Issue 22/2015 27 Aug 15 Working Bee-Sun 13 Sept. 9am to spruce up the clubhouse for Junior Presentations. All members welcome to help restore the clubhouse! A big score line places our 12s in second place! (Eltham 12s 50 vs. 0 M’dah/ Junior End of Season Celebrations/ Award Presentations Saturday 19 September Players and siblings 4– 12yrs From midday, with fun on-field activities Under 14 & 16 Teams Dinner at 6:30pm Under 18 Team arrangements tba Paul Weightman Junior Club Award 2015 Senior End of Season Awards As end of season junior awards are being organised for September 19th please consider nominating someone special for the Junior Club Volunteer Award 2015. Candidates can be anyone in the junior ranks (could be player, parent, volunteer, sponsor) that have made an exceptional contribution to junior rugby this season. Criteria for Consideration The Paul Weightman Junior Club Award is for any ERUFC member (or junior player parent). Nominations can be put forward by any ERUFC member, coach manager or player The individual nominated must typify what the club expects from a member on and off the field Playing ability is not a factor for a Junior Player nomination Commitment to a team and the club Volunteer effort for a team and the club Leadership shown A role model to others in the club Aaron Hall Displays the virtues expected in the “game First XV Scrum Half and team Vice-Captain Aaron, played in heaven” was awarded the prestigious Player’s Player of the Please email any nominations directly to President Tim Year and the Haimona Shield for Most Valuable Adams on [email protected]. Player at last Saturday’s Senior End-of Season Nominations should be received before 5pm Monday Awards Dinner. th 7 September Adrian Richards The other top award of the night went to club The Junior Club Award will be presented during the stalwart Adrian Richards who deservedly was the evening of Junior Presentation Day, Saturday 19 recipient of The Jim Speight Memorial Award. This September award acknowledges exceptional volunteer Continued page 2 Principal Sponsors 2015 DOVAGATE U10 Photographs courtesy of Andy Brown Senior Players’ End of Season Award Dinner Photos by Mal Southwood contribution to ERUFC. The award reflected that Adrian has gone to exceptional lengths to keep our Under 18 Team on the paddock following the sudden departure of the team’s coach and his son. Poor player numbers encouraged Adrian and Bully to persuade Community Rugby to organise a short-sided Under 18 competition to keep these young men and those from other clubs playing rugby. This is probably a first for Victorian Club Rugby . Adrian’s new coaching commitment was extended by helping two players with transport to and from Coolaroo all season. A Grade Team Awards presented by Tim Adams (Club In addition to the team, Adrian is the club’s principal contact President & B Team Manager), David Southwood (A Team with Nillumbik Council. In this role he has organised ground Coach), Grant Draper (Seniors’ Manager) and Dan Hall (Team improvements, lighting repairs, graffiti removal, clubhouse Captain) painting and turf improvement for the Bridge Street ground. He has even been seen applying rye grass seed to the field’s Best Forward muddy patches. The result of this effort is that for the first Joshua Guy season in many, the squelchy ground still has grass and the council hasn’t banned use of the ground mid-season. Adrian also manages club security and communications. He Best Back is our mysterious [email protected]. On top Tony Keach of all that he wrangled the club through the tortuous set up of RUGBY LINK and assisted Community Rugby with their roll Coach’s Award -out of the new database to Victorian Clubs. Dan Hall Beyond all these things Adrian does have demanding full time employment, a family with two children and apparently regular basketball commitments on his rugby-free weekday Most Determined evenings!. Thank you Adrian for your massive contribution Sam Vettorelli to ERUFC. Most improved Top Point Scorer 2015 Tom Whitechurch Tony Keach Players’ Player Award Top Try Scorers 2015: Aaron Hall Joshua Guy (9 Trys) Marika Navuni and Michael Gima (7 tries) MVP Haimona Shield Aaron Hall B Grade Team Awards presented by Tim Adams (Club President & B Team Manager), Stefan Myburgh (B Team Coach), Grant Draper (Seniors’ Manager) and Pete Maddalena (Team Captain). Best Forward Joshua Luatutu Best Back Tye Malone MORECoach INFORMATION’s Award William Hiser Most Determined Sean Adams Most improved Aaron Ward U10 Photographs courtesy of Andy Brown Senior Players’ End of Season Award Dinner Photos by Mal Southwood Team