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Issue #27 september 2013
#27
Cover: National Capital Tour Riders. Image: Nigel Hawkins
ConTents 4. ACT Sport - A wrap of the month’s big events 5. State of the play - AFL 6. League - Who will be Canberra Raiders next coach? 8. League - Canberra Raiders Cup Grand Final 9. Ice Skating - International debut 10. State of the play - Football 11. Soccer - Canberra’s NPL wrap 12. Soccer - A-League preview 14. Baseball - Title defence begins 16. Socials - The events of August 18. Cycling - The National Capital Tour preview 19. Events calendar - ACTEWAGL September Events 20. AFL - NEAFL Grand Final 22. Basketball - Capitals welcome back a star 24. State of the play - Union 26. Sportenary - Floorball/club of the month 28. Tennis/Squash - Young guns 29. Heart foundation - Door-Knock Launch 30. crossword - Test your Sport IQ
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 #27 September 2013
Image: Image:GETTY GETTY
September: will the drama stop?
What a month out at Raiders HQ!! First the sacking of Coach Dave Furner, by brother Don, then the Blake Ferguson saga and then, just when you thought it was all over, throw a little ASADA suspension in there for good measure ... short term gain Verses Long term fame The advice some of these young footballers are getting from their managers has one major flaw they suit the desires of the managers not the players, the clubs or the game itself. A manager’s job is to make as much money in the relatively short playing career of their client.
Unfortunately it looks like Blake Ferguson is heading down the path of SBW and his days as a Raider are all but over. The situation reminded me of this Pele quote in the middle of this article. What legacy will he be leaving for the young fans of the game?
Volleyball
This month’s sporting highlight in Canberra has to be the International Volleyball on offer at the AIS That’s fine for the manager, the problem is for the Arena from the 6th to the 8th of September. The big player. There is a neverending line of players for the guys of world sport will managers to take on, but hit the floor boards in the once the player’s careers “Every kid around the world who hope of winning direct are over their future relies qualification into the 2014 plays soccer wants to be Pele. on their legacy - the legacy Championships. to their club, the game and I have a great responsibility to World Volleyball Australia CEO the fans. show them not just how to be Judy Flanagan said: “It Sonny Bill Williams, is like a soccer player, but how will be a wonderful and without doubt one of the rare opportunity to see to be like a man.” most phenomenal athletes these sporting giants (the to play either rugby code - Pele Australian team was the but will he be remembered second tallest at last year’s Olympics) in action.” as a “great” in either? No. Currently Ranked 11th in the world Australia look set to take the spot but not without a major fight from His lack of loyalty to his clubs, the sports and Kazakhstan, Thailand and Kuwait. Head along for the importantly the fans have ruled him out of receiving action, you won’t be disappointed! any post-career recognition. Too often the managers advise their clients to concentrate on short term financial gain, often at the expense of legacy, and so ruining any chance of a career in the game after they have hung up the boots.
Nathan Minerds Nathan Minerds.
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ACT Senator Kate Lundy, Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh and Member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly made the Regional Development Australian Fund announcement during a visit to the University of Canberra. This commitment will provide funding for future stages of the Sporting Commons, a state-of-the-art facility that merges high-performance sport, community sport, educational opportunities and community engagement programs for Canberra and southern NSW. The project will also establish a mobile sports fitness and health clinic that will work to promote the benefits of an active lifestyle through community engagement and participation. I thank the Rudd Labor government for its commitment to the Sporting Commons project. The $10 million in funding is a significant amount, and will enable the Commons to offer even more services to the local community, and help it become a truly world-class facility.
Federal funding for UC Sporting Commons welcomed The Federal Government’s commitment of $10 million for the next stage of the University of Canberra’s ‘Sporting Commons’ is great news for sport and recreation in the ACT and surrounding region.
On 9 August I had the honour of turning the first sod at the Sporting Commons. The ACT Government has committed $5 million toward the Commons. The first stage of the Commons will include an ACT Sports Hall of Fame, a new headquarters for the Brumbies, sports studies teaching and research facilities, a bocce court and new student sports facilities. Special Olympics and ACTSPORT will also call the new building home. It will also be the hub for the University’s sport-related teaching and research activities
six Sporting Heroes inducted into the ActewAGL ACT Sport Hall of Fame The ActewAGL ACT Sport Hall of Fame was established in 1995, the star studded event recognises and showcases the achievements and dedication of the athletes, officials, coaches and administrators of the ACT. The athletes inducted this year were: Full Membership Bronwyn Calver: Cricket, Miriam Manzano: Ice Skating, Siobhan Paton: Swimming and
Jeremy Paul: Rugby Union. Associate Membership Robert (Bob) Mouatt OAM: Orienteering and Frank Cleary: Racing. The inductees have all performed at the highest levels in their respective sports and have all represented Canberra at the highest level. They join an elite list of sporting greats that have been inducted before the class of 2013, a list that includes some
of the most recognisable names in Australian Sport including Mal Meninga, Joanne Brown, David Campese, Joan Kellett OAM, Petria Thomas and Robert De Castella. The event also paid tribute to the two Canberra sport stars of the Century, The legendary AFL player Alex Jesaulenko and quite possibly the most suceesfull athlete of all-time Squash player Heather McKay (pictured). The host for the luncheon was the doyen of Canberra sport Tim Gavel.
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Issue #27 september 2013
IT’S HAWTHORN’S FLAG TO LOSE
this year, the myriad of attacking options the Hawks possess is bordering on unfair.
After losing just three games for the season, Hawthorn enters the 2013 finals series as the overwhelming favourites.
CYRIL RIOLI
Five reasons why the Hawks will be the 2013 premiers.
Sizzling Cyril has shown glimpses of what he is capable of this season with several decisive contributions leading directly to Hawthorn wins throughout the season
History suggests that finishing on top does not make the flag fait accompli, with just four of the past twelve minor premiers going on to win the Grand Final. However, Hawthorn’s form, accompanied with a ferocious desire to atone for last year’s loss points towards the gold and brown boys hoisting their 11th premiership on the last Saturday in September.
The speedy midfielder/forward has been dogged by a persistent hamstring injury that has limited him to just 13 games this season, but a week off before the finals designed to give Rioli the preparation he needs going into September could be just the tonic he needs to have an injury-free run into the finals.
It is Hawthorn’s flag to lose, and here are five reasons why they will win it and one reason why they won’t:
Cyril is one of the very few players in the competition who can take a game away from an opposition team with only a handful of disposals.
WHY THEY WILL WIN IT: BRIAN LAKE
REDEMPTION
It was never going to be a question of ability when Lake made the switch from the Bulldogs at the end of 2012; it was just a matter of whether the dual All-Australian was willing to put in the work to meet Hawthorn’s lofty standards. Hawthorn’s faith in recruiting Lake was reciprocated, with the sometimes erratic backman committing to the team ethos that has served them so well over the last two years. Lake’s importance to the side cannot be understated, particularly after emerging defender Ryan Schoenmakers went down early in season with an ACL injury. Hawthorn’s premiership aspirations rest on his shoulders.
A FIT LUKE HODGE It is no secret that the Hawthorn captain was hampered throughout the 2012 Grand Final. The 2008 Norm Smith medalist was not able to contribute like he normally would, but after overcoming a knee injury that ravaged his 2012 season; the three-time All-Australian’s form is looking ominous heading into September. The strong bodied midfielder wills himself into contest and leads by example, setting the standard for which his troops must follow.
If the Hawks’ multi-pronged attack fires on the most important day of the season it will be almost impossible to stop.
There is no doubt the sting of last year’s result still lingers within the psyche of the Hawthorn players. A combination of wasteful kicking in front of goal, and an inability to captalise when they were in control of the contest came back to haunt the Hawks. Image: GETTY
STATE OF THE PLAY AFL with Todd Davey @ToddJDavey
If Hodge can emulate his ’08 heroics then the premiership beckons.
FORWARD LINE POTENCY Any forward line that boasts Lance Franklin or Jarryd Roughead would be considered formidable; lucky for Hawthorn they have both!
Just like Essendon’s 1999 preliminary final loss that stung the Bombers into their magnificent 2000 premiership season, the Hawks will be looking to channel their resentment of the failed 2012 campaign into the ultimate success story in 2013. It seems obvious that redemption has been a big part of Hawthorn’s astonishing form this season, and nothing short of a premiership will deliver the vindication they desperately crave.
WHY THEY WON’T: THE KENNETT CURSE The only team Hawthorn will be dreading facing going into this finals series is Geelong. After their incredible 2008 Grand Final victory over the Cats, the Hawks have failed to register a win in proceeding 11 games.
With three Coleman medals between them, the dynamic duo will be almost impossible to stop.
The current Cats group took a vow to never lose to this Hawthorn side again, and so far they are holding up their end of the bargain.
Compound that by the fact that both Breust and Gunston have kicked a combined total of 72 goals
Imagine the psychological trauma it would inflict on the Hawks if they met Geelong in the Grand Final?
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?
But board members and players insisted this was not the case, and eventually senior players skipper Terry Campese and forward Brett White admitted they were the only two players who approached board members directly recommending an inquiry into the performance of Furner. And so it happened, Tuesday the 20th of August at about 4pm, Don Furner travelled two hours to the south coast of NSW where the Raiders were in a bonding camp, to deliver the news to his younger brother David. David was escorted from the camp by his brother immediately, ending his tenure as head coach. So who will be appropriate for the job? Raiders Chairman John McIntyre said that the talent in the Raiders playing roster had not been utilised well enough given such inconsistent results. Who will mend the issue?
Who will take the coaches seat in 2014??
Make no mistake. The Canberra Raiders are officially in the most tumultuous season in the club’s 32 years history. By Joshua Matic.
@MaticJm. Images Getty.
And after numerous lacklustre on-field performances following four separate examples of off-field drama, it appears a important off-season is ahead for the Green Machine, which remarkable just six weeks ago sat seventh on the NRL ladder appearing headed to a comfortable finals birth. However inconsistent performances and a failure to carry out changes recommended by a Canberra Raiders club 2011 season review cost favourite son and now former head coach David Furner his job, and now the search is on for potential replacements. This kicks off the first of the four off-field dramas that have played a major role in the clubs dramatic anticlimax which could see them finish as low as 13th. According to club CEO Don Furner, sixteen applications have been received for the job, and a four man committee, including legend Mal Meninga, has been assembled to decide who will get the gong. Furner has not revealed who the 16 men are, but said that eight or nine would be given serious thought. He has not named these men either, but confirmed that Ricky Stuart, Mal Meninga and Laurie Daley did not put their names forth. PLAY will detail each main contender and their records in their careers, but let’s first look at why David Furner was given the axe, and who could possibly to a better job at the club as a result. Furner lasted almost five complete seasons as head 6
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coach at the club, leading it to the NRL finals twice. Under his lead, the Raiders finished sixth in 2010 and made it to the second week of the finals series going down to the Wests Tigers at home. Last season they again finished sixth, again making it to the second week of the finals series before going down to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. But it was the inconsistent pattern of performances that was the ultimate let down for Furner, frustrating fans of the club but more importantly Raiders board members. Around and between the 2010 and 2012 seasons saw the Raiders finish 13th in 2009, a horrific 15th or second last in 2011, and will be confined to anywhere between nineth and 13th by the time this season finishes. Overall, Furner had a winning record of just 44%, which ultimately proved his way out of the head coaching role. The week Furner was sacked was deemed as the club’s darkest in it’s history. There were reports surrounding a nine player revolt against Furner as being the reason he was sacked, but this proved to be untrue. It was well known however that players became increasingly frustrated that wayward stars Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson were being treated too leniently for their off-field misdemeanours, and should have been stood down earlier, and this lead to the theory a player revolt had eventuated.
