Hello AFL@Eddies

M A Y 2 0 0 8 I S S U E 1

It was great to see the AFL goal posts erected at the southern end of Owens Oval in

May. There are about 110 students playing AFL for the College each weekend and an additional 10 or so senior boys who represented the college in the Swans’ Cup ACT College competition for Years 11 and 12 students. In this competition the teams won 2 games and lost 2 games.

The support and effort provided by so many coaches, managers, parents and commit- tee members has been tremendous and this makes the job of having the teams ready

to compete each weekend a far easier task. If any parents would like to become in- volved, particularly as trainers or runners please approach the team manager.

We are now a little over a quarter of the way through the AFL season and all 4 St

Edmund’s teams are getting reasonable player numbers and mixed results. The U14 team has been promoted from Division 2 to Division 1 based on their strong results and it is hoped that they can continue to be competitive in the higher standard of Division 1.

The U16 Division 1 and 2 teams are finding the games fairly tough against some qual- ity opposition and teams which have large numbers. Both these teams have been competitive in each game and the players are showing good skills and spirit. Many players have played 2 games on a weekend to ensure we have enough to field teams and some players also play another sport for the College as well as AFL on the same day to help out.

The U12’s have had 2 wins and, with a number of Queanbeyan players joining the teams as the Queanbeyan Club did not have sufficient numbers to field a team in this age group. The cooperation and team spirit amongst the players and parents has been outstanding. Team milestones have been recognized with banners including both Did You Know: Club colours and wins have been celebrated with the Club songs from each club. Congratulations to all involved in this team. Teams your coaches follow St Edmunds has 3 players, Timothy Clowry and Thomas Ratcliffe, selected in the ACT Dave Kelly Collingwood Primary Schools Sports Association AFL team and Scott Lancaster who was invited in a train-on capacity to participate in the PSSA Championship in in July. Brian Jeffery Five players have been chosen in the ACT Secondary Schools Sports Association AFL Carlton Championship, also to be played in Melbourne in July. The players are Cameron Joe Mann Cobby, Jack Dunne, Tom Jeffery, Taylor Lee and Andrew Swan. Also congratulations Collingwood to Kaine Stevens who has been included in the NSW/ACT U16 RAMS State Squad.

John Trabinger Congratulations to all these players on their achievement and the opportunity to rep- Richmond resent the College in a very strong competition.

Tom Zinkel Collingwood It is pleasing to see the College represented in AFL by so many boys and supported by many parents and staff each weekend. Well done to all teams so far and we look Ian Peterson Hawthorn forward to many more successful games for the remainder of the season

Brian Jeffery—Vice President stedmunds.aflnswact.com.au

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 2 Code of Conduct

The Code of Contact can be downloaded from www.aflcanberra.com.au. This code applies to players, offi- cials, parents and supporters. Umpires have been directed to report any unacceptable behaviour which includes swearing and back chatting the umpire . Please read this code with your child as it is important that it is adhered to. Players are reminded that they are representing the college. If a player is sent off by an umpire due to unacceptable behaviour it will be reported to the college. This may result in the player being penalised with a ban from playing for a period time.

Know Your Coaches

DIRECTOR OF COACHING Rohan Langford

After an absence of a couple of years Rohan Langford has returned to the school and continues his support of AFL at Eddies by taking on the role of Director of Coaching. Rohan has a great AFL background and his experience and knowledge of the game will be an asset to the club. Here are a few interesting stats:-

Supports: Richmond Tigers

Favourite Players: Matthew Richardson, Gary Ablett Sr. and Jr., Michael Voss

Playing number: 23

Playing history: St. Patrick’s Junior Football Club, Albury; ANUAFC, Canberra

Coaching history: ANUAFC, Canberra (Seniors, Reserves and Thirds); St. Edmund’s

Premierships: 2 (ANUAFC 2004-2005)

Coaching Philosophy: I believe there are three main focuses for a coach. Firstly, the coach should foster an environ- ment that is inclusive of all comers where people feel free to be themselves. Secondly, skill and tactical develop- ment should improve players and also provide them with a challenge to hone their ability to think through a game. Finally, a coach should provide an environment that is fun and enjoyable so that people develop a true love and ap- preciation for the greatest game of all.

