VAFA RNd 2 05.qxd 21/4/05 7:54 AM Page 1 Inside the VAFA The New Coach Factor seemed to click” he says. If recent history is any sort of guide, Old In B Section, the story is similar. Dave Melburnians look primed to win the A Murray crossed from Mazenod to coach St Section flag this year. Before you reach for Kevins last year and immediately your spectacles and/or a cyanide pill, delivered a premiership and promotion. here is the reasoning…. The previous year, debutant Tony Miller A remarkable trend has emerged in guided De La Salle to an unlikely amateur football recently, which has seen premiership from fourth position. In clubs that opt for a new coach rewarded keeping with the vagaries of local football, with an immediate premiership. Whether he was then given the flick! it be the transient nature of amateur A recurring theme is the fresh players teams or the simple fact that young that a new coach can bring to the club. footballers constantly need new Simon Madden has already set the wheels challenges and mentors, the old phrase in motion at St Bernard’s, luring Sam “whatever is new is good” is particularly Crouch (Assumption College & Coburg applicable to the amateurs. Tigers), Jay Cheep (a state Under 18s The current man in the mahogany chair, player, via Geelong), Danny Roach (ex Michael Sholly, achieved the feat in 2003 Collingwood) as well as his son Josh with an Old Xaverian team that many (Bendigo Bombers) to help offset a big believed was past its prime. summer exodus. “New coaches bring new ideas, new drills Likewise, Dean Rice has joined Old and most importantly, new players,” he Melburnians after coaching Wonthaggi to said last week. “It happens in all the successive finals’ appearances. My inbox Grades, a guy will come in and provide a is on the point of meltdown with e-mails new energy, get the place moving again”. pertaining to the intriguely named Emile Simon Dalrymple (2001) started the Studham, a fellow Wonthaggi player who trend after inheriting the top job at made an auspicious debut for OMs last Marcellin, who had avoided relegation by weekend. With a side act as the team’s a bee’s backbone the year before. Peter fitness adviser, the boom recruit has been Nicholson duly followed suit at St described as “the best player to play at Bernard’s, utilising his experience at the club for a decade” and “the fittest Springvale and his reputation as player in the amateurs”. Whatever the something of a maverick to bring the case, players like Studham invariably pennant back to the Snakepit. spice up the competition. Like Sholly, John Kanis had no senior So will it be Dean Rice at OMs, Nicco at coaching experience, though he had cut Old Haileybury or Simon Madden at the his teeth as Hawthorn’s runner and Snakepit? In B Section, can Tony Egan at opposition analyst. Almost overnight, he NOBS, Steven Wright at Caulfield or transformed the underachieving Uni David Calthorpe conjure up a premiership Blues into the glamour club of the miracle? competition. “We didn’t make any After my recent disasters on the tipping wholesale changes, a few players walked front, I’m staying well and truly quiet. in off the street and everything just Jonathan Horn THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER THE JOURNAL OF THE VICTORIAN AMATEUR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION April 23rd, 2005 Price: $2.00 Vol. 05 No. 02 V THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2005 1 VAFA RNd 2 05.qxd 21/4/05 7:54 AM Page 2 A SECTION by Jonathan Horn Mortgage the Scribe and Hugh O’Brien Well, didn’t that go well? OK, let’s get this over and back from travel done with. “Mortgage the house”, I beamed last will add some much week in regards to Old Xavs and if you were needed grunt to the dingbat enough to listen to me, we’d have a crisis backline. Speedster of Pyramid proportions. With very little pre-season Huw Lacey, formerly of the Murray Bushrangers, hoo-ha, St Bernard’s blooded a new look side, was adjudged best on ground. with seven debutants and eleven players who And finally to Uni Blues v St Kevins. All the missed last year’s Grand Final and did it on their ingredients were there at Melbourne Uni. A sunny ear. Josh Madden (Bendigo Bombers), Darren autumn day, the unfurling of two premiership Ballarin (EDFL), Danny Roach (ex Collingwood) flags, a celebratory lunch, chicks running round and Callan Potter (Rupertswood) are the new in hockey outfits, a