VFL Record 2014 Rnd 7.Indd

VFL Record 2014 Rnd 7.Indd

VFL ROUND 7 MAY 17-18, 2014 $3.00 FFitzGeralditzGerald breaksbreaks ccoachingoaching recordrecord CCaseyasey SScorpionscorpions 110.11.710.11.71 d NNorthernorthern BBlueslues 88.7.55.7.55 EDITORIAL History in the making It’s an historic weekend in Victorian football as we celebrate an outstanding achievement by North Ballarat coach Gerard FitzGerald. North Ballarat’s home match against Frankston marks who held the record for 65 the 314th VFL game that FitzGerald has coached, in a years. career now spanning three decades. Faul, like FitzGerald, was also And, in coaching this milestone game, FitzGerald now a premiership coach at Prahran owns the record for the most games coached in the and Moorabbin. He also coached Northcote. 137-year history of the VFA/VFL competition. So highly thought of was Faul that once he fi nished Certainly, it puts the enormity of the accomplishment coaching Moorabbin, South Melbourne appointed him in perspective. as its coach, a position he held for two seasons. It’s an extraordinary career from FitzGerald, who began Apart from his coaching career, Faul was a brilliant coaching North Ballarat in 1997. He spent one season player as evidenced by the fact that he was runner-up coaching at Springvale (nee Casey Scorpions) and behind Haydn Bunton in the Brownlow Medal, won Port Melbourne, then another two seasons coaching a best and fairest at South Melbourne and named in TAC Cup team North Ballarat Rebels before returning both the Swans and Subiaco’s respective Team of the ‘home’ to North Ballarat Roosters in 2007. Century. FitzGerald’s return to the club saw it enjoy a halcyon Is it a career that is deserving of AFL Hall Of Fame era where the Roosters won three successive recognition? premierships, a feat only previously achieved fi ve times in the past 100 years. Port Melbourne dual best and fairest winner and premiership player Sam Pleming also registers a But, it’s not only at club level where FitzGerald has signifi cant milestone this weekend, when he plays his been successful. 200th VFL game - just the 47th player to reach 200 ‘Fitzy’ coached Victoria to historic wins against South VFA/VFL games. Australia and Western Australia, the fi rst time in more The achievements of FitzGerald and Pleming than 50 years where Victoria had been successful underscore what marvelous, rewarding and fulfi lling against both states. careers can be enjoyed at the State League level. On top of all his on fi eld success, FitzGerald has also been a wonderful ambassador for the Peter Jackson Both men should be extremely proud and can refl ect VFL and his club/s as well as the Ballarat community. with much satisfaction on the imprint they’ve left on Victorian football. While we congratulate ‘Fitzy’ on his stunning accomplishment, the occasion also gives us time to Grant Williams refl ect on the marvelous career of Bill Faul, the coach AFL Victoria General Manager Editor: Anthony Stanguts anthony.stanguts@afl vic.com.au Contributors: Adrian Dunn, Dave O’Neill, Kate Mitchell Design & Print: Cyan Press Photos: AFL Photo’s (unless otherwise credited) Visy Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton Nth, VIC 3054 Advertising: Ryan Webb (03) 8341 6062 GPO Box 4337, Melbourne, VIC 3001 AFL Victoria General Manager: Grant Williams Phone: (03) 8341 6000 | Fax: (03) 9380 1076 State League & Talent Manager: John Hook www.afl vic.com.au High Performance Managers: Anton Grbac, Leon Harris Cover photo: Gerard FitzGerald, VFL North Ballarat Roosters Talent Operations Coordinator: Rhy Gieschen Coach, Quarter time in the 2009 VFL Grand Final. Talent Operations Coordinator: Lauren Bunting www.vfl .com.au 1 MEDIA COVERAGE ABC TV Saturday May 17: Williamstown vs Geelong, 1pm Next Week: Werribee Tigers vs Richmond VFL Radio Sunday May 18: North Ballarat vs Frankston. From 1:30pm Live on Digital Radio via Aussie, Red Time Sport and SEN I-Phone Apps, online via vfl .com.au or sen.com.au and on Vision Australia Radio on 1179AM Next game: Box Hill Hawks vs Port Melbourne 3WBC Saturday May 17: Richmond vs Box Hill Hawks, 10am Listen to 94.1FM, online at www.3wbc.org.au or the Tune In Radio app Next game: Box Hill Hawks vs Port Melbourne Casey Radio Sunday May 18: Coburg vs Casey Scorpions, 1pm Tune to 97.7fm in Melbourne, via the web at www.caseyradio.com.au, or on the Tune In Radio app on your smart phone. Next game (June 7): Casey Scorpions vs Collingwood Tiger Radio Saturday May 17: Richmond vs Box Hill Hawks, 10:15am Users can listen by downloading Richmond’s app, via the iTunes App Store or Google Play, and choose ‘VFL Radio’ in the menu or via link on www.richmondfc.com.au SEN Thursday