End of Season Presentation Dinner

Thursday 18 September 2008

Southern Cross Club Woden Top of the Cross

6.30pm

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 3 Know Your Coaches

Under 16’s Division 1

Dave Kelly This is Dave’s second year at St Edmunds. He coached our U16’s last season and we have been fortunate to have Dave back again this year. He is highly respected by the players and we are lucky to have him at Eddies as a teacher and a coach. Dave's mum was born in Preston so as a child he had no other option than to barrack for Collingwood. He swam competi- tively for 10 years before pulling on the boots for Ainslie juniors and won a premiership with the U/18s in 1998 and went on to play fullback for Ainslie reserves the next year. Injury took its toll and he spent a few years out of the game, playing soccer with his mates. After a brief stint with ANU Football Club and another injury Dave decided to travel overseas for 2 years . He hopes to develop the players this year and after witnessing their commitment at training so far, he is confident the boys will win their fair share of games this year.

Under 16’s Division 1

Brian Jefferies I started playing AFL Football, or Australian Rules as it was then called, in 1964 for Eastlake. When I started school at St Ed- munds in 1968 I played in the Under 10’s and continued to play for St Edmunds until 1974 in the U17 side which won the Pre- miership. I then played for Eastlake from 1975 to 1984 in the U19’s, Reserves and First Grade sides which included playing in the Eastlake First Grade Premiership side in 1978. I moved to Alice Springs and played there from 1985 to 1987 including play- ing with and against future or former AFL players including Michael Long, Gilbert and Greg McAdam and Tony Antrobus.

This is my third stint at coaching a St Edmund’s team. In my last year at school in 1975 together with several other Year 12 mates we coached the 1975 Under 11 team which went through the season almost undefeated, unfortunately the only loss the team had for the season was in the Grand Final ( photo shown below). St Edmunds was a very strong AFL Club in the late 1970’s and many players went on to play senior football for ACT Clubs.

(Brian is 1st in the back row)

I follow Carlton in the AFL, mainly because my father did and also because , who went to St Edmunds and played for Eastlake, commenced his AFL career with Carlton in 1967.

Last year I coached the U16’s D2 team and this season with Dave Kelly and myself as coaches of the U16 Division 1team we will be working on developing players skills and understanding of the game. We will emphasise the importance of working as a team with tackling, talking, shepherding and backing team mates up, all being necessary team and individual skills. We will also be giving all players the opportunity to, and expect players to play in positions that they are not familiar with to improve their skills and understanding of AFL Football. As well as coaching this year I have taken on the role as vice president of the St Ed- mund’s Australian Football Club and along with my fellow committee members I am hoping to ensure the future of the club remains strong.

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 4 Know Your Coaches cont’

Under 12’s Joe Mann This is Joe’s 3rd year as coach. Firstly coaching U11’s for 1year and the U12’s for 2 years running. Joe feels honoured to be the AFL coach of our U12’s. AFL is a real passion for Joe and he started playing football at of 4. The first team he ever played for was in Darwin and he wore pink t-shirts!! When he moved to Canberra he played for West Canberra and his team wore the Collingwood jumpers. This made Joe very happy because he supports Collingwood. GO PIES! Joe played for Tug- geranong Lions from under 9's through to under 19's. From there he played for Ainslie (a great club with a great history) in the reserves and thirds. Joe is also an assistant coach with a senior team at Ainslie and currently plays 3rd grade for Ainslie.

What Joe expects from his team. First and foremost, the aim of AFL is enjoyment. He wants players, parents and officials to have fun. He believes there is one thing that all successful teams have that sets them apart from the rest and that is respect. This respect is to be shown to team- mates, umpires, coaches and managers and definitely to opposition players. The most enjoyable and entertaining games of footy are always ones where all involved play to the best of their abilities and in the right spirit. The committee wish to thank Joe for his commitment to AFL at the college and for his positive attitude towards the boys, al- ways encouraging and making sure the boys enjoy their game win or lose. Joe also has been lucky enough to have three of our senior boys who play U16 D1 help out at training and on game day. They are Tom Ribbons, Gerard Walshe and Rob Davies.