Andrew Dunemann Dunemann is the clear favourite for the role after already developing a strong relationship with the club and most importantly a repour with the players. Dunemann played two games for the club in 2007, before retiring and coaching the Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup for a year. He then spent 2009, 2010 and 2011 as the halves coach at the Newcastle Knights before returning to the Raiders last year to be the Under 20s coach. He had immediate success there, leading them all the way to the grand final to be runners up for the competition, and after that David Furner promoted him to be one of two NRL side assistant coaches this year. Upon the North Queensland Cowboys sacking coach Neil Henry from the end of this season, Dunemann applied for that position, and will still be in the running for that job should he be overlooked by the Raiders. He has already confessed publicly his every intention and desire to be a head coach, and has already made some minor changes at the Raiders. While conceding he is still highly interested in the Cowboys job for his own career benefit, he will do his upmost to show the Raiders he has what it takes to remain there in a head coaching role. Since the sacking of Furner he has been the head coach for two matches and has returned two losses- 36-22 at home to Manly and 50-16 away to New Zealand- but Issue #27 september 2013
clearly the club’s circumstances have influenced these results and not his coaching ability. Dunemann has become the interim head coach at the toughest of times, and his future as a permanent head coach cannot be judged on his results so far. Senior players such as Terry Campese, David Shillington, Brett White and Josh McCrone have all publicly stated their support for Dunemann as a coach with ability but also as someone who knows the club and its players better than other contenders, and this makes him a clear favourite to take the job in 2014.
The 2008 season proved a dramatic turnaround though, where he guided them to a sixth place finish with a for-and-against of 113, including a 74-12 slaughtering of Penrith which was the clubs highest ever team score. He has since spent the last five seasons at the Cowboys. His first two season there delivered meagre 13th and 15th place finishes, but he has since lead them to seventh and fifth place finishes, while this season they are still a chance of making the top eight. Something that will let Henry’s chances of getting the job down is that he was sacked by the Cowboys for the same reason as Furner- inconsistency. He has a win percentage of just 46% for the Cowboys, and 45.3% for his overall coaching career.
Trent Barrett The last what is understood to be the main contenders for the job is former St George Illawarra and Cronulla veteran Trent Barrett. In terms of club coaching Barrett is the least experienced of the main contenders, having never been a head coach for any single game. His only club coaching experience is spending this season as the halves coach at the Penrith Panthers. He was appointed by Phil Gould after he took over as general manager for football operations as the club looked to improve its internal structure.
Neil Henry It is fair to say that having spent time coaching at the club in the past, and being currently on the lookout for a job, Neil Henry firms as second favourite for the Raiders head coaching job. While Henry activated an early get-out clause in his contract with the Raiders at the end of the 2008 season to return home to the North Queensland Cowboys to be their head coach, Raiders CEO Don Furner has made it clear that this will not play against him. While players and fans showed disappointment towards Henry at the time of his exit, there was no malice internally at the club, and should he be given the job, he will be fully welcomed back. Henry is far more experienced than Dunemann as a coach, which could play in his favour when the assembled Raiders committee comes to making their decision.
Kevin Walters
One thing holding Barrett back from the job is that he still has a year to go in his contract with Penrith.
Current Melbourne Storm assistant coach and Raiders great Kevin Walters has also been hinted as a possible replacement for David Furner.
Since Barrett retired in 2010 he has been the assistant coach for the NSW Blues under Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley,
While Walters has had very little to do with the club since departing in 1990, his presence could bring an improved practice to the club’s coaching after having spent the past four seasons under Melbourne head coach Craig Bellamy- regarded as one of the best coaches ever.
This year he was the head coach for the NSW Country Rugby League, where he led Country to an 18-12 victory in the City v Country Origin fixture this year.
He was also a part of the Melbourne Storm’s premiership success last season, and as a veteran who has been involved in the game professionally for almost 30 years. His coaching career started as an assistant to Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos after he retired as a player after the 2001 season.
Henry began his coaching career as assistant to the late Graham Murray at the North Queensland Cowboys before taking over at the Raiders for the 2007 season after the departure of Matthew Elliot to the Penrith Panthers.
In 2009 he travelled to Perpignon in France to head coach the Catalans Dragons, and in 2010 he led them to the preliminary final.
Henry lasted only two seasons at the Raiders, but did well in getting them to the finals in 2008 after rebuilding the NRL squad for most of his tenure.
He took up his current position in Melbourne in 2011, with a current win percentage of 70%.
He came in at a time when the club lost six of their senior most players, which included skipper Simon Woolford, Clinton Schifkofske, Jason Croker and Michael Hodgson, as well as head coach Elliot.
Other names mentioned: Ricky Stuart, Tony Smith, Brian Smith, Nathan Brown, Tim Sheens, Laurie Daley & Rick Stone.
Given that, 2007 was always going to be tough, and he did well getting his men to nine wins that season despite a 14th place finish. Issue #27 September 2013
His winning percentage there was just 37%, but few would doubt his growth in ability after time with Bellamy.
He has also spent time as the Country assistant coach under Daley in the past, and has expressed publicly his interest in becoming an NRL head coach. These four contenders are seemingly the ones firming in on the job, and the Raiders have a tough decision to make as to who can solve current problems. Aside from the David Furner sacking saga, the new coach will also have to deal with the aftermath of stars Antony Milford and Blake Ferguson’s inevitable departures. These form the other major off-field sagas at the club which have put it into turmoil, and in the six weeks since they began, the team has conceded 210 points in five straight losses. Milford is in search of an escape back to Brisbane on compassionate grounds, Ferguson has been stood down indefinitely for failure to attend team training and games plus for consuming alcohol while injured, and Earl’s charges came despite him publicly expressing his innocence just weeks ago. It is definitely crisis time for the Raiders. A huge offseason is around the corner, and the new head coach will have a lot on their desk. playcanberra.com.au
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It has been a remarkable team effort however that extends to all parts of the field, with the likes of yet another former Raider in Trevor Thurling and and Mitch Day leading a solid forward pack that has rarely been on the wrong side of the advantage line. They also had some individual brilliance as well, with honours going to centre Tyler Stevens as the competition’s leading try-scorer with 20, while winger Craig Wilkinson booted an impressive 80 goals to lead that department. But it was not to be, as Woolford blamed having to do too much defence as the reason for the loss. “To do that much defence against a team like the Roos, you’re rarely going to come out on top,” said Woolford. “At half time we were well in control, but we needed to do it for another 40 minutes and we weren’t able to.” The Roos wrote off their underdog tag early in a vicious first ten minutes which saw them go to a 10-0 lead early.
Roo’s take the cup in thriller
The Queanbeyan Kangaroos have taken out the 2013 Canberra Raiders cup 17-16 in a brutal Queanbeyan derby that defined the intensity of the Canberra Region Rugby League. By Joshua Matic. @MaticJm It completes a grand competition stronghold for the Kangaroos, who have won three of the last four grand finals only losing to the Scholars last year. The game went into extra time after the scores were locked at 16-all after regular time, and given both sides finished in the top two, the 1500 strong crowd were treated to the ultimate end to the competition. Blues winger Craig Wilkinson had the chance to give his side the premiership in the final five minutes of extra time, but a miss under pressure meant a Jordan Macey field goal in the first five handed the premiership the other way. Macey said that last year’s loss paved the way for the club’s ‘three-peat’ this year. “We just knew we had to dig in and work for each other,” he said. “They’re [Blues] a quality team, and we came in as the underdogs. We knew we were going to have to play our top game to win, so I’m just over the moon. I can’t believe it.” For coach Aaron Gorrell, his third Canberra Raiders Cup title ranked as one of his best achievements in his many years in professional rugby league. He said the key to the win was turning around first half errors which was eight straight at one stage. “We just knew we had to drive out, and we just knew 8
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we had to keep it simple...it’s good for it to come at the right end of the year.” “This is our third win in four years, and every one of them is special for a different reason.” The Blues couldn’t have asked for a better season and after taking the minor premiership with ease were red hot favourites for the final.
“They’re [Blues] a quality team, and we came in as the underdogs. We knew we were going to have to play our top game to win, so I’m just over the moon. I can’t believe it.” - Aaron Gorrell A pre-season playing roster re-structure worked a treat, and the influence in culture that coach and Raiders great Simon Woolford brought to the club worked a treat. The players responded beautifully to him, with another former Raider in Marc Herbert combining at five-eighth with halfback Ben Nicoll forming great direction right across the paddock.
Uncharacteristic mistakes crept into the Blues’ game early, including an uncontested fumble over the dead ball line forcing their own drop-out. But their forwards soon lifted them over the advantage line, and Levi Freeman’s fancy footwork over the try line had them hitting straight back. Freeman again had a hand in the next try, offloading to Herbert to get them within the Kangaroos’ 20 metre zone before hooker Jordan Hammond found a hole under the posts. In true grand final fashion momentum had completely swung just 30 minutes into the contest, and as illdiscipline crept into the Kangaroos’ game, Herbert positioned monster forward Aaron McInnes in a perfect line who unstoppably gave his men the lead. Their momentum extended into the second half, but Kangaroos winger Fonua Tonga had other ideas. The Roos were solid in defence and their forwards forced some key errors, allowing Tonga to sprint down the touch line to dive over in the corner. This brought the margin back to two with 20 minutes left. A Troy Whiley penalty goal levelled the scores with eight minutes left, as the brutality lifted for both sides. The crowd started to lift as field position swung towards the Kangaroos, but huge tackling meant both sides struggled to put on more points. The Blues found themselves defending their own line time and time again as Gorrell’s men applied the pump, but their scrambling worked a treat and they refused to yield. Kangaroos five-eighth Jordan Macey missed two field goal attempts from in front of the sticks as the game went into extra time. In the end it was a fitting result for another great season of Canberra Raiders Cup competition. Issue #27 september 2013
CANBERRA FIGURE SKATER’S INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
my first international competition, I was so excited I couldn’t wait to get back to Canberra and start training. “I love ice skating because it is a challenging sport which is also a lot of fun,” Dilli added.
Canberra figure skater and Telopea High School student Dilli Kenyon is about to “glide” into international competition when she laces up her blades shortly to take on skaters from Europe, Oceania and Asia.
Dilli’s sister Eiland represented Australia at the 2011 New Zealand Winter Games, winning the silver medal in the novice division. She is currently returning from a lengthy foot injury but is proud of her younger sister’s opportunity.
Endillion (also known as “Dilli”), aged 12, first took to the ice in the footsteps of both her sister Eiland and father Owen in 2006 under the watchful eye of veteran Phillip Ice Skating Centre coach, Sally Patton.
Her father Owen was a national representative playing ice hockey for Australia on several occasions in the 80s, including a bronze medal win in the Asian-Oceania Championships.
In between Year 7 studies and on- as well as off-ice conditioning, strength exercises and endless skating routines, Dilli demonstrated her tenacity to all to be selected as the sole ACT representative to the Skate Down Under International in Sydney from August 20-22. “I consider Dilli to be one of the stars of the future in figure skating in Australia,” her coach Sally Patton said. For young Dilli, the international stage will be daunting, but not something that scares her.
Image: David Leong
“Dilli is a very dedicated and determined young skater and definitely has the ability to be one of the best skaters in her event,” Sally said. “She is a fabulous competitor and her ability to perform her best under pressure has improved tremendously over the past year.”
