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Issue #19 January 2013
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#19
Cover: Cavalry’s Jack Murphy. by Andrew Finch
ConTents 3. CENTENARY - Club of the Month 5. CENTENARY - Sportenary Events 6. AFL - NEAFL providing pathways to the AFL 8. Feature - Cavalry charge into the finals 10. UNITED - Sammie Wood back to the W-League 12. raiders -Brett White on track for return 14. Cricket - PM’s XI set to light up the Capital 16. Brumbies - The United Nations of Brumbies 18. Capitals - Jess Bibby 20. Rally - Rhys Pinter burst onto the scene 21. Golf - LPGA Australian Open update 22. Cycling -Hansen’s record year 23. Athletics - 2013 ACT Combined Event Champs 23. Gymnastics - James Bacueti Gold for Australia 24. Socials - Cavalry game and the CCC Christmas Ball 25. ACTEWAGL - January Calendar of Events 26. Football - European transfer window 28. Exercises - Original Bootcamp 30. Crossword -PLAY’s sport crossword CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & COLLABORATORS: Antony Perry Todd Davey Brett McKay Peta Guy Shaun Ebert Joshua Mercer Adam Phelan Lyndall Parker Brendan Parnell Chris Cairns Russ Gibbs Jessica Munoz Josh Matic PHOTOGRAPHERS: Joseph Purdam: www.jpphotographic.com.au Andrew Finch: www.edgelightphotography.com.au Ben Southall: www.bensouthall.com.au
CENTENARY CLUB OF THE MONTH A COMMUNITY SPORTS TOOLKIT
In 2013 you will see Canberra’s elite sporting teams celebrating the city’s 100th birthday by hosting special centenary-themed home games. In the spirit of the centenary, elite players, supporters and the public will be getting behind these matches and promoting the Centenary to local and interstate audiences. It’s now your turn to get involved and celebrate the Centenary with your own sporting team and club. GET INVOLVED Throughout 2013 a local sporting team, club or organisation will be awarded the honour of ‘Centenary Club of the Month’. This is open to each and every community sporting entity in the nation’s capital, no matter how big or small, or what code, it’s all about getting involved and being part of the action. ‘Centenary Club of the Month’ will be awarded to the sporting team, club or organisation who celebrates the Centenary of Canberra throughout their own networks. There will be one winner each month (February to November), with the final ten winners having the opportunity to win the Centenary Club of the Year.
NEED AN IDEA?
Michael Phelan: B&M photography
You can be as creative as you like. Use as many of the following ideas that you can, but tell us how you’re sporting organisation has helped celebrate Canberra’s birthday.
WEB PLAYCANBERRA.COM.AU
CENTENARY CLUB OF THE MONTH SIMPLE STEPS TO BE IN THE RUNNING
CONTACT EDITORIAL Nathan Minerds - editor@playcanberra.com.au 0452 220 100 ADVERTISING Ad Guys - advertise@playcanberra.com.au 0407 078 893 DISCLAIMER PLAY Canberra is a monthly magazine distributed to over 500 locations in Canberra on the first Thursday of the month. The opinions, view and comments expressed in PLAY do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publisher. PLAY Canberra is not responsible for the information submitted in the ads by the advertisers. Issue #19 January 2013
6. Each month a winner will be awarded a framed certificate and promoted through various channels, including social media, newsletters, online and local print media (PLAY Magazine & Canberra Times). 7. The ten ‘Centenary Club of the Month’ winners will then go into the final to take home the ‘Centenary Club of the Year’ award at the annual Sport and Recreation ‘Thanks Awards’ night. 8. Add any major events to the Centenary Calender; canberra100.com.au/get-involved/submit-your-event
What do you win?
The ten ‘Centenary Club of the Month’ winners will each receive a grant of $500 to assist with the purchase of sporting equipment. Plus an exclusive article in PLAY magazine. In addition a member from each ‘Centenary Club of the Month’ will be invited to attend Sport and Recreation’s annual ‘Thanks Awards’ function. The following prizes will be up for grabs:
1. Sign up to our social media sites: twitter.com/CentenaryofCanb facebook.com/centenaryofcanberra
1. First place awarded to Centenary Club of Year = $1000 Sportsmans Warehouse voucher 2. Second = $750 Sportsmans Warehouse voucher 3. Third = $500 Sportsmans Warehouse voucher
2. ‘Like’ our event page facebook.com/CentenaryofCanberra and visit our event ‘Centenary Club of the Month’
There will also be Sportsmans Warehouse vouchers for spot prizes throughout the year, including best You Tube videos.
3. Once you have an idea locked in, look to select a date and make sure you tell club officials and let players, supporters and volunteers know
FOR MORE INFORMATION
4. On game day take lots photos! The more photos the better and be creative
For more information on the Centenary of Canberra, visit www.canberra100.com.au
5. Simply get a club member, coach or volunteer to upload your five best photos and videos to our event page facebook.com/CentenaryofCanberra Don’t forget to tell us in a few sentences why you should win Centenary Club of the Month. Please also share on Twitter twitter.com/CentenaryofCanb and include #Canberra100
Further information please contact
Centenary of Canberra style guides: canberra100.com.au/get-involved/celebration-logo/
Rochelle Kahlefeldt Centenary of Canberra rochelle.kahlefeldt@act.gov.au
Pip Genge Sport and Recreation Services pip.genge@act.gov.au playcanberra.com.au
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Canberra Institute of Technology Canberra Institute of Technology Workplace Online Campus | cit.edu.au Workplace Online Campus | cit.edu.au
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Issue #19 January 2013
CRICOS No. 00001K. HCW130027. January 2013
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CRICOS No. 00001K. HCW130027. January 2013
which have never been seen in the previous 100 years. An army dressed in Centenary yellow of course. At each game, let’s see yellow everywhere. In 2013, yellow is the new black. It is the official colour for the Centenary of Canberra matches, and you won’t want to turn up without it! Canberra has such a strong sporting culture and our elite national league teams are a big part of this. We enjoy both playing and watching sport, and I’m sure this coming year we will see Canberrans really embrace these Centenary of Canberra matches, turning up in their yellow finery to support our local teams.
SPORTING CELEBRATIONS GET EVEN BIGGER Canberra’s elite sporting teams have thrown further weight behind Centenary celebrations, announcing a series of one-off Centenary of Canberra matches to be staged through 2013. @CentenaryofCanb If there was not already enough BIG sport happening next year, these matches involving our own Canberra teams will really be more icing on the Centenary cake, demonstrating not only the passionate commitment of these teams to our community, but another great way we can share our birthday celebrations with the nation.
Each Centenary of Canberra match will be a unique opportunity within the team’s regular season to celebrate all that is great about Canberra, with a range of activities to help really make each game a special event. Sporting a one-off Centenary look, teams want to pack each venue to its limit with a fanatical army the likes of
100 SPORTING EVENTS, 100 DAYS, 1 CENTENARY YEAR
SPORTENARY
The Centenary of Canberra matches will tipped-off on 4 January when the Capitals took on Dandenong at the AIS Arena. Other match highlights include the Brumbies massive clash with the Waratahs on 9 March, the Giants first ever twilight game at Manuka Oval against St Kilda on April 13, and the Raiders Monday night showdown against the Broncos on June 10. Sports fans should keep an eye out for additional matches to be announced for later in 2013, including the Canberra Darters, Canberra Cavalry and Canberra United. For more information on Centenary matches go to www.canberra100.com.au
Over 50 weeks of the Centenary year, there will be 100 community events showcasing a diversity of sport and recreation activities, facilities and local attractions throughout the ACT that get Canberrans off the bench and participating in Sportenary! Further information can be found at www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
StreetWise Skateboarding
Event Name
Play ball with the Canberra Capitals!
Organisation
Skateboarding Australia - ACT
Organisation
Basketball ACT/Canberra Capitals
Date
Saturday 12 January 2013
Date
Sunday 20 January 2013
Time
10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm
Time
10am-12pm
Location
Belco Skatepark, Emu Bank, Belconnen
Location
AIS Arena, Leverrier Cres, Bruce
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Tidbinbilla Nature Walks
Event Name
CAPITAL SUMMER TRIATHLON
Organisation
Tidbinbilla
Organisation
Triathlon ACT
Date
Sunday 13 January 2013
Date
Sunday 27 January 2013
Time
10am and 2pm
Time
7am-12pm
Location
Tidbinbilla Visitors Centre
Location
Rond Terrace, Parkes Way, Lake Burley Griffin
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Take me out to the ball game!
Event Name
Twilight Orienteering
Organisation
ACT Baseball/Canberra Cavalry
Organisation
Orienteering ACT / Parawanga Orienteers
Date
Saturday 19 January 2013
Date
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Time
10am-12pm
Time
5pm-6.30pm
Location
North Curtin District Playing Fields, Dunstan St, Curtin
Location
Black Mountain South. Carpark off William Hovell Drive [East bound]
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Issue #19 January 2013
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At 208cm, Naismith caught the eye of Swans recruiters while playing football for the Gunnedah Bulldogs and was selected for the QBE Sydney Swans Academy. He played most of the 2012 season for the North Shore Bombers in the AFL Sydney competition, but Naismith real opportunity came when he lined up for the Sydney Swans reserves four times in 2012. Filling the Swans final rookie spot was former NSW Scholarship holder Dan Robinson. Robinson has been on a scholarship for three years and just finished exams at St Ignatius Riverview, playing for the Mosman Swans and Riverview. He also made two appearances for the Swans reserve in 2012. Williams, from Narrandera, was one of just two rookies taken by the GIANTS in the draft. His impressive performance playing for the NSW/ACT RAMS in the National Championships, which saw him win the Most Valuable Player award, coupled with his games for the Giants reserves made him a common sense pick for the AFL’s newest team. A medium-sized midfielder and defender who is very strong through his body, Williams was the only New South Welshman invited to attend this year’s NAB AFL Draft Combine. 18 year-old Joseph Redfern was the Giants other selection in the 2012 rookie draft. Image: GETTY
NEAFL providing pathways to the big-time It is not the most conventional way to find yourself on an AFL list, but as several top-up player success stories have recently shown, there is more than one way to make it into the footballing big-time. Regular AFL players like Sydney Swans star Kieran Jack, and Hawthorn midfielder Luke Breust, both got their first opportunities to impress at senior level as top-up players, and have not looked back since. Top-up players are players who have made the Swans or GIANTS academy and are then recruited to play in the NEAFL sides of their respective clubs. These players are used in the case of injuries, league requirements and to further the development of young players.
previously playing top up games for either the Swans or Giants. Dane Rampe was selected by the Swans at pick 37 after impressing during pre-season training with the club over the past few weeks. Rampe has had an extremely impressive 2012 season; picking up the 2012 Phelan Medallist (AFL Sydney B+F) and the Howarth Trophy (representative player of the year) as well as notching up 2 NEAFL top up games.
