St Johns Eagles JRLFC Inc PO BOX 336 Punchbowl, 2196, NSW Secretary Contact: 0410 653 475 2005 Annual Club Magazine Editorial St Johns continues to go from strength to George Habib stepped up to the job of acting strength. This magazine is a testament to all the treasurer as I had an extended honeymoon. work that goes into this club to make it what it is George’s professionalism in bookkeeping was today. exceptional. Thank you to Lawrence Karam for his help. A special mention this year to our more than 60 coaching staff across our 18 teams. To give up George Saab and Mark Brown the two remain- ones time and effort to help young people get a ing executive members deserve special men- game of football each week takes a lot of effort. tion for their hard dedicated work in their Any person who volunteers their time to help respective roles. and support young people in our community deserves a large thank you. To my wife Melissa and all the executives wife's thank you for your understanding and support At St Johns as much as we are proud of our 5 of us. grand final winning teams. we are equally proud of our other 13 teams that did their best week in To Bill Allazze, Pierre Fayed, Mark Brown, week out. coaches and all who provided photos and arti- cles for this years magazine a special thank The club faced a new challenge this year with you. Ciaron Burns taking on the Presidents role. Ciaron not only steered the executives to new We hope you enjoyed the 2005 season and this heights he fostered a good will in the club and Magazine will keep good memories alive for returned the club back to some of our old tradi- you. tions. Fady Ghanem (Treasurer) George Bakhos was an inspiration to all this year not only doing an exceptional job as secre- tary and running the canteen but also coaching a team of mainly new players to the Semi’s. 1 Patrons’s Report As the curtain goes down on the 2005 season and the clubs 52nd year I would like to thank Ciaron Burns, George Bakhos, George Habib, George Saab, Mark Brown and Fady Ghanem for their com- mitment and organisation in this successful year. With 312 registered players the club was again a force to be reckoned with, fielding 18 teams in the Canterbury Bulldogs Junior Rugby League Competition from under 6 to C Grade. Of these 18 teams 16 were in competition with 12 making the semi- finals. Of these 12 teams 6 made the Grand Final and of these 6 grandfinalists St John's won five Premierships. I congratulate the Premiers under, 9, 10r, 11, 14 and First XIII along with all players who competed with tenacity and sportsmanship throughout the year and gained the Club First position in the Club Championship. St John's Eagles is very much part of the local community, not only well respected for their hard and fair play but for their community work namely ANZAC DAY march, Mothers Day and Gala Days events. Congratulations always goes to the coaches and players but we all know the club wouldn't be in the position they are today without the managers, trainers, canteen workers, mums and dads who transport the players and all the supporters who encourage the players and coaches so strongly.For all the significant adults in the adolescent's lives who take time to relate; Thank you. The school teachers at Holy Spirit College who coach Rugby League teams owe a big debt to St John's Eagles. Holy Spirit students love their rugby league, when we call for tryouts for any league team we have over 50 gearing up. Invariably the school teams comprise many St John's Eagles players with their discipline and skills they have learnt from their coaches and experiences from St John's weekend football. Needless to say Holy Spirit College dominate their inter- school compe- titions with all teams making the Grand Final this year with all but one winning the Premiership. This has been a tradition since the school began. This years Arrive Alive Team were controversial- ly beaten in the last minute of the Bulldogs District Final; a fine achievement. An U/15 Holy Spirit team represented the Bulldogs in the NSW All Schools Carnival and were undefeated in all five games to take out this Championship event. Congratilations to all Holy Spirit players and thank you St. Johns for all you have done in preparing them. As we know many will go on to make a fine career in the game. The association with the club and Holy Spirit College has never been stronger. As I look to the future I am certain this proud association with St John's Eagles will continue and 2006 will be another successful year.Your generosity and unpaid efforts will always be appreciated. Frank Malloy. Dip Teach., B Ed., M Ed. Club Patron and Principal Holy Spirit College 2 Presidents Report Well what a great season 2005 has turned out to be for St. Johns. Out of 16 teams in competitions 12 made it to semi finals with 6 making it to the grand final. Of this, 5 teams went on to become premiers. St. Johns has once again taken out the Mod club championship the Senior club championship and the Overall club championship. Sponsorship is at an all time high and along with a great year in our canteen the clubs finances have never looked better. All our success this year is a credit to all involved at the club not least the play- ers, your efforts mirror the success we have achieved. With a heavy emphasis on Code of Conduct this year you have shown great discipline, congratulations and thank you. To all our coaches and your coaching staff, your professional attitude and commitment has led in no small part to a successful 2005. The time and effort you put into preparing your teams has been great, well done. A successful club needs good leadership. This year the committee has been a pleasure to be involved with. They are all hard working, enthusiastic, committed guys who really care about St. Johns. I must make special mention of our Secretary George Bakhos, I have never seen anyone work harder. In his first year in this position his efforts have been outstanding. While this year has been a success we must always look to continue to improve. There are areas we will be pushing to pick up our efforts in next year and the years to come. The main area would be parent involvement. We encourage new parents and old parents of the club to get involved. Put your name forward as a manager or trainer, help out in the canteen or just step up as a timekeep- er we would love and appreciate your help. I would like to make special mention of this years First XIII, only the fifth premiership we have won since the inception of the under 15's as our premier side in the club. To Chris, Claude, Mark, Joey, Fady and the entire team congratulations. A club this size needs plenty of finances to operate and sponsorship is integral to this. To all of sponsors thank you for your valued assistance. To our major sponsor Punchbowl Ex Services and Community Club a special thanks for your continued support, it is very much appreciated. I hope 2005 has been an enjoyable time for you at St. Johns. I look forward to seeing you all in 2006 where we face the challenge of continued and further success. Enjoy your break and come back re-charged for the year ahead. I wish you all and your families a safe and Happy Christmas and New Year. Ciaron Burns (President) 3 Secretary’s Report WOW! What a year, 2005 has come and gone and St Johns has enjoyed a stellar year. This year we fielded 18 teams and had 312 registered players. In under 6s we fielded two sides who played in a non competition format. Of the other 16 teams we fielded, 12 were semi-finalists and out of those 12 teams 6 were grand finalists and out of those 6 teams 5 were Premiers. Congratulations to the 9s, 10res, 11s, 14s, and yes even our FIRST XIII for winning their competitions. Well done also to the 10s who narrowly lost in the big one. And to all the other teams, job well done and maybe 2006 will be your year. On top of that we must congratulate the 9s and10s for competing in knockouts against teams from all over NSW and both teams being knockout champions. On the representative scene St Johns had a fantastic year with 11 current players featuring in Canterbury sides from Harold Matthews to Premier League. This year we saw old boy Clifford Maanu make his First Grade debut for the Sharks, Cliffy played for St Johns from 1995-2001. It is also a testament to everyone involved in St Johns that we must be doing something right as Canterbury has invited 21 of our players from Under 15s to Under 18s to trial for rep sides for 2006. We wish all these boys the best and urge them to strive to do the best they can. This year also saw St Johns win the Mod, International and Overall Cub Championships, and in another milestone Steve Page from our 18s was voted best player in the Canterbury Bankstown District for Under 18s to A Grade.