Football
18 July, 2025
Kalkee ready to challenge defending champs
Kalkee will be looking to bounce back from their tough loss to Laharum when they face Harrow Balmoral this Saturday for round 14 of the Horsham District Football Netball League.
After recording four straight wins to help turn around their season, the Kees suffered a 117-35 loss to Laharum last weekend, dampening their chances at a finals push.
It won’t get any easier this week against the reigning champions, who have registered three emphatic wins in recent weeks against Edenhope Apsley, Laharum and Taylors Lake.
Andy Devereaux, coach of Kalkee, has identified Harrow Balmoral’s proficient use of the handball as something they need to counter.
“Harrow Balmoral are always good at spreading from the contest by their hands,” Devereaux said.
“They use the handball at the back really, really effectively, and they sort of look to give it off consistently, which is a little bit more unusual for the district league.
“They like to get it on the outside and they use their numbers quite well and I know they use their halfbacks really well as a link through their midfield.
“That’s something we will definitely have a focus on.
“From a midfield standpoint, we want to get our hands on the footy first so that we can dictate the tempo because if they’re winning the contested footy, then it goes their way and they’ve got quality up forward.
“We want to make sure we’ve got good application for the four quarters.”
Devereaux acknowledged that Kalkee was a long shot at making finals, but said he believed the team could get some wins as they built into next year.
“We would love to get the four points, but at this point of the year it is going to be tough," he said.
“We’re looking at where we need to improve on for this next little period and what type of game style we want for 2026 so we can be competitive and continue to move up the ladder.
“There’s a few games left this year that we’ve identified where we know we can really push for the four points.”