“I am looking forward to competing against some of the best skaters in my division from all around the world,” Dilli said. “When I found out I had qualified for
“We’re all very proud of Dilli who qualified for the 2013-14 Ice Skating Australia international pool for the upcoming 2013-14 season -- one of only three in Australia in the novice division -- and the only international representative from ACT,” Owen said. “She has worked hard skating in competitions and attaining technical element benchmark scores at national selection events including the Hollins Trophy (June Penrith, Sydney) and WinterSun (July Boondall, Brisbane) in both the short and the free skate programs.” “Dilli excels in both the technical and presentation aspects of figure skating,” said Sally Patton, her coach. “This definitely gives her the edge,” she added.
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(2006, 2008, 2010), while significant spending took place in the odd, unsuccessful years (2007, 2009, 2011) as the club sought to address past failings. Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, has supplied his managers with over £800 million to engage in the transfer market during his 10-year reign at Stamford Bridge. The three Premier League titles, two League cups, four FA Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League suggest the Russian’s money has been well spent. The spending power of Europe’s elite clubs illustrates the notion that football is no longer just a sport. The World Game, since going professional, has become a big business, one that operates freely in its own reality. Money does buy class and its acquisition has enabled clubs to achieve success – just ask Chelsea or Bayern or Real Madrid or Barcelona or Manchester United.
All aboard the money-go-round
There’s a banner that hangs from the upper tier of the Emirates Stadium, home of English Premier League club Arsenal F.C.. It reads, ‘YOU CAN’T BUY CLASS’. By Antony Perry. @frontrowcbr At times, the brilliance of Olivier Giroud, the incredible pace and footwork of Theo Walcott, and Santi Cazorla’s ability to deliver pinpoint crosses from either side of the pitch with equal ease make the placard seem a display of defiant confidence. Indeed, it was intended to be just that. But more often than not, the banner has been a symbol of hope – despite the best efforts of the aforementioned trio, worth a collective total of just £41 million. Arsenal hasn’t won a trophy in eight years; the 2005 FA Cup was their last piece of silverware. During this period, the club has retained the same manager while all of the Football League’s 91 other clubs have changed their managers. Of course, the trophies have been shared around numerous clubs since then, suggesting managerial stability, despite popular belief, doesn’t guarantee
success – except in the special case of Manchester United, who saw stability at the helm and success become synonymous during Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy-laden 27 years at the club. Chelsea F.C. – a club which has seen considerably more chopping and changing than its rivals – has bagged 11 trophies under nine managers since Arsenal’s last triumph. Germany’s Bayern Munich has triumphed 15 times under the guidance of seven bosses since 2005. Chelsea and Bayern, unlike Arsenal, have spent money – and the thought that the spending power of those clubs has played a part in ushering in eras of success is a hard one to avoid. Bayern’s activity in the transfer market since 2005 has followed an interesting pattern. The club has invested very little in the years after winning titles
When chants to the tune of ‘Spend some f#@$ing money’ and ‘Wenger out’ rang out around the Emirates Stadium during Arsenal’s opening day 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League last month, it appeared the Gunners faithful had cottoned on. Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, despite having ample funds at his disposal to spend in the transfer market this past summer, failed to (at the time of writing) secure the marquee signing Arsenal has craved since the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. Given the club’s standing as one of English football’s wealthiest clubs, Wenger’s miserly attitude is difficult to understand and is an increasing source of exasperation for the supporters of his team. Money does buy class – that’s the unfortunate reality in which football now exists. Arsenal’s English rivals know it, the European superpowers know it, and now the Gunners faithful do too. If Wenger needs further convincing he only has to look as far as Manchester United. The club procured £25 million worth of class when they signed van Persie from Arsenal last summer and as a result, were propelled to a 20th Premier League title on the back of the talisman’s 26 goals.
UC clinch Sweatworking victory The University of Canberra team sweated to victory during the Bradley Allen Love Lawyers Sweatworking event last month at the Australian Institute of Sport. The Sports Studies team, led by Associate Professor Dr Kate Pumpa, beat off tough competition from the likes of the ACT Brumbies, KPMG, Deloitte, Jones Lang LaSalle and Kazar Slaven.
The yearly networking event organised by Bradley Allen Love pits teams from a variety of Canberra businesses against each other in a physical challenge. Competing in teams of four, the groups rotated through 10 stations completing body weight exercises including burpees, squat jumps, hand release push ups and prisoner squats whilst the remaining team members held the plank position. A total of 17 teams competed in an effort to make the finals, with the KPMG Honey Badgers, UC Sports Studies, and two Bradley Allen Love teams topping the points table. 10
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By Kieran Pender After a quick break the teams reconvened for the finals, with the winners able to nominate the charity of its choice to receive the sum of $2000. Despite tough competition from KPMG and the two host sides, the University of Canberra sprinted home in style to claim their medals and a donation to Alzheimer’s Australia. Bradley Allen Love Legal Director Susan Proctor thanked all the teams for participating and said she was looking forward to Sweatworking 2014, the third time it will be held. “It’s an event that focuses on health and fitness and most importantly friendly competition. It’s the Bradley Allen Love way to network – fresh, exciting and innovative,” the lawyer commented. “Next year should be bigger, better and tougher, so we look forward to another great event in a year’s time.” Issue #27 september 2013
Canberra NPL wrap
It was the season that promised plenty. A new moniker for the elite competition in the national capital saw the men’s Premier League rebranded in line with the FFA’s new National Premier League structure and the eight licence holders in the ACT were joined by the AIS for a nine team competition. The Institute would play everyone twice whilst all the other teams would meet three times. And, whilst the fixture list led an often-quirky feel to the competition with some teams meeting each other on successive weekends at the same venue, the standard of football was exceptional. At the commencement of the season the smart money was on the usual suspects. Canberra FC had bolstered their squad with the inclusion of Alex Oloriegbe from Grand Final winners Cooma Tigers and a new goalkeeper in Adam Perakovic. Perakovic replaced Ben Klug who transferred to Belconnen United, the 2012 League Champions keeping faith the majority of the squad that brought them the Championship crown. Cooma Tigers still looked strong, despite the loss of Oloriegbe to one of their main rivals whilst Canberra Olympic had been the big shakers in the market attracting Mark Shields from Tuggeranong United, Futsalroo international Daniel Fulton and ACTAS graduate Joshua Gaspari amongst others. Elsewhere Woden Valley brought in another American, Derek Oelmann who, after a slow start was to burst spectacularly to life in front of goals. Woden, spurred by the goals of Oelmann who cantered to the Golden Boot on the back of some sensational goalscoring feats, would go on to make their maiden finals appearance playing some outstanding football in a 4-3-3 system that showcased the numerous talents at their disposal, most notably Connor Nolan, Jason Ugrinic and Regan Walsh whose creativity allowed Oelmann the opportunities to fire his team into the top four. There they would be joined by Canberra Olympic who stumbled after a strong start with a mid-season slump costing them any hopes of the title. Joel Valtonen was a rock in central defence and Shields scored the goals which he had been bought for. The feeling was however that Olympic had missed out on a big chance to win the League crown. Qualifying for finals gave them a chance to remedy that situation. Over at McKellar Park Belconnen United had got off to a wobbly start losing three of their first four matches after being handed a tough schedule in the opening weeks. With a settled squad and led by skipper Taylor Issue #27 September 2013
Beaton and the indomitable Dustin Wells, they were always likely to bounce back and even the loss of Head Coach Steve Forshaw in mid-season, he was replaced by Lou Gaspari, didn’t half their midseason surge that took them to second on the ladder. Results included a win at Deakin Stadium against the eventual champions in a memorable comeback. But at the top end of the table it was all about Canberra FC, Champions for the 21st time and in some style, wrapping up the League title with a 7-2 whalloping of Cooma Tigers at the notoriously difficult Nijong Oval. Their success was based on a fast-paced attacking game and the goals of their dynamic trio of Oloriegbe, Philippe Bernabo and the rejuvenated Domenic Giampaolo. Between them the forwards wreaked havoc across the division and ensured that any perceived defensive frailties would be addressed. At the back the champions defended stoically and were well marshaled by Marcin Zygmunt with young Jordan Lamb enjoying a fine year. Outside of the finals positions it was Cooma Tigers who threatened to break into the four. The Tigers had some outstanding players, most notably Robbie Cattanach and latterly Stephen Domenici who missed much of the season through injury. The return of the ACT representative spurred the Tigers but it was too late for them to make an impact on the leading pack. The consolation of a Federation Cup Final was something positive to take from the campaign in which there was the emergence of young talents such as Liam Highmore to build on for 2014. Monaro Panthers enjoyed a better 2013 improving considerably on their finish of twelve months previously and unearthing some real gems under the joint stewardship of Njegosh Popvich and Frank Cachia. A brace of 3-2 victories over Cooma Tigers
and a 2-0 win over Woden Valley indicated their potential but perhaps their best performance of the campaign was the remarkable 4-1 hammering of Belconnen United at the Riverside Stadium. The Blue Devils were undone by the pace and potency of Monaro on the counter-attack with Pepe Varga shining. Varga top scored for the Panthers with a double figure haul and could be one to watch in years to come. For the remainder of the competition it was a tough old year. Tuggeranong United may have reached the Federation Cup Final but their League form was inconsistent to say the least. With Head Coach John Bull departing mid-season, Martin Lategui came in, initially on an interim basis, and had United playing some thoughtful football utilising the undoubted skills of Muad Zwed to their full. It’s still very much a work in progress for Tuggeranong but their cup exploits prove that they have what it takes on the day to mix it with the top four and some astute acquisitions over the summer will no doubt improve their lot. Canberra City meanwhile were handed the schedule from hell in the opening weeks and, once slumping to successive defeats, found it hard to gain any real momentum. Injuries to key playmaker Pat Ross-Magee didn’t help matters but in Sam McDonald they had one of the NPL’s best in 2013. Returning to action late in the season Ross-Magee helped City to a steady finish with Adam Dobell also excelling. And then there was the AIS. Admitted to the competition for the first time in a number of years the Institute were a welcome addition with their excellent playing field at the AIS causing envious glances their way. As you would expect their team was full of talented players who, after finding their feet in the competition, put in a series of performances that should stand them in good stead for their National Youth League campaign. Elimination Semi-Final (3v4) Saturday 7th September 2013 Canberra Olympic v Woden Valley McKellar Park, kick off 3pm Qualifying Semi-Final (1v2) Sunday 8th September 2013 Canberra FC v Belconnen United Deakin Stadium, kick off 3pm Preliminary Final Saturday 14th September 2013 Deakin Stadium, kick off 3pm Grand Final Saturday 21st September 2013 McKellar Park, kick off 5pm playcanberra.com.au
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George Lambadardis (Youth Side) Outs: Massimo Murdocca (Melbourne Heart), Matt Jurman (Sydney FC), Mitch Nichols (Melbourne Victory), Ben Halloran (Fortuna Dusselldorf, Germany), Stefan Nijland (PEC Zwolle, Netherlands), Steven Lustica (Hadjuk Split, Croatia), James Meyer (released) Key Players: Thomas Broich, Besart Berisha, Ivan Franjic Players to Watch: Liam Miller, Matt McKay, Dimitri Petratos
Image: GETTY
A-League season kicks-off
