Fawesome! 4Calder Clinches Its Fourth Flag ???????
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SEASON PREVIEW WHAt’S NEW TEAM LISTS ROUND 1 MARCH 29-30, 2008 $ INC 3 GST RECORD FAWESOME! 4Calder clinches its fourth flag ??????? ?? ?? ??? Make sure everyone makes it to the finals. 120 hours practice. Experience not excuses. TAC CUP RECORD 25 TAC 6778 Press_LPlate 228mmx170m2 2 6/3/08 9:33:00 AM EDITORIAL medallist Jimmy Bartel and Coleman medallist Jonathan Exciting changes Brown are former Geelong Falcons and Vic Country representatives; await in 2008 NAB AFL Rising Star winner Joel Selwood is a former Bendigo Development focus in TAC Cup’s 17th season. Pioneer; while more than half of the 2007 All-Australian team got Welcome to the 2008 TAC Cup Victoria University’s Footscray their break in the TAC Cup. season, a year that promises campus earlier this month. Every We also welcome new coaches to be as rewarding as it is player from every club underwent Austinn Jones (Gippsland Power) challenging for every player a standard testing regimen on the – himself a former Southern across the state. one day. It provided more accurate Stingray – Phil Bunn (Murray The TAC Cup has undergone appraisal of all players. The TAC Bushrangers), Jarrod Molloy a considerable overhaul, as Cup message, racial and religious (Sandringham Dragons) – yet have several key platforms of the vilification education and drug another TAC Cup product – and talented player pathway. awareness were also reinforced. Steve Kretiuk (Western Jets). We Firstly, there’s a new-look format Another innovation this season wish them well along with all the for the TAC Cup final series. The will be five designated weekends other coaches. NAB AFL Under-16 and Under-18 in 2008 that will focus on Additionally, there have been National Championships have development and skills. It’s further several off-field changes. Former also been rejuvenated with an evidence of the commitment of Hawthorn football manager expanded program that aims to AFL Victoria, through the TAC Cup, John Hook is the new operations enhance player development. to maximising every player’s talent. manager of the TAC Cup and VFL, Like the new TAC Cup finals Meanwhile, AFL Victoria is and will be supported by high format, the under-16 and under-18 delighted with the results of last performance managers Leon championships’ new programs are year’s AFL National Draft, where 52 Harris and Anton Grbac. fully explained inside this edition per cent of players came from the We are confident these exciting of the TAC Cup Record, as are TAC Cup. This included six of the new developments will ensure game condition changes and the top-10 draft picks, with the Northern the 17th TAC Cup season is increase in the number of 19-year- Knights providing the top two picks, memorable and successful. olds in the competition. Matthew Kreuzer and Trent Cotchin. New ground was also broken It’s also opportune to Anton Grbac with the inaugural Under Armour congratulate some of the AFL’s High Performance Manager, TAC Cup fitness testing day at high achievers in 2007: Brownlow AFL Victoria SEASON PREVIEW WHAt’S neW TEAM LISTS AFL Victoria Chief Executive Officer: ROUND 1 MARCH 29-30, 2008 $3 ROUND 1 Peter Schwab CONTENTS MARCH 29-30, 2008 Football Operations Manager: RECORD John Hook What’s new in 2008 4-5 High Performance Managers: COVER: The Calder Anton Grbac, Leon Harris TAC Cup preview 6-8 Cannons rejoice after Statistics: Stacey Goad Manager Director, Geoff Slattery Publishing: 2008 fixture 9 clinching their fourth TAC Geoff Slattery Editor: Nick Bowen Team lists 10-21 Cup premiership at the MCG Designer: Karl Chandler FAWESOME! Photo Manager: Natalie Boccassini Calder clinches its fourth flag last September. Club notes 22-23 Photography: Getty Images (02) 9004 2250 Advertising: Jennifer Pryor (03) 8663 3007 Address correspondence: The Editor, GPO Box Printed by: Condor Printing 4337, Melbourne, 3001. 4 Phone: (03) 8663 3005 TAC CUP RECORD 3 WHAT’s NEW New Gippsland Power coach Austinn Jones. In the first week, the club that finished first will play the eighth- placed team, second will play seventh, third will play sixth and fourth will play fifth. The second week will see the four winners play-off: the winner of the first versus eighth match will play the winner of fourth versus fifth, and the winner of second versus seventh will play the winner of third versus sixth. The two winners then advance to the TAC Cup Grand Final. TAC Cup Grand Final For the first time the TAC Cup Grand Final will be played as a curtain-raiser to the VFL Grand Final. The match will be played on Friday, September 26 – AFL Grand Final eve - at Telstra Dome, starting at 4:30pm. A new playing field Designated development What’s new in season 2008 weekends Five weekends