WAUCHOPE Axemen claimed the inaugural under-14 Football Mid North Coast zone championship with a 5-0 hammering of Gloucester on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In registering the five-goal win, the Axemen completed an undefeated season where they did not concede a goal in their two finals matches.
They capped it off with another clean sheet in the match against the best from the southern part of the zone.
Coach Marcus Cutler admitted their cause was helped by a Gloucester side who were running on tired legs.
“We found out that they had a triathlon the day before,” he said.
“Without sounding too obnoxious we took the foot off the pedal in the second half when the result was beyond doubt.”
The Axemen led 3-0 at the break and cruised through the second half.
“We had a look at the way they got into the match and expected them to come back, but it didn’t happen,” he said.
Cutler said the ease at which they dominated the game provided the opportunity to try players in new positions.
“We thought we would give some of our players experience in a big game in a few different positions,” he said.
The Wauchope coach admitted it had been difficult to prepare, but he was proud of the way his players responded.
“It’s really difficult to play a team you’ve never played before, but the whole team handled the occasion really well,” he said.
“It ended up being one-way traffic.”
Cutler said it was a bonus to receive support from the club in the stands.
“We had quite a big support base in the crowd from family, friends and a couple of our Premier League and ladies team players came out too which was good to see,” he said.