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Issue #28 October 2013
#28
Cover: Canberra Capitals. Image: Nigel Hawkins
ConTents 4. Brumbies - Jake’s surprise exit 5. State of the play - Rugby Union 6. Raiders - Player welfare 8. State of the play - AFL 9. Running - Indigenous Marathon Project 10. Capitals - Set for a Renaissance 12. Cavalry -Season 2013/14 14. Sportenary - October events 15. Club of the month 16. Fitness - The Importance of Glutes 17. Cycling - Caroline Buchanan Bags the Double 18. Socials - The Events of the Month 20. Basketball - ACTEWAGL’s Game Day Video Hoopla 21. Events calendar - ACTEWAGL September Events 22. Cricket -Nathan Lyon Much to Prove 24. Combat - Duke Sets his Sights on the Games 26. Trivia night - The Tradies Sports Trivia Night 28. Soccer - Sisters Storm into Finals 31. Fitness - Summer is Here - Time to Get into Shape
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & COLLABORATORS: Antony Perry Josh Matic Brett McKay Todd Davey Shaun Ebert Joshua Mercer Adam Phelan Lyndall Parker Brendan Parnell Russ Gibbs Liz McPherson PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ben Coughlan Ben Southall: www.bensouthall.com.au Nudgepix Photography: www.nudgepix.com.au Fiona Brammall
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CONTACT EDITORIAL Nathan Minerds - editor@playcanberra.com.au 0452 220 100 ADVERTISING Ad Guys - advertise@playcanberra.com.au 0452 220 100
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 #28 October 2013
EPL: the leading lights
It’s early days and far too premature to write clubs belonging to English football’s elite class out of the title race. But the start of the 2013-14 English Premier League season has been an intriguing one. By Antony Perry The traditional giants have struggled, while their rivals, some of whom are at an acute financial disadvantage, have exploded out of the blocks. The Premier League rarely disappoints and there’s every indication that this season, which is shaping up to be the most open in recent memory, will have fans salivating right up until the final day. Here, PLAY’s Antony Perry takes a look at the six clubs capable of challenging for the title and/ or the lucrative Champions League places. Viva la Premier League.
ARSENAL
The banner that hangs from the upper tier of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium – the one that reads, “You can’t buy class” – has hopefully now been removed. Money does, in fact, buy class and the London club learned of that first hand when they procured £42 million worth of it by signing German international Mesut Ozil. The former Real Madrid man has adjusted to the English game with elegance and ease, breathing new life into the club in the process. Arsene Wenger, the manager, has long dreamed of bringing a player of Ozil’s calibre to the Emirates. Wenger finally has his man and if Ozil continues to play in a similar fashion to the way he has started, Arsenal may finally realise their potential.
CHELSEA
News of Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea was met by a renewed hope that supremacy would return to Stamford Bridge. After all, the Portuguese manager delivered six trophies to the club during his first tenure from 2004-2007. But Chelsea, who were widely expected to hit the ground running this season, are yet to fully find their feet. Mourinho’s reluctance to play Juan Mata, who has a knack of finding that killer pass and who was instrumental for Chelsea under other managers, may be where the blame lies for their mediocre performances. You only have to look as far as Mata’s second-half introduction against Tottenham in week six and the spark he created to realise the impact he has. Chelsea’s trophy cabinet has been adorned with European silverware since Mourinho was last at the club and the weight of expectation for him to add to that is huge. But a summer of optimism is yet to give way to the kind of on-field success it was thought Mourinho would instantly bring.
LIVERPOOL
Where would Liverpool be without Daniel Sturridge? Probably the same place they were at this time last season; mid table and struggling to find a win. Sturridge has been a revelation at the Anfield club so far this season. The former Chelsea man fired his side to three straight victories in as many weeks to get the club’s campaign off to an emphatic start. Brendan Rodgers, the manager, has recruited well and has seen instant results from his new signings – particularly from Simon Mignolet, the goalkeeper he signed from Sunderland. Whether Liverpool can maintain their
impressive early-season form remains to be seen. The club is still building, but based on what we’ve seen so far, they are definitely on the up.
MANCHESTER CITY The unceremonious sacking of Roberto Mancini last season opened the door at Manchester City for a new manager to come in and guide the expensively assembled playing group to the height of their potential. That’s something City are entirely capable of given they won the league in 2011-12. Manuel Pellegrini, Mancini’s replacement, has them playing, at times, attractively and positively. They flexed their muscles and sent out an ominous statement with a 4-1 thrashing of cross-town rivals Manchester United last month. But they have otherwise largely underperformed and are outside the top four after six weeks. Such is the consequence of being complacent and losing to teams they should have beaten. Adjusting to life under a new manager is difficult. It takes time. But if City have aspirations of winning back the league crown they are capable of claiming – and it can be assumed they do – ironing out their issues sooner rather than later is imperative.
MANCHESTER UNITED A polished 4-1 opening day defeat of Swansea City gave off the impression that the strengths Manchester United accrued under Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired as manger at the end of last season after 27 years at the helm, weren’t just going to disappear. But that’s the problem with impressions – they often don’t last. The post-Ferguson era, since that breathtaking performance at Liberty stadium, has been anything but smooth sailing for the champions. A run of poor results have United languishing in 12th place after six weeks. The bottom line is that the Manchester club failed in the transfer window. The midfield and the defensive line both needed to be bolstered in order for them to complement the world class line of attack the club possesses. It’s too early to write United off completely. But come the January transfer window, reinforcements are desperately required if United are to defend their title.
TOTTENHAM Much of the talk surrounding Tottenham’s chances this season revolved around Gareth Bale. It was widely expected that the forward would leave the club for the bright lights of Spain’s capital and Real Madrid. If so, it was thought that Tottenham would crumble without their star man. Bale did, indeed, get his dream transfer, and he became the world’s most expensive player (£85 million) in the process. But the ensuing calamity, which was so heavily anticipated, hasn’t eventuated. Life without Bale has so far gone splendidly for the north London club. They have made intelligent signings to make up for his absence and Andre Villas-Boas, the manager, has so far pulled all the right strings to have them sitting comfortably in the top four after six weeks. playcanberra.com.au
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team in Super Rugby, and were widely pilloried for what was viewed as systemic cynical infringing in their own 22 this season. The expectation for 2014 - even with White at the helm - was that the Brumbies would adopt a more attacking, ball-in-hand mindset that still uses that base of territory and breakdown dominance from which to make use of the undeniable talent of the players. Remarkably, considering the scale of the loss of a Rugby World Cup-winning coach, the Brumbies’ reaction as an organisation has been one of comfort and quiet confidence.
Image: GETTY
Jake White’s early departure rocks the Brumbies The Brumbies were rocked late last month by the sudden departure of Head Coach Jake White, less than two months after guiding the two-time Super Rugby champions to this year’s Final against the Chiefs, and with another two years left to run on his four-year contract. By Brett McKay. @BMcSport. White has been back in South Africa since the conclusion for the Super Rugby season, and he had previously made no secret that he would spend some time back in the Republic scouting for potential Brumbies recruits.
White has already been linked with coaching roles with the Stormers in Cape Town, while a role in Durban with the Sharks was mentioned. It would be highly likely that White would be linked to any major coaching roles that became vacant from here on.
Those scouting and recruitment discussions had been ongoing, with White’s last conversation with Brumbies CEO, Andrew Fagan, about finalising the remaining squad positions only a matter of days before requesting a release from his contract, which the club granted a few days later.
Speculation remains rife that White’s disappointment in being overlooked for the Wallabies coaching role has played a major part in his decision, and this would not surprise me at all.
Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen, in South Africa with the Wallabies ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks, met with White in an attempt to have him reconsider, but White’s desire to remain at home in South Africa and closer to family soon became apparent. ‘‘Family is the most important thing and I understand where he’s coming from. He’s putting that priority at the top of his list. For him to push the program to where it is on the opposite side [of the world] to his family, it says loads about him as a person. But in his own words it’s time to go back and re-strengthen those bonds. ‘‘When someone says that to you and it’s so heartfelt, you can’t do anything but support them. Initially I did think I would try to talk him out of it. But I’m never going to try to talk someone out of putting their family first,’’ Mowen told The Canberra Times’ Chris Dutton from South Africa. While White and his wife Lindy relocated to Canberra, White’s two sons remained at home in Cape Town while studying at university. 4
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White told me in the days following that he was incredibly annoyed at missing out on the Wallabies job, particularly since the ARU had approached him to put something together as far back as February. He was annoyed that after being sounded out personally, and with the ARU knowing full well of his philosophies and approaches to rugby, that they would then ignore all their reasons for making their approach and instead appoint Ewen McKenzie primarily because he was a local. The Brumbies were on the way to a complete rebirth as a Super Rugby force, and White admitted in the lead-up to the decider in early August that he was twelve months ahead of his own expectations. This is also likely to have been a factor, and with his assistants Laurie Fisher and Stephen Larkham doing more and more of the hands-on coaching of the side, White felt confident the succession plan could be bought forward. On the field, the Brumbies stripped their gameplan back to a very simple territory game in 2012, and added a ruthless competitiveness at the breakdown in 2013, to the point that the Brumbies were the most penalised
Andrew Fagan indicated to me as the story broke that with all the groundwork that had been laid by the club in White two years in Canberra, the entire organisation is confident for the future. The players, coaches, staff, and (perhaps most importantly) the sponsors are all comfortable with the direction the club is taking. While the club has said it will embark on wide-reaching process to appoint the next head coach, the high likelihood is that one of Fisher or Larkham will be promoted. Fagan said in a club statement that “...we have two outstanding assistant coaches in Stephen Larkham and Laurie Fisher who have delivered the majority of the on-field coaching and they will continue to implement our high performance program. We will make a decision on a head coach in due course.” On a personal front, I came to know White reasonably well, and his departure will be disappointing not just for the obvious reasons, but for the fact that he was also so giving with his time to the public and the small band of Canberra rugby media. There were times that we walked out of press conferences knowing we’d been played, but White was always more than willing to provide a quote and share a laugh. Like readers of PLAY, I’ll forever be indebted to White for granting me the unprecedented access he did, in allowing me to shadow him on the night of the Brumbies’ historic win over the touring British & Irish Lions side, which featured in our July issue. He’d never let a journo or writer follow him on match day in his entire coaching career. He heavily retweeted and promoted the article on publication, too, ensuring my experience was read by rugby lovers the world over. I’d had, as he told me on the night, “...the ultimate experience as a writer and a rugby fan.” Jake White has left the Brumbies early, but his unquestionable legacy remains and his presence will be remembered long into the club’s history. It’s a mark of the man’s ability as a coach that he could achieve so much in so little time, but it’s an even bigger mark of the respect he’d earned in that time that he could decide to leave early and go with the club’s thanks and best wishes. Laurie Fisher summed things up perfectly, tweeting among all the chaos and confusion as the news broke, “Stay chilled folks, sun will still rise tomorrow, and Brumbies will be a massive presence in Super Rugby 2014 and beyond. #keepthefaith” Issue #28 October 2013
that he didn’t “...play rugby to be talked about off the field.” It made for a great sound bite at a press conference, but it obviously wasn’t sincere enough to jolt any memories or strike any chords within as he started to cause an early-morning scene at the departure gate.