scattered throughout the season have Fitness day surfaces, different conditions and been designated purely for On March 8, AFL Victoria by different testers. development. They will give conducted the inaugural Under The players also received a players in Year 11 and 12 an Armour TAC Cup fitness-testing session on the three educational opportunity to prioritise their study day. On the day, every TAC components of the competition: commitments, while providing Cup club’s players underwent TAC driver education and the L120 clubs with a chance to focus standard fitness testing – message; racial and religious more on development and skill flexibility, agility, sprints, body vilification awareness; and drug sessions. measurements, beep tests, education. vertical jumps – at the one NAB AFL Under-18 venue, Victoria University’s Final format Championships Footscray campus. While a final eight still operates Six teams will contest the NAB This alleviated the anomaly in the TAC Cup, the finals have AFL Under-18 Championships’ where clubs were previously been reduced to a three-week first division competition for the tested on different days, different elimination series. first time. 4 visit: www.taccup.com.au WHAT’s NEW The traditional second division (Murray Bushrangers), Jarrod Operations Manager from teams – NSW/ACT, Northern Molloy (Sandringham Dragons) and 1997-2007, took charge of the Territory, Queensland and Steve Kretiuk (Western Jets) – join competition from Kevin Sheehan, Tasmania – will have a challenge the TAC Cup. All four bring a wealth the current AFL National and series in May with the top two of football knowledge and expertise International Talent Manager. teams advancing to first division to their respective regions. Prior to his appointment, to meet Vic Metro, Vic Country, he spent five years working as Western Australia and New region manager the Victorian Country Football South Australia. Martin Stillman has moved from League’s general manager. Each of the six teams will then his former post as VFL General Code’s service to country football play each other once in an extended Manager to assume the role of has been recognised with the five-game series. Vic Metro will travel Calder Cannons region manager. striking of the David Code Medal to South Australia while Vic Country for the best player in the VCFL’s will travel to West Australia for one New game conditions major league representative side. match. Both Victorian teams will also Each TAC Cup game will be During his time with the TAC travel to a second division qualifiers’ played over 18 minutes plus time Cup, Code oversaw various home venue. on, a change from the 20-minute changes in the competition, which Vic Country will also go head- quarters previously in place. saw teams from Tasmania and to-head against Vic Metro. Breaks at quarter-time and NSW/ACT play. All six teams will then three-quarter time have also been Significantly, Code was at the congregate in Melbourne for extended from six to eight minutes helm during a phenomenally a six-day carnival where the to allow coaches more time to successful period that saw remaining two matches of the impart their philosophies and Victoria win nine NAB AFL championships will be played instructions. Under-18 Championship titles from July 4-9. and eight NAB AFL Under-16 Nineteen-year-old players Championship crowns. AFL Under-16 National TAC Cup clubs will be allowed Always the consummate Championships to register a maximum of three professional, Code entrenched The Gold Coast will host the NAB 19-year-old players, who will be the TAC as the competition’s AFL Under-16 Championships allowed to play together in any No. 1 sponsor, while his over 11 days this year. game and be on the ground at the administrative and management There will be three traditional same time. skills earned him the respect first division matches as well as a But the Western Jets, because of all his peers. challenge match against a second of their region size, have been Currently involving himself in division team. allowed to register five 19-year-old personal projects and spending The two teams that end up at players. time with his family, AFL Victoria the top of their pools will play off at wishes David, his wife, Julie, and the MCG in a curtain-raiser to the David Code children, Dan and Sarah, all the AFL Grand Final. After 11 years managing, shaping best for the future. and engineering the success of Victoria’s talented pathway New coaches Victoria’s talented player pathway, owes much of its success to Four new coaches – Austinn Jones David Code has moved on. David Code. (Gippsland Power), Phil Bunn Code, the AFL Victoria TAC CUP RECORD 5 PREVIEW Oakleigh’s James Strauss looks to attack against the Let there Stingrays. be footy TAC Cup returns for a big 2008.