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Season 2018 Well that’s another season done and dusted - it actually seems like a very long time ago we started getting prepared for this season with our normal pre-season stuff and having meetings and welcoming new teams to the club. I hope that everyone has got something out of the season - We can’t guarantee your team will win or that the weather or some other outside influence disrupts your season, we can’t even promise that in the worst of injuries crisis’s that we can find you enough players (although we will give it a damn good try). But what we can promise is if you engage with us we will do everything we can to make your Ellerslie experience a good one!
For those who have been around for a while it’s not hard to remember the tough times when we had no floodlights for games - only one half of Michaels Ave #1 (when it was grass) to train on and one solitary floodlight down on the lower fields swamp. Sounds horrendous right? That was our reality only 5 years ago. Now we have 4 fully floodlight fields at Michaels Ave, usage of Ngahue and a new changing rooms and clubrooms facility coming up soon - we look forward to bringing you more news about that. It’s been awesome for me to be able to wander around on a Saturday or Sunday and watch several teams playing, from our junior teams to our ASFA affiliated teams, to catchup with how teams are going and watch a few minutes of football. I have endeavoured this season to get photo’s of every team - I failed ultimately but it’s a goal I will continue to try and achieve next season. One of the reasons I failed my goal this season was the ultimately shambolic scheduling out of COMET - to give AFF a slight excuse a new system is never easy and to couple that with a new competitions team we were always going to have mistakes this season.
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Sadly one of the real disappointments was AFF’s reluctance to help us manage fixtures so the same teams didn’t end up playing away from Michaels Ave - I suspect this reluctance was mostly due to a lack of resource of AFF’s behalf but nonetheless it negatively impacted on peoples seasons and that at the end of the day is not good enough.
We will be following that up with AFF and we are confident with the admin team we have at Ellerslie that we can make a massive improvement in this area in 2019 if AFF play ball with us. Congrats to all the teams who did well in their leagues - we only had one league winner from the club teams (Kiwi True Blues won the ASFA Premiership - one of our affiliated clubs from the ASFA) but we had a bunch of 2nd’s, 3rd’s etc.
Check out the back of this program for a list of all the tables! If your reading this report right now and you have 2 mins then make sure you go thank your team manager - his or her efforts are completely crucial in your team functioning, they might make a few mistakes - forget the match ball or melt the strip in the dryer but 99.9% of the time our managers are onto it and that makes a massive difference. We are always after more - so if your keen to help your own team or another team then get in touch! One of the awesome things I love about Ellerslie is the willingness for players/members etc to interact with other teams - a lot of clubs have teams who basically stick to themselves, which we call the club within a club effect - and we work really hard to create opportunities for teams to feel like a part of something bigger than just one team, and while there are still a few teams who operate wolf pack style there is a lot that really buy in to what the club is doing - so if your team or you personally are one of these people, then thanks! We appreciate it! Ok it’s time for the thank you’s - there are a few! Fred de Jong and Ryan Shiffman The football brains at the club! Kelly Bolus and Lynnette Margison operations experts, making a massive difference on the ground for both members and volunteers alike Rob and Rose McCarthy Our admin and finance superhumans - based in enemy territory in Pukekohe but still giving it everything for Ellerslie
(continued on the next page)
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Julie Vidovich It would be wrong of me to have included Julie in the operations team don’t get me wrong she helps in that area as well, but her real asset is just being a jack of all trades and helping EVERYWHERE, ALL OF THE TIME! Great stuff. Ben Stewart Bar Manager wizard - not only does Ben coach 2 teams, he also manages the Ellerslie AFC Bar, it’s a massive task off my shoulders and he does an awesome job of it! Knee surgery robbed him the chance of being here tonight but he is a superstar nonetheless! The rest of the EAFC Committee Great bunch of people - all with different backgrounds and areas of interest but all with a passion for football and willing to help. Thanks for making the season as easy as possible! I look forward to seeing all of you back next season for more Ellersliecentric football related fun! Cheers Tim Adams
Just a few things to remember to make the night flow
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No alcohol to be taken outside
Only miniature trophies can be taken home club trophies are to be left in the clubrooms at the end of the night.
Please try and respect other teams awards and keep quiet during the presentations
Enjoy yourselves but drink responsibly - the bar staff won’t be serving intoxicated people.
