VFL Round 2 TAC Cup Round 3 15 - 17 April 2016 $3.00 Photo: Jenny Owens Photo: Shane Goss (@licoricegallery) A win for Victoria’s talent pathway Over the years there have been a number of inspiring draft ee stories from the TAC Cup and Peter Jackson VFL. One of the best from the 2015 crop is that of former Essendon VFL and Gippsland Power player Anthony McDonald Tipungwuti. Commonly known as ‘Walla’ or ‘Tippa’, the Tiwi Island-born player has been an excitement machine in the VFL over recent years, with Channel 7 commentator Campbell Brown unashamedly his no.1 fan. Last year Essendon selected him at pick no.22 in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft , the perfect reward for eff ort for a player that has worked so hard on and off the field since he made the decision to leave his family on Melville Island and move to Gippsland to continue his football journey as a 17-year-old. While it is commonly known that the TAC Cup and VFL clubs help the playing development of players, at Gippsland Power it was the work done off the field with Anthony that deserves the most credit. When he first arrived at the club, English was his second language so simply communicating with staff and players proved testing even before he took to the field. To his credit, he was able to complete his VCE, improve his skills with English and has now made it to the elite level of football in the AFL. From the McDonald family in Longwarry that adopted Anthony into their family during his time at Gippsland Power, to Peter Francis and his staff at the Power and those at Essendon both at VFL and AFL level that have aided his development, well done on helping a young footballer on his journey. It is just one of the many great stories that emanate from the talent pathway in our state. Steven Reaper AFL Victoria CEO Contents 3 5 Will Setterfield 14 15 TAC Cup weeklyweekly contentcontent 6 7 Jordan Jones 16 Stats Centrall 8 9 Christian Buykx-Smith 18 21 U16 Countryntry teamsteams 10 11 VFL weekly content 24 AFL Vic News 13 VFL Women’s 72 Quiz Who’s playing who 40 41 Geelong vs Northern Blues 58 59 Eastern vs Oakleigh 42 43 Essendon vs North Ballarat 60 61 Northern vs QLD 44 45 Richmond vs Footscray 62 63 Western vs Sandringham 46 47 Port Melbourne vs Coburg 64 65 Calder vs NSW / ACT 48 49 Williamstown vs Box Hill Hawks 66 67 Geelong vs Gippsland 50 51 Collingwood vs Casey Scorpions 68 69 Dandenong vs Bendigo 52 53 Frankston vs Werribee 70 71 Murray vs North Ballarat Editor: Ben Pollard [email protected] Contributors: Anthony Stanguts, Kirstie Fitzgerald Design & Print: Cyan Press Photos: AFL Photos (unless otherwise credited) Advertising: Rosanna Butler (03) 8341 6021 Ikon Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton Nth, VIC 3054 GPO Box 4337, Melbourne, VIC 3001 Cover: Jack Walters in action for the Geelong Falcons during Phone: (03) 8341 6000 | Fax: (03) 9380 1076 Round 2 of the TAC Cup season www.aflvic.com.au www.taccup.com.au 01 Television Online VFL Online Website: www.vfl.com.au Twitter: @VFL #PJVFL Facebook: www.facebook.com/vflfooty TAC Cup Online Sunday April 17 – 11.30am Website: www.taccup.com.au Williamstown vs Box Hill Hawks Twitter: @TACCup Facebook: www.facebook.com/taccupfooty Next game: Collingwood vs Essendon Instagram: @aflvictoria Radio L VFL Live I Saturday April 16: Port Melbourne vs Coburg from 1.45pm V Live on Aussie digital, Red Time Sport iPhone and Android apps, plus online via vfl.com.au E Next week: Sandringham vs Footscray R TAC Cup Radio A D Sunday April 17: Murray Bushrangers vs North Ballarat Rebels from 1.15pm I Listen live on the Red Time Sport iPhone App or www.taccup.com.au O Next week: Murray Bushrangers vs Gippsland Power 3WBC Sunday April 17: Williamstown vs Box Hill Hawks from 10.30am Listen to 94.1FM, online at www.3wbc.org.au or the Tune In Radio app Next week: Coburg vs Box Hill Hawks Casey Radio Sunday April 17: Frankston vs Werribee from 1pm Tune to 97.7fm in Melbourne, via the web at www.caseyradio.com.au, or on the Tune In Radio app on your smart phone. Next week: Casey Scorpions vs Williamstown Video Streaming Visit vfl.com.au on Saturday April 16 for our VFL match of the day: Port Melbourne vs Coburg from 2pm Watch the action and listen to the call from the VFL Live team. Next week: Sandringham vs Footscray 02 www.vfl.com.au Will settles further afield Making life’s big decisions isn’t something normally expected