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Web : www.whitsundayrugby.com.au Facebook : Proserpine/Whitsunday Club Inc Fraser Ford Twitter : @Whitsundayrugby Email : [email protected] Address : Green Energy Sportspark, 366 Shute Harbour Rd Jubilee Pocket, P.O. Box 93, Cannonvale, Qld 4802 President : Snr : Matt Sammut 04063123 Jnr : Sharron Pratt 0403318866

Coming Events : First Home Game Saturday 24th May Fraser Ford Raiders V Slade Point Green Energy Sportspark NEWS : The 2014 Fraser Ford Raiders season has taken off right where we left it in 2013. On a win and in high spirits. The Fraser Ford Raiders have yet to loose a match since their preseason match up with Townsville’s favoured club, Teachers Wests. The boys took on Bowen in the Magee Cup and retained it for another year! See match report here Training commenced and solid numbers have committed every week. Coach Maka has been putting the players through their paces with a lot of work still to be done. “GET TO TRAINING”

After the Magee cup the Fraser Ford Raiders headed out to Moranbah Rugby club to support the Colafields V Canelands Cup on 5th April. A fundraiser to help rebuild Moranbahs clubhouse after a fire. Great road trip and eye opener for our international players! See match reports.

2014 also sees a Whitsunday Raiders womans team with 11 Registered players! The girls played in the Nth Qld Games Rugby 7’s cup. The team consisted of Adeline Poid, Sipa Fitikefu, Karla Crossley, Shannon & Lea Piccinelli, Pia Poid, Shannay Taylor, Shaniah Power and Leah Pio. The ladies come from local Whitsunday, Bowen and Mackay areas and were put together for this event without training or team runs. I believe that Lea, Shannon and Shannay use to be Junior Raiders in their younger days!!!! See match report

The girls also play Rugby League in the Country team who have gone onto being selected in the Mackay Rep side to play Cairns. Congratulations Pia Poid, Adeline Lahou, Lea and Shannon Piccinelli.

The Fraser Ford Raiders have started their 2014 Mackay Rugby Union competition with great numbers. We have played Kuttabul in the opener followed up by Bowen the next week. Two out of two! Check out Chenga’s match reports, it will feel like you were there! Match report here “Its not bragging if you can back it up”

MRU NEWS Under the new leadership of Michael Saunders, MRU we have seen a refreshing professionalism emerge for our Mackay Stingers Representative rugby union team. Our very own coach, Isitola Maka has been appointed as the Mackay Stingers coach. Since training has commenced he has a squad of 40 representative level players turning up to training vying to be the first XV to be selected in the run on Mackay Stingers team to play Cairns and Townsville on 17th May.

We have a good contingent of Raiders players selected in the Stingers squad. Congratulations Martin Roveda, Shannon Wolland, Josh Brock, Scott Vella, Tai Roberts, Dom Croker, Jack Raitt, Scott Gerrand, Thomas Piazza, Matt Eldridge.

The matches over the weekend are being used as a selection platform for the Queensland Country team to play in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). NRC will run for 11 weeks from August this year and feature teams in five of 's eight states and territories. All players will be obliged to play and Wallabies players will be allocated to a team. National Rugby Championship teams: Brisbane City, Queensland Country, North Harbour Rays, the , Greater Sydney Rams, New South Wales Country, University of Canberra Vikings, Rising, Perth Spirit. The Qld Country players selected will go into a 10 week camp at Bond university. ______

CLUB FACILITY UPGRADES

Over the past couple of weeks there has been activity at the clubhouse reforming the mound in front of the clubhouse for the grandstands and joining the opposite mound for future placement of our shade structure all for optimal viewing. A request to the Whitsunday Regional council to perform these works was approved. Thanks to the organizational skills of Junior Rugby father, Scott Hardy and Sharron Pratt there was action at the Green Energy Sportspark. Volunteers Billy Kaka (76yrs!), Peter “Chenga” Chengody, Sharron Pratt, President Matt Sammut and players Martin Roveda, Josh Brock, Dom Kermac, Ron Croker, William Pratt, Ryan Edkin all gave their time to see the project was completed. Soccer President Steve Tween also assisted with supplying his tipper to move some dirt around. I would like to thank the businesses that gave inkind sponsorship for the project to be completed. Please patron them as they have supported your rugby club. I better not forget the Gambling grant which supplied the $34000 for the grandstand! Glen Smith : Rural & Remote Kitchens 0418725584. Builder who supervised and built the grandstands when they turned up in many bits! Great for renovations/builds. Davies Cranes : Nathan 49461222. Placing the grandstands on top of the mounds so the players didn’t have too!!!! Hillside Turf : Jason Barratt 0417272424 who donated the turf for the mound and helped lay it ! Whitsunday Regional council for supplying the fill, topsoil, crusher dust and earthmover to complete works.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FIRST HOME GAME ON 24TH MAY!!

Grants

The PWRU & WJRU have won another grant through the Breakwater Island Casino Community Benefit fund for $5000 worth of training and field equipment. Our goal posts will have custom made ‘fitting’ pads! Great work Sharron. If anyone has any or knows where we can source some industrial storage racks (2nd hand or free!) so the OCD in us can store them nicely.