With the much anticipated kick off to the Hyundai A-League 2013-14 season just over a month away, it’s time to take a look at all the off-season happenings for all 10 clubs, what to expect from the teams in the upcoming season and the all-important prediction of where the teams will sit at the end of the regular season. By Liz McPherson with Rhys Langley. The 2013-14 season will be one of the biggest seasons yet with both Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers keeping their marquee players of Alessandro del Piero and Shinji Ono respectively, as well as welcoming Harry Kewell back to the league. However it’s not only the off-season signings that have made headlines for the A-League, for the first time ever the season will go all the way through until May, with the Grand Final scheduled on 4th May 2014. In what is another first , the 7:30pm Friday night match of the Hyundai A-League will be broadcast on free-to-air television with SBS2 bringing it to you along with FoxSports. Kicking off the season will be the F3 derby, Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets on the Friday night, which was last season’s highest rating regular season match. On Saturday we have the Grand Final rematch between the 2013 Champions Central Coast Mariners and the 2013 Premiers Plate winners Western Sydney Wanderers. The Melbourne derby, Melbourne Heart against Melbourne Victory, will follow. And on Sunday Wellington Phoenix will play host to Brisbane Roar before Adelaide United and Perth Glory battle it out later that afternoon. In what is a stellar first round of matches you can be certain that the Hyundai A-League will start with a bang. This year’s competition is set to be the closest, and hardest fought edition of the A-League yet, with any number of teams staking a realistic claim for the title. 12
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Adelaide United Ins: Tarek Elrich (Western Sydney Wanderers), Isaias Sanchez (Ponferradina, Spain), Sergio Cirio (Hospitalet, Spain), Jordan Elsey (Youth Side), Awer Mabil (Youth Side) Outs: Dario Vidosic (FC Sion, Switzerland), Iain Fyfe (Mes Kerman, Iran), Iain Ramsay (Melbourne Heart), Tomi Juric (Western Sydney Wanderers), Fabian Barbiero (Croydon Kings, SA Premier League), Evan Kostopoulos (released) Key Players: Eugene Galekovic, Jeronimo Neumann Players to Watch: Isaias Sanchez, Teeboy Kamara, Antony Golec After a successful 2012/2013 season which saw them finish fourth, Adelaide will again be looking to play finals football this season. The loss of marquee player Dario Vidosic leaves big boots to fill, but the Reds will hope new signing Isaias Sanchez will pick up where he left off. Other losses, such as youngster Tomi Juric and the exciting Iain Ramsey, will leave a gap in the Adelaide attack, and it will be interesting to see how they cope with this. If they can turn Hindmarsh Stadium into the fortress it has been in the past, Adelaide could well be playing finals again in 2014. Prediction: 9th
Brisbane Roar Ins: Matt McKay (Changchun Yatai, China), Liam Miller (Perth Glory), Diogo Ferreira (Melbourne Victory), Dimitri Petratos (Kelantan, Malaysia), Corey Brown (Youth Side),
The Roar weren’t the same side last season as the team that won back to back A-League titles in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. They lacked the midfield control and build up from the back that then coach Ange Postecoglou (now in charge of Melbourne Victory) made the key element of their game, earning them the nickname ‘Roarcelona’. The signing of championship winning midfielder Matt McKay, and former Manchester United and Leeds United mid Liam Miller, should sure up their midfield and, along with A-League standout Thomas Broich, make Brisbane a competitive force again this year. Prediction: 6th
Central Coast Mariners Ins: Marcos Flores (Melbourne Victory), Tom Slater (Sydney FC), Storm Roux (Perth Glory), Matt Simon (Chunnam Dragons, South Korea), Marcel Seip (VVV Venlo, Netherlands), Michael Neill (Youth Side), Hayden Morton (Youth Side) Outs: Pedj Bojic (Sydney FC), Oliver Bozanic (FC Luzern, Switzerland), Bernie Ibini (Shanghai SIPG, China), Mattew Ryan (Club Brugge, Belgium), Daniel McBreen (On Loan at Shanghai Dongya F.C, China), Brad McDonald (Central Coast Mariners Academy – NSW Premier League), Adriano Pelegrino (to Central Coast Mariners Academy – NSW Premier League), Patrick Zwaanswijk (Retired) Key Players: Michael McGlinchey, Josh Rose, Nick Montgomery Players to Watch: Marcos Flores, Mitch Duke, Trent Sainsbury ‘The Coast’ has again this year had a large number of their squad depart Gosford, with a number of quality juniors scouted to go over to Europe and Asia after a breakthrough championship win in 2012/2013. Former Johnny Warren medallist Marcos Flores comes to the coast, after a rather unsuccessful stint at Melbourne Victory, and he could be the key to the Mariners run at back to back titles. It will be a fairly new look lineup this time around, but with coach Graham Arnold having done it all before, expect the Mariners to be there come finals time. Prediction: 4th
Melbourne Heart Ins: Orlando Engelaar (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Massimo Murdocca (Brisbane Roar), Iain Ramsay (Adelaide United), Tando Velaphi (Melbourne Victory), Harry Kewell (Al-Gharafa, Qatar), Robert Wielaert (Roda JC Kerkrade, Netherlands), Aziz Behich (Bursaspor, Turkey), Sam Mitchinson (Youth Side), Stefan Mauk (Youth Side) Issue #27 september 2013
Outs: Cameron Edwards (Perth Glory), Josip Tadic (HNK Rijeka, Croatia), Eli Babalj (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Simon Colosimo (Dempo, India), Clint Bolton (retired), Matt Thompson (released), Fred (released), Marcel Meeuwis (released), Jamie Coyne (released) Key Players: Mate Dugandzic, Patrick Gerhardt, David Williams Players to Watch: Harry Kewell, Nick Kalmar
scoring goals if the Jets are to play finals football. Although they don’t have a star-studded squad, young players Joshua Brillante and Craig Goodwin, who has had a taste of international football playing in an Olympic qualifier, are potential future Socceroos, and are worth keeping an eye on. Prediction: 10th
Perth Glory
The Heart have the potential to shake things up this year, although it will have to be without key defensive signing Orlando Engelaar, who fractured his leg in a pre-season friendly and will face a long spell on the sidelines. The Roar will definitely improve from last year, where they finished ninth (though that was only 5 points out of a finals position). Harry Kewell is obviously a massive signing in terms of getting fans in the stands, but on the field he has a point to prove and hopefully he can get back to his best and book both the Heart a finals berth and himself a ticket to Brazil for the World Cup in 2014. Look for Heart to improve this year, but it may be next season when they are a genuine force. Prediction: 7th
Ins: Ljubo Milicevic (Melbourne Knights, Victorian Premier League), Isaka Cernak (Wellington Phoenix), Cameron Edwards (Melbourne Heart), Jack Duncan (Newcastle Jets), Jamie Maclaren (Blackburn Rovers, England), Ryan Edwards (On Loan From Reading, England), Sidnei Sciola (Alki Larnaca, Cyprus), Matthew Davies (Youth Side), Riley Woodcock (Youth Side), Daniel De Silva (Youth Side)
Melbourne Victory
Key Players: Michael Thwaite, Shane Smeltz
Ins: Mitch Nichols (Brisbane Roar), Kosta Barbarouses (FC Alania Vladikavkaz, Russia)
Players to Watch: Joshua Risdon, Chris Harold,
Outs: Marcos Flores (Central Coast Mariners), Diogo Ferreira (Brisbane Roar), Tando Velaphi (Melbourne Heart), Marco Rojas (VfB Stuttgart, Germany), Daniel Mullen (Dalian Aerbin, China), Billy Celeski (Al Shaab, UAE), Sam Gallagher (Richmond, Victorian Premier League), Spase Dilevski (released), Theo Markelis (released), Matthew Foschini (released) Key Players: Mark Milligan, Archie Thompson, Adrian Leijer Players to Watch: Andrew Nabbout, Adama Traore The Victory have been relatively quiet on the transfer front so far, which is no real surprise since they finished third and were a major contender last season. In the second half of the year, when the squad had time to adapt to Coach Ange Postecoglou’s style of play, they were a team not to be taken lightly. With some of Postecoglous former players from Brisbane, Nicholls and Barbarouses, joining the ranks, expect Melbourne to be a major force in this year’s competition. Prediction: 1st
Newcastle Jets Ins: Kew Jaliens (Wisla Kraków, Poland), Joey Gibbs (Western Sydney Wanderers), Nathan Burns (On Loan From Incheon United, South Korea), John Solari (White City, South Australian Premier League) Outs: Jack Duncan (Perth Glory), Bernardo Ribeiro (IFK Mariehamn, Finland), Dominik Ritter (released), Marko Jesic (released) Key Players: Emile Heskey, Ruben Zadkovich Players to Watch: Craig Goodwin, Joshua Brillante Although the Jets only finished one point out of the finals, they had a disappointing year by their standards. English fan favourite Emile Heskey will again be up front for the Jets, and will need to stay fit and be Issue #27 September 2013
Outs: Liam Miller (Brisbane Roar), Dean Heffernan (Western Sydney Wanderers), Storm Roux (Central Coast Mariners), Lewis Italiano (Wellington Phoenix), Evan Berger (Marconi Stallions, NSW Premier League), Neil Young (Perth Glory Coaching Staff), Nick Ward (released)
has seen. Prediction: 3rd
Wellington Phoenix Ins: Lewis Italiano (Perth Glory), Reece Caira (Western Sydney Wanderers), Carlos Hernandez (Prayag United, India), Luke Adams (Derby, England), Kenny Cunningham (Club The Strongest, Bolivia), Alex Rufer (Wairarapa United, New Zealand), Luke Adams (Derby County, England) Outs: Isaka Cernak (Perth Glory), Benjamin Totori (Oakleigh Cannons, Victorian Premier League), Tony Lochhead (released), Alex Smith (released), Dani Sanchez (released), Jimmy Downey (released), Lucas Pantelis (released), Mark Paston (retired) Key Players: Paul Ifill Players to Watch: Carlos Hernandez, Kenny Cunningham
Hopefully with their off field financial problems behind them, Perth Glory can turn 2013/2014 into a year to remember. They have a solid squad around the park, and having made the Grand Final two seasons ago, have the experience to go all the way. The signing of former Socceroo Ljubo Milicivec will provide a solid centre back pairing with Michael Thwaite, whilst up front the former Golden Boot winner Shane Smeltz can, on his day, run riot over any defence in the league. Prediction: 5th
After finishing fourth in 2011/2012, the Phoenix had a sense of optimism last campaign, but did not live up to expectation. They won seven games from 27 and finished last. The Nix are one of those teams that other teams expect to beat, but are always wary to play, as on their day they can upset anyone. Consistency is what is needed, and with new coach, former A-league championship winner Ernie Merrick, hopefully he can deliver for the long suffering Phoenix fans. Merrick brings along two Costa Rican internationals with him to Wellington, Carlos Hernandez (who won the comp with Merrick at Melbourne), and Kenny Cunningham, who is known for his devastating speed and eye for goal. Along with the talismanic Paul Ifill, if the Pheonix get on a roll this year they will be a force to be wreckened with. Prediction: 8th
Sydney FC
Western Sydney
Ins: Pedj Bojic (Central Coast Mariners), Matt Jurman (Brisbane Roar), Marc Warren (Airdrie United, Scotland), Corey Gameiro (Fulham, England), Nick Carle (Bani Yas – UAE [Return From Loan]), Richard Garcia (Melbourne Heart)
Ins: Dean Heffernan (Perth Glory), Tomi Juric (Adelaide United), Brendon Santalab (Chongqing Lifan, China)
Outs: Fabio Alves (Philadelphia Union, USA), Adam Griffiths (Selangor FA, Malaysia), Joel Griffiths (Qingdao Jonoon, China), Paul Reid (Rockdale City Suns, NSW Premier League), Lucas Neill (released), Kruno Lovrek (released), Nathan Sherlock (released), Trent McClenahan (released), Jarrod Kyle (released) Key Players: Alessandro Del Piero Players to Watch: Corey Gameiro, Yairo Yau The big disappointments of last year, the Sky Blues will surely improve and gain a finals spot this season. Nothing more needs to be said about their talisman Alessandro Del Piero, but as shown last year, he can’t do it all on his own. Pedj Bojic is a big signing, coming off a championship at central coast, while former Fulham player Corey Gamiero should step into the departing Joel Griffiths role up front. Prodigal son Nicky Carle returns this season, and it will be interesting to see the partnership he and Del Piero strike up, which could potentially be the most devastating the A-League
Outs: Tarek Elrich (Adelaide United), Joey Gibbs (Newcastle Jets), Reece Caira (Wellington Phoenix), Rocky Visconte (Suphanburi, Thailand), Dino Kresinger (Zavrc, Slovenia) Key Players: Nikolai Topor-Stanley (From Canberra, probably good to put in), Shinji Ono Players to Watch: Aaron Mooy, Youssouf Hersey, Tomi Juric The Cinderella story of Australian sport last year, the Wanderers took everyone by surprise. From their amazing undefeated streak (which started against defending premiers Brisbane in Brisbane, and included 10 straight wins), to their unrivalled supporter base, ‘The Red and Black Bloc’, the Wanderers will be looking to go one better this year and take out the grand final. Coach Tony Popovic, worked wonders with his squad last year, which was built from scratch just six months out from the season. Led by Japanese legend Shinji Ono, Canberran Nicolai Topor-Stanley and the exciting Dutchman Youssouf Hersi, lookout for everyones second favourite team to go one better this year. Prediction: 2nd playcanberra.com.au
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last few months playing in Grand Junction, Colorado USA as part of the Colorado Rockies organisation. Robbie will be an important part of this year’s team as he looks to grow his game and climb the ladder in the Rockies system. It also appears that ABLCS hear Michael Wells will lace up his cleats for another season with at the Fort. The 40 year old veteran hit a home run in game two of the Championship Series, putting the Cavalry up for good and securing the Claxton Shield for the team. His knowledge of the game will continue to be something that helps move the team forward.
