Division One Youth League End of Season Review

There will be lots of memories of Season 2012 and I hope most of them are good ones.
The Division One Youth League has been one of the most competitive I can remember. The levels of skill, tactical awareness, determination and passion have rarely been higher and the entertainment value has been superb, as always and the composition of the finals series was only decided in the final matches of the season in most age groups.
Whether or not your team has been successful is far too frequently measured in terms of the points they have collected. However, your own measure of success should take the form of questions about whether or not the team and the individual players improved over the course of the season. The most frequent answer to this question will be ?yes? and so the season can be regarded as successful, no matter where your team ended on the competition table.
Now it is time to look back on Season 2012.
Club Championship
Mt Druitt Town Rangers have now won back-to-back Club Championships in this division as the finished twenty-six points clear at the top of this table this season. As a club they had the best attacking figures with 298 goals scored and the best defensive figures with 90 goals conceded. The Rangers collected 133 points from their home fixtures and 121 points from their away fixtures. The Rangers registered 119 points in the first round and then 135 points came from the second round. All five of their teams qualified for the finals series and two of them were Premiers. They had three teams in the Grand Finals and two of them came away as Champions.
St George were the runners-up this season after finishing in third place last year. They took 111 points from their home fixtures and 117 points when they played away. They earned 124 point in the first round and then they added 104 points in the second round. The Saints had three teams in the finals series, one of them as Premiers. Two of their teams reached the Grand Finals and one of them was successful.
Gladesville Ryde Magic finished in third position after ending up in second place last year. They gained 94 points when they played at home and 95 points from their away fixtures. Magic earned 94 points in the first round and then 95 points from the second round. They had three teams in the finals series and one of them came in as Premiers. Two of their teams reach the Grand Finals but they were both unsuccessful.
Hakoah completed the competition in fourth place after finishing fifth last year. They took 92 points from their home fixtures and a total of 78 points when they played away. They gained 78 points from the first round and then they added 92 points in the second round. They had three teams competing in the finals series.
Hills Brumbies ended the competition in fifth position, a big improvement on their eighth placing last season. The Brumbies took 95 points from their home fixtures and 67 points when they played away from home. The first round yielded 83 points and then they added 79 second round points. Only one of their teams appeared in the finals series.
Camden Tigers finished sixth, just as they had last season. They earned 86 points from their home matches and then 70 points came from their away games. The Tigers pocketed 71 points during the first round and the 85 points came their way in the second round. They had three teams in the finals series and one of those went on to win the Grand Final.
Schofields Scorpions were placed seventh on the final table for the season after they had been relegated from Super Youth League at the end of last season. They earned 77 points from their matches played at home and 70 points when they played away. The Scorpions gained 82 points in the first round and then 65 points from the second round. Three of their teams appeared in the finals series.
Southern Branch completed the competition in eighth position and that was one place better than last year. They were better performed when they played at home, taking into account the fact that they played four more home fixtures that anyone else. Southern earned 61 points from the first round and then 71 points in the second round. One of their teams appeared in the finals series and they went on to win the Grand Final.
Stanmore Hawks finished in ninth position after being placed fourth last year. They took 69 points from their fixtures played at home and 63 points from their away fixtures. The Hawks gained 75 points from the first round and then only 57 points from the second round. They had one team in the finals series.
Northbridge ended up in tenth place after finishing thirteenth last year. When they played at home they collected 71 points but their away fixtures gave them only 51 points. Northbridge earned 63 points in the first round and 59 points in the second round. They did not have a team in the finals series.
Nepean were placed eleventh on the final table for the season after they had finished fourteenth last season. They took 55 points from their home fixtures and 64 points from their away fixtures. Nepean gained 61 points in the first round and 58 second round points. They had one team in the finals series.
Mountains United completed the season in twelfth place after being placed eleventh last year. They took 35 points from the home fixtures and 41 points when they played away from home. Twenty-eight of their points came from the first round and then they added 48 points in the second round. They did not have a team in the finals series.