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VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION

Magee Cup Game and away matches. Madison French, Martin Roveda & Peter Chengody for line marking and ensuring field is prepared for Bowen home game. If anyone would like to assist or give these gentlemen a break pls contact Chenga on 0414467553 Sharron Pratt, Matt Sammut & Ron Croker for behind the scenes organization and keeping everyone informed. Bruce Spannagle : keeping canteen stocked and assisting with lines. Match reports/manager/registrar/running lines : Peter Chengody Bus drivers : Ian Dachs, Bill Pratt Managers: Kon Flaherty, Ron Croker, Trent Elson The FnWAGS for the canteen. On the Bowen match Michelle Pelzer, Georgie Victor. Honorary FNWAGS : Steve Andrews, Maddigan Dachs & Billy Kaka for cooking. Georgie, Madison & Sharron for stocking canteen. First Aid was Craig Spence & Ian Dachs Water/kicking tee was Raiders Junior Toby Craig Videoing/ photography: Judd Pratt & Sharron Pratt

Wilmar Whitsunday Junior Rugby Union

Sixteen players from our Junior Raiders were selected in the Mackay Districts Under 13 & 14 yrs teams and travelled to Emerald to compete in the 2014 Queensland Country Muster. Under 13yrs were led by Craig Spence and Under 14’s Dave Cornish. It was a brilliant event from all accounts and the players and teams gained a wealth of experience over the 2 day carnival. There were 5 players selected in the Bushrangers team to compete at the state titles on the Gold Coast in July. Congratulations Junior Raiders Ben Cornish and Jack

Kearns who were selected. Also great to see all the parent support that made the journey to Emerald! Leanne Hoffman and Lanes absent in photo.

2014 Whitsunday Junior Season

After a committee meeting and consultation with Mackay Junior Rugby club the WJRU has decided to trial their season in line with Mackay. This will ensure all grades get rugby matches against other teams. The season will still run for 10 weeks and training will be on the Friday night with games. There will be 4 carnivals during the season. Two home and two away. We will still be having our Viking Cup against Tnsv, Mackay and possibly Central Highlands this year.

The school holiday clinic will be run on the 1st Monday of the July school holidays, 30th June. So mark your calendar, excellent opportunity for children to ‘try rugby’ or brush out the cobwebs. Bring your friends!

The season sign-on will be run over a couple of dates. First one will be a joint Snr & Jnr family fun day at the clubhouse Aug 3rd. Great day to interact with the senior players, learn some skills, fun activities and signing on including receiving your kit. Sign on will be $50 for the season (covers insurance, sportspark usage, ARU registration etc) This amount is subsidized greatly by our generous sponsors found on the back of our dress shirt. You have the choice of buying the full kit $60 (shirt, shorts, socks) or you can buy items separately. Training and games will commence from Friday 29th August – 21st November.

Keep an eye out on our facebook page, web site and school newsletters.

Major Raffle for Junior Season

The Juniors are running a 2014 season Major Raffle. Some fantastic prizes have been donated from Hamilton Island, Daydream Island, Cruise Whitsunday and Qld Reds. We are selling tickets now at the Bunnings BBQs we host. All families will receive at least one book ($25 worth) to sell upon registration. If you would like to get your books now contact Marilyn Roche 0400188702, [email protected] There will be a book sellers prize also, signed /Qld Reds Ball in glass case by Qld Reds.

1st Prize: Two night accommodation for 2 adults/2 children at Hamilton Island + transfers + breakfast. $1000 worth

2nd Prize: Two night accommodation for 2 adults/2 children at Daydream Island + transfers + breakfast. $1000 worth

3rd Prize: 2 adults Camira Sailing Adventure

Book Sellers prize:

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RAIDERS PLAYER PROFILE

NAME: Josh Brock

Nickname: JB, Brocky and all rhyming words with Brock 

Position: wing/ fullback

Height/Weight: 6ft, 90kgs

Where are you from : Horsham, England

Previous clubs : Horsham, St Marys university,Twickenham.

Any superstitions or pre-match rituals? I listen to Primal Scream moving on up before every match and I wear the same undershorts every match (they are usually clean!)

Song most likely to get you on the dance floor : Usually naything with enough booze but probably Mumford & sons or that you can tell me al song.

Views on your experience at PWRU: Playing Rugby in paradise with friends I could of only of hoped to meet and under ex all black coach. Not Bad 

Why do you love playing Rugby: Play Rugby for friends, the booze!

The Raider News will come out once a month during the Rugby season. The reason for the news bulletin is to get out as much Rugby information to all stakeholders in Whitsunday, Mackay and Bowen area. Please also like the Proserpine/Whitsundays Raiders Rugby Union Club Facebook page. Your email address is one of over 200 contacts. If you would like to be removed from the mailing list please reply with “remove from Raiders mailing list”.

Wilmar WhitsundayJunior Rugby Union Sponsors