May 22 The Peter Jackson VFL Show 8:30pm – 9pm Peter Jackson VFL Podcast Visit the VFL website each Tuesday for the Peter Jackson VFL Podcast. Join Peter Marcato and Anthony Stanguts each week as they analyse each round, and chat to special guests. This week: Listen to a special on North Ballarat coach Gerard FitzGerald as he breaks the all-time VFA/VFL coaching record in his 314th game. Guests include: Shaune Moloney, Orren Stephenson, Marg Richards, Phil Partington, John Faul, Gary Ayres and Simon Goosey. Find the link on vfl .com.au or search ‘AFL Victoria’ on SoundCloud VFL Online Keep up to date with the Peter Jackson VFL via the following methods: Website: www.vfl .com.au @VFLnews #PJVFL www.facebook.com/vfl footy 2 www.afl vic.com.au GERARD FITZGERALD Record breaking coach Gerard FitzGerald, a great ambassador for the game. For those who have played under or just observed Gerard FitzGerald over his extraordinary football journey, one which today sees him claim ownership as the longest serving coach in the VFA/VFL history, values and principals are as important as wins and losses. FitzGerald is as structured as a Wall Street building, as measured as a Saville Road tailor and as disciplined as any Fort Hood commando. It is a profi le he’s never deviated from and helps explain not only his longevity, but also why the club’s he has coached have been so successful. For ‘Fitzy’, the kid from the small western district town of Derrinallum, whose promising AFL career with Geelong was limited to three games by injury, it’s all about Gerard FitzGerald in action coaching North Ballarat Roosters processes, KPIs and measuring sticks. While North Ballarat may be languishing closer to last are infl uenced by AFL clubs. It is a different chemistry of than fi rst this season, FitzGerald remains as committed as clubs involved now than in 2000.” ever to his philosophies. After coaching North Ballarat for six seasons, including Don’t for a moment, however, think that FitzGerald is two Grand Final appearances in 1999-2000, FitzGerald mired in old fashioned ways. made an unsuccessful bid for State politics. He’s continually evolving, just like the game. But anyone It forced him to leave North Ballarat and he moved from worth his salt has to stand for something. For FitzGerald Springvale to Port Melbourne for a season at a time it is values and principals, and they extend beyond the before as he calls it returning ‘home’ where he coached boundary lines. North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup. “Obviously, I love footy, but I have a great passion for FitzGerald candidly admits it “broke his heart” when he coaching and I have a great passion for the role of the had to leave North Ballarat, but he believes he returned a coach - the importance of the position of the coach far better coach than when he left. not only within the club, but within the community,” It’s a statement backed by undeniable facts. Experiences, Fitzgerald said. tough as they may have been, gained at Springvale, Port “To be a high quality ambassador for the game is really Melbourne and then the Rebels helped FitzGerald. important to me.” After taking North Ballarat into Grand Finals early in his From when he fi rst coached North Ballarat in 1997, career, he also took Port Melbourne into the 2004 Grand FitzGerald has seen a remarkable transformation of the Final. FitzGerald then took the Roosters through a halcyon competition. He notes it has been a “phenomenal shift” era where they threepeated - premiers in 2008-09-10. and one that constantly changes and develops annually. It is an accomplishment only achieved fi ve times - Coburg “It is unrecognisable to what it is now,” he said. (1926-27-28); Northcote (1932-33-34); Williamstown “If you had been away on Mars for three years and you (1954-55-56); Port Melbourne (1980-81-82) and came back and saw the competition now, I reckon you Sandringham (2004-05-06) - post World War 1. would be staggered by the difference. Not only has he coached to outstanding levels in the VFL, “I’m of the view that AFL football gets better every year. but two of FitzGerald’s fi nest moments were as coach of It’s hard to quantify how, but it does. There is just another the VFL representative team. way someone is going to improve and then they’re going Under the guidance of FitzGerald, the VFL posted wins to get caught and upon being caught someone else against South Australia and Western Australia, the fi rst improves and they’re going to get caught. time in 50 years the competition had registered victories “There are more and more teams now in the VFL that against those two states.

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