WELCOME
2-4
TONIGHTS PROGRAMME
6-7
GLOSSARY
8-9
MENS RESERVES
10-11
WOMENS FIRST TEAM
12-13
WOMENS RESERVES
14-15
BLACK PONIES
16-17
DECPETIVELY SLOW
18-19
MENS FIRST TEAM
20-21
OVER 40’s METRO
22-23
WOMENS REBELS
24-25
DIAMONDS
26-27
RED FURY
28
BOYLAN
29
CHAMPS
30
CHAMPS RESERVES
31
MUSTANGS
32-33
GREEN PONIES
34-35
LEAGUE TABLES
36-41
100 CLUB
42-43
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CLUB AWARD: Clubperson of the Year Kiwis v the Rest (under 30’s) Kiwis v the Rest (over 30’s) - Willy de Witt Trophy Nathan Russ to present Men’s Black Ponies – Player of the Year Men’s Black Ponies – Sportsman of the Year
CLUB AWARD: Services to Refereeing Jono Rea to present Men’s Champs – Player of the Year Men’s Champs – Sportsman of the Year Men’s Champs Reserves – Player of the Year Men’s Champs Reserves – Sportsman of the Year
CLUB AWARD: Club Golden Boot Bruce Allison to present Over 40’s Mustangs – Player of the Year Over 40’s Mustangs – Sportsman of the Year (presenter TBC) Over 40’s Metro – Player of the Year Over 40’s Metro – Sportsman of the Year Over 40’s Metro – Jo Crichton Supporters Player of the Year TEAM MEDALS – LEAGUE
CLUB AWARD: Supporter of the Year Jorge Flores to present Women’s Red Fury – Player of the Year Women’s Red Fury – Sportswomen of the Year Chris Thurston to present Women’s Rebels - Player of the Year Women’s Rebels - Sportswomen of the Year
CLUB AWARD: Brewster Shield – Best Overall Performance (presenter TBC) Men’s KFCFC – Player of the Year Men’s KFCFC – Sportsman of the Year
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INTERMISSION
Tim Adams to present Women’s Reserves – Most Improved Women’s Reserves – Players Player of the Year Women’s Reserves – Player of the Year Women’s Reserves – Sportswomen of the Year Ryan Shiffman to present Women’s First Team – Most Improved Women’s First Team – Players Player of the Year Women’s First Team – Golden Boot Women’s First Team – Supporters Player of the Year Women’s First Team – Player of the Year Women’s First Team – Sportswomen of the Year CUP PRESENTATION
CLUB AWARD: Ritchie Family Cup – Manager of the Year Ian Davidson to present Men’s Reserves – Players Player of the Year Men’s Reserves – Player of the Year Men’s Reserve – Sportsman of the Year Fred de Jong to present 1st Team – Players Player of the Year 1st Team – Most Improved Player of the Year Brian Compson Memorial Cup – First Team Golden Boot Joe Walton Memorial Cup – Supporters Player of the Year 1st Team – Player of the Year 1st Team – Sportsman of the Year Colt Cup – Outstanding Young Player Jack Hatton Memorial Trophy
CLUB AWARD: Sportsperson of the Year
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Here is something to help you understand some of the trophy’s handed out tonight, and how the winners are chosen. Player of the Year - your teams best player, by team vote or chosen by your coach Sportsman of the Year - the player who gave your team the most, on and off the field, typically also someone who plays hard but clean (the Ellerslie AFC way!) Supporters Player of the Year - some of the teams have this award, most of them have been donated by ex members and have the trophy's themselves have ties to great Ellerslie AFC family's—as you can see from the title these are awarded to the supporters favourite player! Most Improved - this is awarded to players who the coach thinks have made the biggest improvements during the year - it doesn’t mean the player wasn’t good to start with but more that their attitude and learning experience this season has been above the rest. Golden Boot - Easy this one, the player who top scored for your team
Players Player of the Year - some of the teams have a player of the year and a players player of the year—this is as the title suggests the version that the players pick, it’s not always the same as what the coach picks!
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SPECIAL AWARDS: Colt Cup - donated to the club to help recognise ultimate up and coming exceptional talent, usually rewarded to someone in the First Team or Reserves under 21.