Under 14’s John Trabinger John is an Eddies old boy and very experienced in the field of AFL. If you talk to John about sport he’ll tell you that there are only two sporting codes worth mentioning, AFL and Cricket. John played for St Edmunds from U11s to U17s and won two grandfinals and was the leading Goal Scorer for the school for most years. He represented the ACT in every age group from U11’s to U19’s He also played for Manuka U19s and Seniors when he was in Year 12. He played for the ACT in the Teale Cup, played senior football for Manuka and Weston Creek. He later moved to South Australia and played for Glenelg in the SAFL. He has coached AFL U8s, U9s, U10s and U11s for the Tuggeranong Lions and coached U14s St Edmunds in 2006 with George Stevens taking the team through to the finals.

John was also a talented cricket player and was captain of the St Edmund’s Blues from U12s to U16s, played in the first X1, represented ACT from U12s to U16s and was also selected as a player in the NSW junior cricket team. He has also coached U9s and 10s in cricket.

Tom Zinkel This is Tom’s first year at St Edmund’s College and was one of the first teachers to offer his services as assistant coach along side John Trabinger for the U14’s. Tom played AFL for West Belconnen Magpies and then for Daramalan College. Tom also played a wide range of sports including basketball, volleyball and represented the ACT in athletics. He worked at the Australian Institute of Sport for several years with the boxing and football programs and he supports the Collingwood Magpies. Tom is very popular with the boys and we are very fortunate to have Tom help us out with AFL this season and hopefully seasons to come.

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 5 Round 1 Match Reports

Under 12’s St Edmund’s Tigers 4.9.33 lost to Belconnen Cats 7.9.51 Best on Ground— Scott Lancaster, Lachlan Trabinger, Samuel Hawksworth, Liam Mann, Ben Osborne, Brent Mackey

What a positive start to the season!

Although we didn't come away with a win against the Cats, St Edmund's showed that it is a finals chance in 2008. Last year Bel- connen more than had our measure and inflicted some heavy defeats on our boys. They must have been shocked to have gone into quarter time behind on the scoreboard! St Edmunds played strong, disciplined football right from the start, with every player contributing something to the cause. We were winning on most parts of the ground and the teamwork was top notch considering we have had little time to train together.

The midfield was dominant with Quinny, Lachlan Trabinger, Ben Osbourne and Sam Hawksworth working well together and providing many forward thrusts. The backline too was excellent and Liam Mann showed he will become a solid centre half back with his fierce tackling and good decision making. Liam Blanchard was also a hard worker across half back. The Eddie's boys had their chance to crack the game wide open in the third quarter with constant pressure and many shots on goal. Unfor- tunately we missed the big sticks on seven occasions and let the cats back in. We held sway right up until the last ten minutes when a couple of Belconnen goals against the run of play saw them sneak ahead as the final siren sounded.

All in all a very pleasing first hit out. With continued effort at training and focus on the team plan, the blue and white should be thereabouts come finals time. Well done lads.

Under 14’s St Edmunds 22.13.145 def Eastlake 1.0.6 Best on Ground —Tim Clowry, Adam Lee, Jordan Nothard, Edward Stapleton, Thomas Walter, PJ Maher

Under 16’s D2 St Edmunds 3.6.24 lost to Marist 11.16.82 Best on Ground—Lachlan Bellew, Jacob Stevens-Yager, Tim Coggan, Jack Bowyer, Jake Robinson, Allan Hasler

The first game of the season saw Eddies meet a skilled Marist team in unusual conditions – the ground had to be shortened and Auskick goals used at one end due to some construction work! It was a good work out for Eddies to learn about the team’s strengths and areas to work on. Hasler worked hard to kick three goals, Robinson roamed around the ground and Rumble provided a target.

Under 16’s D1 St Edmunds 7.13.55 lost to Marist 17.10.112 Best on Ground—James Murphy, Rob Davis, Jack Bowyer, Ryan Price, Jack Dunne, Andrew Swan

Our first quarter of the season was not the one we were after, finishing 42 points behind Marist. To their credit, the team came back into the game over the next three quarters to match the Marist team for the rest of the match. Scorers were Bow- den 2, Davis, Swan, Lord, Jeffery, Hasler.

