ROAD SAFETY ROUND TAC CUP ROUND 17 AUGUST 24-25, 2013 $3.00 Enter at wipeoff5.com.au or #wipeoff5 SSandringhamandringham DDragonsragons 112.19-912.19-91 d MMurrayurray BBushrangersushrangers 55.8-38.8-38 AFL VICTORIA CORPORATE PARTNERS NAMING RIGHTS PREMIER PARTNERS OFFICIAL PARTNERS APPROVED LICENSEES EDITORIAL Final round equations WHAT suspense we have for the fi nal round of the home and away season in both the Peter Jackson VFL and TAC Cup. There are so many permutations entwined in this precedent for a Friday night VFL weekend’s games that it is impossible to predict with any fi nal – the Bendigo Bombers surety how the composition of the fi nal eight in the hosted a night fi nal several years respective competitions may appear. ago. While the TAC Cup fi nals are all locked away at Visy Park The other venue is likely to go to the club that fi nishes regardless of this weekend’s results, a far different second – either Box Hill Hawks or Casey Scorpions, which scenario exists in the VFL. would mean that Port Melbourne, if they make the fi nals, What has been decided during the past week is that the would play a home fi nal in an Elimination Final. North Port Oval will once again be the central venue for the But, what should be remembered is that the North Port fi rst three weeks of the Peter Jackson VFL Legendairy fi nals Oval has hosted fi nals now for the past 20 years and Port series. Melbourne has won and lost fi nals there over the journey. North Port will host all the televised games on the Saturday Given this history and the central location of the venue, it is and Sunday of the fi rst three weeks of the fi nals before the the fi nal’s venue of choice. AFL Victoria value our Grand Final is held at Etihad Stadium, September 22. partnership with broadcast partner ABC and a single fi nals AFL Victoria State League & Talent Manager, John Hook, venue also minimises the logistical challenges the ABC inspected the North Port Oval both last weekend and again face in their endeavours to produce a high quality live last Monday along with the local Council, plus received production that refl ects well on the ABC and the VFL feedback from a raft of clubs and ground staff before competition. making the decision. This weekend also marks an important initiative from the Football has no control over the vagaries of the weather TAC – the ‘Wipe off 5’ message, which impacts directly gods, but we’re comfortable that North Port Oval will with Victorians as part of a ground-breaking low-level present a fair playing surface for every club. speeding campaign. As is the case each and every season the venue for the The Wipe off 5 slogan has been brought to life with giant, other two fi nals in the fi rst week of the fi nals causes much 3D letters on a road trip across Victoria this month. discussion. And, so it is again this season The roadshow will be featured at the Williamstown versus AFL Victoria has received a proposal from Geelong, which Northern Blues ABC TV match Saturday. is certain to fi nish on top of the ladder, for its Qualifying Final to be played under lights at Simonds Stadium on a Then Craigieburn’s Highgate Recreation Reserve will also Friday night. play host to the roadshow Sunday during the TAC Cup double-header to round off the home and away season. It is a consideration that will be further discussed over the weekend before the venues are announced after all the Grant Williams games are completed on Sunday afternoon. There is a AFL Victoria General Manager Editor: Anthony Stanguts anthony.stanguts@afl vic.com.au Contributors: Adrian Dunn, David O’Neill, Madeline Grech Design & Print: Cyan Press Photos: AFL Photo’s (unless otherwise credited) Visy Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton Nth, VIC 3054 Advertising: Ryan Webb (03) 8341 6062 GPO Box 4337, Melbourne, VIC 3001 AFL Victoria General Manager: Grant Williams Phone: (03) 8341 6000 | Fax: (03) 9380 1076 www.afl vic.com.au State League & Talent Manager: John Hook High Performance Managers: Anton Grbac, Leon Harris Cover photo: Support the TAC’s Wipe off 5 campaign Talent Operations Coordinator: Rhy Gieschen Talent Operations Offi cer: Lauren Bunting www.taccup.com.au 1 MEDIA COVERAGE TAC CUP MEDIA COVERAGE Keep up to date with all the action from the TAC Cup via the following media coverage: TAC Cup Radio Tune in from 1:45pm for the TAC Cup Radio match of the week. Join Phil Crooks, Rick Morris and Gabe Sorrentino as they bring you a weekly