It was "Mate vs Mate" at Willawong yesterday as the Easts Celts made use of the weekend off by staging an intra-club game between two sides made up of the mens squad. In a hard-fought contest the "Tipperary" Celts defeated the "Clare" Celts 3-11 (20) to 1-6 (9).

In hot conditions, the two Celts sides gained much needed match practice and experimented by using numerous positional combinations. A huge positive for the day was the number of players who rolled up to the ground for what was essentially a training match. Competition for positions is heating up and the level of commitment being shown is an indication the Celts have stepped up a gear or two in comparison to the last couple of seasons. There were several examples of ill-disciplined play during the match and the entire squad has been urged to rectify this part of their game. Easts Celts intend being the most disciplined club in the competition and with the league fixtures upon us, now is the time to "button the lip" and play some good, hard footy.

Star performers for the day included Alan Reynolds, Gary Prunty and Declan Smith. Midfielder Alan is in superb form and this is a bloke the Celts are looking forward to unleashing in the upcoming league games. Gary's tough, uncompromising style of play makes him one of Easts most consistent players, whilst Declan's high work rate and clever ball distribution highlights his importance to the club.

Fullback Owen Stephens continues to improve his fitness weekly and will be hitting great form in the next few weeks. Although troubled with injury, fellow defender John Mulvey had a solid game and even had a run in the unfamiliar territory of the forward line!

Thanks to Seamus Sullivan for organizing the sausage sizzle for the boys. All men's players are reminded to bring a pair of running shoes to training on Wednesday as well as footy boots.

Dov Hirst, Seniors Coach.

A much improved Easts Celts outfit outplayed their more-fancied opposition yesterday at Willawong. In their final Brisbane Shield fixture, Easts defeated Harps in a free-flowing affair. In contrast to previous weeks, the Celts forwards scored almost at will and converted 90% of scoring chances into points. Training drills aimed at more decisive forward play are starting to show in the way the Celts forwards are playing. As usual, both Bryan's (Dineen and Harney) proved a handful for the opposition defenders, whilst Rory Bowe, Oisin Grennan and Shane Donoher all played faultlessly and kept the scoreboard attendant run off his feet.

Midfielder Declan Smith had an outstanding game, whilst debutant Celt and midfielder Allan Reynolds was "best on field". Allans ability to take possession of the ball from kick-outs at both ends of the pitch resulted in the men in Blue and Gold having enough ball to control the game from start to finish, whilst half-forwards Dave McManus, Richy Vaughn and Terry Lee were all alert enough to distribute the ball to their forward line for the entire game.

With their regular backline returning to action, Easts were sound in defence, with fearless fullback Owen Stephens playing his best game to date for Easts. Goal-keeper Dave O'Leary saved several point blank shots on goal and showed everyone the blue No.1 jersey is one he intends keeping.

Despite Easts dominant display, Harps were able to take several scores late in the game to make the score-line look more respectable. This was due to Easts lack of match fitness, which is something the club is progressively addressing through various training techniques. With such intense competition for squad positions and the team starting to play more as a unit, Easts are expected to keep improving and aim to be competitive with every team in the competition during the league fixtures.

Dov Hirst, Seniors Coach.

Easts Scorers: Rory Bowe 2-3, Shane Donoher 1-3, Bryan Dineen 0-5, Oisin Grennan 1-0, Bryan Harney 0-2, Declan Smith 0-2, Allan Reynolds 0-2, Terry Lee 0-1, Colin Walsh 0-1, Garry Prunty 0-1, Davis McManus 0-1

Easts Celts were left ruing "the one that got away" yesterday, after a hard fought, one-point loss to a strong Shamrocks side. Despite getting on the scoreboard first and dominating the first twenty minutes, Easts lack of match fitness was exposed by the much improved Shamrocks. Easts forwards were, at times a little indecisive in front of the posts and missed ten or twelve scoring opportunities through wide kicks or lost possession at critical times.

In a match where the lead changed several times, the Shamrocks were able to take a one-point lead into half time and eventually won the game by the same margin.

Although having a strong squad for the day Easts were forced to play several men out of their regular position due to the absence (through injury and illness) of regular backline players Owen Stephens, Rob Anderson and Tom Devers. Although this had a disruptive effect on the Celts defensive structure, it was by no means the reason for the result and it must be noted that stand-in backline players Boe Halter, David Barry and Kieran Canning all played tirelessly. Man of the match honours were shared by the "two Davids", Dave Barry and Dave McManus. Both were spectacular in their given roles and it's safe to presume that without either player, Shamrocks would've won by a much bigger margin.