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 6 Round 2 Match Reports

Under 12’s St Edmunds 7.5.47 defeated Gungahlin Jets 3.4.22 Best on Ground —Brent Mackey, Lachlan Trabinger, Matthew Quinn, Lyndon Harvey, Jack McCann, Liam Mann

Chalk one up for Eddie's Tigers! Well done to the lads for a solid victory at Forestry on Saturday. After withstanding intense pressure for the first ten minutes, Eddie's Tigers switched on and controlled the match against the tough Gungahlin Jets.

The first quarter was a tough and scrambly affair with neither team able to break clear. It was a real arm-wrestle as both teams seemed to have thrown their game plans out the window.

After the first break things were vastly different. The Eddie's boys started to gel and shepherds were putting players into space and the resulting kicks found team-mates on solid leads. Showing the way was Jack McCann who was providing plenty across the half forward line. Fighting for the ball and getting boot to ball on many occasions. Brad Cum- mings stood tall at full forward and chimed in with two great goals.

Our midfield began to work together as well and kept pumping the footy into the forward fifty. Sam Hawksworth worked manfully in the ruck and Anthony Maatouk showed some silky skills, capped off with a ripper banana goal from a tight angle.

Brent Mackey and Lyndon Harvey dominated their wings and thrilled spectators with their run and smart football. As usual the backline stood firm, even though new players were rotated through and had to quickly change their mindset from attach to defence.

The third quarter belonged to Eddie's as they began to assert dominance all over the ground. Scott Lancaster and Ben Os- borne broke through packs at will, feeding the ball out to set up many an attack. Heath Craig also showed courage as he leapt backward into a pack to provide a contest. Real guts!

Matthew Quinn got better and better as the day went on and topped a stellar performance off with a sensational check side goal from the boundary line and treated the fans to the customary "finger waggle. Lachlan Trabinger had a tough battle on his hands at centre half forward and came out on top after four quarters of sustained pressure.

The victory was very pleasing, especially given that the Jets dominated us in 2007.Well done to the whole team. Let's now pre- pare for the Lions this weekend.

Under 14’s St Edmunds 13.10.88 defeated Tuggeranong Bulldogs 4.6.30 Best on Ground—Jordan Nothard, James Hague, Rudi Radinger, Phillip Maher, Chris Elix, Mictchell Price

U16’s D2 St Edmunds 7.13.55 lost to Gungahlin/Weston Creek United 13.9.87 Best on Ground—Jake Robinson, Luke Morris, Fergus Robertson, Matt Haustead, Sam Maguire, Allan Hasler

We started well – a goal in the first minute to Sam Maguire with his first kick in AFL! The remainder of the first quarter was even. Then the boys had a strong second quarter, finishing the half 22 points in front. Good ruck work by Morris and some dash by Coggan, were notable, as was the effort by Hasler across the centre. The third quarter saw us kick five points which could easily have been four goals. Stevens-Yager repeatedly made good position across half back and another first gamer, Robertson, showed some strong tackling, running and good disposal on a forward flank while Robinson worked hard in the ruck and centre half forward. Theunissen was sharp across half forward. In the last quarter United kicked a string of goals with strong center clearances to run out winners, with Eddies contesting to the end.

U16’s D1 St Edmunds 2.4.16 lost to Tuggeranong Lions 23.11.149 Best on Ground—Rob Davis, Rohan Frigo, James Murphy, Tom Jeffery, Jack Bowyer, Elie Maatouk

With 5 key players out of the side this game was never going to be easy, and it wasn’t. Although the boys toiled all day, we just couldn’t match the skill and power of the opposition. The team realised that it had a lot of work to do on the training paddock before things would improve.

Goal Scorers were Terry Maher and Taylor Lee

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 7 Round 3 Match Reports

Under 12’s St Edmunds 2.8.20 lost to Tuggeranong Bulldogs 5.3.33 It was a disappointing trip to Gordon Oval on Saturday as St Edmund's Tigers went down to the Tuggeranong Bulldogs in a close game. The mood in the change rooms before the game was positive and the boys knew what they had to do in order to get over the line.

Eddie's had the wind in the first quarter and went on the attack. Unfortunately the team wasted a few opportunities going for- ward and fell back into the habit of blazing away instead of kicking to space in the forward fifty. The forwards, while trying hard, forgot the pre game instructions and crowded around the contest, clogging up the danger zone. This played into the hands of the Tuggeranong backs who managed to hold us out until quarter time.