Jack Hatton Memorial - donated by Matt Hylla in memory of his brother who passed away, this award also recognises exceptional up and coming talent but also takes into consideration a strong off-field personality. Services to Refereeing - a nod to a growing part of the modern club, the referee - the winner of this award shows excellence in the field of refereeing. Club Golden Boot - the top scorer across the entire club in league games - based on goals recorded on your teamcards Team of the Year - this award is judged on league record alone - the team with the most games played and least losses (present at prizegiving) wins the “Team of the Year� Manager of the Year - The Manager who has made a massive positive impact on his team this season, someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty regularly Sportsperson of the Year - probably the most prestigious award for a player/member to win - the best of the best!
Clubperson of the Year - The ultimate award at the club this award recognises ultimate contribution across any avenue at the club, could be a player, coach or a volunteer
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This was a good year, not because our results were 14W 3D 5L to finish fourth, but because lingering still is a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment from involvement with the 2018 team. An American coaching dogma is that Jim’s and Joes beat Xs and Os. In short players are more important than strategy and tactics. A more recent iteration is that “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. The Reserves had a good culture. It was welcoming and inclusive of new players, supportive, but competitive at training and on game day. It needed to be with 57 players used over the season. High training standards were set by senior players notably Michael, Monju, Tavis and Victor. The team accepted that their role was to prepare players for First team selection and that game and positional selection was based on the needs of the first team. The positive culture was also reflected in the satisfaction the squad took from other members making the first team as regular starters or off the bench. Alok, Adam, and Seb took their chances, proving that patience hard work and consistent performance was recognised. Karar also worked his way into first team consideration. The squad should also take satisfaction because their culture allowed the Club to successfully introduce several youth players to NRFL competition. All these players were concerned pre- game about their ability to perform. They were given ongoing encouragement during the games and praise for their efforts as well as constructive sound positional advice from the players around them. At the final whistle their confidence was enhanced and they had enjoyed the experience.
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Our playing style was built on possession, quick ball circulation and attacking football, which relied on player rotation particularly in the midfield. When we had slow ball circulation we struggled. At our best we played creative attacking football resulting in some memorable goals. It is also fair to say we did not finish enough of the chances we created. There were two individual goals that stood out, both by Will. The first, as I recall him saying, was on the fly, laces from about 1000 metres against Hibiscus Coast and the second from 750 metres against Manurewa both in the second round. I recall also the two quick goals Luke scored as a sub after Karar after had worked over Melville’s tiring defence with aggressive pace, creating opportunities, but without success. Seb regularly scored demonstrating excellent heading technique, equally Leon from both distance and close range. Connor L’s left and right foot finishes against Manurewa were of high quality. It was also fitting that Joe, who played
some outstanding games with his off-ball movement, finished an injury dogged season with two individual goals of quality. We were strong and well organised on defence. Lloyd provided confidence with consistently good GK performances. We were well served in the No 6. position by Alok and Conner McC and latterly Sho. Our back four, was anchored by Michael and generally featured Seb, Will, Tavis sometimes Luke and Karar, but many other players had cameos and Victor was particularly good. We may have lost five, games but were outmatched only three times, twice against Waiheke and in the first round against North Shore although we dominated the second half. I thank the coaching team of Grant Marshall for his player management skills delivering both individual hard messages and positive messages bolstering confidence and supporting player development. For his ability to maintain training tempo, and deliver sound training with limited numbers. For recognising key training and game day points I missed, Kris Pinnock for keeping me grounded, advising not to try fix things that were not broken, and sharing his analysis of the game particularly from a GK perspective. Tim for his support, organisation and input into team selection. Our physio Aaron Collins, who was an effective sub until injured. (Physician heal they self!). I thank Fred and Tim for their coaching support, including the sartorial critique of my coaching footwear. I also record my thanks to the Ellerslie administration team for their organisation, accessibility and support. Finally, I extend my thanks to Michael Glenny, our Captain Courageous for his high standards, hard work, never say die attitude, and leadership and to all those who played for the 2018 Reserves. It was a good season because the players made it so. Ian Davidson Coach
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The 2018 season was a year of many firsts. It was the first year of 1st team football for many players, it was coaches Ryan Shiffman and Brendon Smith’s first year coaching senior women, it was a year that saw some youth players get their first taste of senior football and it was the first year that Ellerslie Women had won the AFF Women’s KO Cup! With the coaching appointments to the team coming very close to the start of the season, the team rushed to get ready for their first match of the year. With little prep time, the team struggled at the start of the season to find a style of play and dropped their first two matches despite being in the lead 1-0 in both. The issues only compounded when the team picked up two injuries to crucial players that would keep them out for weeks. The turning point in the season was in the third game of the year against a tough Northland FC team. For the third straight game the Ellerslie Women’s team found the back of the net first… and then proceed to concede three goals before the half. At halftime the team headed for the changing room with their heads down, starring at a long season ahead if things remained the same. The defensive tactics were changed, and the team did a great job translating what was said to what was happening on the field. With the defence secure the team was free to attack. The Ellerslie Women knocked in 3 goals in the second half to take the game 4-3!