Grade 13
Mt Druitt Town Rangers were crowned Premiers after they won the competition by seven points. They had the best attacking figures in this age group with 70 goals and they also had the best defensive figures as they conceded only 14 goals. The Rangers collected 30 points from their home games and 28 points from their away matches. They took 28 points from the first round and then added 30 points to their tally in the second round. The Rangers won the Major Semi Final with a 2-1 result over Gladesville Ryde Magic and then they defeated the same opponent 3-1 in the Grand Final.
St George were the competition runners-up. They earned 25 points from their home games and 26 points from their away matches. They first round yielded 28 points for the Saints and then they gained 23 points in the second round. In the finals series they lost the Preliminary Semi Final 4-2 in extra time to Gladesville Ryde Magic and then they lost the Minor Semi Final 1-0 to Camden Tigers.
Gladesville Ryde Magic finished in third place, nine points behind St George. They earned 23 points from their home games and 19 points from those played away from home. They secured 23 points in the first round and then 19 points came from the second round. The won the Preliminary Semi Final 4-2 in extra time over St George and then they lost the Major Semi Final 2-1 to Mt Druitt before beating Camden Tigers 2-1 in the Preliminary and finally losing 3-1 in the Grand Final to Mt Druitt.
Hakoah ended up in fourth position, six points behind Gladesville. They has taken 18 points at home and 18 points from their away matches. They gained 15 points in the first round of the competition before adding 21 points in the second round. Hakoah lost the Elimination Semi Final 2-1 to Camden Tigers.
Camden Tigers completed the competition in fifth place, one point behind Hakoah. They took 17 points from their home games and 18 points from their away matches.  They collected 14 points from the first round and then added 21 points in the second round. The Tigers won the Elimination Semi Final 2-1 over Hakoah and they defeated St George 1-0 in the Minor Semi Final before losing 2-1 to Gladesville in the Preliminary Final.
Stanmore Hawks ended the competition in sixth spot, missing a place in the finals by six points. Their home games produced 12 points and they gained 17 points from their away games. The Hawks earned 20 points from the first round but then they took only 9 points from the second round.
Hills Brumbies finished in seventh place, behind the Hawks on goal difference. They grabbed 19 points from their matches at home while they took 10 points when playing away. The first round produced 16 points for the Brumbies and they took 13 points from the second round matches.
Northbridge ended the season in eighth place and they were six points behind the Brumbies. They earned 10 points from their home games and 13 points from their away games. In the first round they gained 14 points and they took only nine points from the second round.
Nepean were one point behind Northbridge in ninth position. Their matches at home earned them 12 points and they took 10 points from their away games. Nepean earned 12 points from the first round and 10 points from the second round.
Southern Branch finished the competition in tenth place, two points behind Nepean. They were better performed when they played at home, taking into account the fact that they played four more home games that anyone else. Southern bagged 8 points from their first round and then they added 12 points in the second round.
Schofields Scorpions completed the season in eleventh place, five points behind Southern. They collected 8 points from their games at home and seven points from their away matches. The first round yielded five points for them and then they went on to claim ten points from the second round.
Mountains United were placed twelfth on the final table, four points behind the Scorpions. They could take only 3 points from their home games while they gained 8 points when playing away. They had 2 points to show for their first round and then they added nine points in the second round.
Grade 14
St George won the Premiership by a margin of thirteen points and they had the best defensive record in this age group as they conceded only eleven goals. Their home games produced 28 points and they remained unbeaten away from home as they netted 31 points. The Saints gained 26 points from the first round matches and then they added 33 points to their tally thanks to a perfect second round record. They lost the Major Semi Final 1-0 to Mt Druitt and then they won the Preliminary Final with a 2-1 extra time result over Nepean before winning the Grand Final 1-0 over Mt Druitt.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers were the competition runners-up and they had the best attacking figures in this age group, scoring 47 goals over the course of the competition. The Rangers earned 22 points from their home matches and 24 points from their away games. They took 19 points from the first round and then they claimed 27 of the second round points. They defeated Schofields Scorpions 2-1 in the Preliminary Semi Final before winning the Major Semi Final with a 1-0 result over St George and then losing the Grand Final to the Saints by a 1-0 scoreline.
