2011 PINEAPPLE HOTEL CUP E-FOOTY RECORD ROUND 1 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup E-Footy RECORD 2nd April 2011 Issue 1 Noosa v Palm Beach-Currumbin At Weyba Road, 2pm Saturday WHAT a way to open the season – a clash between perennial competition heavy- weights Noosa and Palm Beach-Currumbin on the northernmost tip of the Sunshine Coast. It is a confrontation between past Pineapple Hotel Cup champions (PBC, 2007- 2009) and reigning champions (Noosa, who lost the 2009 decider to Saturday’s rivals. And, as has been the case for so long, both Noosa and PBC have undergone sig- nifi cant changes in playing personnel over the off-season, although coaches Wayne Fletcher (Noosa) and Craig O’Brien (PBC) are constant denominators. Noosa have three gaping holes to fi ll. They have lost star forward Jeff Brain and ruckman Greg Page to NEAFL club Aspley and midfi eld workhorse Jay Reyn- olds has moved interstate. “That’s life in footy,” said Fletcher of Noosa’s situation. “We’re more than happy with the group we’ve got and we certainly intend to aim for further improvement.’ The Tigers have only 12 of last September’s winning grand fi nal going around against the Lions. New faces include Dane Frew (South Bendigo) and Danny Brewster (Latrobe Val- ley) and Fletcher has high hopes for John Reichman, last season’s reserves best and fairest, forced to settle in the seconds after recovering from knee surgery. “He has had a sensational pre-season,” said Fletcher. Fletcher is aware of a busy recruiting campaign at Palm Beach, who have lost star rover Mikal Bloom and have midfi elder Darryl Dyson out suspended. Big ruckman David Round, twice a QAFL Grogan Medallist, is lining up despite a wonky knee, speed machine Arnold Knight is back and the club has signed yet another former Broadbeach player, key-position utility Ben Walterrs. The Lions have also included newcomers Jordan Bates and Brad and Ryan Hard (Mildura), Brad Hewat from Albion in the Footscray League . Next Rounds’ Game E-Footy Saturday 16th April Record W/Grange v Coolangatta (1.00pm) Chief Executive Offi cer: Richard Griffi ths Football Operations Manager: Marty King Sandgate v Springwood Record Editor: David Heilbron PBC v W/Magpies Media Consultant: Terry Wilson Advertising: Penny Chapple S/Paradise v MNS All Correspondence to: The Editor, Footy Record, AFL Queensland, PO Box 1211 Noosa v Burleigh COORPAROO DC, QLD 4151. Tel (07) 33942433 Mayne Bye Page 2 E- Footy Record Issue1 2nd April 2011 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup AFL Queensland Pineapple Hotel Cup 2011 Round 1 Preview “From all reports they have some strongly-built midfi elders,” said Fletcher of off- season goings-on at PBC. Coach O’Brien said he is wary of the ‘uknown factor’ with so many new faces. “We played Coolangatta last week and the signs were good,” said O’Brien. “And they look good on the track, but Noosa at Noosa is a tough gig.” Wilston-Grange v Sandgate At Hickey Park, 7.30pm Saturday IT’S a case of the master up against the apprentice when Wilston-Grange tackle Sandgate in their north Brisbane derby at Hickey Park on Saturday night. New Grange boss David Martin used to coach Sandgate playing-coach Ben Long in their days back at the Northern Eagles. In fact, Long says, it was Martin who was inadvertently responsible for ending his days in State League fi rst grade. “He was actually the last coach to drop me to play twos footy. I didn’t play seniors again after that,” recalled Long. Sandgate, last season’s runners-up under Long, have had a relatively settled off- season, losing only Rob Lucas (retired) and Steve Webster (retired). Of the 2010 grand fi nal 22, Tom Overington (recovering from ankle injury), Rowan Moody (wedding) and Trent Morrissey (reserves) are not playing against the Grange. Recruits include David Scott, an on-baller who played with Sandgate a few years ago and is coming over from University of Queensland; defender Michael McCoy (ex-Mt Gravatt and Aspley); Will Bradley, who played seniors with the Hawks as a 1`6-year-old a few seasons back; and wily veteran Damien Garton, who is back from retirement. Knowing well the demands of Martin for his players to go the football, Long expects a tough fi rst-up encounter with Sandgate’s neighbours. “One thing you can depend on with sides Marto coaches is that they’ll be hard at the footy,” said Long. E- Footy Record Issue 1 2nd April 2011 Page 3 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup AFL Queensland Pineapple Hotel Cup 2011 Round 1 Preview Martin has not only