Championship Entertainment As great as it was to watch the boys raise the Claxton Shield last season; fans know that coming to a game at The Fort is more than just baseball, it is a great night for families, friends, colleagues, and people just looking for a relaxing night out.
Countdown to the Title Defence
When head coach Michael Collins raised the Claxton Shield over his head on 8 February, the Canberra Cavalry, driven by Rolfe Renault, we crowned champions of the Australian Baseball World. In the 86 years that states have been playing for baseball supremacy, the Claxton Shield finds itself at home in the ACT for the very first time. With the Cavalry season starting on the 31st of October, the team is focused on bringing Championship Baseball and Championship Entertainment to the people of Canberra this summer. Championship Baseball The Cavalry are working to put together a roster that mirrors the championship squad of last year. The main focus has been on pitching. Eyes have been firmly set on last seasons ace, Brian Grening. Grening had a 4-2 record, and won game one of the Australian Baseball League Championship Series. He lead the team in wins, strikeouts (64), earned run average for starting pitcher earned run average (2.87), and only allowed 11 walks in 75 innings pitched. Another option that the Cavalry are looking at is 201112 ace Mike McGuire. McGuire was the strike out king of the ABL two seasons ago.
As great as it was to watch the boys raise the Claxton Shield last season; fans know that coming to a game at The Fort is more than just baseball, it is a great night for families, friends, colleagues, and people just looking for a relaxing night out.
Local standout Steven Kent pitched fantastically for the Australian National Team at the World Baseball Classic. His leadership will be key to not only winning but helping any new imports find their feet here in Canberra.
relationship with the Toronto Blue Jays which has provided quality, impact players for the team the last two seasons. Fan favourites like Kenny Wilson, Marcus Knecht, and Jack Murphy all came to Canberra by way of the Toronto organisation. The Blue Jays have promised to send similar players this season.
But everyone knows you cannot win games unless you score runs. The Cavalry continue their
After spending much of the last Cavalry season injured, Canberra native Robbie Perkins has spent the
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The Cavalry aim to provide fun and fan-centric pregame, in-game, and post-game activities. Baseball is a game that encourages and relies upon fan involvement. Cavalry staff might request participation from fans in races, games, songs, and other fun activities! Whether it is for the National Zoo “Who’s Who at the Zoo”, the Rolfe Renault Pedal Car Race, or the Tradies Dizzy Horse race, our generous sponsors provide lots of great promotions and prizes to lucky contestants. But when you take in a Cavalry game, everyone goes home feeling like a winner! The Australian Baseball League and the Canberra Cavalry are committed to providing our fans the greatest possible access to players. Rather than distant glimpses of your favourite players, fans can greet the players, join in the celebrations, and get that coveted autograph after each game. This season the Cavalry will have pregame concerts and performances, in-game promotions, and postgame celebrations. Every member of the Cavalry organisation is part of the fun, with the Cavalry General Manager, Thom Carter, leading the signing of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” every night. And don’t forget the best mascot in all of sports, SARGE. His dance moves are legendary and he is always there to pump up the crowd.
JOIN IN With the season just around the corner, now is the time to be part of the action. Memberships are available so you can be part of Canberra’s Championship team. Also, the Cavalry offer group packages for corporations, families, and orgainsations. You can break away from the same old Christmas party you do every year, and book something special at the ballpark. A “BUSme Patio Party” gives you tickets in the patio area and point to point transportation from BUSme. Contact the Cavalry offices at (02) 6295 8379 or info@canberracavalry.com.au to be a part of Championship Baseball and Championship Entertainment. Issue #27 september 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 #27 September 2013
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Macdougall medal awards dinner REx hotel Image: Ben Coughlan
100 community heroes bendigo bank Image: Ben Coughlan
PH: 6295 3966 17 FRANKLIN ST MANUKA LEGENDSSPANISHRESTAURANT.COM.AU
Legends
S P A N I S H 16
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R E S T A U R A N T Issue #27 september 2013
Brumbies Gala Dinner REALM Hotel Image: Ben Coughlan
ACT SPORTS Hall of fame The Traides woden Image: Ben Coughlan
PH: 6295 3966 17 FRANKLIN ST MANUKA LEGENDSSPANISHRESTAURANT.COM.AU
Legends
S P A N I S H Issue #27 September 2013
R E S T A U R A N T playcanberra.com.au
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acquired Ridley ‘Helium’ road cycle, ridden by champion Australian cyclist, Cadel Evans. visit www.nma.gov.au/ cycling for more information The National Museum acquired Evan’s Tour de France Ridley ‘Helium’ as part of its current Cycling in Australia project. Parking: Plenty of parking will be available on the western foreshore of the lake, behind the museum. The Museum car park will be reserved for staff and visitors of the Museum. Day two Saturday 21 September STAGE 2: ROAD RACE Distance: 99.1 km, profile Women’s start: 9am Women’s finish: 12pm Men’s start: 1pm Men’s finish: 3.30pm
National Capital Tour
On Friday the 20th of September the National Road Series peloton will hit the Capital. The National Capital Tour is the 10th event in the men’s Subaru National Road Series and the seventh event on the women’s calendar and features a host of local riders that are keen to get a win in front of their local crowd. A strong field of around 250 cyclist are expected to be racing at the event. The peloton will include Nathan Earle (Huon-Genesys) who has signed with Team Sky for 2014 and the Tour will be one of the Tasmanians last races on the Australian Domestic scene. The strong field will also include London Olympian Alex Edmondson (Euride Racing) and Track World Champion Alex Morgan (Jayco/Apollo/VIS). The tour marks the First time the men have raced in the Capital for around three years. Another important fact the promoters are very excited to announce is equal prize money for the men and the women, which is just reward and local hopefuls such as Rebecca Wiasak, hot of a stint racing in Europe, will undoubtedly find themselves in the thick of the action. Local riders will be hoping their “home-ground” advantage will help them and their teams to success with the riders we spoke to at the cover shoot all expecting the climb at Corin Forest to catch a few teams off-guard. “I think good knowledge of the course is important and if the other teams don’t get here early and scout out the courses the local guys will have an advantage” Drapac rider Tom Palmer told PLAY during the shoot. “they are very exciting routes, its an aggressive course - the hill top finish at Corin will be spectacular” Bicycle Superstore’s Lisa Keeling added. Local team Suzuki Trek will hope a full team based in 18
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Location: Stage two of the tour sees riders tackle a tough 99 kilometre road race starting at the car park of the National Museum of Australia and culminating with a hill-top finish at the Corin Forest Recreation Area, located on Canberra’s Tourist Drive 5, off the Tidbinbilla Road, 12 kilometres up the Corin Road at Smokers Gap. Parking: There will be plenty of parking available at the recreation area but make sure you arrive in plenty of time to see the race finish. Day three Sunday 22 September
Canberra will carry more of an advantage “we know these roads and that’s an advantage, I’m looking forward to the crit, that will be very exciting” Suzuki Trek’s Emma Viotto told PLAY.
STAGE 3: ROAD RACE Distance: 4 laps of a 20.5 km circuit, profile Women’s start: 8am Women’s finish: 10.10am Men’s start: 11am Men’s finish: 12.45pm
While Canberra born and Bred Marc Williams hopes his team Budget Forklifts will have a good results on what he says are roads showcasing all the good parts of Canberra the local riders train on and tell the other riders about.
Location: Stage three begins on Queen Elizabeth terrace, Reconciliation Place with riders making their way around the city centre on a 20 kilometre loop. The finish line will be outside the National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes.
“The course will be tough for a lot of people, the profile on the internet doesn’t tell the complete story, its something you need to see for your eyes.”
Parking: Plenty of public car parking is available in the surrounding areas.
Let’s hope a Canberran can get up on the day and with the help of big crowd numbers we will see a return of the National Capital Tour for many years to come.
Event details
Day one Friday 20 September STAGE 1: TIME TRIAL Distance: 17.4 km, profile Women’s Start: 9:30am Men’s Start: 12pm Women’s Presentations: approx. 11.15am – 11.30am Men’s Presentations: approx. 3pm Location: The tour begins with a time trial starting and finishing at the acclaimed National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton ACT 2601 Attractions: For the duration of the upcoming race, the National Museum of Australia will display its recently
STAGE 4: CRITERIUM Women’s start: 2:20pm Women’s finish: 3.10pm Men’s start: 3:30pm Men’s finish: 4.35pm Location: The final stage of the National Capital Tour is held on a circuit between new and old Parliament House on Parliament Drive, Federation Mall and Queen Victoria Terrace. Viewing: Watch the race from the lawns inside the criterium circuit, there will be four spectator entry and exit points so you can cross the course safely. Parking: Plenty of free public car parking will be available including underground parking at Parliament House. Follow live upades on @cyclingausroad and with the hashtag #NCT13 or via @NatCapTour with #NatCapTour Issue #27 september 2013
ACTEWAGL september EVENTS CALENDAR Week 1: 2-8 SEPTEMBER Friday 6/9
Saturday 7/9
Sunday 8/9
VB
Volleyball World Championship qualifiers Australia V Kumait 7.00pm AIS Arena
JID
GRAND FINAL. Viking park. Games start at 9am.