Schofields Scorpions finished in third place, twelve points behind the Rangers. They earned 16 points from the home games and 18 points when they played away. They collected 19 points from the first round and then they added 15 second round points. The Scorpions lost 2-1 to Mt Druitt in the Preliminary Semi Final and then they lost the Minor Semi Final 1-0 to Nepean.
Camden Tigers ended the competition in fourth place, just one point behind the Scorpions. The Tigers collected 18 points from the home matches and 15 points from their away games. They took 18 of the first round points and then 15 of the second round points. In the finals series they lost the Elimination Semi Final 2-0 to Nepean.
Nepean finished fifth, two points behind the Tigers. They grabbed 12 points from the home games and 19 points when they played away. Nepean had a fairly even season as they took 15 points from the first round and 16 points from the second round. They won the Elimination Semi Final 2-0 over Camden, defeated Schofields 1-0 in the Minor Semi Final and then they lost 2-1 in extra time to St George in the Preliminary Final.
Hakoah completed the competition in sixth spot, missing a place in the finals by a single point. They had taken 16 points from their home games and 14 points from their away games. Hakoah had an even season as they claimed 15 points from each of the two rounds of the competition.
Gladesville Ryde Magic ended the season in seventh position, behind Hakoah on goal difference. They earned 14 points when they played at home and a total of 16 points when they played away. They claimed 15 points from each of the two rounds of the competition.
Hills Brumbies finished in eighth place, behind Magic on goal difference. Eleven of their points came from their home games but they pocketed 19 points from away matches. During the first round the Brumbies earned 19 points but then the second round yielded only 11 points.
Southern Branch were placed ninth on the final table, two points behind the Brumbies. They were better performed when they played at home, taking into account the fact that they played four more home games that anyone else. They earned 13 points from the first round and then 15 points from the second round.
Northbridge ended the competition in tenth position, three points behind Southern. They earned 12 points from their home games and 13 points from those played away from home. They took 14 points from the first round and then 11 points from the second round.
Stanmore Hawks finished eleventh, three points behind Northbridge. Their home games produced 14 points for them while their away matches gave them only 8 points. They collected 9 points from the first round and then 13 points came from the second round.
Mountains United completed the season in twelfth place, seventeen points behind the Hawks. They took four points from their home games and only 1 point from their away matches. They earned 3 points from the first round and 2 points from the second round.
Grade 15
St George claimed the crown as Premiers when they finished seven points clear at the top of the table. They had the best attacking record in this age group as they scored 75 goals. The Saints were unbeaten at home where they collected 29 points and their away matches yielded 30 points. They bagged 31 points from the first round and they followed that by taking 28 of the second round points. They lost the Major Semi Final 2-0 to Mt Druitt before winning the Preliminary Final with a 4-0 victory over Gladesville Ryde Magic and then they lost the Grand Final 1-0 to Mt Druitt.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers were the competition runners-up and they had the best defensive figures in this age group, conceding only 9 goals. The Rangers earned 25 points from their home games and 27 points when playing away. They collected 23 points from the first round and then added 29 of the second round points when they remained unbeaten. The Rangers Defeated Gladesville 3-1 in the Preliminary Semi Final, won the Major Semi Final with a 2-0 result over St George and then won the Grand Final by beating the Saints 1-0.
Gladesville Ryde Magic finished in third place, eight points behind Mt Druitt. They earned 23 points when playing at home and 21 points from their away games. Magic collected 17 points from the first round and 27 points from the second round. They lost the Preliminary semi Final 3-1 to Mt Druitt, defeated Schofields Scorpions 1-0 in the Minor Semi Final and then lost the Preliminary Final 4-0 to St George.
Schofields Scorpions were placed fourth on the final table, two points behind Magic. They earned 22 points from their home matches and 20 points from their away games. They gained 24 points from the first round and then 18 points from the second round. The defeated Hakoah 3-1 in the Elimination Semi Final and then lost 1-0 to Gladesville in the Minor Semi Final.
