THE WRAP Round 4 - AJAX Football Club

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                            THE WRAP
                                    Round 4
Round 4 marks the completion of the grading period for season 2022. Some
fantastic games were played out in front of a number of very excited mums
celebrating Mother’s Day. The U12 Girls continued their fine form, whilst the U12
Comets, U13 Rockets, U13 Stars, U14 Jets, U15 Comets and U17 Comets all
notched up impressive wins. The U14 Girls came agonisingly close, going down by
the narrowest of margins. Good luck to all teams as we move into Round 5. We
look forward to seeing you out and about in the new 50 year anniversary hoodies
(to be handed out at training – samples nicely modelled below).

         AJAX_JFC                                                         Ajax JFC

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                THE WRAP

Around the grounds - Mother’s Day snaps

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                THE WRAP
Around the grounds - Mother’s Day snaps

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

            THE WRAP
Around the grounds – milestones

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

            THE WRAP
Around the grounds – milestones

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

          THE WRAP

         Around the grounds

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

          THE WRAP

         Around the grounds

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

          THE WRAP
       Around the grounds

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

          THE WRAP
       Around the grounds

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

          THE WRAP
       Around the grounds

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                THE WRAP
                                  Match reports
U8 Rockets
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. That sums up the morning for the U8 Rockets
who once again managed to rise to another level against their toughest opponent to date. Brighton
Beach’s star-studded lineup of ex AFL stars’ sons threw everything at us. But the gritty and
determined Rockets stood tall and proud. The Rockets made a strong start with Stub and Co-Captain
Godlewicz controlling the midfield while Lewski and Kagan were impenetrable across half-back.
Asher Onas had an early dose of leather poisoning up forward, while Gelbart inspired his teammates
with a sensational chase-down tackle. Weinstein read the play to perfection up forward alongside
Beckman, who looked dangerous. Dickman and Adler got busy in the midfield, while Appel was a
rock in defence with a courageous goal-line tackle. Isaacs had a terrific third quarter with multiple
clearances. Sutton got tackled, bounced straight back up and then used his speed to chase down his
opponent in one of the plays of the day, while Kagan whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his 5-
minute purple patch up forward. Lewski’s foot passing to teammates in Q4 was excellent team play.

U8 Stars
Captains Kai Raleigh and Jack Hearst revved their teammates up before the bounce calling for strong
efforts in their address. The Stars midfield delivered, winning the hard ball and gaining early
advantage in territory. Jordan Levin, Eden Granek and Jakey Krampel were super while Gabe Stiglitz
stood firm in defence on his Jackas debut. The first half continued to ebb and flow in a grinding
battle with only moments of individual brilliance able to wrestle momentum in the home side’s
favour. Captain Kai rucked strongly while Brooks continued to throw his body at everything. Ong
excelled down back while Mac was having a breakout game showing tremendous courage and
discipline. Borowski saved a certain goal in the third leaving his direct opponent and delivering a
bruising bump, winning possession for his team. Flamm and Besser worked hard in the midfield but
the forward line were starved of possession. Joffe was sensational at CHB in the last, intercepting
several Vampire attacks; was well supported by Sherr and Silver. Michaels carried 4 opponents on
his back as he surged forward in one of the plays of the season. After the game, the AJAX mums
joined in the team circle with their sons.