Other notable performers for the Celts were John McNeil and Cameron Walsh, who were both rewarded for strong games in reserve grade with debut appearances off the seniors bench. With terrific numbers at Easts, competition for places in the senior squad is fierce and there's no better way for players to earn or hold down a spot than to train hard and play hard.

Dov Hirst. Seniors Coach.

Easts Scorers: David McManus 1-1, Rory Bowe 1-0, Bryan Dineen 0-3, Richy Vaughn 0-2, Shane Donoher 0-2, Gary Prunty 0-1

Easts Celts seniors were defeated by reigning QGFA champions John Mitchels in their Brisbane Shield fixture at Willawong yesterday. Despite training strongly throughout the week and having the luxury of a strong run-on side and bench, Easts were unable to stunt the scoring of the John Mitchels forwards, conceding a goal and a point in the first three minutes of play. Although taking the majority of their scoring opportunities and playing a tough, uncompromising brand of football the Celts were exposed in several areas by their experienced and enthusiastic opponents and will be a much better side for the experience.

Injury-forced positional changes and lack of a dedicated goal-keeper put a huge dent in the Celts chances of staging an upset, as did poor punctuality in turning up at the ground on time by the majority of the squad. Without the advantage of an adequate warm up, the men in blue and gold made life hard for themselves before the game had even started. Mitchels ability to score points before the Celts had "found their feet" ended up being a major factor in the result and this is something that will be addressed with the squad this week.

On a positive note, Easts Celts on-field performances this season are still way ahead of last season and the club is obviously on the improve. David McManus and midfielder Declan Smith were superb against strong opposition and were easily Easts best two players, getting plenty of possessions and taking the right options more often than not. David's carrying of the ball upfield was faultless, as were his disposals to a free man. Veteran defender Tom Devers had a very strong first half and proved to be an absolute pest to the Mitchels forward line on several occasions. In the forwards, Bryan Dineen and Rory Bowe were the stand-out performers, looking dangerous with every carry and converting the majority of chances into points.

A reminder to all Celts players that the QGFA is doing it's level best to get the reserve grade competition up and running and Easts have a fixture match in this grade next Sunday. All players not named in seniors at training on Wednesday night will have the opportunity to play in this reserve grade match. This Sundays matches are (Reserve Grade) Celts vs Mitchels at 11am and (Seniors) Celts vs Shamrocks at 12.30pm.

Dov Hirst. Seniors Coach.

Easts Scorers: Declan Smith 2-1, Bryan Dineen 0-3, Shane Donoher 0-1, Oisin Grennan 0-1, David McManus 0-1, Heath Mankivell 0-1

Easts Celts started their Brisbane Shield campaign with a strong performance against Summer comp' champions, Souths. With a new-look team, the Easts Celts dominated their more-fancied rivals for the first thirty minutes of play. Superb performances from newly recruited midfielders Declan Smith and Oisin Grennan provided the platform for "The two Bryan's" (Harney and Dineen) to keep the scoreboard attendant busy for the majority of the day.

Despite a second half comeback from the black and whites, Easts defenders were able to hang on for a memorable one point victory. Notable performers in the backline were Owen Stephens, John Mulvey and Tom Devers, whilst experienced Celt David Barry saved the day on several occasions with brave play.

Although the Celts performed well in every position special mention must also go to debutant half forward Richard Vaughn and Shane O'Donoher, who came off the bench to relieve the exhausted midfielders and played extremely well. Easts are looking to build on this great performance through hard training and a high level of commitment from all players and officials.

This weekend sees the re-introduction of Reserve Grade mens competition after a three year absence. Easts Celts kick off this competition with a clash against John Mitchels and will be endeavoring to use these games to blood new players and give some of the older Celts a run. Easts are eager to see the Reserve Grade up and running again and would encourage all rival clubs to make the effort to field a team. The benefits are great for recruitment and retention of players and for the health of the QGFA in general. As reigning Reserves Champions (Celts won the last contested Reserves comp in 2004) we offer all QGFA clubs the opportunity to "Come and try to take the trophy off us".

Dov Hirst. Senior Mens Coach.

Easts Scorers: Bryan Dineen 1-2, Oisin Grennan 1-1, Bryan Harney 0-2, Declan Smith 0-2, Shane Donoher 0-1, Gary Prunty 0-1