Image: GETTY
In the aftermath, former Wallabies lock, now Fox Sports commentator, Nathan Sharpe, spoke of the distrust that must exist now between O’Connor and the rest of the Wallabies squad. And he didn’t miss.
I don’t know if it will be said publicly but I know having been alongside most of those guys, they were disappointed a long time ago.”
James, James, James...
It really didn’t take long for Ewen McKenzie’s patience to wear thin. Just four games into his Wallabies tenure and with his first win finally recorded - by a point, over Argentina in Perth - he would’ve headed into the second travel bye week of The Rugby Championship content that things were finally, slowly moving in the right direction. And then his phone rang. James O’Connor, he of “my rugby brand” and vitamin ad fame, had got himself into strife with airline staff during an argument over seating arrangements, was removed from Perth International Airport by Australian Federal Police, and was prevented from boarding his 5am flight to Bali for a quick holiday with his girlfriend. Mixed reports emerged of O’Connor’s alleged state of intoxication, and indeed, an ARU Integrity Unit investigation was still underway at the time of writing.
“At the end of the day, it’s not all about what he does on the field. It is about how he respects his teammates,” Sharpe said.
STATE OF THE PLAY RUGBY UNION with Brett McKay @BMcSport
McKenzie’s immediate move was to stand O’Connor down from the Wallabies squad indefinitely, pending the outcome of the investigation. O’Connor was replaced in the tour squad to South Africa and Argentina by former Brumbies squad member, and now Waratahs winger, Peter Betham.
And McKenzie had indeed made such an offer, despite O’Connor’s most recent indiscretion being only a few weeks beforehand during the British & Irish Lions series. O’Connor’s rap sheet was already lengthy, but none of the incidents, individually speaking, were ever overly major.
Interestingly, for all the cries of ‘about time’ surrounding O’Connor’s being stood down, there were dissenting voices citing the unfairness for being punished from something that happened in his own time.
McKenzie would’ve known the risk in allowing O’Connor to start afresh, but O’Connor would - or should - also have recognised that with risk to his coach came great responsibility on himself.
Those same voices pointed to the supposed ‘clean slate’ that O’Connor had been given by McKenzie on the latter’s ascension to the Wallabies coaching position.
At the time, O’Connor spoke of growing up as a person, and of turning the corner. Many a pundit and a large chunk of the Australian rugby public accepted his word
Wallabies Captain, James Horwill, was similarly scathing, saying as the team prepared to head to South Africa that it was “...disappointing that [O’Connor] had an error in judgment, gone away and done things that are probably not acceptable from a Wallabies stand-point. We expect more from our team members.” “We’ve got a great bunch of guys here that continually [uphold the required standards], unfortunately there has been a number of individual incidents that have let that down a little bit,” Horwill said. The obvious fingers of blame being pointed at the moment go to O’Connor’s previous teams and coaches who haven’t made him accountable for his actions. Heading that list is McKenzie’s predecessor, Robbie Deans, who seemed to allow O’Connor’s talent and value to the team outweigh his errant behaviour. And if the viewing public hates anything more than an underperforming team, it’s precocious talent going to waste. The Wallabies have done the right thing standing O’Connor down immediately and indefinitely. He won’t play again in The Rugby Championship, and it’s yet to be determined when or if he’ll play for his country again in the immediate future. That will be determined by the outcomes of the investigation, and rightly so. And in that regard, the only thing O’Connor can control now is the same thing he’s needed to reign in now for too long: himself. How, or even if he bounces back from all this is now entirely up to him.
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from outside of the club or be engaging in full time study. They are required to log a minimum of 24 hours per week, and players that fail to do so risk losing their spot in the team or their contract all together. “Unfortunately a lot of our kids come out of school, and they’re a ‘footballer’, and so they let their studies slide a little,” said Roberts. “Sometimes what we need to do is redevelop those skills.” The Raiders claim to be one of the strictest clubs in the NRL when it comes to enforcing external NYC player commitments, and they have let go players in the past who have failed to meet their requirements. There is an endless list of options that NYC players have that they could do. Some study at the Canberra Institute of Technology in either certificate of diploma programs, while some are enrolled in degree courses at the University of Canberra.
PLAYer Welfare in good hands
There is no doubting how tough a year it has been for the Canberra Raiders on and off the field for the playing group and those associated with them, however the club could not be stronger in terms of its internal player welfare. By Joshua Matic @MaticJm With the sacking of former coach David Furner topping a long list of off-field distractions for the NRL squad, they have also had to put up with wayward centre Blake Ferguson, the uncertainty surrounding young star Anthony Milford, revelations of peptide use and trafficking by winger Sandor Earl, and the sacking of former fullback Josh Dugan at the start of the season. But behind the scenes helping to put all of these types of scenarios to bed and turning wrong into right again are little known Raiders welfare and careers managers Dean Soulter and Adam Roberts. The major responsibility the lies with these two men represents the main goal of the entire club with all of its players, and that’s instilling a sensible culture. And it all starts from the National Youth Competition. PLAY spoke with Roberts about Milford’s issues, and Roberts said it was a difficult scenario given his quick move from NYC to the NRL. “At the moment we’re letting him get his balance right before we add any more ingredients,” said Roberts, careers manager at the club. Last year Milford completed a traineeship within the Raiders club, but has taken a break from study since to focus on football. Roberts said after this season it will be highly important for the club to try and rid his homesickness by getting him back into extra curricula activity after this season. “That’s part of it, making sure that we’re taking care of the bigger picture, and not just football,” he said. 6
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“What we’ve found is the average NRL life is only about 40 games, so preparing for life after football is a big thing.” Souter, club player welfare manager, said it is crucial for the club to understand all of Milford’s issues. “It’s about talking to Anthony about what the real issues are, and finding a suitable solution,” he said. “Not necessarily us trying to keep the kid where he doesn’t want to be, but the possibilities of re-locating family to here.” Souter spoke with PLAY about Blake Ferguson’s welfare as well. He said that he worked with the NRL welfare group in an attempt to help Ferguson.
Others have chosen to part time work, while apprenticeships are also common. While these players are only obliged to engage in such extra activity whilst they are in the under 20’s squad, once they move up to the NRL, they are strongly encouraged to continue with their work. “The thing is it’s a changing culture,” said Roberts. “What we’ve found is the average NRL life is only about 40 games, so preparing for life after football is a big thing.” The heavy time commitments of being an NRL player, a full time position, makes it impractical for the club to force the same standards they do on their NYC players on their NRL players, but they ensure all players understand what culture the club wants, and consequently twelve NRL players are currently enrolled in certificate, diploma and degree programs. Players choose these courses from a select list which enables them to study at Raiders HQ, and Roberts tests players and directs them as to which program would suit best. The club also sends players out into the community to engage in other work experience. The club has an online degree program with the University of Southern Queensland, and next year players will be able to start degrees in business and physical studies.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach at the Canberra Raiders, and for each off-field indiscretion they assess what the player did wrong and how they need to rectify that.
Roberts said the programs in place have saved players from getting into trouble in their off-field lives.
“The biggest thing with Blake was to get him playing football and get him happy,” he said.
“If your whole life revolves around one sphere [football], and things go wrong, everything goes wrong.”
“It was probably more about him aligning his on and off-field stuff.”
“What we find is with having another activity [for players] it gives a bit more balance to them.”
As soon as a player signs with the Raiders NYC squad (national under 20’s competition) they must be employed
Roberts expects a majority of the NRL squad to engage in extra curricula activity in 2014.
“You need to be busy, you need to be active. Idyll hands cause problems,” he said.
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FREE AGENCY SET TO HIT FEVER PITCH
Will some of the AFL’s biggest stars be wearing different colours in 2014? The 2013 free agency period looms as a potential gold mine for clubs looking to reinvigorate their list, or top-up for an assault on a flag with several big names out of contract. Here is where the biggest names of the off-season will end up at the completion of the period. LANCE FRANKLIN The Hawthorn superstar full forward is out of contract at the end of this season, and he may consider his work at Hawthorn complete after playing a pivotal role in the club’s 11th premiership. Franklin is weighing up a potential two million dollar a year offer from GWS that would see him become the highest paid player in the history of the game. Most industry experts are predicting he will take the offer, with Hawks legend Dermott Bererton saying “not a sole brown and gold person would begrudge him taking the wage.”
STATE OF THE PLAY AFL with Todd Davey @ToddJDavey
COLIN SYLVIA The enigmatic Melbourne midfielder has been a story of inconsistency over his 157 game career at the Demons. Sylvia may believe that a change of scenery, as well as the appeal of premiership contention might be catalyst for a move away from the Dees. Potential clubs will be buoyed by Sylvia’s ball use, speed and ability to hit the scoreboard. The challenge will be unlocking the unfulfilled potential that Sylvia no doubt possesses, but fails to utilise. Essendon have emerged as a candidate, with the Bombers’ bereft of early round draft picks they may look to the free agency pool to top-up their list in order to contend for a premiership. Re-signing at Melbourne still remains a strong possibility for Sylvia however, with the appointment of former Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos giving the Demons hope that success may not be far away.
Buddy looks all but gone.
It will be a tough decision for Sylvia – playing under one of the greatest coaches of the modern era may be enough to convince Colin to stay.
DESTINATION – GWS
DESTINATION – Melbourne
RICKY PONTING
EDDIE BETTS
Collingwood’s Dale Thomas has been a major source of conjecture throughout the 2013 season, with his inability to get onto the field with an ankle ailment compounded by the intense scrutiny over his reluctance to make a decision on his footballing future until the completion of the season.
Carlton have maintained throughout the season that the 173cm dynamo is required player, with their general manager of football Andrew McKay saying the Blues want to keep Betts; providing it is “at the right price”.
Thomas has been purportedly been offered upwards of 2.4 million dollars over four years to make the switch to bitter rivals Carlton, a move which many industry insiders believe to be fait accompli.
