RECORD ISSUE 16 23rd July 2016 $2.00 KICKIN’ IT WITH KRISTEN Editorial – Issue 16, July 23rd 2016 WRFL’S JUNIOR FINALS SERIES ABOUT TO BEGIN By KRISTEN ALEBAKIS AFTER 14 rounds of I wish all the teams competing in this year’s finals the football, we have hit best of luck over the next four weeks. the business end of the season. The WRFL’s 2016 Win, lose or draw, all players, coaches and club Junior Finals Series is volunteers should hold your heads high and be proud about to begin. of your achievements this season. After all the hard work, endless Well done to all the teams whose seasons may have amount of laps around the ended. Your contributions to your team and effort each local footy oval and months week do not go unnoticed. I am sure all of you will of training sessions, it has all come back bigger and better in 2017. come down to this. Junior competitions also wouldn’t be possible without At the start of the season there was more than the support of all the parents. 150 teams across the junior competition, vying for premiership glory. It is the mum’s and dad’s who drive their youngsters to training and to games across the west each and every Now there is only 82 teams left in contention and the week. A big thank you goes out to you. dream of holding the premiership cup up is now firmly in the sights of players and coaches. If you are involved with junior finals or not, I hope you can enjoy the next four weeks. Before we know it, the It is shaping up to be an exciting series. senior finals will begin. Twenty-two different WRFL Football Clubs are represented in this year’s finals. Seven EDFL clubs who If you take any photos from Week 1 of Junior Finals and are also involved in the combined WRFL-EDFL Girls would like it to be featured online or in the next edition of Football League competition are also involved in finals. the Footy Record, please email it to [email protected] Footy fans from across the west will get to see some of the Finally, the WRFL Footy Show will also continue over the best junior talent in the region during the Finals Series. finals series. Over the next four weeks junior finals will be played at I will be out and about interviewing players, coaches Galvin Park (Werribee), Wootten Road Reserve (Tarneit), and volunteers who are a part of the finals series. Make Grant Reserve (Altona), Dempster Park (North Sunshine) sure to check out the WRFL website or the WRFL’s and at Crofts Reserve (Altona North). Facebook page each Wednesday to stay up-to-date with all the latest news. Be sure you check out the WRFL website each week to see who will be playing who and where. See you at the footy. CONTENTS Division 3 Senior/Reserves .................................................28-36 VU Whitten Oval to host Grand Final ......................................3 Umpire’s Corner ............................................................................. 37 WRFL Junior marks VFL milestone ............................................4 Tips/Flashback Photo .................................................................. 38 White Ribbon Round Images .....................................................5 Under-19 Division 1 ...............................................................39-44 Division 1 Senior/Reserves ...................................................7-16 Under-19 Division 2 ...............................................................46-49 Player Profile ................................................................................... 17 Leading Goal Kickers ................................................................... 52 Division 2 Senior/Reserves .................................................18-25 Heartland Award ........................................................................... 53 FRONT COVER CAPTION: North Footscray have cemented a position in the top three of the Division 2 ladder. They take on Glen Orden today. Picture: DARRELL JONES WRFL FOOTY RECORD Western Region Football League President: Meredith Angwin Level One, Whitten Oval, Footscray CEO: Bob Tregear OFFICE: (03) 9315-5400 Editor: Kristen Alebakis 1 WRFL FOOTY RECORD Club Multicultural Diversity Partner GROWING AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IN THE WEST WRFL NEWS DIV 1 DECIDER TO BE PLAYED AT VU WHITTEN OVAL FOR the first time in 10 years the Western Region looking forward to strengthening that over this year’s Football League’s Division 1 Grand Final will be final series and beyond.” played at VU Whitten Oval. Earlier this year, the venue successfully hosted the WRFL’s The home of the Western Bulldogs and the heart of football Community Championships double-header with the in Melbourne’s west, VU Whitten Oval will stage the league’s Ballarat Football League, with an Under-19’s and Seniors premier