In windy conditions at the Årsta back field Söder took on first the Karlstad Eagles and then the Norrtälje Dockers in the first footy show down of the year in Stockholm.

Coach Paul took the pre-season games as an opportunity to assess the new line up and improve on the game that has been so effective for Södermalm; keep possession of the ball by running and handballing. No long kicks in desperation, better to look for a short option. No blind turns, better to run backwards and look for a handball. Söder got a comfortable lead in the first quarter against Karlstad and although let the Eagles fought back hard Söder kept the distance score wise until the end of the game. The tactic proved to be successful as Söder beat Karlstad by 15.11 101 to 4.3 27.

At 2 o’clock the Norrtälje Dockers took to the field for the first time ever and dare we say they look very promising. The young Swedes who have been playing footy for no more than a month showed that they do have the heart for the game. Tackling tenaciously, running rapidly and fighting ferociously. The Söder boys continued to play a high level of football although most of them were playing their second game of the day. By keeping possession of the ball using the running/handballing tactic Söder was in control for most of the game. One thing to be learned from this game is that as we get tired we get quieter. In addition, maybe we have been practicing goal kicking from too far out. We need to improve on kicking goals from 2 metres out…

Södermalm 16.16 109 – Norrtälje 2.4 16

Next game is the Anzac Day double header this Saturday at Årsta.