This pathway is now proving to be a very viable avenue to the AFL, and with well over 150 ACT players in the GIANTS academy, it surely won’t be long until we see the next Josh Bruce find his way onto the Giants list.
Brandon Jack, QBE Sydney Swans Academy member and younger brother of Swans star Kieren, was also training with the Swans during pre-season and was pre-listed for a rookie position just prior to the draft.
The 2012 rookie draft saw eight talented NSW footballers selected by AFL clubs, with six of these players, Dane Rampe, Brandon Jack, Sam Naismith, Dan Robinson, Zac Williams and Joseph Redfern, all
Jack played several games for the Swans reserves this season and will get his chance to follow in his older brother’s Premiership-winning footsteps after being formally selected with pick 57.
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Having moved to Sydney from Wagga Wagga 12 months ago, he trained with the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy and Sydney Hills Eagles during the 2012 season. He played only one match for the Eagles in the AFL Sydney competition between NSW/ACT Under-18s commitments and lining up for the GIANTS’ NEAFL team an incredible 8 times. While most top-up players get a limited number of NEAFL games, some players have made huge impressions and become inspiring success stories. Kieran Jack and Luke Breust are easily the biggest names to have started their careers as top-up players, but there have been further notable instances of topups making big impacts in recent years, including Josh Bruce, a former Swans top-up from Canberra who is now playing with the Giants. As has been repeatedly seen in the AFL, the most successful football clubs have a fierce competition for spots and thus a hunger for individual players to prove themselves and succeed. With the extra opportunities in the NEAFL provided by the top-up rules, the standard of football should only increase as more and more young players stake their claims for an AFL rookie listing. Having some of Australia’s best young talent dueling it out for opportunities as top-up players, the NEAFL appears set to become not only a vital breeding ground for Sydney and GWS, but also an increasingly impressive competition and spectacle for years to come. Issue #19 January 2013
Image: GETTY
What is truly in the public interest? The AFL yearly schedule is without a doubt one of the most hectic in world sport. With only a few short months between the Grand Final to the commencement of the proceeding year’s round one clash, players will feel they are entitled to make the most of their time away from the training track. By Todd Davey @ToddJDavey However, with the advent of social media, camera phones, combined with the public’s insatiable thirst for information on their players’ every movement, a dangerous concoction of poor decisions and unprecedented access means the athletes have nowhere to hide.
Collingwood Magpie Marley Williams is facing assault charges after a fiery incident in a Perth nightclub that left one man with a broken jaw. While Gold Coast young gun Harley Bennell found himself in the headlines for the wrong reason when he was charged with disorderly conduct after a boozy New Year’s Eve in Mandurah.
The question is: Where should the line be drawn?
Few would argue that these incidents were within the public interest, but it’s an incident at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne that has caused most of the offseason conjecture.
The AFL post-season has already brought about several unsavoury incidents of varying degrees that has thrust players from a host of different clubs into the spotlight.
Players from the Melbourne Demons, Richmond Tigers and Geelong Cats chose to let off some steam at the
MCG on the nation’s most iconic cricket date. After an alleged row with some fellow patrons the group of players were asked to leave the venue late in the day, without further incident. Seemingly instantaneously, Twitter was ablaze with the information that AFL players had found themselves in a fracas at the MCG, with all players ejected from the venue. By the next day both the Herald Sun and Fox Sports had run with the story elevating a trivial transgression into the proverbial mountain. Not one of the players broke the law, all of them left the venue when asked and no charges were laid. So what exactly makes this newsworthy? The incident polarised many fans, with just as many people condemning the actions of the players as there were people questioning whether the story had any legitimacy at all. With the AFL Players Association pushing for higher wages, compounded with a higher level of public scrutiny the athletes are now held to a higher set of standards than ever before - is that fair? Public interest is invariably left to the media’s discretion, but if the intense and unmitigated demand of spectators to know every facet of players’ lives continues their privacy will insidiously diminish.
Do you bleed yellow and black!!
How about becoming a member of the newest Supporter group in Australia for the Richmond Tigers Where: Hellenic Club in the City. When: Tuesday 12th Feb 2013. Time: 6.30PM Come and meet Tigers legend Dale Weightman and have your say on how we cheer on the yellow and black in 2013! Proposed activities planned include a family fun day, bus trips to Sydney games, watching the footy at the Hellenic Club in the city. ACT RSG – Proudly Let’s get the Tigers here in the Nation’s Capital! Supported by the Hellenic Club
Issue #19 January 2013
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Cavalry prove a happy team is a winning team
2013 is already the most successful season in the Cavalry’s (and Bushrangers for those that remember) history. Both on and off the field things are all moving in the right direction for Canberra’s newest professional sporting franchise. And there lays the secret, the Cavalry’s success has been built as much off the field - with relationships between players, coaches, staff and fans playing as an important role as the onfield performances. PLAY caught up with Cavalry General Manager Thom Carter to explain the success behind the season so far. Images: Ben Southall/SMP. For those that have been to a Cavalry game they’ll know it’s more an experience than a game of baseball (which may be an unfamiliar sport to many in Canberra). So even if you don’t know the rules you can be guaranteed to walk away at the end of the game having experienced a great night of entertainment unlike anything on the sporting landscape in the Capital. Thom explains the principle “We, as an organization have never said to the community ‘come to a baseball game.’ We’ve said to them ‘are you looking for something fun to do on a weekend night? Are you looking for something inexpensive to do with your family?’ and instead of people thinking, well I don’t know anything about baseball, people can say you know what, we are always looking for something fun to 8
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try, and that is the great thing about Canberrans they are always willing to try things once and if they have fun with some of the silly stuff we do and have fun watching the boys play, they’ll enjoy it and they’ll get to learn the game.” He continues “you’ll have people walking out of the game, knowing if we won or lost, not knowing the score, but knowing they had a good time. That’s what we’ve seen and that has grown our fan base significantly over the past 2 seasons.” “It’s an experience, it’s a night out. We say its not just baseball, it’s baseball, it’s dinner, it’s a show. It is as much about the boys and how well they are playing as it is about the food, the music, the atmosphere and the games. You can let the kids run around chasing
fouls balls, it’s a great thing to do with your family. It’s cheaper than the movies and its outside.” But lets not forget the needs of the serious baseball fans in Canberra, they have been well catered for this season with some quality baseball that sees the Cavalry sitting at the top of the ladder, three games clear of the next placed team. With only three weeks left in the season (12 games), the Cavalry have looked to have all-but booked themselves a home final. Thom has attributed the turn around in on-field performance to 3 main factors. “I think you can put it down to 3 things. First of all with our player recruitment, the guys that we have targeted and went after are hungry, a lot of them are young and they don’t have much professional experience and they have really come out here with something to prove. They’ve come to Canberra wanting to prove their worth, that they deserve another chance or a first chance, that they deserve a shot. They came here to prove something, they are hungry and they want to win.” “The next thing that has led to our success is the coaching staff. Michael Collins knows Canberra, he knows what it takes to win in this town and he also knows what winning means to this town having grown up here in the Belconnen area. He is a quality head coach in the San Diego Padres organization. He too is a young man that is hungry to win and teach and learn and show his worth. He has a program that all these young men have stuck to and its great to watch.” “The third thing, and it always amazes me, is the fan support. People come out to watch and participate in this spectacle and the players will tell you that it’s easy to play here in Canberra because of the great crowds. Issue #19 January 2013
You go to the other cities and there isn’t that support and it’s less of an experience than playing here.” “So I think it’s recruiting, coaching and atmosphere, that is what has changed and turned this franchise around”. And what a turn around it has been considering last years record 20/25 (20 wins and 25 loses) was the bench mark for the franchise, so this season is just head and shoulders above what the team has achieved in the past. While reluctant to single out any players that have played a big part in the turn around, Thom was able to put forward some candidates “There are a couple of players that have done really well. Jack Murphy (on the cover of this edition of PLAY) came here and we were expecting him to be a very solid defensive catcher but he has really done well offensively. He’s gotten some key timely hits, but he’s also handled our pitching staff well, he’s worked with them to get the best out of our pitchers, he’s been great. Adam Buschini our second baseman, he’s just won the ABL player of the week, we really didn’t really know what to expect with him, he came highly touted as a young man that has played some quality baseball, but watching him play the last couple of weeks he can really hit the ball well and plays good defense. Jeremy Barnes, he is another one, we look at Buschini, Barnes and Murphy as the heart of our line up, they are really performing well with timely hits and making it happen. Then of course we have Kody Hightower who was with us last year and he has picked up where he left off and continued to hit hard and become an emotional leader on this team.” “We are really happy with the whole squad but those four guys have really stood up at this point.” The team is riding a wave of success and having won the last six (4 game) series have great momentum leading into the final 3 weeks of regular season and then into the finals. I asked Thom if he felt this momentum was an important factor. “Absolutely, because it is such a short season, just less than 50 games, every game is important, you can’t really lay down and say ‘well, we’ll lose one here, lose one there’, so being able to carry that mental attitude that you can win any game at any time is important.”
“We feel we can be down by 4 or 5 runs and come back, baseball, like most sports, is about confidence. If you have built this confidence over the last 6 weeks (that we can win any game) the belief that we can be down by 5 runs in the last innings and put on 6 runs and win the game, this is the kind of belief that the players, the coaches and the office has, we never feel out of the game. So with 3 weeks left in the season that confidence will propel us into the finals and even the chance to win the grand final”. And is this feeling shared among the playing roster? “Oh yeah, everyone is loose, they’re excited, they’re happy, they are having fun. I think these boys just truly get along, they stick up for each other and they want each other to succeed. They are playing as much for the name on the front of their jersey, which is Canberra, as they are for the name on the back,
GAMES IN ]
JANUARY
Narrabundah Ball Park www.canberracavalry.com.au Issue #19 January 2013
V SYDNEY BLUE SOX Thursday January 17 7.00pm
which is themselves.” An example of this came recently in the series against the Perth Heat in Perth when Antonio Callaway capped off a great series with a Man of the Match award. Thom explains “Antonio Callaway is a great young man, he had a great series in Perth. He was player of the game one night and after the game we were on the field and I was interviewing him and asking him questions. Every player waited in the dug-out to cheer him off. So we see that camaraderie and the fact that they all get along so well and there isn’t any clicks or anything really helps with that momentum.” With one more home round left (details below) and then the strong possibility of a home final, what better time to get out to “The Fort” and cheer along Canberra’s table topping Cavalry.