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It was from here that the team seemed to really buy in to what was happening and continued to improve week on week with their play, tactical understanding, and support for each other. When the league finished had finished Ellerslie was left in 2nd place by 4 points. A tough pill to swallow considering they had beaten the league winners in both games they had played them during the season.
The Ellerslie Women had one more chance at silverware for the season in the AFF Women’s KO Cup. The team easily walked into the Cup Finals, scoring 26 goals and conceding 0 in three cup matches. In the finals they would meet Central Women’s Conference team who despite having a myriad of chances against them both time in the league, Ellerslie only came away with a loss and a draw. It was more of the same in terms of chances, but this time it was Ellerslie taking home the win and becoming champions! A special shout out to Kate Lambert for her motivation and management skills on the sideline for matches; as well as, all the players’ partners who were there each week to run the line, warm up the goalkeeper and support the team. We really appreciate all the support this team had. Hope everyone has a great summer and we look forward to doing it all over again in 2019, with hopefully just one spot higher on the ladder. Ryan Shiffman
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I had the pleasure this season of coaching the Reserves team – well when I say coaching I mean that in the loosest possible way, I would let Ryan do the heavy lifting of running training on Tuesday and Thursday and then take the glory seat on match day. With the removal of the Reserves league at the end of the 2017 season and the loss of two good coaches – this season was always going to be challenging and although we didn’t feature very high on the league table our number 1 challenge was always in relation to playing numbers rather than the strength of the opposition. When we had a full team we had the quality to test most teams in the division – but having a full team didn’t happen very often as we struggled with injuries most of the season.
There were a few constants through the season who made a massive difference – big thanks to Jess H, Jess J, Zoe, Lily, Lauren, TK, Pippa and Akhita for being that core! Recruitment was a key to making this season functional and we did well in this regard with Lily, Andrea, Anissa, Georgia, Courtney and Steph T all joining the club and making big contributions! One of the most enjoyable moments of the season was when we beat Metro at home – finally seeing Eva back on the field (pretty much injury free) was awesome and seeing the ladies get a comprehensive win finally was a good moment – however I must commend the general attitude of the entire team who refused to be downcast despite results not going our way – there were not many games that we were not competitive in which I think the team realised.
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Congrats to Beachlands on winning the league – we had two pretty competitive games against them and we enjoyed both of them – great to see another club investing in
their women’s program. Also congrats to the Rebels who had an awesome season both on and off the field and finished 3rd which was an awesome result for a great bunch of ladies! Tonight’s award winners deserve their accolades, it was a tough call to make as there were so many worthy contributions – one person I would like to personally thank is Chrissy Liversidge who filled in for us multiple times during the season and normally when we were desperate and was a real difference maker!
Thanks again to the team for making things as easy as you could on me, in particular Ryan who like I said above took the lion’s share of the coaching load while TK and Amelia helped out looking after the admin side of things which was great. Hopefully next season we see you all back – I am looking forward to watching your season from the less stressful position on the sideline as a spectator! Cheers Tim Adams
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Back: Keegan Cooke, Tyler Cooke, Robert Sherborne, Scott Harper, Neil Leissegang, Sam Mackenzie, Ameer Singh Front: Kasper Aleete-Freeman, Mick Spiekermann, Connor Bryce, Brad Rae, Jerry Shikongo, Nathan Russ, Rafael Rocha Absent: Sunny Gill, Max Lewis, George Clarke POS P 3rd 18
W 12
D 1
L 5
For 68
Ags 42
GD 26
PTS 37
A few years ago, Ellerslie added a new program to the preseason run, which was the now hugely popular Open Trainings, designed for new players looking for a team. Interest for the first training was so high that we were worried hundreds of players were coming! While great for players and managers alike, we quickly became aware that there were far more players turning up who wanted to play football than we had teams (or coaches) available. Adding to these numbers every year has been the EAFC former junior players looking to transition to senior football. And so, faced with a sizeable group of very keen individuals, we would ask if anyone would put their hand up to be a player-manager for a brand new team, which any player-coach will know is a tough ask.