U9 Rockets
The U9 Rockets were happy to be back at Princes Park for the first home game of the season. The
players were led out by captains Nussbaum and Siegel with mums in hand to celebrate Mother’s
Day. The captains both gave great speeches to get everyone pumped up before the opening bounce.
The first quarter started well with all players showing great intensity and effort with powerful drive
from Goldberg in the middle and Sion showing strength up forward. Hoppe tried to put his stamp on
the game in the second quarter dominating the forward third with great support from captain Siegel
and defensive efforts from Davis. The Rockets played a forward half pressure game in the third with
the ball spending majority of the quarter locked in thanks to the efforts of Dodge, Meltzer and the
last minute fill-in Zimmet. Another highlight for the quarter was a sensational contested mark from
Beggs. In the last, Lipskier was always fighting for the ball and Wiser clean and sharp in the forward
line. The Rockets played the game out till the final siren.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                     Match reports
U9 Sharks
Despite an extremely early Mother’s Day morning we saw a great turnout to watch the U9 Sharks.
The team was motivated by inspiring words from captains Aiden and Rami. The mums formed a guard
of honour to welcome the boys onto the field and what an inspiration it was. The first quarter saw
incredible football from the Sharks on their home turf. Jake was fantastic while Jack kicked two
sausage rolls including one from the boundary line. The rest of the game saw the coaches'
instructions followed and great football played. Ben, Harvey and Eden were great tall targets while
Ariel, in his first game after an Israel fitness camp, showed great pace and drive. Jonah and Ethan did
some great work down back and Ryan continued to push the ball forward. We all loved Jayden's
bomb goal from 38 meters! A special mention the 12 boys that volunteered to play for the Hawks and
showed the mensch-like attitude of the Sharks.

U9 Stars
The U9 Stars hosted East Malvern this weekend at home. It was a tough match. The visitors came
with a strong team and were always going to prove to be a difficult opponent. In a fiercely contested
U9 match, strong skills and impressive marking were on display. The ball, at times, moved quickly
down the field in both directions. The effort and intent shown by the Stars will hold them in good
stead for the remainder of this season together. Already looking forward to next week.

U10 Rockets
The U10 Rockets celebrated Mother’s Day with a home game against Bentleigh and put in a
performance to make all the mothers proud. The team continued their good form with another
impressive display of tough football. Jumping out of the blocks in the first quarter, the midfield
dominated contested ball against bigger opponents and gave great-service to the forwards. The
defensive efforts of the forwards ensured that whenever the opposition won the ball they could not
escape our forward zone. Thrown the challenge of improving with every quarter, the team lifted even
further and showcased their trademark competitive spirit. Pleasingly, the team also played with great
confidence and took the game on with ball in hand to create many dangerous forward thrusts. A great
sign of development was that the boys were able to find the right balance between hunting the
contested football and providing outside options to enable the team to move the ball quickly. The gut
running to present an option and also to give defensive cover behind the ball was first rate. As is the
norm for this team, there were no passengers and every player contributed to a fine performance.
Keep up the great work Rockets!

U10 Sharks
A team effort ensured a dominant display by the Sharks. Contributors were everywhere, with
Tenenbaum, Meltzer-Burns and Krywicki solid in defence. Dickman, Carew, Logan, Lewski and Norton
ran rampant through the midfield and half back line. Davis, Oren, Nowoweiski and Wiseman
presented all morning. Ferocious tackling by the team were a hallmark of the match. The team have
really come along way, with all playing their role, listening to the instructions and continuing to make
the coaches and special mums proud! Happy Mother’s Day!

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                     Match reports
U10 Stars
The Stars were slow out of the blocks, with some looking like they’d rather be in bed than suited up
for an 8am kickoff. With the forwards and midfield in a slumber, the backline was under immense
pressure early on. Sheezel and Smith marked and intercepted everything that came their way,
ensuring the Stars were not blown away before the main break. Thankfully it was a different team
which took the field in the second half, with the boys taking inspiration from the endeavours of
Captain Blashki. Cashmore and Gough got busy, Braun and new recruit Lewis provided run and
bounce, Fischl mopped up everything in the midfield ensuring minimal forward entries for the
opposition, and Akkerman had so many touches of the ball it was if he had brought his own Sherrin.
Sheezel was moved forward with great effect, providing his mum with a bagful of gifts on Mother’s
Day. It was a thrilling final quarter, yet despite the great turnaround, the ball didn’t bounce our way
when we needed it. Well done boys, be proud of your efforts. An impressive turnaround from last
week but a reminder that football is a game of 4 quarters.