Volunteers Team volunteers were acknowledged by both senior sides Special mention was made of the growing interest in women’s rugby under the leadership of their coach Barbara Matoe. A big thank you was also extended to the volunteers that made the evening possible. MORE INFORMATION U10 Photographs courtesy of Andy Brown Community Rugby News U20’s and Junior Gold Cup Trials have been confirmed: Venue: Northerns RUC Melbourne Rebels U20’s trials Sunday 27 September 2015. Melbourne Rebels Junior Gold Cup trials: U15’s on the 10 October 2015 U17’s on the 11 October 2015 http://www.melbournerebels.com.au/ community/elite-programs/junior- gold-cup Congratulations to the following clubs on winning the Premiership in their respective grade: Direct Connect Dewar Shield Harlequin Premier 2 Box Hill Premier 3 Melbourne Premier 4 Melbourne A Grade Geelong B Grade Bendigo Women Moorabbin U18A Endeavour Hills REGISTER FOR TRIALS Please note: 8:15am Games this Saturday at Harlequins, because of Rebel Rising Game BUY TICKETS Under 8 Harlequin vs Eltham Under 10 Harlequin vs Eltham MORE INFORMATION U10 Photographs courtesy of Andy Brown The Under 12s—big score line places them 2nd! Photos by Melinda Wills The U12s had a good work out with their last home game against the combined Maroondah/Footscray team. A mercy –rule win places them second in the ladder and a whisker away from a semi final game. This Saturday they face 5th placed Melbourne at home. Good luck at Romanis Reserve boys and please remind Mum and Dad to get to the game early as parking MORE INFORMATION in Prahran is never easy. U10 Photographs courtesy of Andy Brown Under 16: Harlequins 34 vs. 7 Eltham Under 16: Harlequins 34 vs 7 Eltham Harlequins RUC, Ashwood Reserve, Power Ave., Ashwood Sat 22 August 15 With the ever improving U16s travelling to Holmesglen Reserve for the second last round of the home and away season it was hoped that the sun would stay out and we could get some decent conditions for Rugby. needed to catch his breath, 3 months out of the game with With Mayson Hoverd returning for his first game back since no match fitness the pace of the game had taken its toll. This round three due to a serious knee injury we were able to break lasted about 2 minutes and he was busting to get back have a reserve and we were also starting to see what our into the game. best team may look like, something that we have not be able to field all year. Although we still had a few players away due Several time in the half Quins had a 3 on 1 or 3 on 2 overlap to injuries and other commitments. down the sideline but with some good defence from Jacob, Cooper and Flynn and some brilliant cover defence from the loose forwards managed to shut down the overlap. Quins managed two late tries to go into half time 17-0 up. The score could have been more except for what could only be described as a beginner’s error. From the last play of the first half Quins broke the line and actually crossed the try line as our defence had chased the guy all the way to the end he tried to place the ball with one hand and dropped the ball over the try line. Prior to the game Mayson mentioned that all he wanted to do was to make his first tackle and take his first hit up then he would be right. After the kick off there were a few nervous members in the crowd waiting to see whether Mayson’s knee would hold up for the first Tackle. We were not to be disappointed “Bang” first hit up all O.K and several minutes later “Bang” first tackle, it was now OK for Pauline to watch the game although she was still a little nervous. The chat at half time was positive and discussed the need to stop the little errors that had let us down in the first half. As the second half started again we fell into the let the opposition score in the first 2 minutes of play. The message went out to tighten up the defence and start working hard again. So from the kick off the arm wrestle continued with Eltham starting to really disrupt Quins ball, eventually winning the turn over count 17 to 8. Quins managed to cross out wide and then several minutes later they managed to punish some lazy defense at the break down and score under the posts. Anyway back to the game at hand. Well from the kick off the Eltham boys slipped into an old habit that we thought we had gotten rid of. We fell off a few first up tackles and let the opposition score within the first two minutes of the game. MORE INFORMATION The next 15 minutes turned into an arm wrestle the tactic of having Angus and Flynn, two flanker, playing at 13 and 14 was really starting to disrupt any momentum that Quins were trying to gain.