However, the Blues will have a difficult time keeping his price down, with two possible suitors in North Melbourne and Adelaide prepared to offer a substantial amount more than what Carlton are prepared to offer.
Image: GETTY
DALE THOMAS
Touted as being one of the best forward pockets in the AFL, Carlton’s Eddie Betts has an impressive list of accomplishments at the Blues, including winning the 2010 and 2012 club goal kicking – a feat not usually associated with diminutive forwards.
Furthermore, a strong relationship with former mentor now Carlton coach Mick Malthouse may be the decisive factor in luring Thomas over to the Navy Blues, with an alleged discordance between the flashy Magpie and his incumbent coach Nathan Buckley. Expect Daisy to be wearing Blue next season.
A move to the Crows looms likely as the money, plus the allure of returning to his home state may prove too much.
DESTINATION – Carlton
DESTINATION – Adelaide
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FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER 12PM FOR 12:30PM SIT DOWN THE WODEN TRADIES • Receive a signed copy of Ricky’s new autobiography AT THE CLOSE OF PLAY (valued at $50) • 3 course sit down meal • Q&A session with Ricky. • $100 per person. •Book a table of 10 for $900 Go to www.ncgcc.org.au to reserve your place, email communication@ncgcc.org.au or call 0497 113 470 Issue #28 October 2013
Gleeson heads to Big Apple for ride of a lifetime When mother of four Georgia Gleeson arrived at a suburban Queanbeyan oval six months ago to try out for the Indigenous Marathon Project, she had no idea that the opportunity would lead to her lining up alongside 45,000 other runners at the start of the world famous New York Marathon.
in training runs and races, as well as completing a Certificate IV in Health and Leisure, but have also made many sacrifices. For the mother of four young children, that has included missing many birthdays, school concerts, swimming lessons and precious family time away from home.
Gleeson, 29, is one of 12 members of Rob de Castella’s Indigenous Marathon Project, who has spent the past six months preparing her body for the gruelling 42.195km marathon under the watchful eye of the former world champion marathon runner.
“it has taught me that anything is possible and that I can do anything I choose to”
As the first representative from Queanbeyan in the Project’s four year history, Gleeson said the experience had already changed her life. “Being involved with IMP changes your life in so many ways, but the most important change it has given me is that it has taught me that anything is possible and that I can do anything I choose to,” she said. “I think that the discipline, commitment, hard work, mental strength and self-belief it takes to train for a marathon is a recipe for achieving anything you want in life.” As a member of the IMP squad, Georgia and her team mates have not only covered thousands of kilometres
“Being selected for New York is really significant for me, and it represents a number of different things. It represents a reward for all the physical and mental hard work that goes into training for a marathon and the time away from home,” she said. “It is also an acknowledgement of my personal struggle of where I have come from and where I am now but most importantly it represents that I am capable of doing so much more than I ever thought I was.” Georgia will join her team mates in Sydney in late October for a final preparation camp before flying out to New York for the marathon on November 3.
To follow Georgia’s progress in New York, visit www.imp.org.au. You can also show your support through the IMP fundraising program at http://footprints.gofundraise.com.au.
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grew up in with a coruscating performance in the Grand Final win over Bulleen. An introduction to the Australian Opals squad soon after saw her head overseas to further hone her craft in France and Hungary. Fittingly she’s now back home to lead her beloved Capitals that she describes as being like “a family”. Fellow returnee Abby Bishop is, at the ripe old age of 24 years, a veteran of three titles with the Capitals and a London Olympian. Canberra has been her spiritual home since graduating from the AIS back in 2006 and she brings to the team not only her astonishingly mature leadership, but also a unique skill array honed during a recent stint playing in France. Just five players remain from last year’s edition of the Capitals, representing both the enduring culture of the club and the most promising young local junior talent. Between Carly Wilson, Jess Bibby and Nicole Hunt there are almost 750 WNBL games played and eight championships, with the irrepressible Bibby confiding recently that her personal pursuit of 75 more games to reach the magical 400 mark may even be a realistic target.
Capitals set for new season renaissance
It’s a distinctive time of year in the nation’s capital as Floriade slips into full swing and spring unveils such a gorgeous side of the city. As part of that same rhythm the Canberra Capitals, Australia and arguably the world’s best-known female sporting brand, are about to launch their twenty-ninth season in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL). By Brendan Parnell
@brendanparnell
The Capitals entered the league in 1986, having won the Australian Women’s Basketball Conference the previous year. Their first fourteen years were quite an initiation to the big-time, making the playoffs just once in 1992. However, the arrival of current Head Coach Carrie Graf in 1999 changed all that, as a debut championship-winning season set in motion a sequence that would see an astounding seven WNBL title banners hung from the AIS Arena rafters over a period of eleven years. Such sustained excellence on and off the court has its roots in an organisational culture that permeates everything the team is involved in, as Graf noted in preparation for her seventeenth year as a Head Coach in the league. “Really everything we’ve done has been down to the quality of the people we’ve attracted and helped to develop,“ Graf said. “As they go, we go, and the values they project to the association, our supporters, the city and our amazing sponsors, hopefully make us something everyone is proud to feel a part of.” The team has enjoyed a slew of awards apart from championships since its inception so many years ago, 10
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including being awarded the Keys to the City multiple times. Fittingly some of Australia’s greatest players and Olympians have made Canberra home to play for the Capitals including Tully Bevilaqua, Jenny Cheesman, Sue Geh, Lucille Bailie (nee Hamilton), Fiona Robinson, Shelley Sandie, Jenny Whittle, Eleanor Sharp and current Opals superstar Lauren Jackson. So what‘s in store for the upcoming season in which The Tradies will once again lend their immense community support as the naming rights sponsor of the team? Well without doubt the return home of two young women who between them have been part of no fewer than ten WNBL titles in Canberra is the biggest news.
Wilson has become almost synonymous with Canberra despite this being just her fifth year with the team and brings to the group a coach’s understanding and savvy in an on court role, whilst hopes are high that Hunt can put an injury riddled period behind her and return to the form that saw her included pre-Olympic Opals’ squads. Returning alongside that experience are youngsters Alex Bunton and Alice Coddington, who grew up playing for local clubs in Canberra before graduating from the AIS and Utah State University respectively. Bunton debuted with the Capitals last year and after a breakout year with the Capitals Academy in the WNBL off-season, showed at the WNBL’s warm-up event that despite her youth she will be a handful in the frontcourt. Coddington spent a part of her break over in the United States undergoing some intensive shooting technique training and is already exhibiting the type of confidence that comes with an improved scoring capacity. The rest of the roster is brimming with youthful potential, including two other young local products returning after completing student-athlete scholarships at American universities. Sarah McAppion graduated from Alabama’s Troy University after a stint at the AIS and has the capacity to become a unique defensive specialist at the WNBL level.
After commencing her involvement with the team as a sixteen year old training piece, Nat as she is more commonly known, graduated to bench observer, watching the 1999/00 Championship win unfold as a developing but rarely playing part of the team.
Diminutive point guard Tara Hay has trodden a less well-known pathway to the Capitals, attending High School in America after starting her junior playing career in Canberra with the now defunct Brindabella club. Her persistence and thirst for more severe challenges led to a Scholarship at Reinhardt University in Georgia and she now has the opportunity to learn from Nat Hurst the same lessons Nat herself absorbed so many years ago as a rookie point guard.
Ten years later she celebrated her seventh Championship for Canberra, the city she was born and
Outrageously talented teenager Carley Mijovic also joins the Capitals after stints in the league with the AIS and
In many ways the elder of the two, Natalie Hurst, is the story of the Capitals.
Issue #28 October 2013
Isabelle Strunc played with Bishop in France and is a graduate of the French National Junior team production line. Though her experience at the first division level has been limited to date, she possesses a delightful all court awareness that will add greatly to the mix. The new look team had its first hit-out at the recent Spring Shield event in Melbourne and even though Nat Hurst was sidelined, found a way to topple incumbent champions Bendigo and hang tough with talent-laden rosters from Melbourne and Dandenong. The event demonstrated that the WNBL should have amazing strength and parity in 2013/14 with a record number of players with experience in America’s Women’s National Basketball Association finding their way over to bolster predominantly local rosters. Significantly though, it was the recent near extinction of the Logan WNBL club in Queensland that demonstrated indisputably that any National league team without community support really has no reason for existence. Throughout its long and amazingly successful history the Capitals have been fortunate to enjoy amazing support in representing, nationally and internationally, just a slice of what this great city is and can be. Dandenong and brings a guard’s skill set inside a lithe 196 cm frame that is sure to excite local fans. The recent rise of the French Women’s program, which culminated in their London Olympic Silver Medal was
something Carrie Graf saw at first hand in her stint as Opals’ Head Coach. Therefore it’s no surprise that the always-innovative Capitals have enticed the league’s first French import into their fold for this season.
I want a place that has the biggest schnitty in town.
So whether you can make it to a home game this season or you’re able to catch one of their live television games on the ABC, it’s time to be part of your Capitals’ quest for another memorable season.
I know a place.
What a difference...
Dickson 2 Badham St Woden Launceston St/Furzer St thetradies.com.au For the information of members and their invited guests.
Issue #28 October 2013
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ZOO 48097
Our legendary schnitzels aren’t for the fainthearted. They’re massive and come with a huge range of toppings. So what are you waiting for? Get down to The Tradies and see if you can get through it. Or, are you chicken?
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With a number of returning faces and some new players to get to know, the Capital wants to welcome these boys back the same way we sent them off, with a full house. Opening day last s eason saw just over 1800 people come through the gates, but opening day this season is extra special. The organisation is hoping for a crowd of 2013 fans. “As the Centenary Champions we are excited for what opening day can bring,” Cavalry General Manager Thom Carter said. “This is our Centenary match day, we are wearing special championship jerseys, we are being presented the key to the city, and we will be celebrating bringing the first baseball championship to the ACT throughout the night. We hope that those that supported our boys last year will come and help start the season off right as well as show our new players that this is the best place in the country to play baseball.” According to Carter, 2013 fans is the number to strive for because it represents the great year we have been celebrating throughout the Territory and the year that the Claxton Shield came to Canberra. “This would be a crowd like the Grand Finals and those were electric nights,” Carter said.
Image: Ben Southall. SMP.
The Champions Are Back – Let’s Fill the Fort!
The cold winter without baseball is ending and the Canberra Cavalry, driven by Rolfe Renault, begin their title defence on Thursday 31 October at The Fort at Narrabundah Ballpark. It is hard to forget the atmosphere of the over 2,000 people crammed into the stadium when the final out was made, the players swamped each other, and the crowd sang Queen’s We Are The Champions together.