U11 Rockets
MURRUMBEENA LIONS 8.5 (53) def AJAX 7.6 (48)
Goals: SINGER 2, SLADE-JACOBSON 2, BASIST, FAIGENBAUM, GRUNDMANN
Best: BASIST, GOMO, MOHR, SINGER, SLADE-JACOBSON, STEINHARDT

Ajax fought proudly today for all the mothers out there. Playing away for the first time this season
and lead all day by Singer the first quarter was a tight battle. The second brought much the same
with great efforts from Basist, Gomo and Steinhardt keeping us in touch. In the third it seemed that
Ajax was going to be overrun by a strong team and we went into the final change 20 points down.
The team played an inspired last quarter with Mohr going to work out of the middle and Grundman
and Slade-Jacobson providing scoring options. We hit the front with a little over 2min to play.
Murrumbeena rallied and scored a winning goal with 10 sec to play in the game. Rockets, you made
us proud today and you should hold your heads up with pride - you played really really well.

U11 Stars
BRIGHTON BEACH KANGAROOS 10.7 (67) def AJAX 8.7 (55)
Goals: BOROWSKI 3, MYMIN 2, OLIVER, RALEIGH M, SZWIDER
Best: BOROWSKI, GREENBERG, NOWOWEISKI, OLIVER, RALEIGH L, SZWIDER

They may not have won the game, but against a classy Brighton Beach outfit The Stars won plenty of
respect. After a flat performance the week before, the boys were back to their hard running and hard
tackling best. If not for a 10-minute patch in the third quarter, the game was largely played on The
Stars’ terms. Throughout the tightly fought contest there were many players who stood tall. First,
Blake Nowoweiski was an absolute rock down back stopping everything and anyone thrown at him.
Kobi Borowski thrilled in front of goal finishing with a game high of 3 majors, whilst Riley Mymin
slotted 2 and made his presence known. In the midfield it was the bulls, Ben Oliver and Oscar
Greenberg, who went on the hunt across four quarters delivering unmatched pressure. Sammy
Fajnkind stood tall in the last quarter with some great marking and composure. And acting captain,
Charlie Szwider, with ankle strapped gave his all through the midfield and up forward. The win would
have been a nice reward for effort, but the coaches were thrilled with the energy, spirit and endeavor
of the group.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                     Match reports
U12 Girls Comets
AJAX 11.5 (71) def BEAUMARIS SHARKS 6.2 (38)
Goals: MILCHMAN 7, FRIDMAN, HOPPE, LEWINSOHN, LEWSKI
Best: FRIDMAN, HOPPE, KATZ, LEWSKI I, MILCHMAN, ROZENES

Another fantastic win for the girls today. We started in scintillating fashion with 6 goals in the first
quarter, with Milchman on fire kicking 5 of them. The girls brought the intensity from a great training
session on Thursday and were switched on from the start. Fridman continues to dominate and Katz
and Hoppe kept driving the ball forward. Stub was great in the ruck, Rozenes was a rock in defence
and Lewski showed a lot of class up forward. The coaches are so pleased with the run, tackling and
effort from all the girls.

U12 Comets
AJAX 7.8 (50) def CHELTENHAM PANTHERS 5.1 (31)
Goals: ALTER 2, BALBIN, BARNETT, DAVIS, HERBST, WEINSTEIN
Best: ALTER, ERETZ, JACKSON, ROSTKIER, WEINSTEIN, WROBEL

What a great way to start Mother’s Day! The boys had a much tougher training session in the cold and
rain during the week and showed that it paid off from the outset. Physicality and work rate was the
aim all day as well as the first 5 minutes of each quarter. Despite a lapse in accountability and a few
slip ups in the third quarter, the boys displayed a pretty flawless performance which wasn’t truly
reflected on the scoreboard despite the win. There were plenty actions of individual brilliance,
however, the factor that stood out was the hunger and desire to be first to the ball. Each position
played their roll and the win was very well deserved. Looking forward to building on Wednesday night
for next week!

