A 3-0 win away from home to open the season – I’ll take that every time.
Round 1 is never straightforward.
So, to go to Rochedale, keep a clean sheet and score three – that’s a very pleasing way to begin.
It was also important for us to respond.
The Kappa Cup result didn’t sit well with me or the players.
I thought the boys handled the weekend well, not just tactically but mentally.
Their professionalism across the whole 90 minutes was strong, and I was particularly happy with the impact from the bench.
When you want to build something across a long season, you need contributions from everyone, not just the starting XI.
If you’d offered me a 3-0 win away in our first match back in November, I would have snapped your hand off.
Our clean sheet wasn’t by accident.
In preseason, we worked across every aspect of our game, but through our recruitment process we were very deliberate about strengthening certain areas – particularly defensively.
That’s not just about defenders; it’s about structure, discipline and collective responsibility.
There was a spell in the first half where we drifted a little.
Our pressing wasn’t as clear as it needed to be, and we made things harder for ourselves.
But half-time came at a good time, and Caleb Bulter’s goal just before the break was massive. Goals at those moments change games.
We felt that ourselves the week before against Lions.
This time we were on the right side of it.
I’ve been really pleased with Caleb since he arrived.
He’s applied himself superbly and has been excellent throughout pre-season.
Getting his reward with that goal, and a very well-taken one at that, was satisfying to see.
Fernando Nash will always be judged on goals, because that’s the life of a striker.
But I don’t set him a number to hit.
His job is simple: go into every game expecting to score and be disappointed if you don’t.
He adjusted well at half-time to what we asked of him, and his goal was a good reward for that.
And then there’s Jack Hingert.
I joked with him at training during the week that he could stay back for corners because I couldn’t remember the last time he scored.
He quickly reminded me of a goal he scored when we were together at the Roar – which, in fairness, was a very good finish.
So, naturally, he was the first one to find me after the game on the weekend.
“See? I do score goals.”
He took it very well, and the build-up from the group was excellent.
It was a strong way to close the game.
Are we where I want us to be? Not yet.
I’d say we were probably at our desired level for 65 or 70 minutes.
That leaves 20-25 minutes that still need refining.
Sometimes that comes down to fatigue – when you start to tire, decision-making with and without the ball becomes harder.
That’s not about age; it’s about concentration and application for the full match.
The encouraging thing is that the standard is there. We must just sustain it.
I don’t look at this result and think it sends a message to the competition.
It’s one game.
Olympic away this weekend will be another tough test.
But the focus remains the same: consistency, discipline, and growth.
Round 1 was a good start.
Now we go again.