Hakoah completed the competition in fifth place, one point behind the Scorpions. They took 22 points from their home matches and they away games yielded 19 points. They collected 19 points from the first round and then 22 points from the second round. Hakoah were beaten 3-1 by Schofields in the Elimination Semi Final.
Hills Brumbies finished in sixth spot, missing out on a place in the finals by a single point. They earned 25 points from their home games and 15 points from their away matches. They gained 21 points during the first round and they added 19 points in the second round.
Southern Branch ended the season in seventh position, thirteen points behind the Brumbies. They were better performed when they played at home, taking into account the fact that they played four more home games that anyone else. They collected fifteen points from the first round and 12 points in the second round.
Camden Tigers completed the season in eighth place, three points behind Southern. They took only 9 points from their home games and 15 points from their away matches. In the first round they earned only six points but then they added 18 second round points.
Northbridge finished ninth and they were one point behind the Tigers. They took 14 points from their home matches and 9 points from their away games. Northbridge gained 16 points from the first round and then 7 points from the second round.
Stanmore Hawks were placed tenth on the final table, five points behind Northbridge. They took 10 points from the matches they played at home and 8 points from their away games. The Hawks earned 10 points in the first round and 8 points in the second round.
Nepean completed the season in eleventh place, six points behind the Hawks. They took 5 points from their home games and seven points from their away games. Nepean claimed 9 points in the first round but only 3 points in the second round.
Mountains United finished in twelfth position, eleven points behind Nepean. They did not collect a single point from their home matches with their only point coming from an away game. Similarly, they had nothing to show for their first round and they managed to ear their one point in the second round.
Grade 16
Mt Druitt Town Rangers were crowned Premiers after they finished three points clear at the top of the table. They had the best attacking figures in this age group, scoring 78 goals and the best defensive record as the conceded only 13 goals. The Rangers completed an unbeaten run of home matches with 31 points while they collected 25 points from their away games. They took 26 of the first round points and they added 30 points from their second round games. The Rangers lost the Major Semi Final 2-1 to Southern Branch and then they lost the Preliminary Final 2-1 to Stanmore Hawks.
Southern Branch were the competition runners-up. They were better performed when they played at home, taking into account the fact that they played four more home games that anyone else. Southern took 25 points from the first round and then 28 points from the second round. They won the Preliminary Semi Final 1-0 over Stanmore Hawks, won the Major Semi Final with a 2-1 result over Mt Druitt and then won the Grand Final with a 2-1 extra time scoreline over Stanmore.
Stanmore Hawks finished in third place, twelve points behind Southern. They earned 21 points from their home games and 20 points from their away matches. They collected 21 point in the first round and 20 points in the second round. In the finals series the Hawks lost the Preliminary Semi Final 1-0 to Southern Branch, won the Minor Semi Final 3-1 over Hakoah, poste a 2-1 victory over Mt Druitt in the Preliminary Final and then went down 2-1 in extra time in the Grand Final.
Hakoah completed the competition in fourth position and they were six points behind the Hawks. They collected 16 points from their home games and 19 points from their away games. They bagged 19 points from the first round and then 16 points came from the second round. Hakoah defeated Mountains United 2-1 in the Elimination Semi Final and then they lost 3-1 to Stanmore in the Minor Semi Final.
Mountains United were in fifth place on the last table for the season and they were just one point behind Hakoah. They took 16 points from their home matches and 18 points from the games they played away from home. Mountains United grabbed 15 points from the first round and then 19 points from the second round. They lost the Elimination Semi Final 2-1 to Hakoah.
Nepean finished in sixth spot, missing a place in the final on goal difference. They earned 13 points from their home games and 21 points came from away matches. Nepean took 15 points from the first round and 19 points from the second round.
Gladesville Ryde Magic ended the season in seventh place, six points behind Nepean. They gained 14 points from their home games and 14 points from their away matches. Magic took 17 points from the first round but only 11 points from the second round.
Hills Brumbies were placed eighth on the last table and they were four points behind Gladesville. While they took 16 points from their home games, only 8 points came from their away games. The Brumbies earned 12 points from each of the two rounds of the competition.