U12 Jets
HAMPTON ROVERS 9.11 (65) def AJAX 1.6 (12)
Goals: GOLSHEVSKY
Best: BANKY, COHEN, FLEISZIG, GESTETNER, GOLSHEVSKY, ROSENBERG

On a sun drenched Castlefield Reserve, the Jets were inspired to give their all for the mums who have
supported them throughout their junior careers. The first quarter was a see saw affair, with the
opposition taking the ascendancy late in the quarter and carrying that momentum through to half
time. However to the Jets credit, they never dropped their chins, tackling and fighting their way to a
strong second half which included a stunning late snap from Golshevsky. If the boys continue to work
together, hit every contest and stay accountable as they did in the second half, the results will surely
come over the course of the season.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                 THE WRAP
                                    Match reports
U13 Comets
BEAUMARIS SHARKS 13.14 (92) def AJAX 0.2 (2)
Best: BEEBE, GELFAND, NORISKIN, SLONIM, SZWARC, WYNNE

The day started badly for the Comets as the group chat lit up on the hour, every hour, with seven
players getting struck down by flu. By the start of the game, we only had 17 on the field, which
included ring-in Josh Levy, who did a great job including kicking one of our more celebrated points for
the year. The team battled manfully, keeping their heads up and applying great tackle pressure, whilst
trying to defend the constant attacks. The backline stood tall with Beebe spoiling many forward
entries with his famous fist, Gelfand holding his own, Ari reliably on the last line of defence, and
Slonim reading the ball like a Harry Potter novel as the spare man. Alon won the ruck battle (even
with his sore foot from kicking the other ruckman in the shin in the first quarter) and Wynne proved
handy as a forward pushing up the ground and getting onto some good leads. Although it was a
Mother’s Day Massacre, the boys never gave up against the almighty odds, and did their Mum’s
proud. We look forward to getting the team back to full health and competing on equal terms next
week.

U13 Rockets
AJAX 13.10 (88) def SOUTH MELBOURNE DISTRICTS 3.2 (20)
Goals: KLINGER 3, BANKY D 2, LEVY 2, SHER 2, WISE 2, KATZ, MAJMAN
Best: BANKY D, BANKY G, FELDMAN, KLINGER, LEVY, SHER

Despite the early start, the boys were switched on from the very first bounce. Watching the first
quarter, you wouldn’t have known we had only had 17 players on the field. The boys worked so hard
as a team and got the rewards they deserved. Their teamwork, hard running, and selfless football set
up a fantastic win! We were excited to celebrate the 50-game milestone of Zac Feldman! Zac lifted
the team for his big match. He provided great service for our midfielders with his great ruck work and
marking. Moved forward this week, Dean Banky kicked two excellent goals! Olly Klinger provided
great run in the midfield and also managed to kick three goals! Despite spending time in the
unfamiliar position of ruckman, Gidi Banky exemplified the team-first attitude the boys have been
showing by assisting in the ruck and the backline. The boys deserved everything they got today. They
were switched on and committed for all four quarters. It was nice to see all the boys who
unfortunately didn’t experience a win in their 50th game in the circle for the song after the win.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                    Match reports
U13 Stars
AJAX 7.19 (61) def MURRUMBEENA LIONS 2.3 (15)
Goals: LEIBLER 2, ASH, BASIST, FACTOR, LINNOW, SACKS
Best: BASIST, ECKSTEIN, EDELSTEIN, RITTERMAN, SUSS, WATERS

On a magical Mothers Day with conditions perfect for footy, the AJAX U13 Stars were determined to
give the many mums in attendance the perfect present. Lead out by 50th gamers Suss and Ritterman,
the Stars played fast and fierce footy. Factor opened the scoring and the stars jumped out to a 22
point lead at quarter time. Ferocious tackling has been a hallmark of the 2022 Stars. Murrumbeena
were under constant pressure with fierce tackling from the likes of Edelstein, Ethan Katz, Kolliner and
Davis. Basist and Eckstein brought their own footballs and no doubt have a serious bout of leather
poisoning. Along with Suss, they delivered the ball to our forwards with great precision. Leibler,
Ritterman, Ash and Sacks had a day out in attack.The Stars went into the long break with a well
deserved 39 point lead. A reinvigorated opposition came out hard in the second half and applied
many heavy and hard tackles. Great courage was shown by Levy and Edelstein to play out the game
after heavy knocks. Waters lead a miserly defence which repelled practically every foray forward from
our opposition. A big win in the 50th game of Ritterman and Suss!