Cavalry Announce Little Sluggers Club with Canberra Hospital Representatives of the Canberra Cavalry driven by Rolfe Renault, the Canberra Hospital Foundation, Philip Kouvelis Real Estate, and Lisa Kelly Photography came together at the Canberra Hospital Maternity Ward to launch the Little Sluggers Club. The Little Sluggers Club congratulates new parents with a care package. The package includes a fiveyear child’s membership to the Little Sluggers Club, sponsored by the Canberra Cavalry, as well as two tickets to a game of the parent’s choosing. Philip Kouvelis Real Estate provides a free baby-chino with any purchase of an adult beverage at Paparazzi Café. Lisa Kelly Photography is including a $50 gift card toward a photo order. During the launch, Thom Carter, General Manager 12
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of the Canberra Cavalry, spoke of working together as a community to improve the city’s quality of life. “In baseball we work to bring a runner home… the staff of the Canberra Hospital’s Maternity Ward have the same goal, to help every newborn child and their parents get home safely.” The new partnership accompanied the continued construction of the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, slated to open its second stage in October of 2013. Carter was also hoping to continue building support for baseball within Canberra. The reigning Australian Baseball League Champions are set to begin their new season on 31 October. Baseball is a sport for all ages to enjoy, Carter emphasized. The Little Sluggers Club hopes to grow
Baseball games are more than just about the play on the field, but about the entertainment that happens throughout the game. From frozen t-shirt contests to dizzy horse races, the Cavalry strive to ensure that everyone that walk through the gates has a great experience. So calling all Canberrans, the 2013-14 Cavalry season is about to start and you can get your tickets to opening day and any game by going to www.CanberraCavalry.com.au or calling (02) 6295 8379. Don’t miss out on Championship Baseball and Championship Entertainment this summer! support by making fans of Canberra’s newest citizens and their parents. But Carter recognized that it was not a goal the Cavalry could reach on their own, it required the support of community. “Together we can make Canberra the best place to live in this great country,” Carter said. It was a challenge those present took seriously. Many stopped to have a picture taken with the Claxton Shield, as inspiration to continue to bring a championship level of quality into their work every day and to help Carter, along with all the citizens of Canberra realize the dream of a better community. The Canberra Cavalry is excited about the partnership and hopes to see more and more of the city’s youth interested in baseball. Anyone interested in learning more about the Little Sluggers Club can contact the Cavalry’s Assistant General Manager, Anthony Cangelosi at (02)6295 8379. Issue #28 October 2013
AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
2012/2013
OUR RETURNING CHAMPIONS ARE BACK • MORE GAMES • MORE ENTERTAINMENT • MORE WORLD CLASS BASEBALL RIGHT HERE IN OUR NATIONS CAPITAL MEMBERSHIPS NOW ON SALE
FOR TICKETS CALL 6295 8379 OR VISIT CANBERRACAVALRY.COM.AU
Issue #28 October 2013
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13
100 SPORTING EVENTS, 100 DAYS, 1 CENTENARY YEAR
SPORTENARY
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
Beginner Salsa Class @ the Latin Dance Festival
Organisation
Canberra Latin Dance Festival
Date
Friday 18 October 2013
Time
7.15pm to 8.00pm
Location
ANU Sports Centre
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
SPIN Hub Capital: Woden
Event Name
Try BMX for FREE @ Canberra BMX Club
Event Name
Organisation
ACT BMX
Organisation
Centenary of Canberra
Date
Friday 11 October 2013 & Sunday 13 October 2013
Date
Sunday 20 October 2013
Time
Friday: 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Sunday: 10.00am to 3.00pm
Time
10.00am to 4.00pm
Location
Friday: Copland Dr, Melba. Sunday: Tuggeranong
Location
Various, see www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Black Mountain Walk
Event Name
Fencing Come & Try
Organisation
Canberra Bushwalking Club
Organisation
Fencing ACT
Date
Saturday 12 October 2013
Date
Saturday 26 October 2013
Time
9.00am to 12.00pm
Time
7.00pm to 9.00pm
Location
Meet at the bus shelter Botanic Gardens car park
Location
St Mary Mackillop College Wanniassa Campus
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Kick Up Your Heels: Canberra Founders' Ball
Event Name
Run Y'Ass Off Running Festival
Organisation
Monaro Folk Society
Organisation
Elite Energy Pty Ltd
Date
Saturday 7 September 2013
Date
Saturday 21 September 2013
Time
8.00pm to 11.00pm
Time
6.30am to 2.00pm
Location
Albert Hall
Location
Riverbank Park Yass
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Fencing Demonstration
Event Name
Fitz's Challenge
Organisation
Fencing ACT
Organisation
Pedal Power
Date
Saturday 12 October 2013
Date
Sunday 27 October 2013
Time
10.00am – 12.00pm
Time
5:30am to 7:30pm
Location
Tuggeranong Hyperdome
Location
Stromlo Forest Park
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Tackling asthma with the University of Canberra Brumbies For the second season running the Asthma Foundation ACT partnered with the University of Canberra Brumbies and Radford College as part of the Brumbies community support program during 2013. The Foundation is proud to be the official ‘war paint’ face painters at the home games throughout the season which not only provides the opportunity to raise funds for asthma programs in the ACT, but importantly provides a chance to talk to thousands of Canberrans about their asthma. Our presence at the home games would not be possible without the generous support of Radford College and their Year 10 community support program.
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To acknowledge the Radford volunteers Pat McCabe joined Asthma Foundation ACT CEO, Nathalie Maconachie (pictured left) to present the students with a certificate of appreciation and to take part in a question and answer session at the Year 10 assembly. A special acknowledgment went to Kathleen Notley (pictured right), the Pastoral Care Coordinator, who organised the volunteers and attended all the matches as a volunteer herself ‘without the support of such a giving school community, the Asthma Foundation ACT just would not be able to take advantage of this special partnership with the Brumbies’ said Nathalie Maconachie, ‘we have raised thousands of dollars and
are incredibly grateful to both Brumbies Rugby and Radford College for helping us to raise vital funds to support people in the ACT with asthma.’ Issue Issue#28 #28 October october 2013
: h: nt Mo e lub th c of dog ub n Cl nio ry pa na om te C en ::C ACT
The ACT Companion Dog Club - 50 years of fun The ACT Companion Dog Club has been established over 50 years as a community social group. Their current membership is 600 families, and even more dogs!
for humans and dogs. The group also posed for a giant 100 dog club photo and the agility dogs jumped through “100” hoops for the centenary were at the heart of our party.
Located in Narrabundah since 1983 on government land provided for sport and recreation, the aim of the club is to encourage responsible dog handling and other related activities that enhance the relationship between dogs and handlers, families and the wider community.
With over 60 volunteer instructors providing more than 40 training classes a week in obedience and handling, the club has a very active membership in dog sports such as agility, fly-ball, dancing with dogs, trialing, tracking and Rally-O.
The club celebrated Canberra’s Centenary with a fun filled doggy party! Lots of yellow, special cakes
The club is very proud of their community inclusion programs. These programs include weekly Pets as Therapy visits to nursing homes and special needs
‘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 in a fun and creative way. There will be one winner each month (February to November), with the winners having the opportunity to win the Centenary Club of the Year.
SIMPLE STEPS TO BE IN THE RUNNING:
1. Think up a creative way to celebrate the Centenary - Canberra’s birthday with your team, club or sporting organisation. Such as; • Theme a match day with everything yellow! Yellow accessories - socks, shoe laces, hats, sweat bands, ribbons, sleeves, make yellow banners, yellow snacks and create centenary chants • Maybe incorporate a club fundraiser with a percentage going to the Centenary’s official fundraising partner - Dollars for Dili (dollarsfordili.com.au) • Centenary themed bake-off for supporters attending junior sport (or young at heart sport participants) • 2013 Tally – 100 points, wickets, goals, club wins, or games. Make it a target across the year, tracking it along the way Issue #28 October october 2013
schools and regular attendances at community celebrations. Some members have been involved for over 30 years and are still very active participants. The youngest handlers are 11 years old and the membership has a focus on families. Members of the club firmly believe that dog ownership leads to a healthy lifestyle, community cohesion, social wellbeing and also aids mental health. The club’s activities encourage members to get outside, have fun and be active with their dogs by engaging in club activities and through daily exercise and training. The club operates all year round, with classes and sports sessions delivered outdoors. If you would like to enjoy the healthy outcomes and benefits of actively engaging in exercise while having fun with your dog, go to www.actcdc.org.au
2. Then - ‘Like’ our event page facebook.com/CentenaryofCanberra and visit our event ‘Centenary Club of the Month’ 3. At your celebration take lots of photos! The more photos the better and be creative. 4. Simply get a club member, coach or volunteer to click ‘going’ on the event page and upload your five best photos and videos to the event page facebook.com/CentenaryofCanberra and 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
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. The nine ‘Centenary Club of the Month’ winners (Feb-Sept) will then go into the final to take home the ‘Centenary Club of the Year’ where there is over $2000 in Sportsman’s Warehouse vouchers up for grabs.’ playcanberra.com.au
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Glutes; It’s not just about having a good bum!