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So at the start of this season, I fired the Shotaholics team Donald Trump styles, and told them they had to go find other teams. Next I grabbed a bunch of random players from the Open Trainings and pushed them together into a team. (with a couple of
other lost souls thrown in for good measure) I wanted to start a new development team here at Ellerslie focussed on transitioning juniors and those not familiar with club culture and give them a safe and fun environment to develop their skills, not just on the pitch, but also off the pitch, covering the other important areas of football, being refereeing, coaching and management, with these select individuals given a look at my template of how a social team can be set up to be organised and how it works in practice. The result? – I'm pleased to report that we have had a little success here in 2018. Just a little step, but I hope this is a small step towards building a more engaged community here at Ellerslie. I'd like to promote social football and enjoyment of the game as my main goals here, and in this regard, I can personally report that I had a very enjoyable year playing football with the Black Ponies, and I feel it to be my most fulfilling contribution yet. For 2019 I am confident Black Ponies will return as a group and there is a whole team of talented player/coaches/managers/ referees any of whom I have confidence will help each other to go on, and I look forward to seeing them continue to enjoy their football and see success on and off the field. As for me personally, I intend to volunteer to repeat my 2018 experiment with a new group of keen individuals who are looking for a coach and I aim to report back with another small success in 2019, same time, same place. Until then, signing off as 2018 Black Ponies Manager,
Nathan Russ
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In my season wrap last year, I quoted Vincent Kompany, following Man City finishing 3rd in 2016/2017, as saying “sometimes exceptional seasons are built on seasons like this”. He was right. They blitzed to the title with five games to spare and broke a number of records along the way. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for us. We didn’t drop a cool £45 million on a right-back, either, but did make a couple of solid signings from Shotaholics to boost the squad. We said “sayonara” to our goalkeeper and midfield Makalele but managed to sign up the rest of the lads for another season. #squadoftwenty And what better way to prep for the season with some tough games, especially against Div 2 rivals Business Time and old sparring partners KFCFC, in the Ellerslie Senior Men’s Tournament. Being crowned Champions never hurts pre-season preparations either! Unfortunately, our pre-season bubble was soon burst with a misguided and muggy friendly against the Eastern Suburbs side that went on to win Div 2, unbeaten and banging in 98 goals for fun. The first round of the league threw up a Friday evening trip to Papakura and what felt like the biggest pitch in Auckland, although Tim assured me it is not bigger than Michaels Ave #1! Easter excesses and the ‘joint biggest pitch in Auckland’, however, took its toll and we ended up on the wrong side of a 3-1 result.
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We got our first win the following week in an Ellerslie derby but the rest of the season was a topsy-turvy affair with a couple of unbeaten runs, some disappointing losses and some unfortunate injuries (the year of the hamstring). That said, we managed 3 more wins than last year and ended up finishing joint 4th (well, 5th on goal difference). And in the words of the legend that is Ian Holloway,
“managing a league club is like making love to a mermaid … you should always be aiming for a top half finish”. In the numbers … - 1 trophy (Ellerslie Senior Tournament winners) - 18 League games (W9 D2 L7) - 37 goals scored - 42 goals conceded (15 less than last year but still more than we scored!) Top scorers: Sean Cunneen (13), Matt Wall (9), Sam Dallimore (7) Squad: Blair Gilbert, Brendan Kerwick, Callum Dunbar, Chris Pollard, Daniel Hefferan, Eli Elkington, Ivan Atkins, Mark Standley, Matt Wall, Paul Currie, Paul McGivern, Remi Muyle, Rob Hayden, Sam Dallimore, Scott Jones, Scott Waldron, Sean Cunneen, Stuart Nimmo and Stuart Taylor.
Special thanks: Tim and Kelly for all the effort, emails and energy.
A huge thanks to the lads for making it “fun” each week, trying to get the ball down and play decent football, working hard for the team and for “keeping it positive”. Roll on next season!