U14 Girls Comets
BEAUMARIS SHARKS 6.2 (38) def AJAX 5.7 (37)
Goals: ICKOWICZ 3, ROSENS 2
Best: ICKOWICZ, LEWIS, LOWE, MEADOWS, NAGEL, ROSENS

A 1-point loss is always hard to swallow, but we learn, regroup and move forward. Led by captains for
the week Naphtali and Nagel who both played tough games, the girls were slow to start and were
down by 3 goals at the first change. However, they fought back strongly to only be down by 2 points
at half time and it was anyone’s game by the final quarter. Lowe was sensational across half-back and
well supported by Newett and Gomo in defence. Meadows and Benau played well on the wings and
Ickowicz and Rosens led the scoring. Segal and Lewis rucked strongly all day and all players
contributed to what was a cracking game. Unfortunately, we just fell short this week but will be back
stronger and better for it next week.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                     Match reports
U14 Comets
BRIGHTON BEACH KANGAROOS 13.11 (89) def AJAX 6.3 (39)
Goals: FRANKS 2, COHEN, GROSS, ISRAEL, PITT
Best: BLECHER, BURSZTYN, COHEN, FRANKS, GROSS, ISRAEL

We were decimated with illness before the game with 7 of our starting 18 players out with the flu
which left us fielding only 17 players versus their 18. Despite that the boys started really brightly with
some great passages of play early and showed we were in for the fight. As was the case for entire
game we started each quarter really well but with no rotations on the bench the boys ran out of legs
as each quarter wore on however eventually we were overpowered. Some terrific individual
performance from Captain Jonty Israel, Ben Blecher on the wing, Nick Bursztyn playing his best match
of the season along with Nathan Cohen, and Asher Franks and Taj Gross looked dangerous all day up
forward. Plenty of positives came out of today as we moved the ball really well at times and our
pressure and tackling was at a much better level, and we got a good look at a number of players for a
full game. We look forward to next week when we regain a lot of players and can really challenge the
opposition.

U14 Jets
AJAX 7.6 (48) def SOUTH MELBOURNE DISTRICTS 6.6 (42)
Goals: SMORGON 2, GROSS, KABALO, KARLINER, LIBERMAN, ZMOOD
Best: KEMPLER, LIBERMAN, PARASOL, RHEUBEN, ROTSTEIN, ZMOOD

Our Mother’s Day game proved to be a tough scrap. We started off well hitting the scoreboard with
early with two goals (Zmood & Smorgon) in the first quarter before they kicked one back. The scores
reset as we went into half time level pegging. The boys managed to lift their intensity and attack on
the ball in the air to ultimately take the victory with a late goal from Jake Liberman to seal the win.
The boys put on a great show today, with multiple outs due to illness. Thank you to those who filled
in for us today and contributed to our win. Go Jets! See you at training on Wednesday night.

U15 Comets
AJAX 15.12 (102) def MORDIALLOC-BRAESIDE MUSTANGS 8.12 (60)
Goals: GUNN 3, KAGAN 3, LAKMAN 3, BROTT, JANOVER, KLEIN, LEWIS, LIFSZYC, SZWARC
Best: GUNN, JANOVER, LAKMAN, PITT, ROTHFIELD, ZUKERMAN