There is something that we all have in common, from regular folks to elite athletes, we all have bad bums! By Alan Romero, Advanced Performance Coaching. Regardless if I am training a national-level athlete, or a chair-dwelling office worker, there is one area that ALWAYS needs work, this area is a group of muscles known as the posterior chain, and the most underdeveloped of these muscles are the gluteus muscles, or ‘Glutes’ “Why should we care about glutes?” I hear you say. I’m glad you asked. Not only is good glute development vital for avoiding PBS (Pancake Bum syndrome), but having well-developed gluteal muscles will also: • Reduce/relieve chronic back pain in many people • Reduce/relieve knee and ankle pain in many people • Provide support to your hips and legs when moving around • Boost your lower body strength • Reduce shock on your knees/ankles/hips/lower back when jogging/running • Increase speed/power/agility in all sports Or perhaps all you care about is looking better in your undies; if that is the case, let me tell you that there is no other way to fill out a pair of bonds than by owning a good set of glutes. Enough of the sales pitch, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
The Glutes are composed of 3 primary sections 1. The Gluteus Maximus (Glute Max): The big part. This is the engine room of all the muscles that extend the hip, it has (in theory) a very large cross-sectional area, and is capable of producing (again, in theory) a very large amount of force. I say ‘in theory’ because although the Glute Max should be very large and powerful, the sad reality is that the overwhelming majority of people that I see have a hard time switching their glutes on, let alone using them for any feats of strength or power. 2. The Gluteus Medius (Glute Med): This part of the glute complex is somewhat smaller, but very important. It is primarily responsible for stabilising the hip during movement, namely to keep the pelvis level during walking. 3. The Gluteus Minimus (Glute Min): The smallest section, the Glute Min works in concert with the Glute Med to assist in stabilising the hip So now we know what’s what and why it’s important, how do we go about growing a bum? The first issue we have to address is the fact that many people have a hard time getting their glutes to work, and there are a few reasons why. 1. Gluteal de-activation: This is the biggest roadblock to achieving well developed glutes, and we all face it on a
daily basis. Every time you sit down, you are contributing to deactivation; every hour of inactivity needs to be counteracted with an hour of activity to break even. Luckily the better you get at switching them on, and the more strength you build, the less time you need to invest to reach the break-even point. 2. Lack of use in everyday life: Although this may seem similar to reason #1, it has more to do with day to day activation. Our everyday lives pose physical challenges to our muscles whether we are aware of it or not. Getting in and out of the car, opening doors, climbing stairs, carrying shopping/children, mowing the lawn. All these tasks call upon different groups of muscles to activate so we can seamlessly go about our daily business. The issue with the glutes is that their function is to extend the hip; this is a vital part of the following actions: • Sprinting •Jumping • Hopping • Bounding • Climbing • Squatting • Deadlifting. And if we think about how many times per day we perform these actions, we see the issue. Outside of a sporting environment, the glutes receive very little stimulus on a day to day basis, and if we couple that with the amount of gluteal de-activation we are facing, it’s a recipe for a very sleepy group of muscles.
So what should we do? Beginning to incorporate basic hip extension exercises into our exercise routines will go a long way towards achieving a more active gluteal complex. The key here is frequency, the more often you can get your bum firing, the easier it will get and the faster you will progress. Performing even simple bodyweight movements such as a Lying hip extension, Glute Bridge, and Single leg balance reach, will be a great step toward having a more active, and better looking, set of glutes. These exercises are very basic, very low risk and very effective for activation.
Wrapping Up The importance of having a good amount of muscle tone in your glutes cannot be overstated; for good joint health, reduction in lower back/knee/ankle/hip pain, increased sporting performance, or just looking good with no pants on, do yourself a favour and include some direct glute work in your exercise routine. Until next time… 16
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Issue #28 October 2013
Queen of the dirt Canberra’s ‘Queen of the Dirt’ Caroline Buchanan captured her second cycling world championship title in less than two months with an emphatic victory at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang, Austria in late September. Caroline set her sights on a unique cycling world championships ‘triple crown’ in 2013, with the 23-yearold kick-starting her campaign in perfect fashion by winning the BMX world title in New Zealand in August. Less than four weeks later, Buchanan was in South Africa contesting the Downhill event at the MTB & Trials World Championship where she finished a credible fifth in the final, mere seconds off the podium. In Leogang this weekend, Buchanan proved her season’s goals weren’t just a pipe dream, with a dominating performance throughout all the rounds over the weekend guiding her to a third 4X world crown. “This is my fifth career world championship title and it was one of the hardest to win,” said Buchanan who added a third career 4X world title to her glittering resume after claiming the crowns in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Buchanan also claimed the 2012 BMX time trial world title. “This year has been a huge challenge. I set myself big goals three world championships in two months,” she
said. “BMX world champion, Downhill fifth in the world and now 4X world champion for the third time. “It’s not easy but the hard work is worth it. Time to breath and take stock. “I’m so grateful for my support network,” Buchanan added. In her run through to the final in Leogang, Buchanan, duplicated her 2010 victory tactics by shooting out of the starting gate and dominating from the outset jumping the pro lines to win both by a large margin. In the final, a relaxed Buchanan once again bolted from the gates to establish an early gap, and with her creativity and speed, she powered her way to an easy win. Tony Scott, EO of Mountain Bike Australia marveled at Buchanan’s performance. “It is hard enough to be a single world champion in one year; the pressure is just so intense,” said Scott. “So the win in Leogang to now possess both the BMX and 4X world champion rainbow jersey is one of legend. “Congratulations Caroline; Australia’s only dual world champion in two different cycling disciplines.” MTBA President Russell Baker echoed Scott’s words. “MTBA would like to extend their congratulations to
Image: H Creations.
Caroline on her excellent achievements,” Baker said. “Not only winning 4X in 2009 and 2010, but to complete three world championships and a top five performance in downhill in South Africa, its an outstanding accomplishment.” Jackson has been competing in local and national mountain bikes races since his introduction to the sport by a friend in 2007. Just like Buchanan Jackson’s background was initially BMX. He went on to win a World plate in China BMX Worlds 2008 before making the decision to retire from BMX at the age of 13 to focus on mountain biking.
The combined results placed him as the highest ranked amateur for the event and he was crowned Prince of Crankworx! The first time for an Aussie! Jackson recently had the opportunity to compete in the infamous mountain bike event, Crankworx in Whistler Canada BC. Riders from across the planet gravitate to Whistler annually for the event that attracts over 25,000 spectators and major sponsors such as FOX and Red Bull.
Local star on the rise Jackson Frew isn’t like most 15 year old boys. He is on a mission to follow in the foot steps of Caroline Buchanan and one day wear the world champion rainbow jersey in Mountain biking. Some would say he’s obsessed. Issue #28 October 2013
The 15 year old Marist College Canberra student spends more time on his bike than off it and his mum jokes they almost have to force him to take some time out and play the Xbox. But his hard work and dedication is paying off.
Jackson competed over 10 days, in the 13-15 boys in 4 events, Garbanzo placing 4th, Aline making the podium in 3rd and then winning both Dual Slalom and the Famous Canadian Open. The combined results placed him as the highest ranked amateur for the event and he was crowned Prince of Crankworx! The first time for an Aussie! The hard working Jackson is a privateer and is proudly supported by Canberra bikes shop Onyabike. playcanberra.com.au
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Meninga medal Canberra Raiders awards dinner AIS Arena Image: Ben Coughlan
Tina Majstorovic & George Majstorovic
Ellie MacRae, Clare Sheehan, Mischa Calnan & Gabrielle Ide
James Pearce, Anthony Fisher, Allan Brassil & Steve Roy
Jess Hintz, Wendy Bennette, Melanie Brown & Laura Smith
Morgan Evans, Richard Job, Brian Talbot & Stuart Wiggins
Menslink business breakfast the press club Image: Ben Coughlan
Graham Hannaford, Leorie McKenna, Ann Nelson, Fergus Nelson & Sandra Marie
Rudi Lammers, Glen Thomas, David Pryce, Garry Noble & Joanne Cameron
Tevita Pangai, Andrew Heffernan & Patrick Mago
Tim Van Dalen, Beth Peters, Trevar Chilver& Andrew Blyth
PH: 6295 3966 17 FRANKLIN ST MANUKA LEGENDSSPANISHRESTAURANT.COM.AU
Legends
S P A N I S H 18
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Martin Fisk & David Shillington
R E S T A U R A N T Issue #28 October 2013
Canberra Capitals season launch Regatta Point Image: Ben Coughlan
Tracey Beatty & Brian Franklin
Carly Wilson, Isabelle Strunc & Jess Bibby
David Palywoda, Monique Carson, Tony Muckle, Michael Ghobrial & Rob Faulkner
Rosemary Warner, Anton Pemmer & Carrie Graf
Tara Hay, Alex Bunton, Carley Mijovic & Sarah McAppion
GWS Grand Final Lunch national arboretum Image: Ben Coughlan
Steve Carter, Kate Lundy, Charles Lundy & Taryn Langdon
Scott Dooley, Robert DiPierdomenico & David Matthews
Peter Mitchell, Simon Huszar & Matthew Whittaker
David Cox & Tom Hill
PH: 6295 3966 17 FRANKLIN ST MANUKA LEGENDSSPANISHRESTAURANT.COM.AU
Neale Guthrie & Ayesha Razzaq
Legends
S P A N I S H Issue #28 October 2013
R E S T A U R A N T playcanberra.com.au
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Graffy’s Game Day Video Hoopla See coach Graf’s game day analysis and interactive video. New posts every Wednesday before Capitals home games. ActewAGL, supporting local basketball.