V SYDNEY BLUE SOX Friday January 18 7.00pm
V SYDNEY BLUE SOX Saturday January 19 6.00pm
V SYDNEY BLUE SOX Sunday January 20 1.00pm
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Horrific Injury Can’t Stop Wood Reaching Goals
That year she returned to club soccer playing for Bathurst in the NSW Premier League. “I knew once I got my reconstruction I’d be right to go again. Just to keep my head focussed and make sure I had the right supportive network and stayed injury free... it was good,” she said. But her goal was always to get to Canberra, and that opportunity came when she met Adrian Haynes, a professional coach who was working with Canberra FC.
Canberra United midfielder Sammie Wood has endured a colourful past three years, but is now settled in the nation’s capital and thoroughly enjoying life. By Joshua Matic @MaticJm
She met him at a gig in Grenfell, and he gave her the opportunity of playing in the Canberra Women’s Premier League with Canberra FC [CFC]. “It all came down to Adrian Haynes. I owe him a thanks and everything else,” she said.
After suffering facial injuries caused by a near fatal boating accident in 2009, the 21 year old has secured a contract with United and after seven games in her first season with the club, has even scored a goal.
“I appreciate everything they’ve [CFC] done for me.” “The CFC team was more like a massive family.”
It has been a long road for her after making her W-League debut for the Newcastle Jets aged just 17.
She jokingly said the main difference between playing in the Canberra Premier League to the NSW one was the short driving times to get to games.
Ironically, she was about to line up against United in a semi-final showdown in January of 2009, but became the victim of the accident the weekend before, ruling her out of physical action for nine months.
After a highly successful season in the Women’s Premier League, in which Wood won Player of the Year, she successfully trailed for Canberra United and was finally back in the W-League.
The accident occurred near the NSW town of Cowra, which is about two and a half hours drive from Canberra and only 40 minutes from Wood’s home town of Grenfell.
At the same time, she started a Bachelor of Sports Coaching and Exercise at the University of Canberra, and said she is still figuring out how to balance her study and sporting lives. Image: GETTY
While riding on a tube behind a boat on a river, a wave caused her knee to propel into her nose, hard enough to force it into her skull. This fractured the bone between her two eye sockets. After being discharged from her initial time in hospital, she had brain fluids leaking from her nose, and lost her sense of smell and taste. This forced her to undergo a facial reconstruction, which happened in November 2009.
months of that, eventually getting to sixth in the NSW rankings.
“My face swelled up, I had horrible sinus infections...I couldn’t breathe properly through my nose and I lost all my smell and taste,” she said.
“It took me a little bit to just kind of re-boot my life, to see where I wanted to be and where I wanted to go.”
Unsure but hopeful she would one day play soccer again, she took up motor-cross racing after receiving a motorbike for her 18th birthday. It would be two years before she played club soccer again. She rode her motor-cross bike for a year and a half, and competed with her brother for four
“I think my bike saved a lot of my life, because I had that little bit of a break,” she said.
“I think I have more control over a bike than what I do my opponents.” Her soccer skills never took a backward step though. Playing high school soccer in 2010 she represented the NSW All Schools side, before being selected for the Australian team in 2011 to tour China and Japan. She was captain of that side and won player of the tournament.
GAMES IN ]
JANUARY
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Her immediate goals playing for United are to gain selfconfidence and belief so she can earn her first starting spot in the side. “It’s just adapting to everything and having the right people there,” she said. “There are little goals that get you to the main goal, like scoring a goal [as she has already for United] ... so when I did that I had Sally [Shipard] to celebrate with me, and I spoke to Sally all the time, so it all links up,” She said that once she was contracted with United, she just wanted to put on a friendly face and have fun. “Coming from a country town of about 2000…I just wanted to show them that I do have the country spirit and that I can do it,” she said. Wood loves the culture around Canberra United and is now focussed on helping her team make the finals later this month.
V WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS Saturday 5/1/13: 2pm
V BRISBANE ROAR Saturday 12/1/13: 3pm
McKellar Park Canberra
Cleveland Showgrounds Brisbane Issue #19 January 2013
United sign U.S. starlet Canberra United is pleased to announce the signing of USA under-23 international Kristen Mewis as a replacement player for injured midfielder Sally Shipard for the remainder of the 2012/13 Westfield W-League season. Mewis, an attacking midfielder or forward, comes to the club highly recommended and is certain to add more fire-power to the champions as they aim for a place in the finals in defence of the title won in dramatic style last season. By Russ Gibbs The 21-year-old (pictured right) was a stand-out through the United States age-grade teams captaining her national side in the 2008 FIFA Women’s under-17 World Cup in New Zealand where she was awarded the Bronze Ball as the third best player at the tournament, scoring twice as the USA ended as runner’s-up. These goals were two of nine she notched in sixteen appearances at that level. Naturally Mewis’ progression continued through the under-20 squad where she made 26 appearances and scored six goals. At Club level Mewis started with Whitman-Hanson Regional High School before being drafted to Boston College Eagles where she has enjoyed a stellar Collegiate career highlighted by an outstanding 2012 campaign that culminated in sixteen goals and twelve assists, becoming only the second Boston player to
score sixteen times in a season in the process. Named Unites States Soccer Federation Young Female Athlete of the Year in 2008, Mewis has electric pace and holds the 300m and 600m indoor track records at her High School completing the 300m in just 42.2 seconds. “We are delighted to be negotiating with Kristen to join Canberra United and are looking forward to seeing her in action,” Canberra United CEO Heather Reid commented. “She comes to us highly recommended and follows in the footsteps of Taryn Hemmings and Nikki Washington as quick, talented, forward thinking players that are game changers. With Nikki going back to the USA for family reasons and the unfortunate knee injury that has ended Sally Shipard’s season, we had a place available
on the roster and are sure Kristen will make a big impression.” Mewis arrived in Canberra on 1 January 2013 and played in United’s home match against Western Sydney Wanderers at McKellar Park on 5th January.
TIME FOR A CHANGE? LOOKING FOR AN I.T. CONTRACT OR NEW PERMANENT JOB OPPORTUNITY? OR ARE YOU AN EMPLOYER LOOKING FOR OUTSTANDING STAFF?
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Issue #19 January 2013
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Image: GETTY
White on track for 2013 return
“A couple of months ago I was running the best I had in years. I felt so good. I’d put so much work into my legs, and [used] body movement type weights, and then the next day it’d pull up sore and you can’t run for a couple of days,” he said.
Star Canberra Raiders forward Brett White is well on the way to again bracing the rugby league paddock in 2013, but after a rollercoaster recovery from injury, regaining his spot in the starting line-up is the last thing on his mind. By Joshua Matic @MaticJm
“I had a bit of a hamstring issue…that went on for four or five weeks.”
The veteran of 155 NRL matches, three Tests, eight Origins and two grand finals has been a brutal inclusion to the Raiders’ massive forward pack in his 28 matches since joining the club in 2011 from the Melbourne Storm.
“I’m not too worried about [consolidating a starting spot in 2013] yet; that’s a few steps down the track,” he said.
He said it was funny that during the recovery process, while he was not playing he was actually spending more time at the club.
“I’ve got to do what’s needed right now as far as the knee goes.”
“You do your training as what is required, and then so much more time has to be put into the knee as far as rehab and strength work goes,” he said.
Unfortunately he ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his left knee during the round 5 match against the North Queensland Cowboys on April 2, ending his 2012 campaign. Two days later he underwent surgery which meant that he would need at least three months to recover. He gave himself an extra month for insurance before he started exercising his left knee again. After successfully returning to pre-season training with the Raiders in the last couple of months, he is fully focussed on preparing his left knee to full fitness before he considers any other aspirations. 12
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“When I come back and get ready to play - they’re the hurdles I’ll cross when I get there.” What is definitely in favour of White at the moment is the fact he has already crossed the toughest hurdles since April. He labelled his recovery as a rollercoaster, where he would feel great one day, then unable to move the next. While dealing with this, he also found himself nursing a torn hamstring muscle for four to five weeks.
“Some days I’ve been able to do the fitness with the boys [Raiders squad] and feel like I’m getting back into the team, and then the next day you can’t even run. It’s been a rollercoaster.”
“It’s actually funny, you end up spending longer at training than you normally do.” While he has been around team training since the start of the pre-season - doing a variety of fitness training including boxing, running, swimming, and gym work - he is yet to do any contact work. “I’m not fully training with the boys yet,” he said. January will see White focus on filling the remaining gaps in his current regime and getting back to full contact work. Issue #19 January 2013
McIlwrick ready for more time in 2013
Young Canberra Raiders hooker Matt McIlwrick is very excited about the prospect of bigger and better things in season 2013, and is in a great position to grab them with open arms. By Joshua Matic @MaticJm With the deepest issue facing the club so far this preseason being the lack of potential hookers training in full, the door is wide open for McIlwrick to jump into the starting lineup next season. With 2012 starting hooker Glen Buttriss yet to return to training after undergoing ankle surgery for the second time, U20s star Mick Picker yet to return after hip surgery, and 228 match veteran Shaun Berrigan returning to training a fortnight late, McIlwrick has been the only player looking for the number nine jersey in full training.
McIlwrick told PLAY he had been doing a lot of work with veteran Berrigan during the 2012 season, and this had continued so far this pre-season.
“Me and Buttsy [Buttriss] get along really well, and he helps my game out a lot, so it’ll be good to continue my apprenticeship under him and Berrigan.”
“I’m going to do the best I can for my game and improve my career,” he said.
McIlwrick has also been working with legendary Raiders hooker Simon Woolford and newly recruited assistant coach Brett Kimmorley in his journey to 2013.
The Kiwi junior, who has four NRL caps up his sleeve for the Raiders coming off the bench, is very keen on getting more chances in the starting side in 2013.
He said the eventual return of Buttriss to team training will present a good challenge for him when it comes time for Coach David Furner to finalise his starting hooker.
“That’s the goal [getting more starts next season]. There’s still a few people ahead of me. I’ve got to learn as much as possible from Berrigan, and Buttriss is still to come back,” he said.
But he was not prepared to get too far ahead of himself, and is happy remaining the apprentice of Buttriss and Berrigan as he has learned a lot from them.
“I’ve just got to bide my time and learn as much as possible.”
Issue #19 January 2013
Image: GETTY
While he accepted Berrigan and Buttriss are still ahead of him in the race for the number nine jersey, he said he was committed to continue improving his own game in their shadows.
“The ultimate goal is to be able to start in a few games, but I’m happy just to be in the 17 in any way possible.”