division’s decider on Sunday, September 11. game taking place. With the Grand Final being staged at VU Whitten Oval Other senior finals venues will be announced over this season, the match has had to be moved to Sunday. coming weeks. WRFL CEO Bob Tregear said the grand final will be a fantastic Meanwhile, the 2016 Junior Finals Series will begin this event to cap off what has already been a memorable year. weekend. “We couldn’t be happier to have the Division 1 Grand Teams from across the league will go head-to-head in Final at VU Whitten Oval,” he said. finals matches over the next four weeks, with Grand “We are all excited to see the decider come back to the Finals to be played on August 7 and 14. ground and hope whoever plays-off in the match will Junior finals will be played at Galvin Park (Werribee), Wootten put on a good show.” Road Reserve (Tarneit), Grant Reserve (Altona), Dempster Park The league had been working closely with the Western (North Sunshine) and at Crofts Reserve (Altona North). Bulldogs for many months to get the game played at VU Admission prices for the 2016 Junior Finals are: Whitten Oval. • Week 1 and 2 – Adults $7, Concession $5 “We are delighted that Victoria University Whitten • Week 3 and 4 – Adults $10, Concession $7 Oval will play host to the WRFL Division 1 Grand Final,” All children 16-years and younger are admitted free of charge. Western Bulldogs CEO David Stevenson said. Eligible concession types are; 2016 student card, aged or “We have a strong partnership with the WRFL and are disability pension card or veteran affairs card. PAYNE HONOURED TO PLAY FOR VICTORIA By KRISTEN ALEBAKIS WILLIAMSTOWN Juniors young gun Matthew Payne Juniors for several years, is set to go up against some of the best juniors he began as an Auskicker from across the country at the national schools and has now played club championship. football for the past five Matthew is a member of the Under-12 Victorian side and seasons. will pull on the Big V jumper at the annual competition. Last year he claimed the The talented player was picked from about 1000 juniors WRFL’s Under-11A Best from across the state. and Fairest as well as claiming his club best “I want to play at the highest possible level I can achieve. and fairest award. I am very honoured to be able to wear the Big V and represent Victoria in the carnival,” Matthew said. Matthew said the best thing about playing “I cannot wait to get to Maroochydore and for the footy was that he gets to Matthew Payne will represent carnival to begin. play alongside his mates. Victoria at the National School Championships. Picture: SUPPLIED “We have completed two months of intensive training “Being selected in the and practice matches. Victorian side has meant I have the opportunity to make “More importantly I have got to know my new team more friends and learn more about my football,” he said. mates who come from all parts of Victoria.” The championships run between July 23 and 30 in Matthew has been involved with the Williamstown Maroochydore. 3 WRFL FOOTY RECORD WRFL NEWS FROM WRFL JUNIOR TO VFL MILESTONE THIS Saturday, Scott Sherlock will run out at Simonds Stadium to play his 100th senior game for the Werribee Football Club, a club he watched as a young lad with aspirations to eventually don the black and gold as part of his sporting dream. On the eve of this personal milestone, Scott shared his football journey with Kevin Hillier. Your early footy days were at Werribee Juniors. When did you start? My first competitive season was in 2001, playing in the Under-12’s as a bottom aged player. Who were your early coaches and what was their influence on you? Earliest coaches that come to mind would be my Under-14’s coaches, brothers Adrian and Anthony Pante. From memory I think we were bundled out in the Scott Sherlock won the WRFL’s 2014 Under-14A Best and Fairest. Picture: SUPPLIED prelim final both years. They were very good motivators and to this day I still have a fair bit to do with them. Last ground the nerves really started to kick in. They settled year of Under-16’s I was coached by John Thomson and pretty quickly as I got into the game. Turned out to be although we fell short in the Grand Final, I found that in a pretty disappointing loss in the end, but definitely a this year I was really taught the meaning of hard work. game I will remember for the rest of my life. Personal success: you won the WRFL Under-14A B&F What advice would you give to the young blokes in 2004. Any others? who still have the AFL dream on what they should The year before I happened to win the league Under- do at VFL level? 14B B&F, this along with club best and fairest awards I would have to say don’t give up. More and more guys along the journey too. are being picked up from the VFL every year.