Watch the video at facebook.com/actewagl
ActewAGL to treat Caps fans to rare video preview ActewAGL is a long time supporter of women’s sport in the nation’s capital. Over the years the team at ActewAGL has supported the Canberra Capitals through the highs and lows. And so now we get ready for what the 2013/14 season has to offer. Returning stars Abby Bishop and Natalie Hurst will add skill and experience to the squad. Fan favourites like Jessica Bibby and Carly Wilson will lace up the boots again and big things are expected from French import Isabelle Strunc. Our women will once again be led by inspirational coach Carrie Graf. 24 year old Bishop says she’s excited to return to the nation’s capital and is motivated to turn the Caps into a winning force. “I’ve spent four years here before and I’m really happy to be back. Canberra is home to me. I get to enjoy the summer with Nat Hurst who I’ve won a couple of 20
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championships with when we were at the Caps a few years ago. I’m really looking forward to this season and getting the Caps back to where they used to be.” It’s hoped that stars like Bishop can encourage girls and young women to take up women’s basketball in a belief they too can reach the heights of the champions running around in front of them on the court. This season in a special treat for Caps fans, from the Wednesday leading in to each of the home games, ActewAGL social media will feature, ‘Graffy’s Game Day Video Hoopla’. Posted first on the ActewAGL Facebook page, and then on other ActewAGL social media platforms, Carrie Graf will present a short video giving a virtual court side experience. The video will provide insights into how the team prepares, training tips and techniques and an
overall look at what to expect leading into each home fixture. For each presentation Graffy will be aided by the game day video hoopla Basketball White Board. But it’s much more than a white board. It’s a full sized court, scaled down and set with true courtside markings. It’s from this that Graffy will put you in the huddle. She’ll give you the moves and a taste of the excitement that lay ahead. It’s said to be a must for anyone who considers themselves a Caps fan. Set a note in your phone, on you tablet, or pull out the old fashioned diary and scribe it in. Graffy’s Game Day Video Hoopla. It will be posted each Wednesday leading into home games on the ActewAGL Facebook page. www.facebook.com/ActewAGL So along with the rest of Canberra and fans from around the region, the team at ActewAGL wish the best of success to everyone at the Canberra Capitals. And don’t forget to grab a sneak peek into the Caps preparation by taking a few short minutes to check out Graffy’s Game Day Video Hoolpa. Issue #28 October 2013
ACTEWAGL october EVENTS CALENDAR Week 1: 1-6 october Saturday 5/10
WNBL
CANBERRA CAPITALS V SYDNEY FLAMES AIS Arena 3.00pm
Week 2: 7-13 october CRIC Saturday 12/10
Sunday 13/10
Eastlake V Tuggeranong Valley Kingston Oval 11.00am North Canberra Gungahlin V Western District UCHarrison 11.00am Ginninderra v Queanbeyan District Kippax 11.00am Weston Creek Molonglo V ANU Stirling 11.00am
GRID
Firebirds V Gladiators Greenway Oval 10.00am Wildcats V Tornadoes Greenway Oval 12.45pm Spears V Centurions Greenway Oval 3.30pm
BASE
Bears V Bandits Aranda 3.00pm Vikings V Eagles Kambah 3.00pm Indians V Rebels North Curtin 3.00pm
NET
Australian Diamonds vs NZ Silver Ferns AIS Arena
Week 3: 14-20 october Tuesday 15/10
BASE
Bandits V Vikings Narrabundah 7.00pm
Wednesday 15/10
BASE
ACTAS V Eagles Narrabundah 7.00pm
CRIC
Western District UC v Eastlake Jamison Oval 11.00am Tuggeranong Valley v Nth Canberra Gungahlin Chisholm 11.00am Weston Creek Molonglo v Ginninderra Stirling 11.00am ANU v Queanbeyan District ANU North 11.00am
GRID
Wildcats V Spears Greenway Oval 10.00am Centurions V Gladiators Greenway Oval 12.45pm Tornadoes V Firebirds Greenway Oval 3.30pm
WNBL
CANBERRA CAPITALS V BENDIGO AIS Arena 1.00pm
BASE
Rebels V Bears Majura 3.00pm Eagles V Indians Stirling 3.00pm Vikings V Bandits Viking Park 3.00pm
Saturday 19/10
Sunday 20/10
Week 4: 21-27 october Tuesday 22/10
BASE
Bears V Eagles Narrabundah 7.00pm
Wednesday 23/10
BASE
Indians V ACTAS Narrabundah 7.00pm
BASE: ACT Baseball Competition ABL: Australian Baseball League CRIC: First Grade Cricket
Week 4: 21-27 october continued Friday 25/10 Saturday 26/10
Sunday 27/10
WNBL
CANBERRA CAPITALS V ADELAIDE AIS Arena 7.00pm
GRID
Centurions V Firebirds Greenway Oval 10.00am Tornadoes V Spears Greenway Oval 12.45pm Gladiators V Wildcats Greenway Oval 3.30pm
VB
Canberra Heat vs Queensland Centenary Match
BASE
Bandits V Eagles Kambah 3.00pm Bears V Indians Stirling 3.00pm Rebels V Vikings Viking Park 3.00pm
Week 5: 28-31 october Tuesday 29/10
BASE
Indians V Rebels Narrabundah 7.00pm
Wednesday 30/10
BASE
ACTAS V Vikings Narrabundah 7.00pm
ABL
CANBERRA CAVALRY V MELBOURNE ACES 7.00pm
Thursday 31/10
*All details correct at time of printing
ActewAGL Athlete on the rise
Bryce Anderson - Mountain running. 16 year old Canberra junior mountain runner, Bryce Anderson has recently competed at the World Mountain Running championships in Poland. Bryce won the junior Australia mountain running championships at Stromlo earlier this year and backed up that performance when he placed 43rd in a very strong field at the World Championships in Poland. 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 editor@playcanberra.com.au
NET: Netball GRID: ACT Gridiron VB: Volleyball.
ActewAGL Retail ABN 46 221 314 841.
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Issue #28 October 2013
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twenties. I’m happy with the way things are going, I’ve been working hard with one of my coaches, [former Victorian, South Australian, and Canadian International ‘offie’] John Davison, and he’s been fantastic. “To come around the wicket was simply just to bring [wicketkeeper] Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke into play [at first slip, angling for an edge], and just use a different angle. There wasn’t a lot of assistance for me [at Chester-le-Street and The Oval] ... and I was happy with the way I was able to combat Pietersen’s attack and to try and limit him.” Now home again, Lyon made the off-season move from South Australia to New South Wales, forgoing the batsman’s paradise of the old wicket at the Adelaide Oval (which will be replaced by a drop-in wicket under the new stadium development) for the more favourable spin-friendly surround at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The move wasn’t entirely about pitch conditions though.
Nathan Lyon’s Ashes dream achieved, but still so much to be done “I lived the dream, going on an Ashes Tour to England, and it was everything that I hoped as a kid it would live up to,” Nathan Lyon says, on his first trip back to Canberra after the series was completed. By Brett McKay. @BMcSport. The 3-0 series loss wouldn’t have factored into those dreams of a promising young cricketer growing up in Young, in country New South Wales, though, and it’s fair to say that the lopsided scoreline will play a major motivating role for the Australian cricket team this coming summer. The return Ashes series starts in Brisbane on November 21, moves to Adelaide from December 5, to Perth from December 13, and will conclude with the traditional Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, and the New Year’s Test in Sydney. Lyon admits the return series will complete a “dream come true” of his youth, but that there is a lot to be done to rectify the result during the English summer. “The result [in England] didn’t come our way, but hopefully playing an Ashes series here at home, it’s going to be unbelievable having the home support, and we’re really working toward winning the Ashes back. We think we’ve got England’s measure, and I think we can really put it to them and bring the Urn home,” Lyon said, at a recent Cricket NSW promotion at St.Benedicts Primary School in Narrabundah. While a berth on the Tour to England did indeed tick many a boyhood box, and despite having finished the Test series in India well, Lyon missed the first two Tests, where he was overlooked for promising young left-arm orthodox spinner, Ashton Agar. “It was disappointing, there’s no doubt that,” Lyon says of not playing at Lord’s, the traditional Home of Cricket, and of being omitted for the start of the series. “I wanted to play in every Test. Every chance you get to play for your country, you want to play and you want to play well.” 22
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“But I knew the reason why I wasn’t playing, and it wasn’t anything to do with my form or anything like that, it was purely about having Ashton Agar spinning it away from the right-handers [in the English batting order]. I understood that, but there’s no doubt I wanted that spot back. “To miss the first two Tests of an Ashes series, when it’s something you’ve grown up wanting to do, was disappointing but I was happy to see ‘Ash’ get his chance and he’s a great kid and he’s got a great skill. But I wanted my spot back, you could definitely say.” Overall, Lyon says he was happy with his own performances, but like all professional sportspeople in this day and age, he’s very quick to pull that selfassessment back inwards, especially when the overall performance of the side was a long way off their best. “I was happy with the way they came out at the end there,” Lyon says. “It’s hard when you lose a series to look upon yourself and see what you did well, and what you didn’t do so well, but I was happy in the end with the way the ball was coming out. And there were a good couple of challenges there with Kevin Pietersen.” Indeed, there were numerous challenges with Pietersen, and it led to something of a mid-series overhaul of his action, where in the Fourth and Fifth Tests - which were both drawn, with Australia on top at different stages - Lyon looked to be approaching the wicket more side-on through the crease, and even had some luck bowling around the wicket to the English right-handers, something not often seen from right-arm off-spinners. “As a spinner, I’m still learning my craft and only being 25 years of age, spinners tend to mature later in their
“Yeah, just getting closer to home, and being able to see some family,” Lyon says of what predicated the change of state colours. “The opportunity to work with Brad Haddin a lot more [played a part], too. Brad’s been exceptional; he’s a big figure in my career and he’s someone I look up to as I develop my cricket skills on and off the field. He’s been fantastic for me, and the opportunity arose to come home to NSW and join the squad there, and I’m really looking forward to it. “In saying that, South Australia was fantastic for me. Darren Berry is a great coach and a great person, and I certainly don’t have a bad thing to say about South Australian cricket after what they’ve given me.” It just marks another leg in the whirlwind journey so far of Nathan Lyon, cricketer. The former Western Districts offie went from Adelaide Oval ground staff to First Class cricketer to Test cricketer inside eight months, and before the Ashes series in England had even commenced Lyon had taken more wickets in fewer Tests, and at a better average than Tim May, who was regarded as one of the best off-spinners to wear the Baggy Green in last 40 years. But what of ACT Cricket, should a readmission to the national stage ever eventuate? Could we ever see the day where for the former Manuka Oval curator called Canberra home again? “I’d definitely consider it, there’s no point hiding that,” Lyon says, before very quickly dousing the potential headlines with a quick reminder of what shirt he’s wearing at the time. “I’m with NSW at the moment, but in ten years time there might be an opportunity to come back and put something back into ACT Cricket.” And hopefully that’s the case. With somewhere in the order of ten former ACT cricketers plying their trade in state squads elsewhere this season, the case for the ACT’s entry into the national domestic scene only grows stronger by the year. Issue #28 October 2013
Tuggeranong’s Cree set for bright future By Antony Perry Sometimes in sport there are occasions that announce the arrival of a special talent who sees the spotlighted stage as a glorious opportunity for self-expression rather than an inhibiting platform for embarrassment. In 2013, Tuggeranong Vikings blindside flanker Tim Cree, winner of the MacDougall Medal for the John I Dent Cup’s best and fairest, certainly fit that particular bill. Cree led the Vikings to a third straight premier division title, a feat secured with a 28-21 grand final victory over Canberra Royals last month. The loose forward scored two tries in that clash to cap off a memorable campaign in which he was the club’s vital cog. The 26-year-old played with gusto and a smile all year, scoring 20 tries to propel his side to the heights few teams have – Wests Lions were the last club to achieve the three-peat, winning successive titles from 20002002 – and can hope to reach.
“The main goal now is getting into the Brumbies’ setup…I’ll work as hard as I can to get to that. “It’s hard to say [if I’ll get there], but I’ve been talking with a few people here and there and I’d like to think so. “I’ve trained with [the Brumbies] for the past two years, so I’d like to think I’m ready to step up if they need anyone who plays my position. “But you never know what’s going to happen – that’s the nature of sport.” Cree arrived at the Tuggeranong club in 2011. Prior to that, he had been playing in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition for Brisbane-based club Souths. The move, suggested by Dan McKellar, his coach at Souths and who had accepted the head coaching job at Tuggeranong for the 2011 season, was one Cree thought would strengthen his chances of playing professionally. “I’d say [playing professionally] is a goal most rugby players have because you always want to go as high as you can,” he said.
Now, Cree has his sights set on securing a professional contract with the ACT Brumbies, the club with whom he has trained with during their past two pre-seasons.
