Students kick goals at Patersons

Kicking Goals students from Newman Senior High School and Hedland Senior High School were lucky enough to play in front of a big crowd last month.

Twenty-four students were chosen to play before the West Coast Eagles-Collingwood match at Perth’s Patersons Stadium.

The two schools combined to form a team that played against La Salle College as an incentive for good behaviour.

The matched started positively for the combined Kicking Goals side when they won the first centre clearance.

The ball ended up with Ashley Outram, one of three female players in the team, having a shot for goal.

However, luck was not on Ashley’s side as her shot was fantastically smothered.

The La Salle team’s experience quickly stood out and they played some amazing football in front of the building crowd.

At three-quarter-time it was obvious La Salle were a class above as they built up a very solid lead.

The combined Kicking Goals team fought out the match terrifically, however, and were deservingly rewarded with three late goals that boosted the team’s morale and gave some respectability to the scoreboard.

Although the contest and result was not what the Kicking Goals team anticipated, the coaches and staff were very proud of their efforts. The players never gave up and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing at an AFL venue.

The result was soon forgotten when the students watched the main match from their front row seats.

The experience was amazing, with many students never having seen a live AFL game.

The Kicking Goals group were quickly swept up in the emotion and the experience.