The wind increased as the second term got under way. Where Eddie's missed opportunities in the opening quarter, the Bull- dogs used the wind well and kicked long to an uncongested forward line and scored a couple of telling goals. Brad Cummings was playing the game of his life down back, mopping up the loose ball and repelling attack after attack.

Our midfield was being outclassed as the Bulldogs shared the ball well and set up many forward thrusts. Matthew Quinn worked hard and was at most contests. Brad Murphy, playing his 50th AFL match was also contributing well.

Half time saw Eddie's Tigers down by a couple of goals.

St Edmund's were not to be beaten so easily and bounced back in the third term. This time the boys used the ball a little better and Scott Lancaster showed the way with straight running and long kicking. His goal looked as if it would turn things around as Eddie's drew closer. This was not to be as our forwards and midfielders fought with each other in the hope an individual goal instead of sticking to the game plan. With the wind really blowing our lads went into the last change only a couple of points down. It would be a massive task to score against the gale in the last quarter. Lachlan Trabinger was sidelined with a knee injury which was another blow as he was playing quite well until that point.

With the wind blowing into their faces, the St Edmund's Tigers' backline played their hearts out and kept the Bulldogs out time and time again. On the huge Gordon oval it was proving impossible to get the ball past our . To our boys' credit they kept their heads up and battled out the last term. The score could have easily blown out, however Eddie's showed great fighting spirit in the end.

In a game we should have won comfortably, it showed that we have more work to do as a team. We will need to be a smarter unit if we want to make a charge to the finals. A few players got lost on the weekend, however I am in no doubt that we will bounce back this weekend after a solid session on Wednesday.

Solid contributors were: Brad Cummings, Matthew Quinn, Scott Lancaster, Brent Mackey, Liam Mann, Fraser Doverty.

Under 14’s St Edmunds 18.17.115 defeated Gungahlin Jets 1.2.8 Best on Ground—Adam Lee, Mitchell Price, Justin Trabinger, Jonathon Bowyer, Jordan Nothard, Tim Clowry

U16’s D2 St Edmunds 5.11.41 lost to Ainslie 14.13.97 Best on Ground—Tim Coggan, Nick Mackey, Hayden Kremmer, Sam Maguire, Jacob Stevens-Yager, Luke Morris

A cold day - which encouraged the boys to keep running. Tackling was a feature early on and some good contested posses- sions by Eddies made sure Ainslie had to work hard. On ballers Mackey and Coggan took the opportunities to run with the ball and kick long and were assisted by Morris winning a lot of the ruck contests. Stevens-Yager was again solid on the half back flank and Kremmer won his spot at full back. Theunissen and Trainor showed skill in difficult conditions and first gamer Stein played well. Vorpasso ran strongly on the wing. Ainslie edged ahead each quarter to win by around 7 goals but Eddies showed good progress in implementing the footy fundamentals and developing team work.

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 8 Round 3 Match Reports con’t

Under 16’s D1 St Edmunds 14.11.95 defeated Queanbeyan Tigers 6.8.44 Best on Ground—Andrew Swan, Ryan Price, Elie Maatouk, Tom Jeffery, Rohan Frigo, Gerard Walshe

Coming off a fair beating the week before, the team was keen to make amends and show that they had a bit of fight in them. The first quarter saw the influence of having a few talls back in the team, with Andrew Swan dominating in his new role as ruckman and Jake Lord and Zac Bowden getting plenty of the ball at half forward. Jack Dunne, Brendan Hague and Ryan Price were winning the clearances and giving our boys first opportunity. The backline held firm for a solid lead at quarter time.

The 2nd quarter started off well and this was where we saw the best of the team for the day. Our run from half back was su- perb, with Jaffa, Murph and Walshy all combining well with the midfield to bring the ball back into the corridor. Trahern Grif- fiths was having his best game of the year from the wing. St Edmund's were leading 48 -11 at half time.

As expected, the Tigers came roaring back after the main break with 3 goals in as many minutes. They lifted and were very dominant. St Eddies lost some focus.