He said the key to him becoming the best player he can be was to listen to his coaches and mentors, work on the smaller parts of his game, be a self-critic, and work to team structures. With the hooker spots looking to be the most contentious leading into the 2013 season, all eyes will be on David Furner’s selections for round one to see which direction he will take.
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surrounding the oval and the curator’s cottage, remain today and will continue to do so in the master plan for redevelopment. The ground was enclosed around this same time, which allowed admission to be charged for the various sports being played on the ground at the time. The first cricket at Manuka was played in the early 1930s. History of the Prime Minister’s XI match is interesting to look into. All accounts agree that Prime Minister Robert Menzies initiated the fixture, but there is a little bit of confusion as to who was the first opponent and in which year the match was first played. While the ground’s official website has the West Indies being first team to take on a Prime Minister’s selection in 1951, followed by a touring Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) side the next year, other accounts have the MCC playing the first match in the summer of 1954/55.
PM’s XI to light up the Canberra night
Manuka Oval has seen a lot of cricket, and even a lot of quality cricket in its time, but no past season schedules have even been quite as anticipated as this 2012/2013 domestic and international cricket season. By Brett McKay
@BMcSport
For the first time in the illustrious history of the Prime Minister’s XI match against a touring opponent, this season’s clash against the West Indies on Tuesday January 29 will be played under lights. Then, only a week later on Wednesday February 6, Canberra will finally play host to the Australian cricket
team, as Michael Clarke’s men take on the West Indies again in a Commonwealth Bank Series one-day International. Historic Manuka Oval in its current form dates back to the late 1920s, and many of the characteristics of the area from that time, such as the circle of trees
Whenever the first match was played, touring sides visited Canberra to play at Manuka Oval each year after its inception throughout Menzies’ reign. On his retirement from the Prime Ministership in 1966, the match disappeared for the international calendar for nearly 20 years. In the early 1980s, with the first electronic scoreboard in Australia put into place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the MCG’s old manual scoreboard was relocated the National Capital and installed on Manuka Oval’s north-eastern corner. Named the Jack Fingleton Scoreboard after the former Test opening batsman turned federal political journalist, the historic building looks resplendent to this very day, and along with those in Adelaide and Perth, remains one of the more informative cricket scoreboards around the country.
Bob Hawke to the rescure Noted cricket fan, Bob Hawke, resurrected the Prime Minister’s match when he came to power, and with the West Indies returning during the height of their
What’s all that going on at Manuka Oval?
Clarke looking forward to Manuka debut
Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister, Andrew Barr, spoke to PLAY before Christmas and gave us the timeframe for perhaps the most noticeable of recent Manuka Oval upgrades: the erection of six 47m light towers over the last month and into January.
Australian Captain, Michael Clarke, has given his backing to Canberra gaining its first ever One-Day International next month, and is relishing the thought of playing before a sell-out crowd in the Capital as part of the Canberra 100 festivities.
“The expectation is that five of the six towers will be up by Christmas, and the final one early in the New Year. They’ll do some light focussing and testing in the first couple of weeks in January, and then they’ll be ready for the PMs XI match on the 29th of January, and that’ll be a bit of a test run for February 6,” Mr Barr explained.
“I’m looking forward to leading the Australian team against West Indies for our first ODI in Canberra, especially in the Capital’s centenary year and as part of the wider celebrations that will be taking place,” Clarke told PLAY recently.
With no shortage of Cricket ACT Grade clubs volunteering to try the lights out before the two big nights, it is likely that there will be a few trial games played beforehand.
“The introduction of lights at Manuka is a massive boost [for the ground] and early indications are the community is excited to have the Australian One Day International side coming to town. We look forward to putting on a great show in front of a packed house against Darren Sammy and a strong West Indian team.”
“It’s a really exciting time for Manuka Oval,” Mr Barr says. “A lot of people have been following this project for a while, and it’s been a long time coming. The Commonwealth funding came through in April, it was matched in our budget in June, and the team have worked incredibly hard to make it all happen in the timeframe it has.”
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Australia plays the West Indies in the third match of the Commonwealth Bank Series at Manuka Oval on Wednesday, February 6.
Issue #19 January 2013
popularity, during the 1983/84 and 1984/85 seasons. Subsequent Prime Ministers have maintained the traditional tour match - perhaps none more enthusiastically than John Howard - and with the demise of the old Lilac Hill fixture in Perth some years ago, the Prime Minister’s XI match remains the last true ‘festival match’ on the Australian cricket calendar. Over the last ten or so years, the red ball and creams have given way to the white ball and colours, but the match remains a showcase of up-and-coming Australian talent, and an opportunity for the best cricketers in the ACT to show their wares in a national setting. All of that will remain for the January 29 clash, of course, but the debut of the brand new Manuka Oval lights will add a whole new sense of occasion to one of the ACT’s favourite sporting events. Another bonus for this years PM’s XI fixture will be the opportunity for Canberra cricket fans to farewell Australian Test Captain Ricky Ponting, who announced his retirement from International cricket late last year. Ponting will captain the PM’s XI and deserves a grand send off from the Canberra Public. I’m sure many are looking forward to seeing Ricy at the crease one last time. And then, if that’s not enough for the Canberra cricket fan, we’re back a week later to see the long-awaited Manuka Oval debut of the Australian cricket team, as
Another bonus for this years PM’s XI fixture will be the opportunity for Canberra cricket fans to farewell Australian Test Captain Ricky Ponting part of the Centenary of Canberra celebrations in 2013. The sixty-four dollar question about the Manuka Oval lights is always going to revolve around how much use they’ll get for the investment, and on that front, the AFL have wasted no time in scheduling twilight and evening pre-season and premiership fixtures in Canberra in 2013. But on the cricket front, it remains largely unknown for the immediate future.
CANBERRA BIG BASH TEAM?? While it’s certain that Australia won’t play in Canberra every season, a more achievable goal might be a new team in an expanded Big Bash League in future seasons. Cricket Australia have certainly discussed the topic of expansion, but have so far remained coy on prospective growth of domestic Twenty20 cricket. A new TV broadcast deal in early 2013 could be the driver for expansion.
For his part, Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister, Andrew Barr, acknowledges the thought, but very deliberately won’t let himself get too far ahead of things. “Well you can’t have [a BBL team] without the lights, but what we’ve got to demonstrate in the short term is that we’ll get out and support these games,” Mr Barr told PLAY recently. “We’ll aid our case if the PMs XI and the One Day International are sold out, without a doubt. If we don’t get crowds for them, then we’re kidding ourselves.” “In the short term, that’s what I’m focussed on; let’s ensure we deliver fantastic events ... and that we show Cricket Australia that we can do this and that there’s support for cricket in Canberra.” Happily, the ODI is already a sell-out, while some tickets for the PMs XI match are still available from Ticketek.
---- WIN WIN WIN ---TO WIN 4 TICKETS TO THE PM’S XI CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE BETWEEN NOON ON THURSDAY THE 17/1/13 AND MIDNIGHT SUNDAY THE 20/1/13. OR FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR MORE DETAILS FACEBOOK: PLAY CANBERRA TWITTER: @PLAYcanberra
The Prime Minister’s XI is famous. But this year, it will create history! The cricket game will be the first time the new lights at Manuka Oval have been switched on, making it the first day-night match at the ground. The atmosphere will be electric. It’s going to be a big game as the Prime Minister’s XI takes on the West Indies and there are corporate hospitality packages to match. So whether you’re entertaining clients or rewarding staff, the Prime Minister’s XI offers a great format for corporate entertaining. In this season of cricketing firsts, don’t miss out! For more information go to: www.manukaoval.com.au
Issue #19 January 2013
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it was only a matter of time before Australian teams started experiencing the way professional rugby is heading. “I think it lifts the standard of local talent,” White says, regarding the possible concerns that imported and Wallaby-eligible players from other countries might affect the local talent pool. This is especially true in the ACT, where White has spread his imported players across the John I Dent Cup clubs locally. “What happens is that there’s more competition, and they [the local players] realise that if they’re going to make it now, they really have to put themselves about. They realise that it’s not just a given now because they live in the area. “The other thing is the influence the ‘outsiders’ bring to them, because there’s strengths in everyone. The Samoans have a certain strength, and the Fijians have a certain strength, and if you bring all that talent into Australia, what it does is lifts the benchmark for everyone around them,” White says.