NEAFL
Preliminary final 2.00pm Kippax Oval
NPL
Semi Final 1 3.00pm McKellar Park
WPL
Semi Final 2 3.00pm Hawker Football Centre
VB
Volleyball World Championship qualifiers Australia V Kazakhstan 7.00pm AIS Arena
NRL
RAIDERS V SHARKS. Canberra Stadium 7.00pm
WPL
Semi Final 1 3.00pm Hawker Football Centre
NPL
Semi Final 2 3.00pm Deakin Stadium
VB
Volleyball World Championship qualifiers Australia V Thailand 3.30pm AIS Arena
Week 2: 9-15 SEPTEMBER Saturday 14/9 Sunday 15/9
NEAFL
GRAND FINAL. Time and Location TBC - will announce on twitter @PLAYcanberra
NPL
Preliminary Final 3.00pm Deakin Stadium
WPL
Preliminary Final 3.00pm McKellar Park
Week 3: 16-22 SEPTEMBER Friday 20/9
Cycling
National Capital Tour. 9.30am National Museum of Australia
NPL: National Premier League - Soccer. WPL: Womens Premier League - Soccer. NEAFL: North East Australian Football League - AFL.
Week 3: 16-22 SEPTEMBER continued Saturday 21/9
Sunday 22/9
Cycling
National Capital Tour. 9.30am National Museum of Australia
NPL
Grand Final 5.00pm McKellar Park
Cycling
National Capital Tour. 8.00am Reconciliation Place
WPL
Grand Final 4.00pm Hawker Football Centre
Week 4: 23-29 SEPTEMBER Saturday 28/9 Sunday 1/9
National Orienteering League Australian Sprint Distance Canberra Boys Grammar National Orienteering League Australian Long Distance - Jerangle
*All details correct at time of printing
ActewAGL Athlete on the rise
Nick Cotric - Rugby League. 14 year old Nick Cotric was selected in the Australian Merit team following a strong performance at the recent Australian Schools under-15’s Rugby League Championships. On the back of his strong kicking game Nick from St Mary Mackillop College was selected on the wing. Nick plays his local football for the Valley Dragons and is a key member of the Canberra Raiders Harold Matthews Cup team. 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
CRC: Canberra Raiders Cup - Rugby League. JID: John I Dent - Rugby Union. VB: Volleyball.
ActewAGL Retail ABN 46 221 314 841.
More reasons to follow us.
Issue #27 September 2013
As Principal Partner of the Centenary of Canberra, we will be able to offer access to upcoming major events. Keep up with what’s happening locally, win tickets and access exclusive events on our Facebook page.
facebook.com/actewagl
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“We see the finals as an opportunity for our players to play the way we want them to play and to give themselves every chance of being picked in the senior side for finals.”
Image: GETTY
The likes of Brandon Jack, Tony Armstrong and Harry Cunningham are all in the mix, while consistent performer Shane Biggs was brought into the side to make his AFL debut against Hawthorn. “It is the first time a lot of these kids will be playing finals but we’ll give those players on the fringe of senior selection the best chance they can to put their name forward for the senior side – people like Mitch Morton, Tony Armstrong, Harry Cunningham, Brandon Jack. It hasn’t just been the senior side that has been rocked by injury, the NEAFL side has had many headaches of its own throughout the year. The fact that both the senior side and NEAFL side are still bona fide finals contenders is a testament to their depth.
Fairtytale could await following NEAFL Grand final With the AFL finals fast approaching and the Sydney Swans list currently ravaged by injury, there’s a good chance a fairytale selection could be made from the Swans reserves side.
Adam Goodes, Lewis Jetta, and Rhys Shaw have all been missing for at least a month each throughout the season, with Jetta set to make a return from injury through the NEAFL side.
After finishing top of the table in the NEAFL home and away season, the Swans reserves are again well placed for a tilt at the flag.
With so many injuries comes opportunity.
Injuries have hurt the Swans in 2013, with several playmakers from their premiership side out for lengthy periods during the year.
2012 saw Mitch Morton (pictured left) force his way into the senior side late in the season, hold his spot and become a premiership player, something reserves coach Jared Crouch is quick to remind his squad about.
“We have quite a young team and the senior team has obviously suffered a lot of injuries, I think the week before last was the first time I had all the listed players available to me.” While the clock is still ticking on the NEAFL season, a good month of football remains at AFL level, leaving more than enough time for another fairytale finals call up, with even the man himself Mitch Morton still in the running. Crouch was quick to point out that his players were well and truly focused on their NEAFL prospects ahead of the AFL finals. “Other sides know we have restrictions and rely on top-ups so we expect they’ll bring a really physical contest but as long as we play our Swans style and play our best, we’ll be happy.”
Patty Mills visits marist college In early August Patty Mills made the trip to Canberra to play for the Boomers against the New Zealand Tall-Blacks. A series that saw the Boomer’s clean sweep the series and qualify for the FIBA world championships. Born and raised in Canberra Patty also visited his old school Marist College to received the award of Full-Colours - the highest honour available at the college. The visit included a tour of the school including the new sports centre and the school Hall of Fame, of which Patty is a proud member of. Patty is now back in Texas, training with the San Antonio Spurs, hoping to go one better than last season where they narrowly missed out winning game 6 (and the finals series) of the NBA championships to James Lebrons Miami Heat. 20
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Issue #27 september 2013
Hawks move to strengthen local footy With the restructuring of the NEAFL competition, both here in Canberra, and up North, one of the forgotten repercussions is the impact this could have on the local divisions. While much of the Eastern Conference will remain the same, other than being branded into one competition ladder with the Northern Conference, the Tuggeranong Hawks will no longer take part in the NSW/ACT’s highest grade of football. But what does this mean for the players in the side? Players from the Hawks face a range of options for their future, given that they have played their final NEAFL game for the Hawks.
apiece, and the wooden spoon in both competitions. But with Tuggeranong’s NEAFL licence not being renewed, many of their players could step into the Division 1 side and breathe new life into a struggling senior side. From the outset of the season, the Hawks looked to struggle in Division 1. Tuggeranong didn’t taste victory until Round 13, going eight games (with four byes) without a win. But that’s not to say that the Hawks hadn’t performed well at all until their first win.
While some of the standout players may get picked up by other NEAFL clubs, they could fall into place and bring some much needed focus to another area of the club.
Before their two victories over the Queanbeyan Tigers in Rounds 13 and 14, the Hawks did have some encouraging performances, with another close game against the Tigers, and later in the season, kept in relative touch with Eastlake in a 15 point loss.
Both of Tuggeranong’s NEAFL and Division 1 sides faced adversity this season, only managing two wins
Due to the Hawks being uncompetitive in Division 1 this season, the finals were pretty much set in stone
I want a place that has the biggest schnitty in town.
early in the season, as only five sides took part, with four pushing their season into September. If many of the Hawks players without a NEAFL home next season step into the Tuggeranong Division 1 side for 2014 and beyond, we could actually see a race to the finals between the five clubs. The benefit of this happening is that the Hawks Division 1 side will have many players brimming with NEAFL experience, even if it was from a generally uncompetitive side. Some may forget that the Hawks side from NEAFL defeated Eastlake, who finished in a strong fourth place, in their opening game, while they also managed to knock off Northern opposition, albeit fellow strugglers Mt. Gravatt, who will also not be taking part in the NEAFL competition as of 2014. Players such as Brent Macleod and Liam Greenwell, among others, may wish to continue playing NEAFL with another club, if both parties so wish to. However, playing on for the Hawks in Division 1, and rebuilding their top side, could add to the competiveness in a Division 1 competition that also lost the Gungahlin Jets to lower divisions prior to 2013. Doing so may be a shot in the arm for the Hawks, and bring them up to a more competitive level, after a year of being left behind in the also-rans.
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 #27 September 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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“I’d been fairly independent for a few years and for most of the other girls it was their first time out of home and somewhat of a jolt.” When the Capitals and charismatic Head Coach Carrie Graf came calling in 2006, the Canberra fit was almost a natural and Bishop has retained a home in the Nation’s Capital ever since that time. “Canberra has been my base for more than seven years now and it feels like it’s home to me with mum and dad now in Queensland and the Northern Territory.” Bishop played her first European season with Perpignan in France’s top professional league (Ligue féminine de basketball) this year. She averaged almost 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game over the 25-game season for the club that ran into some wellpublicised financial trouble, which recently saw them relegated to a regional league. That international exposure came directly after her Olympic debut for the Opals Bronze Medal wining team in London and short stints at Dandenong (201011) and Adelaide (2011-12) in the WNBL. An American WNBA Championship earned as part of Seattle’s 2010 title run gives her an array of experiences in the world’s best competitive environments rarely able to be matched by any 24 year old.
Image: Goosebumps & HCreations Photography
Abby finds her way back home
It’s early 2009 and the Canberra Capitals have just finished another game in what was to be their third consecutive championship-winning year in the Australia’s world renowned Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL). The AIS Arena floor has by now, as is tradition, been handed over to the hordes of young and not so young fans that fuel the incredibly successful community based club. The players mill amongst the throng, signing mementos and in many cases just shooting the breeze with their supporters. By Brendan Parnell @brendanparnell At the very heart of it all is Abby Bishop, a tall blonde beacon for seemingly every child’s attention, who somehow seems to hit the right smile and note with each and every young suitor for her attention. Just 20 years of age at that stage, Abby had been part of the Capitals previous two championship teams after being plucked from the Australian Institute of Sport program at the normally tender age of 17 on her way to all sorts of great and wonderful things. Roll forward to this month and the news that Abby, now 24 and a London Olympian, is set to return to her spiritual home at the Capitals for the next two WNBL seasons in a move that is music to local basketball supporters ears. The Canberra based team has been universally 22
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recognised as the benchmark in women’s team sport, winning seven titles in a ten-year span that ended in 2010. But life has been tough for the past two seasons, with consecutive playoff absences resulting partially in the move to convince Bishop to return home. Whilst some may remember Abby’s South Australian origins and query the reference to Canberra as home, it’s something she’s quite comfortable about. “I grew up early, leaving home at 14 to go to school in Adelaide away from mum and dad’s country farm and lived with an older family friend whilst at school on a scholarship for basketball” she reflects. Moving to the AIS at just 16 years of age was only a shock to her in respect to the structure and number of things that were done for the scholarship holders.
And it’s that experience that will be the main difference to the player who returns to the Capitals as a marquee name and frontcourt leader for youngsters Alex Bunton and Carley Mijovic. “My dreams are to win another title in Canberra, find a way to be part of next year’s World Championship team in Turkey and ultimately the Rio Olympic team,” Bishop confided. “Then I’d love to pursue a career as a police officer, as it’s something that’s stuck with me since my childhood.” Capitals Head Coach Carrie Graf is naturally excited about seeing Abby return to the city where she started her rise to prominence on the world stage. “Abby is a passionate and determined young woman who fans and team mates alike seem to have a great empathy for. Her world class skill set and feel for the game have continued to evolve and the Capitals family is thrilled to be able to bring her leadership home for the next two seasons.” Graf said. When the subject of the unique magnetic effect she seems to have on children is raised, you sense that maybe experiencing her own rapid childhood evolution has given Abby a unique window into the world of youngsters. ”I’ve always loved kids and know from my own experiences that connecting with a conversation can often provide a spark.” The Capitals open their 2013/14 WNBL campaign on Saturday October 5th at the AIS Arena against Sydney University. Issue #27 september 2013
CAPS V SYDNEY AIS ARENA | SAT 5 OCT | 3PM CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU
Tickets from
FULL partial season memberships & group tickets now available | Call us 6253 3066 Issue #27OR September 2013 playcanberra.com.au 23
How long will McKenzie’s honeymoon last?
