesday 13 July

Rest day

Thursday 14 July

1400  Chinese Taipei v Malaysia

1550  India v Hong Kong

1740  New Zealand v China

1930  Chinese Taipei v Australia

Friday 15 July        

1400  China v Malaysia

1550 Chinese Taipei v Hong Kong

1740 Australia v New Zealand

1930 China v India

Saturday 16 July                        

1000 R7 v local

1200 R5 v R6

1400 R3 v R4

1600 R1 v R2

(local time in Adelaide is GMT +9:30 hours)

Match Report - NZ vs Aus friendly

Rapid late night blogging time so I can catch up, sorry been a bit loaded up with other tasks.......

This was to be the first international sporting experience for many of the team. The excitement was evident, the opportunity to represent New Zealand proudly and learn from the experience of playing against a team who have been training together for twice as long as us.

The game was set down for 3x15 thirds. 


The game started at a very high tempo with both teams eager to put months of preparation in to place. Initially, Australia started the more controlled of the two teams and settled into a rhythm more quickly. The ability of the more experienced Australians to control the rebound and maintain possession was evident early on. Spencer Te Pou slotted our first two goals which was later followed by Mikey Graham converting a free pass and we ended the first third 9-4 down.

Australia had been attacking strongly through their female players and both teams made changes to test different combinations on court. We started to play with more structure in the second stanza and began to dominate on court to create better attacking opportunities. Sarah Bateup scored her first international goal to bring the score to 10-5 and later in the third Alisha Muir nailed a glorious long shot as we fought back to trail by three at 11-8 at the end of the second third.

After more substitutions, Australia played with increased intensity over the final third as our players began to become more weary. The game ended at 21-11 to Australia as they were able to create and convert more simple scoring opportunities.
One strong positive was the reduction in the number of mistakes and turnovers we made from contact fouls. However, the referees in the tournament may see life differently so we do need to keep right on top of that aspect of the game.

This first hit out was a great learning experience for the team and will put us in a much better frame of mind heading in to the first game of tournament.

Day 1 in Adelaide 08/07/2011

Welcome to our first full day in Adelaide (yeah, I know that was yesterday but this will catch me up).

Was an interesting nights sleep, when the toilet flushes in this place it sounds like the water is running down the wall and about to land on your head. Other than that we are settling in well and the team vibe is growing stronger and stronger.

It was a pretty relaxed day, setting out routines and plans for how things will run for the rest of the week. Points for the "What's Korfball game" continued to rise at a rapid rate with all information being stored in The Guide for later use.


We were lucky enough to meet our first team from another country in the afternoon. While we were doing a tactical walk through in a park outside out our hostel, the Malaysian team arrived to spend some time observing us. After a quick meet and greet the rain cut the session short........Adelaide has really been turning on the weather for us.......if you like West Coast style rain!

After a pretty amazing dinner, we headed to a gym for our friendly game against the Australian U23s. I'll put up a full match report later on today with some photos Steve Cooper kindly took for us.

Koru had a great day hanging out with Tash, even doing some bungy jumping and hanging out in the sweet cave we made with our bunks!

See you later on for the match report from the Aussie game. RISE UP NZ U23s!!