of high school students, but Sandringham Dragons midfielder Will Setterfield is hoping an important choice he made will pay off by the end of the year. www.taccup.com.au 03 Some students might know where they want to work recruiters’ eyes in the hope of realising their football or what they want to study aft er they graduate. Many dream. don’t. Regardless, the flexibility of modern careers Big life decisions that have paid off . means these decisions oft en aren’t life-defining. This year, more will make similar moves. One of Now put yourself in the shoes of a talented underage them, Albury native Will Setterfield, 18, relocated to footballer. Melbourne at the start of 2014 as a 15-year-old. If you have ambition to make it to the elite level, the He decided to leave the family home to play football statistics say the time to strike is just aft er you’ve in the TAC Cup for the Dragons and attend Caulfield left school – the majority of players taken in the AFL Grammar while living in a boarding house. Draft and Rookie Draft are 18 years old. “It was my move, really,” Setterfield said. “My The professionalism of the AFL means young parents didn’t really initiate it; it was really up to me, draft ees are increasingly expected to be ‘ready and I was keen to come down to Melbourne and see to go’. That means doing everything possible what it was like. to prepare yourself for a career as an elite sportsperson, all while you’re at school. “Footy’s much bigger down here than back home. That was the main reason, and then mum and dad For most Victorian kids hoping to play in the TAC Cup thought it would’ve been a smart move for the – Australia’s most successful underage competition education as well. in terms of players draft ed to the AFL – they can do this while staying close to home. For those in other “You do feel like you’re a bit diff erent to all the city states who want to further their chances of making a boys, but you get used to it living in a boarding career out of football, there’s a choice to make. house.” Take the cases of Jacob Hopper, Daniel Rioli and Setterfield, a member of both the AFL and GWS Yestin Eades, selected in the 2015 AFL Draft by GWS, Academies, was lucky to have relatives living in Richmond and Essendon respectively. All moved Melbourne and a cousin – Fergus Huntington – to Victoria from interstate to play with the North playing at Sandringham when he arrived. Ballarat Rebels and put themselves in front of They helped him make an easy transition to his new Will Setterfield (second from left ) with fellow NSW/ACT members of the AFL Academy on the Academy’s US training camp in January 04 www.vfl.com.au Will Setterfield gets a handball away for NSW/ACT during the 2015 U18 Championships home base in 2014. But things became more diff icult “Rehab days are always up and down,” O’Connor last year. said. The 189cm utility who relied on his strong “I think any young player has down days; it’s being endurance base to cover the football field suddenly able to acknowledge that and being able to stay on wasn’t able to fully do what he does best – run. track. I wouldn’t say he was immune to those down Setterfield discovered a bone lesion in his knee times and the frustration of it all, but I think he’s got was what had been causing him pain in certain a strength of character that handles it regardless. places while running. He had surgery to shave it off “I think that’s one of his strongest suits.” and his leg muscle wasted away as the associated O’Connor said he was excited to see what Setterfield rehabilitation prevented him from playing with the could produce in 2016, when he’ll look to again play Dragons in 2015. in the AFL U18 Championships aft er three matches “It was a long process,” Setterfield said of his with NSW/ACT as a hard-running wingman last year. recovery. According to O’Connor, the Dragons will seek to “With the injury, I spent a lot of time thinking expand the game knowledge of their “modern- without doing much but still having to travel to day player” by using him more oft en as an inside Sandringham games, and footy and school got a bit midfielder and in roles closer to goal. more serious. Aft er the decisions he’s already made in life, “It was a bit of a hard year but it was still worth it.” adapting to new on-field situations shouldn’t be too Encouragingly, Setterfield is having “no trouble” diff icult for Setterfield.