Our boys were given an opportunity this week to send a message to the rest of the competition - we
are coming for them. We made no doubt about it from the very start. We were first to the ball and
were able to play the game on our terms. Our kick mark game was great as we start to understand
the importance of holding on to possession. When we needed to go fast we did and with dare.
Our backline was solid often providing the 1%ers that saved goals through a smother/slap to the
boundary or rushing it through smartly. Special mention to our midfield who ran hard all day and
smashed their opponents around the contest. Jethro Gunn was Patrick Cripps like and we thought
Bailey Rothfield played his best game we’ve seen from the wing. Ethan Lakman was dominant in the
forward line and Gabe Kagan was outstanding in his first game back from injury. It was a complete
TEAM performance today which is the way we want to continue to play as we progress through the
season.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                     Match reports
U15 Jets
HAMPTON ROVERS 15.16 (106) def AJAX 8.9 (57)
Goals: REICHENBERG 2, UGRINOVSKI 2, FREUND, LIFSZYC, MATTHEWS, MUSHIN
Best: FACTOR, MATTHEWS, NAPHTALI, ROBIN, STRUNIN, SWART

Another rough day for the U15 Jets falling to the Hampton Rovers at prinny park. Starting off with a
poor first quarter, the boys really picked up the intensity in the second by shortening the lead to a few
goals. With fewer players on the ground to accommodate for the opposition’ short numbers, the lads
ran hard and gave one of the better halves of footy in the 3 and 4th quarters. Special shoutouts to
Jarrod Strunin, Caleb, and Jake factor who played their roles brilliantly all led by an unreal effort all
day long by Harry Naphtali.

U16 Girls Comets
EAST BRIGHTON VAMPIRES 10.9 (69) def AJAX 1.5 (11)
Goals: DEREN
Best: BERMAN, COHEN D, DEREN, FELL, FOLWELL, TUSZYNSKI

The girls came up against a much bigger Vampires team this week but that didn’t stop them from
attacking every contest from the first bounce. Giselle Berman and Gypsy Folwell gave us lots of first
opportunities from the ruck, whilst Brooke Tuszynski and Meirav Fell worked super hard in and
around the packs. The girls created lots of scoring opportunities, with Perel Deren finally scoring a
fantastic goal from a set shot. This boosted the girls’ efforts and drew applause in skipper Eshlee
Peleg’s speech at half time. Mia Levy worked hard at both ends of the ground with Dahlia Cohen and
Georgia Zuchowski busy in the middle. Today’s game showed how hard the girls were prepared to
attack each contest and if we can match that effort with some skill improvement then we are well on
the way to success.

U16 Comets
EAST MALVERN KNIGHTS 16.13 (109) def AJAX 9.7 (61)
Goals: NUSSBAUM 6, CHRAPOT, SEGAL, WROBEL
Best: CHRAPOT, FLINKIER, JACOBS, NEWETT, NUSSBAUM

The U16 Comets made the trip to face East Malvern in what turned out to be a perfect day for footy.
The boys started the game very strongly kicking the first 2 goals of the game. We put a strong
emphasis on tackling and putting pressure on East Malvern early so it was great to see us come out
and execute the plan. East Malvern worked their way back into the game and took the lead but to our
credit we stuck to our plan and gave ourselves a big chance going into the last quarter. The last ten
minutes of the third quarter was our most impressive patch of footy for the season so far.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t sustain that level for long enough as East Malvern kicked away to get the
win. Its disappointing to not get the win I thought we had some great periods of football that if we
can sustain for longer we can start stringing some wins together and be a real contender. Great
individual performances from Bailey kicking 6 and Harry N and Ramel showing class through the
midfield. Looking forward to next week.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

                                  THE WRAP
                                    Match reports
U17 Comets
AJAX 9.8 (62) def PRAHRAN 7.9 (51)
Goals: MARABEL-WHITBURN 2, GOLDFARB, HERSHAN, KAY, MEYEROWITZ, PACANOWSKI, SEGMAN,
WASBUTZKI
Best: GASPAR, MAIDENBERG, MEYEROWITZ, NIRENS, PACANOWSKI, SMITHSON

After a slow start in the first half and the boys clearly not up to their best, through sheer effort and
desire in the 3rd quarter, the team was able to put on a healthy margin and go into the 4th quarter
full of confidence helping them finish off the game to take away the win. Amazing individual efforts
from Travis Smithson and Lior Meyerowitz fired up the Comets and boosted everyone’s performance.
Another strong game from the team.

AJAX Junior Football Club Weekly Wrap – Round 4, 2022

          THE WRAP