Brumbies building ‘United Nations’ squad
At a members function late last year, Brumbies coach Jake White joked of his recruitment for the 2013 season, “I’ve got six South African boys for 2013, I’ll get six more for 2014, and by the time I’m finished, all our line-out calls will be in Afrikaans.” By Brett McKay @BMcSport Though he was making light of the mounting number of players in the 2013 squad with whom he shares a South African background, White is rather enjoying the growing diversity of cultures within the playing ranks. Though most players were born in, or at least grew up in Australia, White sees the ‘United Nations’ feel about the squad as a definite positive; even if it’s something he wasn’t contemplating when he first took on the Brumbies’ role. “No, never,” White says, to my question of whether he ever imagined encountering such an array of international backgrounds and cultures when he agreed to coach in Australia. “I was always under the impression that Australians were Australians - and I’m not saying [anything disparaging] ... they’re a very proud nation, but it shows how perception works, because when you come from another country, you have this perception about what it’s like, and when you get here, you actually realise it’s not always like that. Which, again, gives you a better understanding as a coach.” “That’s why I made that joke,” White explains, referring back his opening line to the members. “It’s one of the strengths I’ve been managing to do in my country. We have so many diversities in South Africa; we have coloured kids, we have black kids, we have poor kids, we 16
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have kids who grew up in townships. We have kids who went to private schools and go on holiday skiing trips. “The point I’m making is that you probably get a great apprenticeship on how to bring all that together, and I’ve found that since I’ve got to Australia, it’s one thing the Brumbies have - I mean, when they started, they were almost like the ‘renegades’ of Australian rugby, starting with the rejects from the other franchises. “To say I’ve got six South Africans - a lot of those boys, their parents emigrated in the ‘80s, and they’ve grown up in Australia. [So I’ve also] got Samoan boys, I’ve got two Fijian boys, I’ve got two Zimbabwean boys - [David] Pocock and Ian Prior are both Zimbabwean. “I just think that’s such a unique thing to be in and I enjoy that, just like I enjoy being in Australia because I have to learn things that I’m not used to. And that’s what I’m trying to do at the Brumbies, is embrace the fact that if you’re Samoan, be proud of [your heritage] because there’s nothing wrong with that, but at the end of the day we must have mutual respect for each other.” The easy conclusion to draw at this point is that just as the plethora of backgrounds on show at Brumbies HQ is a snapshot of modern Australia, it’s also a reasonable representation of the global nature of modern rugby. With professional clubs all throughout France and the United Kingdom having a similarly international flavour,
Importing players, especially South African players, wasn’t necessarily something that White envisaged he would do at the Brumbies, but he always knew there was an opportunity to find some talented youngsters. “I always realised when I was the national coach that the amount of talent in South Africa - you look at the examples, and you’ve got Brad Barritt and Mouritz Botha playing for England, you’ve got Geldenhuys playing for Italy. And if I’d said that, ‘Geldenhuys playing for Italy,’ people would’ve laughed at me, you know, [because] Quintin Geldenhuys is as Afrikaans as they come. “It wasn’t so much whether I’d bring them to Australia, but I always knew there was an avenue for [South African] players to go abroad because of the player base. I deliberately didn’t bring anyone in my first year, because I wanted to see what the talent was like in Australia, and also to see what I might have needed from South Africa. “There’s nothing worse than arriving with someone that you want to hedge your bets on and you realise that you’ve got an incumbent player who’s as good if not better.” In terms of his 2013 squad, White is very happy with how it’s come together. As much as the new recruits have been getting the press, White is equally thrilled about what his sophomore players will be capable of. “Well, let me say this to you, If I compare with what we had, getting a guy like Clyde Rathbone who comes in with 49 Super Rugby games is an improvement on the playing depth we had last year. Pocock has 69 Super Rugby games, rewind six or seven months ago, and Pocock was the talk of world rugby. “I have no doubt that the squad from a recruitment point of view has got stronger. But the most exciting thing is that the boys who’ve had one year of Super Rugby are going to be even better in year two.” And you can’t ask for better than that. It’s time to start getting excited about the Brumbies again. Issue #19 January 2013
ACT Brumbies’ 2013 extended playing squad
A new year, a new season and with them comes new faces in Brumbyland. After a successful first year of the extended playing squad system in 2012 – three of five members earned themselves full-time contracts – ACT Brumbies coach Jake White has selected five new members for 2013. The squad is comprised of an eclectic bunch this year, with three South Africans, a New Zealander and an Australian making up the group of players who will be called upon by White if his 30-man full-time squad becomes depleted by injury throughout the season. With big shoes to fill after last year’s success, it can be expected these five men will push the limits to meet expectations. Read on as PLAY takes a look at the squad. By Antony Perry @antonyperry Stephan Van der Walt Position: Centre Height: 192cm Weight: 98kg Date of Birth: 21/04/1991 Place of Birth: Kerksdorp, South Africa South African-born Van der Walt arrives in the capital from Queensland where he has been plying his trade with representative side Queensland Country and the University of Queensland at club level. A former Sunshine Coast boy who migrated to Australia from South Africa at just 8 years of age, Van der Walt has the versatility to make it at Super Rugby level as an outside centre or on the wing. Touted as a passionate, aggressive outside back with similar traits to fellow Brumby Clyde Rathbone, the 21-year-old will add venom to an already potent Brumbies backline should he be called upon by coach White in 2013. Mark Swanepoel Position: Scrumhalf Height: 181cm Weight: 91kg Date of Birth: 26/10/1990 Place of Birth: Johannesburg, South Africa
At just 22 years of age, Swanepoel brings with him to Canberra a wealth of experience. The South African-born halfback rose to prominence when he signed for the Western Force in 2010 after impressing at schoolboy level and for the Australian under-20s side. He secured four caps with the Perthbased franchise before heading across the Tasman to ply his trade with Canterbury in New Zealand’s ITM Cup. Swanepoel came close to featuring for the Crusaders in 2012, but has returned to Australia in search of more opportunities. A big, physical halfback, Swanepoel will provide tough competition for Ian Prior and Nic White for the starting No.9 role. Ruan Smith Position: Prop Height: 188cm Weight: 121kg Date of Birth: 24/01/1990 Place of Birth: Vryburg, South Africa Hailing from South Africa’s esteemed Western Cape rugby nursery, 22-year-old Smith has shown in his short life span he has what it takes to succeed on the rugby pitch. The prop forward has racked up his fair share of accolades to date, but nothing is more impressive than
having represented both Australia and South Africa in consecutive years on the schoolboys’ stage. Since then, he has gone on to feature in the Stormers, Reds and Western Force academy systems, earning two Super Rugby caps with the Perth franchise in 2012. A proven front rower, Smith will push strongly for a starting jersey in 2013. Josh Mann-Rea Position: Hooker Height: 181cm Weight: 105kg Date of Birth: 19/02/1981 Place of Birth: Narromine, Australia At 31 years of age, Mann-Rea enters Brumbyland at an age most are preparing to leave it. After rubbing shoulders in an Australian under-21s side with Matt Giteau and Mark Gerrard, Mann-Rea soon fell off the radar as rugby became secondary to socializing. Many years in the wilderness followed as the front rower went spent his days working in the coalmines in Wollongong and plying his trade on the rugby pitch for Japanese side Kyuden Voltex. He returned to Australia last year after answering an SOS call from the Waratahs and was rewarded with two Super Rugby caps. Despite being the oldest member of coach White’s squad, he isn’t fazed by his age and is determined to prove he belongs in Super Rugby. Jordan Smiler Position: Blindside flanker Height: 193cm Weight: 107kg Date of Birth: 19/06/1985 Place of Birth: Palmerston North, New Zealand An athletic ball runner and a fearless defender, Smiler joins the Brumbies after impressing for Northern Suburbs in Sydney’s Shute Shield throughout the 2012 season. But at 27 years of age, the New Zealand-born blindside flanker also boasts experience on the professional stage. Smiler has travelled the world on the sevens circuit, representing both New Zealand and Australia, and has made 20 appearances for Waikato in the ITM Cup. He may be one of the oldest members in a young Brumbies squad, but Smiler’s experience should not be discounted.
THROW a sTeak On THe BaRBie
WiTH THe BRumBies WWW.BRumBies.cOm.au/HOspiTaliTy.aspx Issue #19 January 2013
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offensive difference maker should start out in the same vein as she will eventually finish. Thrust into something she appeared to love, progress was swift and the 6-point season was quickly left behind. “We moved again and the first week in my new primary school team I scored six points and went home thinking I was Michael Jordan. The next week I managed 12 and the week after 40! Something clicked in those three weeks, though I have no idea what.” Soon the Kilsyth association was asking her to come to tryouts for their Under 12 representative program, where she was selected from hundreds of youngsters to be part of their first team. The ever-present long socks were part of her regalia even way back then, along with a permanently tucked in playing shirt, as part of something her AFL playing grandfather had instilled in her as being important. There are probably not too many other young girls who were quite openly in thrall with influences such as NBA legends Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Allan Iverson and High School prodigy Kobe Bryant in the late 1980s early 1990s. Image: Ben Southall
Life is still fun for the Capitals biggest kid Brendan Parnell.
@CanberraCaps
It’s still an hour and a half before game time as Jess Bibby sits to recount some of her thirty three-year odyssey that has led her to this point. As we start to chat, the Dandenong Rangers team heads past us to the changing rooms, and one by one they pause to say hello or exchange some banter with one of the league’s most enduring and liked characters. It’s a small but hugely touching sequence, that even the teenagers in the evening’s opposing team quite naturally take part in, and speaks to a woman and basketball player everyone seems to have time for. “I started playing when I was seven after a friend from down the road turned up in all the Harlem
Globetrotters gear,” Jess begins. “Knox had no suitable team back then and it wasn’t till we moved, that my school had a girls team for me. “The team was under 13, I was only nine and I was hopeless,” she explains “but me and my brother, who was in the boys team, had a competition to see who could score the most points in a season. I got six and he got four! The kids were way bigger than me but I was just pegging the ball up whenever I could get a glimpse of the basket.” It’s often said that shooters are born, not made and accordingly it makes sense that someone who would eventually traverse the basketball world as an
“The NBA probably wasn’t a normal thing for a young girl to be into,” she says “but I played tennis as well. Mum used to get me to clean the silverware and I’d be holding up the platter and dreaming that I’d just won Wimbledon. “Steffi Graf was my favourite because she won everything and I love winning. I was mesmerized by the way she dominated people and did it so clinically. She wins Wimbledon and just coolly walks up, shakes hands and gives a little wave to the crowd.” The progression from that first Under 12 representative team hurtled along and in 1996 at the tender age of 16 she found herself as part of the Dandenong Rangers WNBL program. Just a few short years later in 2000, it would be America’s Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) who would come calling. “I had watched Timmsy [Michelle Timms] with Phoenix a little bit but was very much in the dark about their league. I didn’t have the greatest start over there in rookie camp, but luckily two other Australian girls Nat Porter and Katrina Hibbert were put in my team for one of the last scrimmages and we were all able to gel and get drafted.
Images: John Preller
DANDENONG SAT 19 JAN BULLEEN FRI 25 JAN TOWNSVILLE FRI 1 FEB
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Issue #19 January 2013
“There were so many amazing things over there, playing in front of 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden, an exhibition game in Phoenix in front of 13,000 where I’m thinking I’m not going to get on. But the point guard gets two fouls in the first 30 seconds and away I go. My first touch, I let it fly from the corner and hit a three!” Whilst moving into the world of full time professionalism was a head spinning experience, a training mishap in pursuit of a loose ball somehow then unleashed the first of what was to be a series of ongoing back issues. After a multitude of consultations with spinal experts and physicians, the consistent prognosis was that there was not only no chance of her ever playing again, but the distinct likelihood that she wouldn’t walk again. For the first time now, her voice stiffens as she attempts to explain the thought process that followed those predictions. “For a 21 year old to say ‘I don’t think so’ was probably strange, but I made a vow that I’d do everything I could. Right to this day I don’t take too many days off and ensure that I’m always as physically ready to play as I can be. It’s taught me that there is no barrier for me, there’s no hurdle I can’t overcome.” Despite the dire predictions, after three years of rehabbing Jess was back starring with Dandenong
Issue #19 January 2013
again. She signed with Seattle in 2005 after four teams had chased her, including Phoenix where current Capitals Coach Carrie Graf was in charge at the time. “Then two days before I’m due to go over, I’m playing one-on-one with Kathleen Macleod at Dandenong and my back goes again. I missed another year and that was the end of that in regard to the WNBA” she says. Whilst the Capitals current losing streak is obviously a sore point for anyone who loves winning so much, the idea that she is still doing her thing at 33 years of age quickly has her trademark grin unfurling again. “I still love training and playing and the day that I don’t, or it doesn’t bring a smile to my face, will be the day I give up. Even when things are horrible I can still smile at practice or someone will do something, or we’ll win a drill or I’ll get into that ‘give me the ball I can do anything’ sort of mentality.” You might imagine that she would tire of questions about what the next stage of her life might hold, but there is barely a blip on the enthusiasm meter when that subject arises. “Even my family keeps asking when I’m going to grow up and get a real job and obviously I’m going to have to retire from playing at some stage, but for now this game is way too much fun.” Tertiary study was an option recently but after a false start (one lecture, one tutorial in two weeks) it’s been
put on hold, as she doesn’t feel she’s ready for four years of study at the moment. “I’m doing some work here for the YMCA with their youth programs and working in a supermarket between times, both of which I love. I like the idea that every kid has something they love to do and it would be fun if I can help in some way to provide the same support for other kids that I had.” The pleasure her family has derived from following her sporting journey is obvious as she reflects on their support, but there is also something strangely everyman or everywoman about a slightly built 30 something who appears to be living life as a big kid. It’s now post game and the Capitals players mill around the Arena floor with their friends, family and fans in what’s truly one of the league’s best traditions. Despite another defeat, nearly all are giving it their best. However, even though one of World’s greatest players is amongst the throng, the majority of youngsters are drawn almost magnetically to the left-handed life force who began her career so many years ago in the Under 12s at Kilsyth. Predictably, Jess Bibby, continues to work the room till the last fan request has been satisfied, the last grin delivered and only then scurries off to continue her journey.