The tenure of new Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie, hasn’t quite started in the way he and most Australian rugby fans would’ve hoped, with consecutive losses to the All Blacks and the Bledisloe Cup already lost for 2013, and Australia are already on the back foot in The Rugby Championship. If there’s such a shock in all this, it’s probably that Australian rugby fans expected the turnaround in fortunes would be immediate, as if McKenzie would somehow click his fingers, or use some degree of Jedi mind trick, and that all the issues within the Australian playing ranks would just disappear.
STATE OF THE PLAY RUGBY UNION with Brett McKay @BMcSport
Alas, that was never going to be the case. The same scrum issues that plagued the Wallabies during the British & Irish Lions series in June still prevail now. And you would expect that to be the case, because it’s the same personnel involved. The midfield defence remains an issue, because as seems to have been the case for the last few seasons, there has been high turnover of players in the backrow, and between backline numbers 9-10-12-13. Clearly, it’s going to take time for Ewen McKenzie to work all these issues through.
That’s not a criticism of McKenzie, or Deans, or any Wallabies coach before them either. Rather it’s an observation that what once brought great success to all who wore the Wallabies jersey is no longer a threat on the world stage. The simple fact is that where the Wallabies used rugby league defensive patterns to guide them to the Rugby World Cup glory in 1999, professional teams in just
For starters, even after two games in charge, he’s still only had a bit over a month getting to know his players. He said at the start of his tenure that he’d never even met a large number of key players, let alone coach them, and so there will be some degree of newness about everything for a while. McKenzie was brought in to replace Robbie Deans with the expectation of not just success, but that we would these dates aren’t suitable, see If a return of this mythical ‘Australian way’ ofcome playing rugby. Now, I’ve watched a fair bit of rugby in my time, along to any training sessioncheck but I honestly couldn’t say with any certainly what the our website ‘Australian way’ is any more.
www.diamondphoenix.com.au Questions? Email usCome and TRY Dragon info@diamondphoenix.com.au
Image: GETTY
The dragon boating racing season is fast approaching but it is not too late to give the sport a go by paddling with Diamond Phoenix Dragon Boat Club (DP). The DPs are a women only crew that encourages participation in sport from women of all ages and sporting abilities. Since its beginning in 2006 , each year the club has strived to improve on previous years’ results and achieve new team best results by encouraging individual paddler’s performance. The DP’s have compete in ACT and interstate regattas and have a strong representation at the Australian National Championships. The highlights of the last season includes:
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McKenzie won a Super Rugby Championship with the Queensland Reds in 2011 with a team that was very strong over the ball, and who had the capability to turn that breakdown pressure into attacking opportunities. In his current Wallabies squad, a third of the players come from a Brumbies side that made the Final this year almost on breakdown pressure alone. When you consider this, it’s almost inconceivable why the Wallabies have looked so passive at the breakdown in their first two outings of The Rugby Championship. The Lions and the All Blacks have already shown this year that the breakdown is still the crucial contest, and so this has to be the first priority resolution, or at least major improvement for McKenzie and the players. From a strong breakdown presence, the attacking game will flow. And there’s never been a shortage of Wallabies wanting to have a crack at running the ball. But, as the old adage dictates, you need to earn the right to go wide by first going forward. McKenzie also looks to have a mountain of work ahead of him with the Wallabies scrum, too, but that has been said of just about every new Wallabies coach for the best part of 25 years. Regardless, with the new IRB scrum engagement trial putting a bigger focus on the contestability of scrums, the Wallabies need great improvement even just to hold their own, never mind compete, in the scrum set piece. So the answer to the headline question is probably “longer than first thought” now, because it will have to be. The one thing that Australian rugby fans have had tested the most in recent years - their patience - is the same thing they’re going to need to show the Wallabies for the rest of 2013, quite likely. There may well be more pain before any great gains are made.
Boating with Canberra’s only Women’s crew the Diamond Phoenix
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about any competition around the world you’d care to name defend so much better than even that again.
McKenzie has been appointed through to the next Rugby World Cup in England, in 2015. Hopefully, we’ll have a decent idea of what this current group of players is capable of under McKenzie’s tutelage by then. • Gold at the Orange Dragon Boat Regatta • ACT Championships • Oz Championship • 15 DP’s selected on ACT Fire Team • Our junior paddler Abbie Ryan represent the Australia at the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Hungary. So if you are a girl older than 12 or a woman of any age and want to give the sport a go with a friendly and supportive crew that constantly strives to improve whilest enjoying the buzz of the sport COME AND TRY Diamond Phoenix Junior Paddlers : 1st September All ages: 14 September, 12 October Time: 11:30 - 12:30 At the Canberra Yacht Club Mariner Pl. Yarralumla
Issue #27 september 2013
The application of force to the left or right will propel you in the opposite direction. The greater the force applied, the more pronounced the change will be. Easy? Good.
POWER-TO-WEIGHT: Which way to go? I have heard more times than I care to remember, that if you want get faster, or more agile, you have to get lighter. This theory is especially prevalent in running based contact sports, (Rugby, AFL, and Gridiron) and it is as damaging as it is unfounded. Let’s break it down. The theory of ‘lighter = faster’ is, in and of itself, accurate. If you reduce your bodyweight, you will have less mass to propel, and like a car with a newly installed lightweight carbon-fibre body, you will find yourself lighter, faster and more agile…In theory. However it only takes into account one half of the power/weight ratio!
To run, or not to run?
The most common mistake in running-based sports is the compulsion to over-use running in the training of these athletes. Unless they are receiving technique re-training, many athletes would benefit from reducing their running volume in favour of increasing relative strength in the appropriate areas. By Alan Romero, Advanced Performance Coaching. “Blasphemy!” I hear you say. But it’s true, the most common deficiency I consistently see in running-based sports is a lack of strength. What does being strong have to do with running you say? I’m glad you asked. Even in non-contact running sports, strength is a vital attribute for the athlete to possess. Appropriate increases in strength in the muscles of a running based athlete will not only increase speed, acceleration, and agility, but will reduce the incidence of soft tissue injury, reduce the amount of load a joint will be exposed to, and reduce the chances of getting caught in poor joint positions during movements or contact. How does strength affect running speed? Hang on while I get a little mathematical… don’t worry it’s pretty simple.
RUNNING SPEED The speed a person can run is determined essentially by the amount of power they can generate per foot strike. The equation for power looks like this (Power = Force x Distance ÷ Time) What this basically means is that the amount of force they can generate each time their foot hits the ground, divided by the time it takes Issue #27 September 2013
for them to apply that force = the power they produce. Math lesson over. So let’s take two athletes, both with identical height/ weight/strength/running technique/shoes/hair colour etc, and we’ll train one so that his/her leg strength increases by 30%, while his/her bodyweight stays the same, and our other athlete continues to practice only running. What will happen when we put them head to head? Our properly strength trained athlete now has the ability to produce more force on each step, and also will produce that force in a shorter time, this affects both sides of our equation in a positive way, and leads to a much higher power output. Simple right? And what about agility? If you understand how speed ties to strength, agility should be simple too…
AGILITY In the same way the strength affects how fast you can propel yourself forward, it also governs how fast you can stop and change direction. The application of force backwards will propel you forwards, this is acceleration. The application of force forwards will send you backwards or slow you down if already moving forward.
Why not increase power? If we stick with our car analogy, why would you go to the trouble of replacing the body of your car with carbon fibre, and making your vehicle lighter and more fragile, when you can leave the durable steel protection where it is, and drop a big V8 engine in to replace your V6? The reason most people choose to reduce weight is simply because it is easier. Increasing strength can be a daunting task for some, and when presented with the choice most would choose to drop weight as it seems the much simpler choice. Why bother trying to build strength when you can just eat less and drop a few pounds to achieve the same result? The problem is that the result isn’t the same The sole benefit of dropping weight is that you weigh less, thus increasing the power-to-weight ratio. The benefits of increasing strength are more numerous: • Increased power for propulsion (SPEED) • Increased ability to accelerate/decelerate/change direction (AGILITY) • Increased ability to absorb forces from surfaces opponents (INJURY PREVENTION) • Increased support for joints and ligaments (POSTURAL SUPPORT) It seems obvious that the best choice for long term performance is to increase strength rather than reduce weight in this very simplified example.
WRAPPING UP In conclusion, the rules on running need a rethink, the benefits of reducing mass for purposes of speed and agility improvements are too few, and the benefits of appropriate strength protocols are clear to see. I hope that this rant has been helpful in clearing up some of the myths and misinformation that is often circulated in athletic circles, or at the very least provided some food for thought. Until next time... playcanberra.com.au
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floorball Floorball is an exciting European indoor sport - a fast-paced game that blends some of the greatest elements of hockey and ice hockey. Teams compete with five players plus a goalkeeper on the court at a time. It has been called a thinking game, with speed, skill and technique more important than brute strength or intimidation. Floorball is growing rapidly across the AsiaPacific region, and has more than 300,000 official players and an estimated 4 million recreational players worldwide. As of 2011, Floorball has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee, as well as being included in the World Masters Games. Australia has participated in the World
Floorball Championships a number of times, and an Australian team won bronze at the 2011 World Transplant Games. ACT Floorball welcomes all ages and skill levels to come and try floorball. Join a 10-minute game to be one of 100 people to play 100 minutes of floorball. Learn skills from current Australian and ACT players before jumping onto the court to try your new-found abilities in a 10-minute game. These games will be running from noon until 2:30pm.
Come and Try Floorball
Join a 10-minute game to be one of 100 people to play 100 minutes of floorball. These games will be running from noon until 2:30pm. Tuggeranong Archery Facilit www.actfloorball.org.au
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
Softball ACT Centenary Gala Day
Event Name
Organisation
SOFTBALL ACT
Organisation
ACT Floorball
Date
Sunday 1 September 2013
Date
Saturday 14 September 2013
Time
8.30am to 4.00pm
Time
12.00pm to 2.30pm
Location
Hawker International Softball Centre
Location
Tuggeranong Archery Facility, Soward Way, Greenway
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Disability Participation Day
Event Name
Come and Try Softball Disability Day
Organisation
Sport & Recreation Services
Organisation
Softball ACT
Date
Sunday 1 September 2013
Date
Sunday 15 September 2013
Time
12.00pm to 4.00pm
Time
10.00am to 2.00pm
Location
Mpowerdome. Coyne St, Fadden
Location
Hawker International Softball Centre
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
Free Come 'N' Try Cricket Rego Day
Organisation
Monaro Folk Society
Organisation
Cricket ACT
Date
Saturday 7 September 2013
Date
Saturday 21 September 2013
Time
8.00pm to 11.00pm
Time
10.00am to 1.00pm
Location
Albert Hall
Location
Manuka Oval
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Name
Canberra Times Fun Run
Event Name
Kick Up Your Heels: The Electric Eighties
Organisation
The Canberra Times
Organisation
Funky Pleasure
Date
Sunday 8 September 2013
Date
Saturday 28 September 2013
Time
starts 8.00am
Time
8.00pm
Location
Yamba Drive, Mawson
Location
ANU Bar
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
Event Details
www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary
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Come 'N' Try Floorball
Issue Issue#27 #27 september 2013
e ::C : h: nt Mo e b th lu of C b sh lu ua y C Sq ar gs en kin nt Vi
Seniors V juniors in a centenary battle The family focussed Vikings Squash Club held a Centenary Club of the month event catering for squash players of all ages and abilities from across Canberra and surrounding districts. Player’s ages for this great event ranged over six decades and included some of Canberra’s youngest and oldest ‘squashies’ covering a huge gamut of abilities from absolute novice to highly competitive tournament players. To keep things lighthearted, our most junior members were pitted against our most advanced senior players! Naturally, the seniors were severely restricted through a variety of handicaps that were applied mercilessly in favour of our younger friends. Competitors battled it out for bragging rights in a tournament filled with intensely good natured rivalry in an atmosphere of fun and celebration...