The team was asked to lift their intensity in the last quarter and the forwards lead from the front, kicking goals but also chasing and tackling inside our attacking 50. We ended up winning by almost 9 goals. Congratulations must go to Dave Anderson and Chris Manton for playing their first games of the season. Both boys proved more than handy during the win. Taylor Lee kicked 5 goals at full forward while Andrew Swan picked up 4 goals playing in the ruck. Goal sneak Terry Maher also contributed 3 goals and always looked dangerous.

Representative Players

Congratulations to the following players on their selection to represent St Edmund’s College. We wish them the best of luck!!

NSWACT Rams U16’s—Kaine Stevens

U15’s School Boys—Taylor Lee, Andrew Swan, Tom Jeffery, Cameron Cobby, Jack Dunne

PSSA— Tom Ratcliffe, Tim Clowry. Also to Scott Lancaster who was invited to train-on with the team

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 9 Round 4 Match Reports

Under 12’s St Edmunds 10.18.78 defeated Weston Creek Wildcats 0.0.0 Best on Ground—Scott Lancaster, Ben Osborne, Matthew Quinn, Brent Mackey, Lachlan Trabinger, Ben Clugston

St Edmund's Tigers played a home game at Town Park in Queanbeyan. The conditions were perfect for football and the lads looked sharp during the warm-up. The Wildcats also looked ready for the challenge.

For the first couple of minutes our lads were taken by surprise as the Wildcats launched an early attack. This was soon re- pelled and our boys surged forward in numbers to score the first goal courtesy of some silky skills by David Stokes. Our play- ers sensed victory early and continued to press forward. It was a little disappointing to see the boys playing as individuals rather than as a team. The forward line was crowded with boys looking for individual glory, not looking to do the team things. The result was reflected on the scoreboard with rushed behinds instead of goals. Ben Osborne, Lachlan Trabinger, Scott Lan- caster and Matthew Quinn tried to lead the way by sticking to the game plan and giving the forwards plenty of room to work. At the same time they formed a wall, sending the ball back into attack each time it was cleared. St Edmunds went into the first break with a handy lead, however the boys needed to work more as a team.

The second term was more of the same, with boys flooding into the forward fifty, crowding the attack zone. Chasing kicks lead to more rushed behinds and missed opportunities. There were positive signs though. Fraser Doverty started to work his way into the game and provided strong run into space leaving room for others to work in. In the sheds at half time the boys needed to re-focus. We were heading for a win, but it wasn't a classy one. The lads needed to look at HOW to win, not just kicking a high score. They were asked to play as a team, to set up their mates instead of going it alone.

It was very pleasing to see the change after half time. Scott Lancaster broke though a pack early in the third quarter and in- stead of blazing away, he laid off a great handball and set up a great team goal. Ben Osborne followed with great team play of his own. Now the boys were on fire. Looking to pass to mates, shepherd and work to pick up loose men. This was the Eddie's Tigers team that needs to show up each week. The good work continued through the last quarter and we ran away with a very important win. Jordan Montanez and Anthony Maatouk were rotated through the midfield in the last term and began to show signs of things to come. The backs did what they had to do whenever the ball came into their zone.

All-in-all a good performance. We now have 2 weeks off, so we must switch on at training and keep up the momentum.

Well done boys.

Under 14’s St Edmund’s 16.24.120 defeated Marist 0.0.0 Best on Ground— Harrison King, Rudi Radinger, Mitchell Price, Adam Lee, Thomas Ratcliffe, Jordan Nothard

Under 16’s D2 St Edmunds 5.4.34 lost to Magpies 16.15.111 Best on Ground—Luke Morris, Jake Robinson, Allan Hasler, Nicholas Mackey, Tim Coggan, Jacob Stevens-Yager

We played the top team in the division. After a slow first quarter Eddies matched Belconnen for the next two and a half quar- ters to show they have the ability to play at the level of the best team which is a credit to them. The challenge is now to play like that for four quarters. Morris was dominant in the ruck, Robinson contested well in the centre and worked hard around the ground and Hasler, as usual, ran until exhausted. Perriman showed some form on the wing and Trainer demonstrated again the value of competing and second efforts. As a team the boys again showed good spirit and sportsmanship.