Long as a past player he coaches at Northern Eagles. Throw in Dan Dickfos, Josh Walker, Brendan Forbes, Garton and Matt Nuss and Martin has plenty of inside knowledge on his opponents. As well, Martin should benefi t from an infl ux of handy recruits, led by former Morn- ingside full-back Matt Pardew, former Morningside fringe pair David Tough and Chris Jahnke , and former Brisbane rookie Elliott Hohenhaus (Maroochydore). “We have to have about 10 faces new to the club, but I’m hoping we’ll improve (on the scoreboard),” said Martin. “As a group they seem to be working hard and pretty good together. They seem to be prepared to listen and carry things about. “They are enthusiastic and keen.” Page 4 E- Footy Record Issue1 2nd April 2011 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup Mayne v Burleigh At Everton Park, 2pm Saturday THE man with the toughest job in the Pineapple Hotel Cup, new Mayne player- coach Luke Faulkner, has hit back at the prophets of doom forecasting the demise of the Tigers. Certainly, off-season dealings have shredded Mayne’s playing roster to the extent where many critics forecast the Tiges will struggle to win a game. This view comes on the back of the departures of Caleb Brown and Luke Ferguson to Morningside and Andrew McMahon, Tom Falconer and Jeff Teale to Aspley. That is a fair drain of talent, it has to be said, but Faulkner is upbeat over his situa- tion. “I think we’ll surprise a few, don’t worry about that,” predicted Faulkner. “A lot of people are writing us off but they don’t know what the real situation is here.” Faulkner prefers to look at the loss of Brown and co as ‘I put it tas if we’ve lost a couple of key players’. The Tigers have picked up Leigh Brumby, a midfi elder from Hillwood, Ryan Louwen-Skovdam, a backman from Darwin, Sam Patterson (Noosa), and Blake Faulkner, the younger brother of new captain-coach Luke. Over in the camp of Saturday’s rivals Burleigh – beaten preliminary fi nalists last season – things are going along nicely for coach Zane Doubleday. The Bombers have lost some good players in Mark Brown (overseas), Tom Suther- land will have a late start to the season, Tim McKay is injured and Stu Sutherland has returned to Victoria. And midfi elder Simon Fletcher will continue to be an irregular performer because of his Gold Coast Suns commitments. “But we’ve done okay in recruiting,” said Doubleday. Last year’s football manager Matt Jamieson will make a comeback after breaking his leg two years ago, Aaron Pianta has apparently shelved retirement plans, and newcomers include Zac Tzern from South Australia, Ben Sullivan from Romsey and Brody Vick from Rochester. “I have eight out this weekend, eight who I consider will be walk-up starters for round two,” said Doubleday. “Judging on training and pre-season stuff, I’m quite confi dent we’ll be in the mix again. We seem to have a bit more depth.’ E- Footy Record Issue 1 2nd April 2011 Page 5 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup AFL Queensland Pineapple Hotel Cup 2011 Round 1 Preview Maroochy-Northshore v Western Magpies At Fisherman’s Road, 2pm Saturday THE message from Maroochy-Northshore is clear: The club is prepared for some short-term pain for the long-term gain. As the Roos prepared for their season-opener against Western Magpies at Fish- erman’s Road, president Craig Scrase outlined events of what was a tumultuous off-season on the Sunshine Coast. “We’ve undertaken a clean sweep,” declared Scrase. “We’ve taken the chance to put the broom through the club, getting rid of those not motivated toward bettering themselves and those around them. “We’ve been two years in the fi nals and we’ve crashed straight out, so now we’ve decied to sacrifi ce talent for people with character. “The long-term gain is worth the short- term gain. But, having said that, with the acquisitions we’ve got, and with the heart some of them showed in pre-season, we are poised to surprise a few teams. “It’s going to be a tough year, but we can be dangerous.’ They are certainly fi ghting words from the Roo chief because the club is only a shell of that of the 2009 and 2010 seasons which ended so disappointingly under former coach Peter Somerville. Scrase also pointed out the Roos are going big with their under-18 side in division one, where the foundations for a successful future hopefully will be laid. This has to be the case considering who the Roos have lost. Gone are Ben Mathws (retired), Ryan White (to Victoria), Ben Stanley, Elliot Hohenhaus, and Owen Bailey and Travis Mills (both to Noosa).