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As they couldn’t replace this during the race, it meant Pinter had to drive the remaining 105 kilometres with great difficulty finding gears, of which he could only find first and second. Yet they still managed to finish the event first in the NSW Excel Series class and 38th out of 70 outright. It proved a big learning curve for Pinter, but despite some heartbreak early in the race, he could not have asked for a better result. “We spent 12 months building a car from scratch and to have that happen [clutch failure] was very heartbreaking,” he said. “We pulled back 15 minutes of that 20 minutes lost on the competitors we were competing against, and we managed to take out first place in our class.”
Rhys Pinter – a name to remember Rising Canberra rally star Rhys Pinter is looking towards bigger and better things in 2013 after a highly successful debut year for his own rally team, Rhys Pinter Rally Sport. By Joshua Matic @MaticJm Despite being just 19 years of age and still on a provisional licence, as driver of the team, Pinter lead it to championship glory in the New South Wales Hyundai Excel Series and the Australian Capital Territory Novice Series – the two classes in which the team was registered. The team managed to pull off these achievements through competing in four rallies – the Bega Rally, Batemans Bay Rally, Back To Bondo, and Shannon Safari. Pinter is now focussed on getting into the Australian Junior Rally Championship – part of the Australian Rally Championship for 28 year olds and under – which kicks off in March with round one at the National Capital Rally, part of Canberra’s centenary celebrations. “It is a very big step up, but I believe I’m up for the challenge,” Pinter said. “It’s going to be a lot tougher, but the events we’ll be doing next year we competed in this year [except National Capital Rally] so we’ve got a lot more experience.” “What I’ve achieved this year in my first season not many people have done, so I’m really looking forward to next year and just can’t wait to get back testing in the car, and hopefully show some manufacturers and sponsors what I can do.” “To be regularly competing in the Australian Rally Championship would be absolutely fantastic.” Pinter credits his passion and success to date in rally sport to three mentors who have inspired him – Experienced World and Australian Rally Championship competitors Neal Bates and Mick Patton, and young ARC star Adrian Coppin. But his number one inspiration is father Peter Pinter, who has passed on the family’s rally blood. 20
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Pinter has started his rally career in the same way as each of these men by taking out the ACT Novice Series in his debut season. Coppin, who met Pinter two years ago after he showed great enthusiasm in building a Hyundai Excel which was mutual to his own car, said he was proud of his achievements. “He’s ticked all the boxes this year, and next year he just has to set the bar a bit higher,” he said. “During his first event [in Bega] he was a bit nervous, so I helped him out to keep his nerves settled.” Rhys Pinter Rally Sport was also supported by major sponsor Southern Automotive Services, owned by Patton, VSport, owned by Bates, and Revell Steering. Pinter is also focussed on maintaining these sponsors and adding to them, and said this is paramount due to high costs of entering ARC events. It was a rollercoaster ride for Pinter at various stages throughout the year, but the money, time and effort put into establishing the team and developing their car have all been worth it. Starting completely from scratch, Pinter estimated that around $25,000 had been spent on the team’s Hyundai Excel, a car that was originally purchased for “a couple of hundred”. He sold his own car to meet the expense of the purchase, and from there Rhys Pinter Rally Sport was formed. The team’s official launch was a week before their first event in Bega. Just five kilometres into stage one out of eight at the 110 kilometre Bega event in June, Pinter’s clutch slave cylinder stopped, forcing navigator Russell Hannah to do some make-shift adjustments at the next service stop, losing 20 minutes and only just beating the sweep car.
The team’s second race took place at Batemans Bay in September, and Pinter found himself understanding his car much better after this event. He managed his second straight NSW Excel Series victory at this event, but this time added his first victory in the ACT Novice series for an individual event. “I was driving a lot quicker and a lot more confident,” he said. “At some points [at night] it was like driving in heavy fog [with dust reflecting the head lights] … we did lose a lot of time in there, but it was all just learning.” The team’s third race in October, Back To Bondo in Tumut, saw their best outright finish of 14th and a second straight ACT Novice Series win. The straight, fast roads allowed Pinter to gain great speed and catch other more experienced drivers, and it was the first event the vehicle stayed mechanically sound. But the icing on the cake for 2012 came in November at the Shannon Safari race in Canberra. Pinter had numerous parts in the car replaced after Back To Bondo, ensuring it was up to the rough and twisty roads the Canberra track has. Sitting in second place on the ACT Novice Series leader board, and having already taken out the NSW Excel Series at Tumut, the team’s goal was to add the ACT to its trophy cabinet. With the only dilemma being a wrong turn, Pinter described this eight stage race as “all the ducks in line”. Maintaining good speed and tackling the corners was the key to success in this race, as Rhys Pinter Rally Sport went on to finish 14th outright and claim the ACT Novice Series for 2012. “The car never missed a beat…myself, I was driving phenomenally well ... Our sixth stage time was top 12 which was my best to date.”he said. Pinter said mental and physical preparation is the key to success in rally sport, and a true passion must be held for it. With one year’s experience now behind Rhys Pinter Rally Sport, 2013 promises to be full of opportunities, with larger events, and more sponsorship. Issue #19 January 2013
Clockwise from top left: Tony Irvine, At The Ghat, oil paint on gesso panel, Christine Atkins, Beach Cricket, oil on canvas, Glenn Morgan, Dreamin, acrylic and enamel on board, Keith Bert, Deep Fine Leg, oil on canvas, Sheyne Tuffery, Composition 1, mixed media on canvas, Brian Nash, The Hook Shot, acrylic on canvas, Bill Davies, The 3rd Test (At The Sand Bar), enamel paint on MDF board, Geoff Tristam, Next Man In, oil on canvas James Powditch, Amaya Iturri, Indoor Cricket, acrylic on board panel, Great Depression – Leg Theory, mixed media. Images courtesy the artists and the Bradman Foundation.
It’s just not …
‘Cricket, does it suck, or does it not?’ was the subject of a recent Triple J forum, hosted by the Doctor (Lindsay McDougall), a keen former cricketer and self-confessed fan. The fact that he posed the question points to the game’s central place in the nation’s psyche even if not every Australian has the time or inclination to actually watch the matches. For some Triple J listeners, cricket means ridiculously long test matches and players breaking for ‘luncheon’, while for others it’s synonymous with summer barbecues and make-do backyard pitches, with the cricket a constant companion playing in the background on radio or TV. By Maurice O’Riordan Lending weight to the idea of cricket’s ‘nobility’ is the annual international Cricket Art Prize, hosted by the Bradman Foundation and now in its fourth year. The Prize (worth $20,000), for a painting which depicts ‘life in and around the game and sport of cricket’, was this year awarded to NSW artist James Powditch for his work Great Depression – Leg Theory, which combines the elements of radio (or wireless) and newsprint (with the headline ‘Bradman 0’) to show how closely the game was tied to the fate of a nation. ‘Bradman was a beacon of hope during the Great Depression’, said Powditch. ‘No matter how bad it got at least we had Bradman. Bodyline shattered all that and with it the national confidence. But he and Australia came back to cricket glory and from the Great Depression.’ The Cricket Prize’s Highly Commended Award (worth $2000) went to English artist Geoff Tristram for his work Next Man In. A far more conventional cricket scene than Powditch’s, Tristam depicts a rural English Issue #19 January 2013
match with three young batsman nervously waiting in the wings. This idea of a kind of male rite of passage is explored in other finalist works this year, such as Margaret Ingles’s The Next Generation (with a young boy geared-up and dwarfed by a throng of men in whites), and Amaya Iturri’s Indoor cricket which shows a young bat-swinging lad in front of a TV cricket broadcast. Just under 200 entries were received this year, with 40 finalist works selected for judging and exhibition – initially at the Sydney Cricket Ground during October, and with plans to show it at the Bradman Museum, Bowral, in March 2013 and for a national tour. Being an international game, the Prize continues to attract entries from ‘cricket speaking’ countries, namely the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, and India, as well as Australia-wide. Australian artist Tony Irvine’s At the Ghat depicts the universal appeal and simplicity of the game, played by two young boys under the shadow of a grand classical Indian arch. Fellow Australian artist John Campbell’s lyrical work, The
First Test At Goonengerry, Australia V India, captures a moment of high drama in a rural NSW setting. Returning to the idea of cricket’s association with long summer days is Christine Atkins’s Beach Cricket, with a swagger of kids at play (notably both boys and girls) in an idyllic coastal spot which could be anywhere in Australia. In Brian Nash’s The Hook Shot, the scene of an afternoon match is almost secondary to the view of the bush beyond the boundary fence. As the Cricket Prize attests, the game blends all the skill and passion of sport with the great outdoors – so much more than just luncheons and long hours.