starter’s gun scaring the breed of Pitters. beejeesus out of me every time it went off, the best And Xavs? Well, let’s just say that the marathon Peter Brock look-alike in the amateurs umpiring is rarely won by the bloke from Greenland waving and two hard at it, entertaining teams on the turf. to the cameras as he is first out of the stadium. Uni looked a little rusty to be honest but showed Long term, as players filter back, they should be patches, particularly in the second quarter, when fine though the same old problem persists at it looked as though it could turn the game into a Toorak Park: Who’s going to kick all the goals? rout. Mark Paterson was clearly best on ground Marcellin won the Bulleen derby, minus Bernie but some of the blokes from the reserves flag, Dinneen (Vermont) and Mark Browne Mark Rigby and Josh Tanner, looked right at (Montmorency), which was an upset of sorts given home in senior ranks. Luke North and Tim that a lot of people around the traps were McIntyre are two of the best backmen going prophesising doom and gloom at the Eagle's Lair. around and cleared the ball repeatedly while Rob Must have been ball tearingly boring in the first Wilkie back from the WAFL adds some much half with only a goal apiece but Marcellin hung on needed height. to win by eight points over their long time rivals. For SKOBS, who went in minus Simon Garlick, Likewise Haileybury, with the rare luxury of a full list, upset Scotch by a point after a long Michael McKINNON Barker behind in the dying seconds nailed the SPORTS MEDICINE Cardinals (who were 6 zip halfway through the SHARPSHOOTERS – A first term). Have a look at the list of Haileybury’s best. All guns and with Nicco’s scheming, out of CLUB NAME LST WK TOTAL left field moves in full swing, the Bloods look set A SECTION for a big year. Old Haileybury B. O'Farrell 5 5 The two teams I really sank the slipper into, OMs Old Scotch Crow 5 5 and Collegians, went hammer and tong early St. Kevins McKee 4 4 before the home side cruised home to a nine-goal St. Kevins Giansiracusa 4 4 victory. It irks me to say it, but I reckon I may A RESERVE have been a bit harsh on OMs; they have a full Old Haileybury Efstathiou 4 4 list, new (“cough”) fitness coach Emile Studham is Old Scotch Beaurepaire 4 4 by all reports a pretty intimidating sort of player University Blues Coleman 4 4 2 V THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2005 VAFA RNd 2 05.qxd 21/4/05 7:54 AM Page 3 they’d come away pretty content though they did LAST ROUND’S RESULTS – A miss some absolute duffers in front of goal. McKee looked particularly underdone though he did turn A SECTION OLD HAILEYBURY 2.1 5.5 9.6 12.9 (81) it on in the final term (with Matt Lucas, who looks OLD SCOTCH 6.2 7.4 10.6 12.8 (80) every inch an game breaker, lurking ominously at Old Hail: O’Farrell 5 Siapantas 3 S Langford-Jones Bourke Jones Jenke his feet). Lucas aside, there’s no real stars there Best: Ford Trollope P Corrigan Jenke O’Farrell Siapantas. Old Scotch: Crow 5 Leitl 2 Demetriou Gnatt McKenzie-McHarg Tallent Wigney. Best: but SKOBS look honest, relentless and very much Quail Wigney Crow Tallent Gnatt Hume. capable of unsettling the status quo. Umpires: Steve McCarthy Dirk Kramer (F) Peter Teasdale Brendan Corcoran (B) Bernie Hoare Paul Gatt (G) Selections. MARCELLIN 0.4 1.9 5.16 9.16 (70) Well this should be good. All right then, let’s go OLD TRINITY 3.5 4.8 6.10 8.14 (62) Marc: Marson 3 Cullinan 3 Dobson Maclaren Johnston. Best: Marc: Rice Trinity, Old Xaverians, St Kevin’s, St Bernards Dobson Woods Romain Marson Carmody. Old Trin: Dann 2 T Van Der and Uni Blues. Venne 2 Walsh 2 J Healy A Ramsden. Best: D Buttler Reynolds Beardsley A Ramsden J Healy Brown. Abuse Umpires: Peter James Russell Davidson (F) Andrew Errington Adam Keep the e-mails coming. I really enjoy ‘em. Rogers (B) Vin Vescovi Steve Piperno (G) OLD XAVERIANS 1.3 3.6 7.14 8.18 (66) Jonathan Horn - [email protected] ST BERNARDS 3.5 6.9 9.11 14.14 (98) Old Xav: Rush 2 Pasceri 2 Beetham 2 Cox Purss. Best: Ockleshaw Mollard Oswald Cox Johnston Arnold. St Bern: Potter 3 Roach 3 Keunen 2 Garth Clarke Cheep Loughlin Pearson Madden. Best: Madden Kavanagh Keunen Ballarin Potter Clarke. MILESTONESMILESTONES Umpires: Tim Sutcliffe Rob Mayston (F) Peter Monotti Will Stokes (B) Chris University Blues - congratulate Tom Wilcox on Doyle Dominic Napoli (G) OLD MELBURNIANS 1.8 6.11 10.16 16.18 (114) playing his 100th game in Round1.