VAFA RNd 6 06.qxd 29/5/06 7:13 AM Page 1 On the Record by Cameron Noakes Football has been a slowly evolving game over its life delivered the ball to a time but in the past 15 years the game has gone through mate because it is no a revolution. longer his problem. Let’s be honest, it wasn’t too long ago that football was When the hysteria of pretty basic – centre the ball and kick it to the big bloke possession football up front. simmers down, people Denis Pagan changed all that when he pushed the will realise it is not vastly different to what has been forwards up and invented the famous “paddock” for happening for years. Wayne Carey to play in. You can see teams implementing the first steps of this It was brilliant plan built around the super skills of one in the amateurs today. player but, when you think about it, “Pagan’s paddock” When the centre-man swings out of the middle and sees was really just a jazzed up version of Tommy Hafey’s his half-forward on the lead and in space he will try and “long bombs to Royce”. hit him. Basically, the idea was to get it to the big bloke up front. Why? It’s better to go to him and keep the ball than it is Since then we have seen floods and super-floods that to kick to a pack and run the risk of giving up the pill and have had many people concerned about the state of allowing your opponents to counter-attack. Australian Rules at the elite level and now it is Kicking to a bloke on his own is nothing new in football possession football that is raising eyebrows. – it is the going backwards and sideways that is the I guess the question for us in the Victorian Amateur supposed problem. Football Association is, will these trends set by the If you have ever watched good teams play this way it professionals filter through into grass-roots football? actually can be exciting when the ball is eventually The answer is yes. delivered to the speedster who has the licence to break Although the general consensus at the moment is that the lines and set up the goal or slot one from 50 metres. our players do not have the skills to carry out such Football is in great shape and it’s only a matter of time strategies, I beg to differ. before coaches start trying a variety of different tactics One day a coach will come into the association and he in the amateurs. will organise his team to execute these game plans. And They are experiments, and sometimes they will work if that coach wins games he will be a genius. and sometimes they won’t but what will never go away I don’t care what some very experienced coaches say, in football is your big bloke up front. And when he is football is about winning. There is no point looking taking marks the best policy has – and always will be – pretty when you get belted each week. kick the ball to him. The possession game that we’re seeing more and more of in the top level may look ugly but it takes discipline, organisation and good foot skills to pull off. INDEX And frankly, I would rather see a game that is a contest Next Week’s Matches .......................................................................6 rather than a 100-point flogging Coaches’ Clipboard.........................................................................12 VAFA Media.....................................................................................24 When people kick up a fuss about possession football For the Love of the Game.........................................................32-33 generally what they don’t like is the kick backwards. Retrospective.............................................................................34-35 And let’s face it, 20-years ago, kicking backwards and Sportscover Arena Draw ................................................................61 across goal was a major “no-no”. Tribunal & Investigations................................................................61 But what we’re seeing now is a player’s first instinct is Sportscover Spot the Ball ..............................................................62 to look across and backwards, rather than forwards. 