Maurice O’Riordan is editor of Art Monthly Australia. The annual Cricket Art Prize is accompanied by the Cricket Poetry Award. Judges for the 2012 Cricket Art Prize were Steve Abbott, Dr Dick Quan, John McDonald, Jacqueline Taylor and Lisa Quittner. 2012 Cricket Art Prize exhibition touring dates and a related 2013 calendar are available via: www.cricketprize.org
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arriving in Australia on January 3. “Although my form will be hard to judge, because I have done three grand tours, I think that it will be a positive thing.” Since claiming the 2008 Australian time trial title in Buninyong, Hansen has come agonisingly close to adding a road jersey, with three top four finishes, including two podium appearances. The most infamous of those results came in 2009 when Victoria’s Peter McDonald outfoxed Hansen and his then Columbia-Highroad team-mate Mick Rogers inside the final few kilometres to take the victory, leaving the pair with the minor medals. It is these ‘near misses’ that has the Queenslander aiming for victory in Buninyong and the elusive green and gold jersey. Image: GETTY
Hansen hoping record breaking 2012 leads to Nationals glory Following a gruelling 2012 season in which he became the first Australian rider to complete all three Grand Tours in the same year, Adam Hansen will line up in a 163–strong men’s road race at the Mars 2013 Cycling Australia Road National Championships in Ballarat.
rider in history, and first Australian, to complete all three Grand Tours - Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the Vuelta Espana - in the same season. Hansen also contested the road race at the 2012 UCI World Championships in the Netherlands, before completing his 10-month season at the final UCI World Tour event of the year, the Tour of Beijing.
2012 was nothing short of astonishing for Hansen, with the thirty-one-yearold Lotto-Belisol rider 2012 was nothing short of covering an amazing 17,000 kilometres across astonishing for Hansen, with 106 racing days.
the thirty-one-year-old
Despite a taxing year both physically and mentally, Hansen will once again use Australia’s greatest one-day race on Sunday January 13, as a catapult to start his 2013 season.
His season began with Lotto-Belisol rider covering an the Road Nationals in amazing 17,000 kilometres Buninyong last January, and on that day in across 106 racing days. Buninyong, Hansen “I am feeling good, have finished fourth in a brutal been looking after myself contest that saw only 21 of the 140 starters complete and in the next few days I’ll work on picking up the the 163 kilometre event. intensity to find some speed, to get ready for the Later in the season, Hansen became just the 33rd
Nationals,” Hansen told #Roadnats just hours after
“For me, to wear the green and gold jersey in Europe has been one of the main goals I’ve ever had in my career,” remarked Hansen. “All the European riders always say the Australian jersey is definitely one of the nicest national champions jerseys you can wear in the peloton. “So it would be great if I could wear that, and I would hope to honour it very well in Europe,” he said. Hansen will line up against the cream of Australia’s male road riders including the trio that finished ahead of him in 2012 in defending champion Simon Gerrans, Matthew Lloyd and Richie Porte. In fact, the past four of the past five champions in Gerrans, Jack Bobridge, Travis Meyer, Lloyd and Darren Lapthorne will contest the Championship. “Every year the Road Nationals gets harder and harder and races such as the Road Nationals are becoming more important for Australian pros who race in Europe because we have to be in top form,” said Hansen. “I just hope I have the foundation in my legs from my 2012 season and when the last few laps come up in Ballarat, I will be able to handle the run home.” Following the Mars Cycling Australia Road National Championships, Hansen will head to South Australia for the Santos Tour Down Under aiming to improve on his sixth place finish in 2012. “It’s always nice to race on home soil, it is a different feeling and it is good to be back in the hot weather,” he joked.
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Issue #19 January 2013
Many of the competitors will have been or are current Little Athletes around Canberra that are old enough to also compete at the AIS who make the leap from grass competition of a Saturday morning to run amongst some of Australia’s elite athletes based in the ACT or who visit for regular competition. Multi-event athletes enjoy the range of events preferring not to focus on one discipline. The Combined Event is an opportunity to encourage participation, where points are awarded on each performance and tallied at the end for a final point score. Good performances and consistency is the key.
Trackside at the AIS
2013 ACT Combined Event Championships. Combined events are again on offer to ACT and region athletes on the Australia Day weekend, 27-28th January. It will be a weekend of Decathlon, Heptathlon and Pentathlon events. Get ready to go! By Dianne Calvert. Images: Leo Vredenbregt. Athletics ACT invites athletes to enter and compete in a multi-event offering something to suit athletes in junior, youth, open, Masters and Athletes with Disabilities (AWD) categories. Athletics ACT officials and volunteers will work over the two days to provide assistance to athletes and
measure their performance with non-stop action as the teams work on jumps, throws and track events. The Decathlon is 10 events over 2 days encompassing jumps, throws and track races; the Heptathlon is 7 events while the Pentathlon is 5 events.
As with the 2012 competition last February there are a number of interstate athletes coming to Canberra for the event. ACT is part of the state circuit leading to the National competition in Adelaide (for juniors) and Sydney (for seniors). Spectators are most welcome to attend and entry is free. Competition commences from 9am on Saturday 18th beginning of a full weekend of events. For more information contact Dianne Calvert, ACT Combined Events Team dcalvert@grapevine.net.au
Online entry and draft program is available on the AACT website www.athleticsact.org.au/home via the competition button.
James won the Gold Medal in the senior division on Vault where he performs one of the more difficult twisting vaults in the world, a handspring forward with laid out front salto and 1 1/2 twist. James is the first Australian junior gymnast to win a gold medal at this event. He also came 6th Overall in the individual competition. The Australian team came 4th Overall in the teams event, held in Linz, Austria. The teams score is the total of the top three scores from the four athletes in each team and James, being the senior gymnast in the team, had all his scores on all six apparatus contributing to the team score. The Futures Cup was James first overseas competition and the experience proved a good learning curve for the unassuming teenager. “It was awesome, it was daunting being my first international competition and competing away from home, eating different and sleeping different, it’s something I have to get used to I guess”. Not one to rest on his achievements, James got stuck into training straight after his return from Austria as he prepares to represent Australia at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival at Homebush starting on the 18th January.
aussie gold at the futures cup
17 year old Canberran James Bacueti from the Woden Valley Gymnastics Club became the first Australian to win Gold at the premier international event for emerging junior gymnasts. Issue #19 January 2013
James competes in the Level 10 (Under 18) division and is a member of the Australian Junior Olympic Training Squad. He trains between 21 and 24 hours per week which puts him in the gym six days a week. His coach is Zou Li Min, a former World Championship medallist on Horizontal Bar, former men’s gymnastics coach at the AIS and now Head Coach in the men’s gymnastics program at Woden Valley Gymnastics Club in Holder. The modest teenager has his goals set on representing Australia on the biggest stages - the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. “I’ve got a long way to go, I’m hoping I can bring up the other apparatus (to his vault and floor standard) so i can go as an all-rounder ... I’ve got a long way to go but that’s what I’m working towards”. playcanberra.com.au
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Jennifer and Luke
Corey with Conor and
Gabrielle McCann
Sarah Vanas and Eliza Russell
Sarge and Denise Burton
Deb Rolfe, Moria and Sebastian Lye, Caitland Mosleh, Louise McDonald and Elizabeth Harris
Deb and Richard Rolfe with David Shillington
Jill McCullough and Lauren Grossman
Above: Canberra Cavalry - The Fort www.canberracavalry.com.au images: Andrew Finch Below: Canberra Cycling Club christmas Ball ww.canberracyclingclub.org.au Images: Michael Phelan
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Issue #19 January 2013
Week 1: 1-6 January Thursday 3/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Perth Heat 7.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park
Friday 4/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Perth Heat 7.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park CANBERRA Meteors V Western Fury 12.00pm Manuka Oval CANBERRA Capitals V Dandenong 7.00pm AIS Arena
Saturday 5/01
CANBERRA Meteors V Western Fury 10.00pm Manuka Oval CANBERRA UNITED V WS WANDERERS 4.00pm McKellar Park CANBERRA CAVALRY V Perth Heat 6.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park Canberra Cricket Tuggeranong v EASTLAKES 11.00am Chisholm
Sunday 6/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Perth Heat 12.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park CANBERRA Meteors V Western Fury 12.00pm Manuka Oval
Week 2: 7-13 January
ACTEWAGL JANUARY EVENTS CALENDAR Week 3: 21-27 January (continued) Sunday 27/01
ACT Baseball INDIANS V BEARS 3.00pm KAMBAH
Week 4: 28-3 January/Feburary Friday 01/02
CANBERRA Capitals V Townsville 7.00pm AIS Arena
Saturday 12/01
Canberra Cricket Ginninderra v ANU 11.00am Kippax
Saturday 02/02
Friday 18/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Sydney Blue Sox 7.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park
Canberra Cricket Tuggeranong v West’s UC 11.00am Chisholm
Sunday 03/02
ACT Baseball BEARS V EAGLES 3.00pm kambah
Week 2: 14-20 January Thursday 17/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Sydney Blue Sox 7.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park
Friday 18/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Sydney Blue Sox 7.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park
Saturday 19/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Sydney Blue Sox 6.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park CANBERRA Capitals V Dandenong 7.00pm AIS Arena Canberra Cricket Quwanbeyan v Nth CANBERRA GUN 11.00am Freebody (continued on the 26/01)
Sunday 20/01
CANBERRA CAVALRY V Sydney Blue Sox 1.00pm Narrabundah Ball Park ACT Baseball VIKINGS V BANDITS 3.00pm Aranda
Week 3: 21-27 January CANBERRA Capitals V Bulleen 7.00pm AIS Arena ACT Water Polo - Round 7 Nordek V Dragons 6.00pm Civic pool
AAT1212/02
Friday 25/01
ActewAGL Athletes on the rise
Jame Bacueti. 17 year old James Bacueti from the Woden Valley Gymnastics Club represented Australia at the Austrian Future Cup that was conducted in Linz, Austria on Saturday, 1st December 2012. The Future Cup is the premier event in the world for emerging junior gymnasts from all around the world, with over 20 teams competing. James won the Gold Medal in the senior division on Vault. James is the first Australian junior gymnast to win a gold medal at this event. The fact that he receives no outside support, other than a very welcome grant for travel from the ACT Government, is a credit to his personal dedication, his parents and to the Club. THE ActewAGL Athlete on the Rise recognises and rewards the achievements of our rising sporting talent. The award caters for athletes at all levels of competition. It is not only results that count, but good sportsmanship as well. Do you know someone that qualifies as an ActewAGL Athlete on the Rise? Send all nominations to athlete@playcanberra.com.au
You’re invited to Canberra’s biggest breakfast. Join ActewAGL’s Great Aussie Day Breakfast on Saturday 26 January 2013, Commonwealth Park from 7.30am to 10.00am. Enjoy a snag and meet stars from the Canberra Capitals, Raiders and Brumbies.
ActewAGL Retail ABN 46 221 314 841.