“Hearing about the program Vikings had going on down here was always in the back of my mind. It was a case of ‘what if’?”
“I’ve had a great year and I’m very lucky to have had that,” Cree said.
The Villanova College product has so far done his chances of securing a professional contract no harm.
I want somewhere I can unwind after a big game.
He played a leading role in Vikings’ 2011 and 2012 premiership successes and has spent two seasons with the ACT Griffins, a representative side comprised of the John I Dent Cup’s best players. But 2013 was by far his most remarkable year – and not just because of winning a third straight premiership.
In addition to winning the MacDougall Medal, Cree received the award for the premier division’s highest try scorer and grabbed the ACT Griffins player of the year award. “I’m really, really happy to have received those awards,” he said. “But I was caught off guard when I won them…if you heard my speech you’d know I was very surprised to have received them. “I was looking at the trophies and there are some pretty big names on them, so I’m pretty happy and proud of myself. “It’s pretty special to win an award that has previously been won by a guy like George Smith.” If successful in securing a professional contract with the Brumbies – or elsewhere for that matter – his departure would be a huge loss for the Tuggeranong club. But few players yet to reach the big time are more deserving or better equipped than Cree of making that step up.
I know a place.
What a difference...
Dickson 2 Badham St Woden Launceston St/Furzer St thetradies.com.au For the information of members and their invited guests.
Issue #28 October 2013
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ZOO 48097
There’s no better place to hang out and celebrate a win after a sporting event. Or to watch a sporting event. Or while avoiding watching a sporting event. There’s enough room for both! Actually, there’s probably no better place to hang out, regardless of what you have planned.
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“If all goes to plan I’ll qualify for the Commonwealth games, and then after that it all goes back to square one,” said Didier. “The qualification for the Olympics is much more difficult. I have to be in the top 22 in the world.” “It takes a lot of international travel and a lot of international competition.” The huge efforts he has made since starting serious Judo training at Marist College but especially in recent years have come with their costs. He has sacrificed time with family and friends, and even relationships, but believes the rewards have outweighed these, and will continue to. He works Monday to Friday full time at Colonial First Estate Global Asset Management, while working as a security officer on Saturday nights at Mooseheads bar and nightclub. With a hectic schedule of training and competing, Didier is lucky and thankful that both employers support him in his sport and give him time off where it’s needed. His training is broken down into a mix of Judo, striking and strength and conditioning, but Didier has always been of the view that strength is more important in Judo competition. Image: Ben Houston
Duke sets his sights on international success.
Training two to three times every day, working two jobs while balancing life as a high level martial arts competitor. This is what it takes to become Australia’s highest ranked competing Judo martial artist, and that honour belongs to Canberra’s very own Duke Didier. By Joshua Matic @MaticJm For the 24-year old son of former ACT Brumbies and Wallabies rugby union star Geoff Didier, this has all been part of a life ambition to be a successful professional martial artist since the age of 13, and while seeking to transition to mixed martial arts in the long term future, he currently has both eyes set on selection for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. And for Didier, this would provide the best path possible to a dream start in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He recently returned home from Rio where he competed in the Judo world championships as part of a seven man Australian squad where competitors competed individually. He was knocked out in the first round of that event against a highly experienced and recognised Japanese competitor, and is now taking on board areas of development. “My major goal right now is to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, and to qualify for the 24
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Commonwealth Games you have to meet the criteria set by the Australian Judo Federation,” said Didier. “I basically have to be the number one in Australia, and I also have to be within the top 70 in the world. I currently meet that criteria, but when the cut-off is at the end of April next year, I still have to be meeting that criteria.” Didier also competes in all domestic Judo competitions, and in preparation for the world championships he took out the ACT, NSW, Queensland, Victoria, National and Oceania titles. And just when you thought his schedule got busier, he will be competing in Adelaide in early October and even Samoa in November. Despite being ranked at one in Australia at the time of the London Olympic last year, Didier did not qualify due to not having enough international competition points, and this has his hunger up even more to make it to Glasgow next year.
“I made a choice several years ago that any of my short comings, I was going to try and cover them up with strength,” said Didier. “My goal was to always be the strongest Judo fighter in the country. I was never going to be the most naturally gifted with the Judo side.” “I was always going to make sure that when someone got on the Judo mat with me, they were in for a fight.” It has been a hugely successful journey to date, and despite being knocked out in the World Championships, there is little doubt he will go far. He also trains in mixed martial arts and jujitsu. Didier is coached by Tom Hill and Steven Hill and trains with them at the Hill Sports Academy, and has done since he started training in Judo. “They’re the guys that know where I want to be, and they’re all in there to make sure I get there,” said Didier. His support network is completed by the support of friends, family, and sponsors who assist him at every event and in all travels. While he has a love and passion for Judo, the potential to make enough money for a living comes best in MMA, and while this is not an immediate focus, this will ideally be how Didier spends the rest of his martial arts career. “The Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games are both special moments in anyone’s life,” he said. “I definitely don’t want to miss out on those possible opportunities...but there’s a lot more money in professional mixed martial arts as opposed to an amateur sport like Judo.” Issue #28 October 2013
CAPS V SYDNEY AIS ARENA | SAT 5 OCT | 3PM CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU
Tickets from
CAPS CAPSVVSYDNEY SYDNEY AIS AISARENA ARENA| |SAT SAT55OCT OCT| |3PM 3PM
FULL OR partial season memberships & group tickets now available | Call us 6253 3066
FOR and against: 55 years of the Weston Creek Woden DODGERS Basketball Club The oldest basketball club in the ACT, Weston Creek Woden Dodgers Basketball Club, will contribute to the ACT Centenary celebrations by holding its 55 Years For and Against Reunion Dinner on 19 October at the Woden Tradies commencing with pre-dinner drinks at 6.30pm.
The Club was created in 1958 as Deakin Dodgers, became Weston Creek in 1967 under the BACT district identification rules and later amalgamated with Woden Basketball Club to adopt its present identity. It catchment includes Deakin, Yarralumla and the emerging Molonglo Valley.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Sport Andrew Barr will participate.
include a display of the club uniforms and photos.
come to the party!
AIS AISARENA ARENA| |SAT SAT55OCT OCT| |3PM 3PM
Event organiser, Brian Franklin, said ‘This reunion is being promoted by Dodgers as a ‘For and Against Reunion’ to celebrate both the Club’s 55 years and as an opportunity for the basketball community to get together and celebrate the sport.’
When: 19 October 2013 Pre dinner drinks from 6.30pm for Dinner at 7.30pm Where: The Woden Tradies Your MC - the Incomparable Bruce Minerds Bookings: www.DODGERS.jtevents.com.au
It has been a key club in the Basketball ACT Tickets Tickets from from CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU membership since its creation and expects a number of If you played for WCW Dodgers BC or the Woden BCor Tickets Tickets from from CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU original team members to share the evening which will against these clubs……put the team together and
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good in fact that when he was in Canberra and he’d turn up to a trivia night, everyone used to groan about it because they knew they had no chance when he’d walk through the door. So Rod’s still on ABC radio in Sydney and he remains a friend of mine so when I called him up and told him about the idea he thought it was a great idea and we started talking about questions and before long he decided that he’d write the questions. We talked about the ideas and said well we don’t want to scare everyone off who are non-sports people. The sports nuts will absolutely love this but other people who aren’t into sport might get a little intimidated by all the sports questions so we thought let’s go for the normal trivia categories like History, Geography, Science, Literature, Movies, Music all of those types of things but we’ll have the sports side of each of those topics, so Rod is framing the questions and he’s given me the run down of things so far and it’s looks pretty good. PLAY: Can you give us a sample question? Image: GETTY
time to test your sports i.q.
It’s a sports lovers dream! You know what it’s like going to trivia nights and holding out for the sports category. Knowing more about sport than your mates is an Australian passion. Now the good folk at The Tradies Club have finally come up with a way to officially prove your sporting I.Q and secure bragging rights among your friends and indeed the entire city of Canberra. PLAY caught up with the Tradies Group Public Relations Manager Phil Lynch and asked him all about Canberra’s Ultimate Sports Trivia night. So how did the idea come about? PHIL: Well it started out with a lot of banter between Rod Docker (The Tradies Group CEO) and myself, he thinks he knows everything about sport and I know that I do, so we were constantly firing at each other sports trivia questions, some being really obscure and all that sort of thing so out of all that came the idea of wanting to do something that Canberra has never done before, to our knowledge anyway, a sports trivia night. There are plenty of trivia nights but not “sports” trivia nights. Everyone goes to trivia nights and they’re all fun but we want it to be different by having a ‘sports’ trivia night. So we were kicking the idea around and thought it would be nice to raise money for a charity while doing so and that was when it became hard because the charities we put up were always conflicting charities and then Alison Percival, who is our General Manager at Dickson Tradies came up with the idea, why not each of the teams decide which charity they want to support and we thought that was a fantastic idea. I’d never heard of anything like that before so we will invite people to put together teams and you can nominate your favourite charity and play for your favourite charity. 26
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The sports nuts will absolutely love this ... the normal trivia categories like History, Geography, Science, Literature, Movies, Music all of those types of things but we’ll have the sports side of each of those topics We all go to trivia nights and we might win movie passes or a bottle of wine or something like that but it’s all about the honour of winning and the bragging rights and all that sort of thing but this is adding something extra. Not only do you have the bragging rights, but you can have that warm and fuzzy feeling that you have done some good - raising some substantial money for your favourite charity. So is it totally sports based questions, for example if the topic is geography it will be sports based geography questions? PHIL: There is an old friend of mine who some people will remember, Rod Quinn from the ABC. Rod is the best trivia person that I’ve ever come across. He’s so
PHIL: OK I’ll give you a sample question. There is only one Academy Award winner that has represented his or her country in the Olympics. Who is that person? PLAY: hmmm ... no idea. So where is the Trivia Night going to be held? PHIL: It will be held at the Woden Tradies Club. It’s open to everyone. It’s a great chance to raise some funds for charity if your team wins or comes in second or third they can raise some good money for their charity. Well there will definitely be a PLAY table, I don’t know how good we’ll go! PHIL: I’d like to think it’s a competition that everyone’s got a chance in. Rod is a very good draftsman of questions. He works by the principle that people have got to have fun as well. So if you’ve got ten questions in a round there will be four that will be easy, four that will be a bit harder than that, so you’ll need to be on your game to answer them and two absolute zingers that will separate the men from the boys. He is working on that principle so it will be a fun night. Everyone will be playing for cash for their charities but we’ll have plenty of prizes as well. There will be prizes all night and I’m hoping that we’ll get a good number of the local sports personalities there too so we can have some fun with them as well. Is the plan for this to become an annual event? PHIL: I’d like to think of it as an annual event. I’d like it to be so good that people will walk away and say “I’ve got to go to next year’s event.” We’d like to see it become the ACT Sports Trivia Championship so that you are the 2013 champions then you try and retain that title in 2014. Hopefully people will get behind it the same way as they get behind their sports team. I’m sure a lot of the PLAY magazine readers will be keen to get a team together for the night. For more details look to the right >>> Issue #28 October 2013
AN ANNUAL EVENT BY ANNUAL AN ANNUAL ANANANNUAL EVENT AN ANNUAL BYEVENT ANEVENT ANNUAL BYEVENT ANBY ANNUAL BYEVENT BYEVENT BY
AN ANNUAL EVENT BY Issue #28 October 2013
The Woden Tradies The Woden Launceston Tradies The Woden St/Furzer Launceston Tradies The St,Woden Woden St/Furzer Launceston Tradies ACT, The St,Woden 2606 Woden St/Furzer Launceston 02 Tradies ACT, 6285 St,2606 Woden 1995 St/Furzer Launceston 02 thetradies.com.au ACT, 6285 St,2606 Woden 1995 St/Furzer 02 thetradies.com.au ACT, 6285 St,facebook.com/thewodentradies 2606 Woden 199502 thetradies.com.au ACT, 6285 facebook.com/thewodentradies 2606 199502 thetradies.com.au 6285 facebook.com/thewodentradies 1995For thetradies.com.au the facebook.com/thewodentradies information For the offacebook.com/thewodentradies information members For the ofinformation members For the ofinformation members For the ofinformation members of members
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The Woden Tradies Launceston St/Furzer St, Woden ACT, 2606 02 6285 1995 thetradies.com.au facebook.com/thewodentradies For the information of members
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can help encourage young guys to ‘pull their head in’ and avoid getting into the sort of problems we see so often played out in the media.” Both David and Shane say that good role models need to be authentic and that strong men don’t have to hide behind facades of toughness or success. This is a message they have been taking to high schools as part of Menslink’s Silence is Deadly campaign – explaining that real men aren’t afraid to admit to tough times, weaknesses or mistakes in their life. Importantly, both men emphasise the need for young men (and men of all ages) to speak up and ask for help and not suffer in silence. As David puts it, “speaking to my family or my mates about stuff really helps me work things out – staying silent only makes small problems in your life turn into big ones.” David and Shane were the keynote speakers at the annual Menslink Business Breakfast, which packed the National Press Club with over 290 people from business, government, politics, education, other charities and the sporting community. A consistent theme from all three speakers will be how all of us need to get behind the next generation of young guys or, as Martin from Menslink puts it, “helping young men become better men and role models themselves”.
