In the absence of any current local sporting events, The Cobar Weekly has invited various sports people and commentators, to provide us with their Greatest Teams Ever.
Their brief was to choose a side based on anyone they had played with or had watched play in Cobar.
This Indoor Soccer Team was chosen by player/referee/reporter Jade Buckman.
“Firstly, please take this team with a grain of salt. Each person would have a different opinion and I appreciate that,” Jade said.
“For this team, I’ve chosen a mixed team based on the current six-a-side rules.
“There have been so many good players over the years, but I have only chosen nine. To me, that’s the ideal number of players for the six-a-side game. Everyone gets a good run and it doesn’t upset the balance of the team.
“I can’t pick everyone,” Jade lamented.
“Here’s a few honourable mentions; Jason Foster, Marc Cummins, Tom Wall, Ben Turton, Josh Tooley, Michael Schultz, Andrew Barber, Greg Brown, Sean Cox, Ivan Arcayo, Zoë Harland, Kathleen Hardie, Michelle Deppeler, Eden Fairbank, Mel Mills, Naomi Whitehurst, Kat Wilson and Bianka Jacobson.
“I apologise if I have left someone out. It wasn’t an easy task. There’s been a lot of good players over the last 20 years.”
The team is: Daniel Howard—Dan is out and out the best striker to have ever play in the Cobar competition. Technically gifted and strong, he won multiple titles and won the award for most goals on numerous occasions. Pace, power, dribbling ability, body positioning and super finishing skills, made him virtually impossible to play against in his day.
Jade Buckman (C)—Since it’s my team, I’m putting myself in it and making myself captain. An attacking midfielder and playmaker, I have probably played the most games and scored the most goals in the Cobar competition since its inception over 20 years ago. While I am capable of finding the back of the net, I think it’s my awareness and passing game that sets me apart.
Josh Brown—Josh is an exceptional all-round midfielder with a combination of pace, power, precision passing and the ability to destroy opposition attacks before they even get started. Super fit and quick, Josh can easily transition from defence into attack and vice versa, making him a must in any team.
Robert Childs—Like Josh Brown, Robert can play both in defence and attack. All of Robert’s attacking raids will start from defence. Robert has the ability to sniff out opportunities and he makes decisive runs forward assisting the strikers. Look for Robert and me to take it in turns pressing forward.
Jason Roberg—Jason is the dark horse in the team. Don’t be fooled by Jason’s unassuming nature. Jason’s strong tackling and incisive passing enables him to not only close down attacks with ease, but also benefit his team greatly in attack. Jason possessed one of the strongest boots in the game, making him lethal from any distance on the court.
Jimmy Suroto—Jimmy would be my goalkeeper in the team, the last line of defence. Not only a gifted shot-stopper, he’s also a great organiser and held a presence on the court. Small, agile, good footwork and oozing with confidence, he celebrated stopping goals, like he was scoring goals.
Bonnie Buckman—The team’s defender. Like an old-fashioned centre-back, Bonnie reads the game magnificently; she’s not afraid to physically match up against the men and shows great technique dispossessing opponents.
Hannah Young—When the competition rules where changed so that a female goal was worth two points, Hannah was the most dangerous player on the court. Athletically gifted, she had the speed, confidence and touch to win games. She was even instrumental in winning a grand final 6-5 despite scoring less goals then the opposition (3 x female goals = 6 points to 5 x male goals (5 points).
Shannon Purton—Another striker, Shannon is the only left footer in the team. Being left footed makes it difficult for unknowing defenders to make the adjustment and stop her. She kicks the ball harder than most men and has won the female scoring title (even scoring more goals then the men) on multiple occasions.