Issue #19 January 2013
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There are few doubts that billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is the man trying to usher Lampard out the door, with the Russian notorious for disposing of players over the age of 30. But Lampard, 34, is not interested in seeing out his career anywhere but south-west London and who could blame the man. In his glittering 12-year career at Stamford Bridge, Lampard has made 576 appearances for the Blues and has scored 193 goals, just nine shy of the club record held by Bobby Tambling (202). If shown the door though, Lampard has no shortage of suitors chasing his signature. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is a known admirer of the England international, while a move to Italy’s Serie A is another possibility. Christiano Ronaldo Image: GETTY
Big names, big moves, big money – European football’s transfer window The first month of the year is upon us and that only means one thing in football circles – a month of transfer madness. A frantic period, the transfer window enables clubs to acquire new talent, reluctantly sell individuals and to discard those whose services are no longer deemed necessary; it is football hysteria at its best. By Antony Perry
@antonyperry
Over the next month, European clubs will flex their has reportedly attracted the interest of French Ligue financial muscles to land the hottest deals on the 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco FS and market, those being, the services of the world’s best Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. footballers. And for what purpose? Premiership glory, Rumour has it that Becks of course, and the eternal has already decided on delight coupled with it. Rumour has it that Becks has the club with which he Who said money can’t buy will play out his twilight already decided on the club with happiness? but the former which he will play out his twilight years, Here at PLAY, we’ve England captain has said jumped on board the years, but the former England he won’t be announcing rumour mill. We can’t his final destination until captain has said he won’t be see the future, but here later this month. But with announcing his final destination the Beckhams having are our predictions as to what January will bring for until later this month. confirmed a return to Europe’s top clubs. London, and with AS Monaco seemingly David Beckham unable to meet his wage demands, it leaves Paris David Beckham may be 37 years old, but the football Saint-Germain as the most likely club to secure his ace has no shortage of clubs attempting to secure his services. signature on what will certainly be the final contract of
Rumours continue to circulate surrounding Real Madrid superstar Christiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international is said to be unhappy at Los Blancos and a move away from Spain is on the cards, albeit his list of suitors is naturally short given his ridiculously high transfer value. Mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain has registered its interest in Ronaldo, as well as Real manager Jose Mourinho, with club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hinting at the dream capture of the Portuguese pair. But the Ligue 1 giants face tough competition from Ronaldo’s former club, Manchester United. From 2003-09, the elite scorer helped United to three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League title before departing for the Bernabeu in 2009. Despite the move, Ronaldo maintains a positive opinion of the Manchester club and has recently stated he misses his former club. The fact that he misses Manchester United, coupled with the fact Sir Alex Ferguson relishes his return to Old Trafford, bodes well for the prospect of Ronaldo returning to the English giants. Wesley Sneijder Inter Milan outcast Wesley Sneijder is on his way out of the San Siro, with a move to the Premier League looking most likely. Sneijder has not played for the Serie A club since September because of a contract wrangle and is said to be interested in joining a top English side. Premier League battlers Queens Park Rangers was thrown into the mix, but the 28-year-old has since rubbished claims of him joining Harry Redknapp at the London club.
his decorated career.
Frank Lampard
The Dutch international has refused to take a pay cut at Milan – he currently earns £200,000 a week – meaning his list of potential clubs is limited. Liverpool recently offered £9.5 million for the midfield ace, but it is unlikely that the Anfield club would to be able to stretch to his wage demands.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid man, who helped LA Galaxy to the MLS Cup in December,
Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge at season’s end.
Meanwhile, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur remain on high alert.
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Issue #19 January 2013
Meet sporting celebrities at the Great Aussie Day Breakfast! This Australia Day – Saturday 26 January – you will have the chance to meet some of Canberra’s best sportspeople at the Great Aussie Day Breakfast, proudly presented by ActewAGL and the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets. Players from the Capitals, Raiders and Brumbies, will be available to sign autographs and help serve over 4,500 sausages, 40 kilograms of onions, 250 loaves of bread and 4,000 pieces of fruit as well as beverages
supplied by Canberra Milk to hungry attendees on the morning. Celebrations will kick-off at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park from 7.30am. The breakfast is
free, however, gold-coin donations are encouraged, with all money raised going to Camp Quality. Last year’s Great Aussie Day Breakfast saw the largest crowd to date with more than 4,000 people raising over $6,000 to assist families living with cancer. Participants will also be able to enjoy a performance from Sing Australia from 8.00am and kids entertainment by Peppa Pig at 9.00am, 10.00am and 11.00am on Stage 88. So, roll out your picnic rug or unpack some chairs and get ready to celebrate this Australia Day with friends, family and some delicious Aussie tucker.
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Issue #19 January 2013
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Issue #19 January 2013
Grand Designs on Sporting Success
Amazing sporting achievements are inspirational at any time but when that inspiration stretches beyond its regular boundaries to extend into another sector and still inspires admiration and professional recognition, it’s definitely worth celebrating. By Waruna Lokusooriya It’s all about sustainable design. With the industry of home design and maintenance as my daily, professional world, seeing our capital’s sporting institutions marry intelligent, sustainable design with all the important training regimes and sports psychology that ensure the physical success of our country’s athletes confirms that Canberra is a great place to live and do business. Sustainable design, after all, is the way of the future and something I am very interested in within my own business as a franchise owner of Hire A Tradesman in Canberra. When it comes to producing world-class competitors, our Olympic records and non-Olympic prowess show us to be a global leader in doing what it takes to turn enthusiastic, dedicated Australians into successful champions. And when it comes to the places where they train and live to have these talents nurtured – we’re clearly winners.
When the 2012 Award for Enduring Architecture was won by Daryl Jackson for its innovative design of the Australian Institute of Sport Swimming Centre (originally designed in 1982), it reminded us of the importance of sustainable design with vision – vision that looks to the future rather than just the present needs of the community who enjoy it. What made it so innovative? The overhead crane for video tracking swimmers, a bulkhead which could be shifted quickly, underwater windows and a continuous weir to prevent backwash is a great start. Thanks to Daryl Jackson’s creative vision, Canberra’s citizens had access to an elegant, reclining building, with a bull-nosed stepped roof and a smooth skin that was originally coloured blue-green at the base, lightened progressively up to pale grey in horizontal bands, which picked up the gentle hues of the surrounding bush landscape. What impressed the 2012 judges was the
COERVER Coaching Master Class Series.
fact that, despite being officially superseded in 2006 with the opening of the adjacent Australian Institute of Sport Testing and Training Centre opened, offering a state-of-the-art 50-metre pool, with new-generation technology, the original AIS Swimming Pool Centre continues to serve the local community – offering a great venue for school swimming carnivals and the general public. With that all in mind, watching the Masterplan for the redevelopment of the National Sports Club at Southwell Park (originally opened back in 1970) unfold is going to be very exciting. We already know that sport is an essential part of a healthy community - providing a positive impact on social cohesion and mental wellbeing. With building reconstruction, though, sport also offers incredible job creation. In this case, the projection is that the significant capital works program will inject around $20 million into the local building industry and create the equivalent of 100 fulltime jobs. It adds up to signs that, for sporting fans and building industry professionals alike, 2013 is going to be a very Happy New Year.
Waruna Lokusooriya is the franchise owner for Hire A Tradesman, Canberra. He is a proud Canberran and sports fan.
www.hireatradesman.com.au
Jason Lancsar COERVER® Coaching Asia Pacific Director
1. Keep the ball close to you so you can step around close to the ball and low to the ground for good balance. 2. Accelerate once you move past your opponent. 3. Use this move in front of your opponents goal. 4. And use this move when your opponent is in front of you.
We hope you enjoy our Coerver Coaching Play Magazine homework designed to improve your game but above all have fun while practicing. Coerver Coaching has been a global leader in 1v1, this month we look at the Scissors.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step around the around the front of the ball.
As your foot touches the ground, use the outside of your opposite foot to take the ball.
And lean in that direction.
Take the ball in the opposite direction and away from your opponent.
Topic: Scissors
See next issue for more tips from Coerver Coaching or for further information please visit our website www.coerver.com.au
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crossword Number 14
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6 See 20 Dn
1 Golfer ___ Pavin (5)
7 Tiny prize for cricket’s big battle (5)
2 Errol ___, former Australian cricket team and Rabbitohs physio (6)
9 Melbourne AFL player (5)
8 9
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10 Chris Gayle’s country (7)
3 Punt (3)
12 Former Australian quick bowler who now manages the Sydney Sixers (6,5)
4 ‘Yossi’ Benayoun’s national team (6) 5 Two 8 Dns will get you this (3,4)
14 Ex-Storm and Broncos recruited to the Greater Western Sydney AFL roster (6,5)
8 Yellow card (7)
18 Major cricket discipline (7) 19 Clay pigeon (5)
13 Paul ___, Dragons and Raiders player turned politician and chief executive (7)
21 Alan ___, phlegmatic England wicketkeeper of old (5)
15 John ___, revered TMS commentator who died in 1991 (6)
22 Canberra’s NRL team (7)
16 Martial art (6)
N O V L E R T R A O T E S C H U B R A
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K S O W B R U T E
M D E X V I C B O A R E L M E V L E N
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H H E I N D I D J I O K E O V A I C U
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11 American football team a.k.a. 22 Ac (7)
17 Nickname of Australian quick bowler Geoff Lawson (5) 20 and 6 Ac Colourful English pro golfer (3,7) Crossword #13 solutions
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“Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding”. - Former North Carolina State University Basketball Coach Jim Valvano
Issue #19 January 2013
Club Stadium is an exclusive social club lounge for business and pleasure. Situated at the Northern End of the Gregan-Larkham Stand, Club Stadium offers excellent service in a comfortable and relaxed private lounge with a maximum capacity of 150 members.
Club Select is a private, superior and all-inclusive event experience. Located at the Northern End of the Meninga Stand with an capacity of only 40 people. Club Select membership benefits include: ♦
Entry into the exclusive lounge for all scheduled Canberra Raiders and Brumbies home matches; VIP Parking; Complimentary beer, wine, soft drinks, tea and coffee; Premium catering service including buffet or sit down dinners, and half-time food; Guest speakers and lucky door prizes at selected matches; Branded balcony seating; Match day programs; Season corporate gift.
Club Stadium membership benefits include: ♦ Entry into the lounge for all scheduled Canberra Raiders and Brumbies home matches; ♦ VIP parking; ♦ Buffet meal on arrival and half-time snacks; ♦ Happy hour bar prices prior to the main game kick off; ♦ Branded balcony seating; ♦ Match day programs; ♦ Season corporate gift.
♦ ♦
From $3,140 per person (incl. GST)
From $4,802 per person (incl. GST)
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
For more information please contact Joanest To on (02) 6256 6711 or email j.to@canberrastadium.com
www.canberrastadium.com.au
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For more information please contact Joanest To on
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playcanberra.com.au
Issue #19 January 2013