Role models talk over breakfast about what’s important
What do a first-grade representative league player, a former Special Ops policeman and a community sector worker have in common? They all strongly believe in the power of role models – in sport, in the family, at work and in everyday life. They also spoke about role models at the recent Menslink Business Breakfast in September. Raiders’ playmaker David Shillington knows only too well how important role models and mentors are in helping get through tough times in life. He believes successful people are really made in hard times. Dave had an older role model when he was a kid and says it made all the difference. His mentor taught him the value of hard work and that it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as you don’t keep making the same ones. These lessons are what helped him rise to the top of his code – as a senior first grade Raider and also representing Queensland and Australia. These days it’s the pressures of balancing public expectations and concentrating on playing football that
are top of mind for David; especially as a senior player and role model in the team and the broader community. Dave believes everyone can and should be a role model. “There’s a huge emphasis on famous people but really it should be an everyday thing. Everyone is actually a role model for younger people – even in their own home or work. Young people are really observant, and especially look at adult behaviours, far more than what they say.” It’s a message that also resonates with Shane Horsburgh, formerly with the NSW Police Special Operations Unit and now an author and public speaker. As Shane puts it, “if young guys don’t have a good role model, they’ll just make it up as they go. Role models
In putting together the breakfast, Menslink acknowledged the support of major sponsors ACT Policing, ACTEW Water, ACT Veterans Rugby Club, bankmecu and Capital Chemist, the ACT Government in funding their programs, as well as the many great businesses and individuals who sponsor and support their work on a daily basis. Menslink’s next event will be the Menslink Midweeker held every fourth Wednesday at Gryphons Caffe and Bar in Griffith. Proudly sponsored by the Brumbies and the ACT Vets Rugby Club, the next one is on Wednesday October 16th. It features the general manager of Canberra FM Radio Eoghan O’Bryne who talks about his inspiring journey from growing up in Ireland to running two of the most successful radio stations in Canberra, Mix 106.3 and 104.7. Entry is free and open to women and men of all ages – even kids. Come along to Gryhons and share a meal, a coffee or a drink with other people who share an interest in supporting young guys around Canberra More information about Menslink for volunteers, young men and their families is available from www.menslink.org.au.
HELPING YOUNG MEN ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL FOR OVER TEN YEARS FREE COUNSELLING AND MENTORING FOR YOUNG MEN AGED 12-25 TO GET HELP OR TO GET INVOLVED WWW.MENSLINK.ORG.AU
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY: 28
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Issue #28 October 2013
Sisters storm into finals The Monaro Panthers Women’s Premier League team have quite the family affair with 2 sets of sisters taking to the field week in week out. Ashleigh and Brittany Palombi and Hiwot and Melku Johnston make up 4 of the 11 players who take to the field in the Capital Football’s Women’s’ Premier League. You have the Palombi sisters, the attacking strike force for the Monaro Panthers. Ashleigh netted 22 goals in the 21 rounds of competition but only taking to the field in 19 games. Brittany, 17 has also had a stellar season with not only 10 goals to her name, but the younger of the two by 2 years and 10 months has followed in the footsteps of her older sister, being selected in the U/19’s Australian School Girls squad 2013/14, with Ashleigh selected in the 09/10 team. And then the Johnstone sisters, the dynamic duo in the defensive line. Hiwot, 16 and three years younger than Melku, has come of age during her season at the Monaro Panthers, splitting her time with both the Panthers and the ACTAS team and has also represented the ACT in Football and Futsal.
It’s clear that both pairs of sisters have immense talent, and when it comes to playing with each on the field, all sisters agree that they learn different things from one another with Melku crediting everything she knows about the game to her younger sister Hiwot. “We don’t compete against one another on field, we kind of coach each other through-out and play relatively well together and even though I’m three years older, many people still think that we are twins.“ Having played in the same team last year as well, the Palombi sisters compliment each other on field and continually create chances to score for one another. But with the good, also comes the bad. “Playing with Britty is like having my best friend out on the field with me and just knowing exactly where she’ll be almost all of the time” “But we expect so much from each other so it does get a little tense out there sometimes” The Monaro Women’s Premier League team marched into the finals in their debut year finishing 2nd on the ladder behind Belconnen United.
d a e r b a n a n a b l w o b One
Save on time (and washing up) with this healthier version of this favourite snack. Makes 12 slices
Ingredients Canola oil spray* 2 cups plain flour 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/3 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup plain, unsalted pecans, chopped* 3/4 cup reduced fat milk* 2 eggs, lightly beaten together* 1 cup (2 large) mashed bananas 1 large apple, peeled and grated 1 tbs natural seed mix* (optional) Reduced fat ricotta* and banana slices, to serve (optional) *Products available with the Heart Foundation Tick. All fresh fruit and vegetables automatically qualify for the Tick. Issue #28 October 2013
Instructions 1. Preheat oven 190°C (170°C fan-forced). Grease a 7cm x 14cm x 24cm loaf pan with cooking spray then line with baking paper. 2. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and pecans, and make a well in the centre. Add the milk, eggs, banana and apple and stir gently until combined. 3. Pour the batter into loaf pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle over the seed mix if using. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes in the pan before lifting onto a wire rack to cool. 4. Slice and serve with reduced fat ricotta and banana if desired.
Tip: This banana bread is delicious toasted. It also freezes well. Slice into portions and individually wrap in plastic wrap. Place into an airtight container or snap lock bag and freeze for up to six months. You can replace the apple with ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries.
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PLAY CANBERRA
crossword 1
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22 5
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DOWN
Across
1 A 1 Across (5)
1 One of the four big golf tournaments (5)
2 and 14 Down. Sydney Roosters fiveeighth (5,7)
4 See 17 Down
3 Where to practice your golf or shooting (5)
9 ___ Jones, England bowler who helped them win The Ashes in 2005 (5)
4 Liverpool’s ground (7) 5 and 16 Down Snooker player who was known as ‘Dracula’ (3,8)
10 Airman (5)
6 Ms Sharapova (5)
12 Italian soccer club (7)
8 Wallabies coach (6,5)
13 Rugby set piece (5)
14 See 2 Down
15 Famous rally (5)
16 See 5 Down
17 Acrobatic bike manoeuvre (7)
17 and 4 Across Brilliant Pakistan bowler, now retired (5,5)
18 Stadium (5)
18 Jamaica and WI cricketer and captain, retired in 2004, Jimmy ___ (5)
22 Recognition of excellence (5)
19 Cyclist Cadel ___ (5)
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21 Level of achievement in martial arts (3) S C P I T A L I A A A R G L O R Y L K A B E N V M E W A Y N E R S I A C H I C A G I K E R E B E L S D
N S C H I O L T O O N O R D E X
P N P E T E R T V A R L I E O L A V O L A E N E Y U D B R O A D O L M P S E Y A Y
Crossword #21 solutions
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7 The lip of a golf green (5)
COERVER Coaching Master Class Series. Topic: The Step Kick
• Make sure your step-on foot is still touching the ball when your opposite foot kicks the ball forward. • Don’t jump on the ball when you stop it, or you may hurt yourself. Step on the ball lightly. • Practice this move to develop a good touch so you don’t over-kick the ball or lose control of it. • Use this move across the front of your opponent’s goal, or down the wings and when your opponent is to the side of you.
11 Girl’s name (5)
20 Racing car (5) 23 Spring racing carnival handicap (5) 24 Golfer Colin and cricketer Mr Panesar (5) 25 Girl’s name (5)
“It’s nice to be nice but it pays to be bad” - MMA fighter Conor “Notorious” McGregor.
Jason Lancsar COERVER® Coaching Asia Pacific Director
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 Step Kick.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
As you run forward.
Slow down slightly and stop the ball with your sole.
At the same time, use the toe of your opposite foot to kick the ball forward.
Now, you have created space and can accelerate away from your opponent.
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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Issue #28 October 2013
Issue #28 October 2013
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