Game 1 v Bristol (final score 15-2)
I loved that we went out hard in the first game and kept the pedal to the floor the whole way through the game. Even when we took the game away early on, not one player on the team gave up. Despite the wind we saw some sweet long shots from Jools, Ange and Mara and lots of high intensity play from everyone.

Game 2 v Dirty Olive (final score 15-4)
After our chat before the game about the danger players and who to watch out for, everyone on the pitch did their part to shut those players down. I think we played some of our best D ever this weekend, and it started in this game - there were very few open side options for the handlers, and more than once we forced throwing errors. Our D line was also looking supremely comfortable converting their scores.

Game 3 v Leeds (final score 13-10)
I remember this game as being tighter than the final, but nonetheless we really put our heads down in this game and played with some 100% intensity. We went out much harder than Leeds and made it very, very difficult for them to bring it back. After Leeds scored the first upwind point, we continued to trade until our D-line finally broke and the O-line carried on the momentum. We pulled away at the end and it was a true team effort.

Game 4 v Bristol (final score 15-4)
The main thing that sticks out for me in this game is that, even though during the first few points we were a bit shaky on our plays and our general team-ness, after a quick time out we really pulled it together and played extremely well, both as individuals and as a team. Highlights included Mara's amazing layout for a score right in the back of the endzone, a couple of long puts by Charlie and Caroline, and some really fantastic open-side D.

Final v Leeds (final score 15-10)
One of my favorite things about this game was that the D-line converted a couple of scores right at the beginning, and then we really kept our heads down and rode out the rest of the match. I saw every single Iceni player running at 100% the entire time they were on the pitch, particularly during some rather sticky points where we just couldn't quite get the first throw we wanted off all the time. The D was fantastic and the O was smooth. Excellent way to finish off the tournament.

Other highlights:

1. Everyone managed to keep their aggression and intensity up all weekend. We may have flagged momentarily on Sunday morning, but what we can learn from that is, even if we don't have a big conversation about how we get pumped before a game, we can all take the personal responsibility to do it anyway (insert personal highlight reel).

2. Our catches are looking awesome. There were very few drops this weekend, and there were some fantastic pickups low to the ground (Kate and Nicky in particular) and some really, really awesome high grabs under pressure (Charlie, Roxy, and Ellie spring immediately to mind).

3. Our throws are looking expansive and creative, and everyone on the pitch is a dangerous thrower. No one looks to the dump every single time. This makes us very threatening.

4. Our open side D, when we're all pumped for the game, is fantastic

5. We're moving earlier off a stopped disc, and we're keeping the disc moving faster.

Kaleigh Maietta