St George finished in ninth place and they were only one point behind the Brumbies. They gained only 8 points from their home matches but 15 points came from their away games. The Saints pocketed 11 points during the first round and then they took 12 points from the second round.
Camden Tigers ended up in tenth place, four points behind the Saints. Their home games yielded 16 points but they could earn only 3 points from their away games. Their first round matches produced 10 points and then they took 9 points from the second round.
Schofields Scorpions completed the season in eleventh position, two points behind the Tigers. They gained only 7 points from their home games and 10 points from their away matches. The Scorpions earned 10 points in the first round and 7 points in the second round.
Northbridge were in twelfth place on the last competition table for the season and they were four points behind the Scorpions. They gained all 13 points from their home games with nothing to show for their away matches. They earned 6 points in the first round and 7 points in the second round.
Grade 18
Gladesville Ryde Magic took the crown as Premiers on goal difference as the competition at the top was very tight this season. They earned 20 points from their home games and 25 points from their away games. In a fairly even season, Magic collected 22 points from the first round and then added 23 points in the second round. Magic were 1-0 winners over Camden Tigers in the Major Semi Final but then they lost 2-1 to Camden in the Grand Final.
Camden Tigers were placed second on goal difference and they had the best defensive figures in this age group as they conceded only 24 goals. The Tigers took 26 points from their home games and 19 points from their away games. They earned 23 of the first round points and 22 points from the second round. In the finals series Camden defeated Mt Druitt 5-4 on penalties in the Preliminary Semi Final, lost 1-0 to Gladesville in the Major Semi Final, won 2-1 over Mt Druitt in the Preliminary Final and then defeated Gladesville 2-1 in the Grand Final.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers completed the competition in third place, three points behind Camden. The Rangers took 25 points from their home matches and a total of 17 points when they played away. In the first round they bagged 23 points and the second round yielded 19 points for them. Mt Druitt lost the Preliminary Semi Final 5- on penalties and then won the Minor Semi Final with a 2-1 result over Schofields Scorpions before going down 2-1 to Camden in the Preliminary Final.
Hills Brumbies were placed fourth on the final table for the season and they were three points behind the Rangers. They earned 24 points from their home matches and their away games gave them 15 points. The Brumbies claimed 15 points from the first round and then added 24 second round points. They lost the Elimination Semi Final to Schofields Scorpions by a 2-0 scoreline.
Schofields Scorpions finished fifth and they were behind the Brumbies on goal difference. They collected 24 points from their home games while their away games yielded 15 points. In the first round they took 15 points and then they adde 24 points from the second round. The Scorpions defeated Hills Brumbies in the Elimination Semi Final and then lost the Minor Semi Final 2-1 to Mt Druitt.
Northbridge were placed sixth on the final table and they missed a place in the finals by a single point. They had the best attacking record in this age group as the found the net 59 times during the competition. They earned 22 points from their home matches and 16 points came from their away games. Northbridge took only 13 points from their first round matches but then they adde 25 second round points.
St George ended the season in seventh spot and they were two points behind Northbridge. The Saints took 21 points from the home games and 15 points from their away games. While they collected 28 points from the first round, only eight points came their way in the second round.
Hakoah completed the season in eighth position, eight points behind the Saints. They bagged 20 points when they played at home but their away games produced only 8 points. Hakoah earned only 10 points during the first round but then they took 18 points from the second round.
Mountains United were in ninth place on the last table for the season, three points behind Hakoah. They grabbed 12 points from their matches at home and their way games yielded 13 points. They earned 8 points from the first round and then 17 points came from their second round matches.
Stanmore Hawks finished in tenth position, three points behind Mountains United. They had 12 points to show for their home matches and they gained 10 points from their away games. The Hawks took 15 points from the first round and then only seven points from the second round.
Nepean ended the season in eleventh place and they were two points behind the Hawks. They earned 13 points from their home games and 7 points from their away games. In an even season Nepean collected 10 points from each of the two rounds of the competition.
Southern Branch finished in twelfth place, sixteen points behind Nepean. They snatched 4 points from their home games but they were unable to take a single point from their away matches. They did not earn a single point from the first round and all their points came from second round matches.
-By Barry Davis