The event was huge success with over sixty players and many volenteers on hand to ensure the day ran smoothly. The players were sorted into two teams: seniors, dubbed Team ‘I Told You So’ and juniors branded Team ‘Whatever’. Team ‘I Told You So’ led the field all day to take out the challenge winning with 2,953 points in total over the ‘Whatever’ team with 2,648 points. All players dressed in yellow to reflect Canberra’s Centenary, either demonstrating a flair for fashion or a sense of the ridiculous, including bumble bee and tiger costumes. Keeping with the squash theme, mini cupcakes decorated as squash balls were available to ensure high energy levels throughout the day. The club further celebrated our Centenary by
‘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 #27 September september 2013
renaming the five squash courts for the day after Canberra’s satellite towns of Tuggeranong, Weston creek, Woden, Belconnen and Gungahlin. The day was a huge success with many people calling for it to become an annual event. The fact that whole families of squashies joined us for the day made the event just that much more special and celebratory! More information on the club can be found at: www.facebook.com/VikingsSquashClub Every entry contributed a donation to ‘Dollars for Dili” enabling Vikings Squash to donate $150 to this worthwhile cause. Honorary mention: The honorary mention this month goes to the 3FIDI cycling team, for designing and producing a cenetary theme cycling jersey which they where proudly as they they promote the centenary and Canberra as they race at events around the country. With more events planned for 2013 the team will have more chances to submit entries and hopefully become Centenary Club of the Month.
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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Julia Stanmore 6-0 in the final; while Sam Bisa beat Harrison Pietsch to win the boy’s title. Martin Ting narrowly defeated Luke Jurkiewicz 7-5 in the 14-and-Under boys’ singles final; while in the girls’ final Matina Ujdur beat Zoe Rose Tregeagle 6-3. Anneliese Claudia Brenner teamed with Dabrowski to take out the 14-and-Under girls’ doubles title, beating Sophie Goldrick and Ingrid Stroud 6-1.
rising stars of tennis The Forrest Junior Open last month was full of rising stars.
Development Series, is aimed at intermediate players like Ganeshan.
Vishal Ganeshan, who has been playing tennis for four years, is one of them.
“He [Ganeshan] has improved a lot over the past 12 months and this tournament is a real breakthrough for him,” Calabria said.
The 10-year-old baseliner dropped no more than two games in each set on his way to winning the Boy’s 10-and-Under singles title. Ganeshan, who trains with Brett Lennard at Rising Star Tennis Academy, beat Nick Bisa in the final 6-2.
In the boy’s 10-under doubles final, Dominic Ferraris and Manish Rasalinkam beat Daniel Mcdonald and Jack Taylor 6-3.
In the 16s events, Jeyanthan Rasalinkam prevailed against Petar Zeljkovic 7-6 to win the boys’ singles title; while Reece Pahn and Joshua Ben Whitcombe easily accounted for Patrick Pigram and Sunny Yarlagadda in the doubles. Michael Bruen and Luke Jurkiewicz took out the Open boys’ doubles event against Jeyanthan Rasalinkam and Petar Zeljkovic. Calabria said there was a good response across the region and interstate from junior participants wanting to gain tournament experience. “The event is a great introduction to tournament tennis play and players wishing to progress their skills further towards Optus Junior Tour Events,” he said.
He also won the 12-and-Under boys’ doubles title when he partnered Harrison Pietsch to beat Rishi Ganeshan and Daniel Zhang in the final.
Alyssa Simoncini took out the 10-and-Under singles title when she beat doubles partner Ellie Koundouris. The pair then narrowly lost the doubles final 4-5 to Maya Bruckener and Sophie Mcdonald.
Tournament organiser Frank Calabria said the tournament, which is part of the Medibank Junior
In the 12-and-Under events, Tara Dabrowski dropped only one game to win the 12-Under girls’ event, beating
The 2013 Forrest Junior Open, which was sponsored by Medibank Private and Supabarn, conducted categories from 10 & Under green ball right through to 16 & under and Open events.
Canberra’s Festival of Squash Serves up a Feast
several local Canberrans come the finals. Aidan Parkes and Peter Nuttall both rank highly while in the girls events Hannah Smit and Kathleen Palmer are looking to cause a few surprises for their interstate rivals.
The Canberra Centenary’s Festival of Squash began recently at the 2013 Vikings Junior Challenge with entry numbers more than doubling from the previous year. Over much of the festival Canberrans have the chance to see and join in everything from Come and Try Days and the Australian Junior Championships through to the ACT Open, the Australian Masters Trans-Tasman Test Series and the Australian Masters Championships. It truly is a Festival of Squash! And what better way to set the pace than with the recent honouring of squash legend, Heather McKay, as Canberra’s greatest sportswoman. Heather’s brilliant professional career, undefeated from 1962 – 1981, might have finished at age 40 but her enjoyment and passion for squash continued with her competing at World Masters Championships where she won titles in ’87, ’90, ’93 and ’95. Considered by many to be Australia’s best ever sportswoman – she also played top level hockey, as well as racquetball and tennis – Heather’s honouring might just be the highlight of two exciting months of high level squash over the Festival. The Vikings Junior Challenge showed squash as a sport attracting everyone willing to ‘have a go’. Played in great spirit, the torrid encounters in the upper age 28
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The ACT Open attracts our best local players together with interstate players looking to further their careers. For Canberra players it’s the opportunity to lift to another level from the weekly pennant competition. Some of the younger Premier Division players such as Josh Larkin, Aidan Parkes and Josh Southwell-Nobbs are all hard in training with Josh Larkin setting his sights on making a mark in the professional ranks. Also held at the Woden Squash Courts, the ACT Open matches will be fierce. It’s easy to think of Masters events as a little more sedate than other squash competitions. Not quite true. In Masters Squash, the pace might be a touch slower and the rivalry somewhat friendly but spectators can be sure to see battles aplenty, as competitors of (almost!) all ages put pride of state and territory on the line.
groups demonstrate that it’s not long before the ‘hit and miss’ of the youngsters makes way for skilled contests just a few years on. Come the Australian Junior Championships at Woden Courts in late September there are high hopes for
The Festival of Squash builds on a proud history of squash in the ACT. Top players such as Heather McKay laid the foundation for the likes of Stewart Boswell to reach the highest international level. Like McKay and Boswell, the surnames of our ACT juniors – Gauntlett, Potter, Watt, Siththaranjan, Corkery, Chan and Keen to name some – might well be heard beyond the squash courts in years to come. Issue #27 september 2013
Doorknock Appeal Launch Hellenic club woden
Seeking big-hearted Canberrans this September The Heart Foundation ACT is looking for big-hearted volunteers from across the state to take part in its annual Big Heart Appeal this September.
The charity hopes to recruit an army of 3,500 bighearted volunteers in Canberra to knock on doors in their neighbourhood this September, aiming to raise $225,000 to help the fight against heart disease, the number one killer of Australian men and women. “Most people don’t realise it, but heart disease is the
number one cause of death in Australia, killing one person every 24 minutes. Show how big your heart is by volunteering to doorknock for the Heart Foundation Big Heart Appeal. Sign up at www.heartfoundation.org.au/bigheart or call 1800 55 22 55.
Energy balls These delicious mini snacks are bound to please the whole family. Makes 12 balls
Ingredients
Instructions
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped 1/2 cup plain, unsalted almonds*, dry roasted and chopped (see Tip) 1/2 cup brown puffed rice (available from the health aisle in supermarkets) 1/4 cup plain, unsalted cashews* 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup tahini* 1/4 cup sesame seeds
1. Combine figs and almonds in a food processor for approximately 1 minute or until mixture forms a medium-fine consistency.
*Products available with the Heart Foundation Tick. All fresh fruit and vegetables automatically qualify for the Tick. Issue #27 September september 2013
2. Add puffed rice and cashews and pulse for an additional 15 seconds. 3. Pour maple syrup and tahini into mixture while the motor is still running, until mixture reaches a moist consistency that sticks slightly between two fingers. 4. Using damp hands roll a heaped teaspoon into a ball and coat with sesame seeds. Repeat to make 12 balls. 5. Store in airtight container in the pantry for up to 3 weeks until ready to eat.
Tip: To dry roast almond place in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat for Five to Six minutes, stirring frequently.
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PLAY CANBERRA
crossword 2
3
4
6
5
8 10 11 12
1 Starting gate (5) 2 Australian cricket skipper Michael ___ (6)
7 and 8 Down Former England goalkeeper (5,6)
3 Even on the card (3)
9 Perth A-league team (5)
4 Stiliyan ___, Bulgarian footballer fighting leukaemia (6)
12 Waratahs fly-half/fullback (3,8)
5 Man Utd brothers, Gary and Philip (7)
14 Man Utd and England striker (5,6)
8 See 7 Across (7)
18 Michael Jordan’s team (7)
11 Cricket stat (7)
19 Chris and Stuart, father and son cricketers (5)
13 Old-style clubs (7)
21 Unsanctioned (cricket) tour (5)
16 Once the UEFA Cup, now the ___ League (6)
15 Edged (6)
22 ‘Jack’ ___, heavy-weight boxer, world champion from 1919-26 (7)
13 14
6 Alessandro Del Piero’s nationality (7)
10 Scotland and Arsenal footballer of old, ___ Nicholas (7)
7
9
DOWN
15
16 S T K I L D A
17 18
19 20
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A S C O T
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A M O A O S H R E A E T C H O E H U K O R D S L R G U S D U R U G U S T A P V I Y C L E U N A D A W E E D
E D W A R D S N O B L E
B D O N I U A G E R S A I N E W I S S E A S T Y W M R U N O N U L G A R
17 Laurie ___, former Canberra and Australia league player (5) 20 ‘The Moose’ Mossop (3)
Crossword #20 solutions
1
21
Across
“Play for the name on the front of the shirt and they’ll remember the name on the back” - Tony Adams. Arsenal.
Jason Lancsar
COERVER Coaching Master Class Series.
COERVER® Coaching Asia Pacific Director
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 Double Scissors.
Topic: The Double Scissors
• This is a double move, so you will need a little extra space to complete the move. Don’t try it if your opponent is very close or closing in fast. • Don’t reach or lean back. Try and stay close to the ball so you’re well balanced and can perform the move at speed. • Use this move down the wings and when your opponent is in front of you.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Step around the ball with one foot.
To the other side of it.
Now do the same with your other foot, stepping around the ball.
To the other side.
Then, with the outside of your original step-around foot, take the ball past 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 #27 september 2013
Issue #27 September 2013
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H T I W S N O I T C N FU CHARACTER 2013 KICK-OFFSSCHEDULE H T I I W W S N N O I O I T T C C N N FFUU CCHHAARRAACCTTEERR 2013 2013KICK-OFF KICK OFFSCHEDULE SCHEDULE
Corporate Hospitality packages are available at all games, call us or email us for further information.
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INFO@CANBERRASTADIUM.COM
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6256 6700 Issue #27 september 2013