Under 16 D1 St Edmunds 8.8.56 lost to Ainslie 16.13.109 Best on Ground—Ryan Price, Andrew Swan, Elie Maatouk, Jack Dunne, Jack Bowyer, Taylor Lee

A ripping first quarter saw Eddies up by 7 points by quarter time. The score could have been even greater but for some lost chances up forward. Jack Dunne was playing a pivotal role in the centre and Gerard Walshe was solid at the back for the sec- ond week in a row. The next two quarters were full of running from both teams, although Ainslie were starting to run a bit harder. Some controversial decisions kept the fans on their toes and St Edmunds went into the final quarter 14 points adrift.

Ainslie certainly were fit and they had 7 on the bench as St Edmunds began to look tired and had zero players to call on. Ainslie ran away with the game but the team was far from disgraced. Goal scorers were Taylor 4, Hague 2, Jeffery 1, Lord 1.

M A Y 2 0 0 8 P A G E 1 0 Round 5 Match Reports

Under 12’s—BYE

Under 14’s (moved to D1) St Edmunds 2.2.14 lost to Eastlake 28.19.187 Best on Ground—Justin Trabinger, Adam Lee, Jordan Nothard, James Hague, Dylan Turner, Rudi Radinger 100th game —Justin Trabinger

Under 16’s D2 St Edmunds 1.2.8 lost to Eastlake 30.15.195 Best on Ground—Allan Hasler, Luke Morris, Charlie Perriman, Chris Matthews, Tom Rumble, Fergus Robertson 50th Game —Allan Hasler

Under 16’s D1 St Edmunds 8.7.55 lost to Belconnen 9.11.65 Best on Ground—Ryan Price, Jack Dunne, Andrew Swan, Zac Bowden, Lachlan Dowling, Jake Lord

The game started well but we were overpowered by a strong opposition in the first quarter to be down by 5 goals. Even though we were playing well, the team was not being rewarded on the scoreboard.

Jack Bowyer and Lachie Dowling went into run-with roles and did superbly. Half time came and we were still down by 5 goals. Andrew Swan and Jack Dunne were playing very well, as was Ryan Price.

The third quarter saw the best footy we have played. Our run was terrific and the opposition rarely got past the centre of the ground. Down by 7points. Jake Lord’s performance in the ruck allowed Swany to play an effective role at centre half forward. Brayden Hall also played well in the centre. Zac Bowden played on the opposition’s best player and scored bagged two goals for himself.

In a frantic last quarter, Belconnen were able to steady before a late Terry Maher goal gave Eddies a glimmer of hope. In the end we lost by just over a goal in what was the best team game these boys have played in for some years. Taylor Lee finished with 3 goals taking his season tally to 13 (third in the competition). Other goal scorers were Bowden 2, Price and Maher Fundraising Canteen St Edmund’s had the opportunity to provide canteen facilities at the Gala Grading Days held at Duntroon this season. The committee would like to thank the parents and boys that helped out on the day. A big thank you to ActewAGL for loan of the marquee for the first weekend, St Francis of Assisi, Calwell for loaning us their marquee for the final weekend. Also to Steve, the coffee guy, BIG thanks for helping us out with very little notice after the coffee cart we had organised pulled out at the last minute. Steve donated $120.00 of his takings to St Edmund’s AFC. If anyone would like Steve’s contact details just email the committee and we will forward his details on. Here is an update of funds raised by the canteens to date:-

Gala Grading Days—$2500 Hughes Canteen— $540

Upcoming Events

Major Raffle —prizes to be advised. Every player/family will be issued with 10 tickets to sell and the committee will be selling tickets at all home games. Prize/s will be draw on September 6, just in time for Father’s Day.

Bingo/Trivia Night —This will be held at St Edmund’s College Hall mid August. This night will be for parents, players and supporters. Any donation of prizes would be greatly appreciated.

More details will be provided via email and in our July issue of AFL@Eddies.

College Song

Many years have now passed o’er us So ‘tis the time to rise in chorus For the men who went before us Edmund’s to the fore.

Men of spirit bold unjaded, They the haunts of fame invaded; So upon the heights they made it Edmund’s to the fore. They were brave and famed men; We shall be the same men! If we fight to do the right, Ours shall be their fame, then!

Who shall dare to stain our glory? Who shall mock out noble story? Let our song forevermore be, Edmund’s to the fore!

stedmunds.aflnswact.com.au