By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Pakenham Silverbacks have taken another huge step forward in their development, with their junior side off to a perfect start in its debut season.
The little brother to the senior Gridiron Victoria side, the junior Silverbacks defeated the Northern Raiders 42-8 in their first ever game and are now preparing to take on the reigning Junior Vic Bowl champions, the Western Crusaders.
Coached by a group of senior Silverbacks, the young Pakenham side impressed right from the outset on Sunday at CH Sullivan Memorial Park in Reservoir.
Explosive running back Febrick Addi backed up a sensational first defensive set from his side with a long run for an early 6-0 lead.
Quarterback Jake Yardley then threw what head coach Damien Belsham described as “a blinder of a pass” to a rookie receiver with just two weeks’ training under his belt, Jack Lock for a 14-0 lead.
Pakenham went on to add another 28 points to just eight from the Raiders in a convincing performance.
The Silverbacks’ junior team is made up of youngsters from 15 to 19-years-of-age, with an average age of around 18.
They have 26 registered players but only seven had played gridiron prior to the weekend’s clash.
Pakenham’s defense, anchored by defensive captain Jaxson Mahy, was simply ruthless. The Raiders just couldn’t find a way to consistently run the ball in the face of so much pressure and intensity.
Jake Wanless and Zhane Sua put on a series of crushing blocks for Addi to run through, and he made the most of it – consistently finding a way into the end-zone and gaining more than 200 yards for his side.
The junior Silverbacks, much like the seniors, spread by word of mouth from Narre Warren right through to Warragul and the club already has a big reputation with more Facebook likes than most of the established outfits in the competition.
Belsham praised the Silverbacks’ committee for continually coming up with fresh ideas to further the club, adding: “We’ve got a really visible presence around the town.
“There’s a massive family vibe at the club and people can see that.”
More than half the senior Silverbacks side attended the junior game on the weekend, with Belsham, Steve Mclean (offensive coordinator), Brandon Tonks (defensive coordinator), Cam Dixon (linebacker coach) and Grant Allen (special teams coach) forming the coaching group.
But Belsham knows Sunday’s Round 1 game was just the beginning. The task now is to keep the young group level-headed – particularly heading into a real litmus test against the Crusaders.
Pakenham will take on the 2013 Junior Vic Bowl champions this Saturday from 10.45am at Ranger Field in Croydon.