TAC Cup match throughout the season. Sunday August 25 – Western Jets vs Sandringham Dragons Listen live on the Red Time Sport iPhone App or www.taccup.com.au Next game: ALL fi nals matches TAC Cup Future Stars TAC Cup Future Stars is back on Channel 9 for season 2013. Join Craig Hutchinson, Kevin Sheehan, and Terry Wallace as they keep you up to date with results and information from AFL Victoria’s TAC Cup competition. Tune in this Sunday August 25, at 1pm on Channel 9. TAC Cup Online Keep up to date with the TAC Cup via the following methods: Website: www.taccup.com.au @TACCup #taccup www.facebook.com/taccupfooty 2 www.afl vic.com.au TAC EDITORIAL Support the Drive to Wipe off 5 August has been a truly ground-breaking month as Gippsland Power’s Jack Leslie and Victorians continue to Support the Drive to Wipe off 5. coach Nick Stevens The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and AFL have joined forces this month to promote the TAC’s Wipe off 5 campaign. This support from the AFL and AFL Victoria shows how important road safety is to our community, and how important it is for all of you, the Victorian public, to own this road safety message. Activity throughout the month is aimed at reducing road trauma by raising awareness of the dangers of low-level speeding. During Saturday’s ABC TV telecast VFL game between Williamstown and Northern Blues, Wipe off 5 messaging will be printed on Burbank Oval’s playing surface. This weekend also marks the fi nal round of home and away matches in the TAC Cup, which will be played under the banner of Road Safety Round. And in a show of support for the Wipe off 5 campaign, the Schools, workplaces and sporting clubs have left these AFL has removed the 5 from each 50-metre arc on every messages with whiteboard markers, while the push has ground at every match during Round 22 this weekend. also gathered momentum online, with many entries in the It is the fi rst time the AFL has changed on-ground markings TAC’s Wipe off 5 competition. to support a cause. To be in the running to win $5000, head to wipeoff5.com. In a month of ‘fi rsts’, the TAC has been travelling au and show how you are wiping off 5 this August. There around Victoria, asking the community to get involved in are categories for best individual, club, workplace, school supporting the drive to Wipe off 5. and group, so get your entry in before midnight Saturday Locals in up to 30 towns across the state have fl ocked to August 31. sign the Wipe off 5 Roadshow’s life-size letters (pictured), showing that they’re fair dinkum about slowing down on You might get ideas from the TAC’s latest advertisements, the roads. where Wipe off 5 ambassadors Nick Maxwell and Chris Judd come across a number of instances of 5 being wiped off around them. This innovative TAC campaign has used public education to involve and engage the community on as many levels as possible. Because, road safety is, after all, an issue that affects everyone. Stay safe this weekend, enjoy the footy wherever you’re watching from and Wipe off 5 if you’re a Local junior side in Horsham. little bit over the speed limit. www.taccup.com.au 3 WHAT IF SCENARIO WHAT IF SCENARIO JUST when it was thought that the fi nal eight was settled, the results of last weekend has spun open not only the door to the eight, but also the positions within the eight. Sandringham’s impressive win against Murray has given GIPPSLAND POWER (7th, 8-8, 118%) V the Dragon’s a chance to play fi nals while at the same time BENDIGO PIONEERS (11th, 3-13) making the Bushrangers position in the eight vulnerable. WHILE there is little apart from ending the season on a And, even Gippsland, currently riding a fi ve game losing positive note at stake for Bendigo Pioneers, Gippsland stretch, is not secure. The Power must snap its losing run Power really must reassert itself on the match if it is to against Bendigo or face the possibility of dropping out of play a meaningful role in the fi nals. the fi nals equation – a scenario that seemed remote at the Gippsland needs a confi dence boosting win after fi nding start of July. itself in free fall over the past six weeks. After appearing Geelong will fi nish on top of the ladder, but it faces a certain to fi nish in the top four following a start to the surging Dandenong Stingrays, which has grabbed third season that saw them win eight of their fi rst 11 games, place on the back of fi ve successive wins and the Falcons the Power has lost its spark.