2006 Ladders ............................................................................63-64 At times it seems some players are relieved to have THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER THE JOURNAL OF THE VICTORIAN AMATEUR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION May 27th, 2006 Price: $2.00 Vol. 06 No. 06 V THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2005 1 VAFA RNd 6 06.qxd 29/5/06 7:13 AM Page 2 A SECTION by Jonathan Horn Xavs & Scotch Unearth Unlikely Gems. Uni should, and must, Apparently more Xavier College school-kids play soccer defeat Old Trinity at the than AFL these days. It’s an extraordinary stat; a bit like Varsity. being told that Nickleback is the most widely played Xavs, with more players band on Triple R. Even more amazing is that another back, will touch up Barkers Road heathen, a RUGBY PLAYER, has emerged Ivanhoe at Toorak Park. as the key to their old boys’ side. Matt Handley is 20, Haileybury will demolish Marcellin on Sunday. built like Brutus Beefcake’s brother in law and played So there’s four…. rugby union at school. With minimal footy experience, The match of the day the the ‘Pit is much tougher. he won the Under 19s goal-kicking last year, kicked a Scotch have done nothing wrong, have a forward line swag of goals in the seconds in the first few rounds and brimming with talent and a combined height advantage waltzed onto the senior scene with bags of 7 & 9. of about six kilometres. But the Bernies play their home As incongruous as a union player in a Xavier footy ground to perfection and may have a little bit more run jumper sounds, it barely holds a candle to the sight of on what is a big ground and excellent surface. Home an AGE JOURNALIST (le horreur!) dominating across side by a goal. half forward for Old Scotch. Ben Doherty, late of the Canberra Times, more recently of the Spencer St Soviet, Trivia. was mighty impressive in his first senior game (after Which A Section footballer is also a champion surf life kicking 7 in the twos the week before). He didn’t figure saver and recently competed in the National in the best but a wise man of the amateurs let me know Championships on the Gold Coast? No prizes this week. at a nutted Sunday session in Richmond that he is one Last week’s answer: The Foo was a champion shot of the most exciting talents to run around at Camberwell putter and discus thrower, as well as being a handy for many a year. Ivanhoe weren’t disgraced but lost golfer, lower order pinch hitter on the cricket field and Toovey to injury and didn’t get much out James Hope, (incredibly) a nimble and reliable WICKET KEEPER for who was tagged out of proceedings. the Haileybury’s First XI. Former nemesis Damien Joyce, Speaking of excitement machines, it’s hard to top the from North Old Boys, wins the lunatic soup. mark of De La’s Jarrod Maloney, who I’m told took the greatest hanger seen in A Grade footy since OMs’ James McKINNON Miller put a foot on myself and Tim Silvers’ head in 1999 SPORTS MEDICINE and rose vertically. Haven’t seen them thus far, but there’s a bit to like about De La. Duggan & Rayson are SHARPSHOOTERS – A tearing up the midfield, Harrison & Mannix (sensation) NAME CLUB LST WK TOTAL are on song up forward and Corin looks impenetrable at A SECTION CHB. They have a cosy month ahead and people are Potter, Callan ST BERNARDS 6 19 starting to talk them up. Andrew Ramsden was easily O'Farrell, Brett OLD HAILEYBURY 1 18 Trinity’s best. Cultrera, Andy OLD TRINITY GR 5 17 People are also taking up Messrs Potter and Hopwood, Handley, Matthew OLD XAVERIANS 9 16 of St Bernards and Haileybury respectively, who both Hopwood, Heath OLD HAILEYBURY 8 16 had day outs in front of goal on Saturday. Potter led the Flynn, Matthew OLD SCOTCH 3 13 Bernies to their first win over Uni in donkey’s years while Gerstman, James OLD SCOTCH 4 13 Hopwood’s eight was another nail in the coffin of the A SECTION RESERVE struggling OMs. Important to note Carl Steinfort’s good Handley, Matthew OLD XAVERIANS 0 20 game for the Bloods while the Snakepit now rivals the Smith, Daniel OLD XAVERIANS 5 17 Badlands as Amateur football’s very own house of Cations, Scott OLD SCOTCH 0 12 horrors. Joe Sturrock was best for Uni, who are still a Westmore, James UNI BLUES 1 12 factor, but increasingly (and oddly) losing touch. Widmer, Timothy OLD SCOTCH 4 12 Harris, Patrick ST BERNARDS 1 9 Selections Morwood, Sam DE LA SALLE 2 8 Right, De La will annihilate Old Melburnians, no “-” results weren’t received. Any discrepancies may be due to non- question about it. submission of results by clubs. 2 V THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2006 VAFA RNd 6 06.qxd 29/5/06 7:13 AM Page 3 MILESTONESMILESTONES LAST ROUND’S RESULTS – A Old Ivanhoe would like to congratulate Sam Morris on A SECTION Old Scotch 2.0 8.7 11.10 14.15 (99) reaching 100 games this week. Sam, a solidly built on- Old Ivanhoe 4.3 4.6 7.8 10.10 (70) baller/wingman with good hand and kicking skills, has Old Scotch: Goals: J. Gerstman 4, M. Flynn 3, B. Doherty 3, T. Beranger 2, S. Troon, been a stalwart player in the reserves and an all-round N. Thompson.