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Having narrowly avoided relegation on the last match day of 2017 the First Team were keen to ensure that 2018 was a much less stressful season. The 2018 season was seen by the coaching staff as a season of consolidation given the performances of 2018 and the level of NRFL experience in the team at the start of the season. Coaches Fred de Jong and Terry Torrens remained in charge and the majority of the First Team squad returned to play for the club. The season got off to a reasonable start with draws against Hibiscus Coast and Waitemata bookending a loss to Mt Albert Ponsonby. A win against Oratia the following week saw Ellerslie sitting comfortably in mid table. However, in similar fashion to 2017, a run of narrow losses saw the team drop to 9th, albeit with a buffer of seven points from the relegation zone as the competition moved into the second round. The Chatham Cup gave the team a brief respite in the middle of the season with a first round win over Te Awamutu and then a thrilling match against our perennial Chatham Cup opponents, Melville United. As runaway league winners Melville were a daunting prospect but an Art Twigg hat-trick made sure it was a close and exciting affair. With the scores locked at 3-3 at full time the match went to extra time. Just as it looked destined for a penalty shootout a late Melville goal gave them the victory, 4-3. The focus returned to the league and the team continued to put in the effort required to improve performances and results. Two crucial victories against Waiheke (3-0) and Fencibles (2-0) moved the team up to mid-table on the competition ladder.
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The final match against Tauranga was an eventful affair with the team hammering in eight goals to end the season
on a very positive note with Denny Twigg matching his brother’s Chatham Cup effort by scoring a hat trick. The result meant the team finished in seventh position on the Division 1 table. The team had the fifth best defensive record in the league but only the eighth best scoring record so the club will look to use this as a starting point for improvement into 2019. We wish to thank everyone involved with the team this season, including players, coaching staff, management and supporters. Special thanks to Tim Adams who again managed the side and put in a huge number of hours to make sure match days ran smoothly for both the First Team and Reserves. We hope everyone has an enjoyable off-season and we look forward to seeing you supporting the club next year.
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We won the league this season by seven points beating the second placed team East Coast Bays in the final game. We have now won the league the four years. We have continued to play a good standard of football with some very good games to watch. Congratulations to Simon on scoring twenty five goals, a feat many strikers would like to achieve. Along with Jeremy who scored fifteen goals we proved to strong up front. With Darryl our best defender and Nick we held our backline together with our reliable goalkeeper Scott. Peter and Hoops in the centre midfield proved a strong link between defence and attack controlling the middle of the park. The rest of our squad compliments our team and have all played their part in winning the league. Special mention to Johan for once again running the line in his professional manor. Congratulation to Mark for playing his thirtieth season for this team well worth a mention. Final thank you must go to Dave for once again coaching our team, who has also had a huge part in our success. With season now finished we will continue to kick around on a Thursday night till next year. It is now time for fishing and spending time with our families.
Stewart Ritchie Team Manager.
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Played : 17 : 14 Draw: 1, Lost :2 Players : Nigel Blanchard, Stuart Cameron, Stan Clark Rodney Cooper, Peter Downer, Paul Grogan, Seith Harrison, Paul Hooper, Simon Lapthorne, Ross Leaver, Callum McKain, Scott Meikle, Johan Oosterhoff, Mark Phillips, Nick Russo, Jeremy Seales, Abhishek Singh, Paul Sipos, Gary Walton, Darryl Ward, Ian Wilson, David Witteeven, Coach: David Witteeveen Manager : Stewart Ritchie
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Ellerslie Womens championship team aka The Rebels thoroughly enjoyed the 2018 season, hitting the goals set, developing continuously throughout the season and having a great time along the way. The Rebels play competitive football and improved both technically and tactically this year, finishing 3rd in the league (the highest in recent years) and reaching the cup semi final. This season the girls challenged themselves to increase to two trainings a week and knew fitness was important. With this drive, a core of players from 2017 plus a number of amazing new recruits the development has been outstanding. They are at their best playing possession based football and mix a physical approach with also being good people on and off the pitch.
As coach I am most proud of the development over the season, taking points off the top two teams, bettering the result of each first round game and being unbeaten in the second half of the season. On top of that the team have become a super strong unit and the laughter, support on and off the field and activities have been excellent. The trip to Wellington for the football ferns game vs Japan an absolute highlight. The whole team should be very proud of a great season! To the Rebels, thanks for all of your patience, desire to learn and for being awesome people to hang out with.
Cheers, Chris
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Captains note - Hollie Leona I’ve had the pleasure and honour of captaining the Rebels this year and it has been one hell of a ride. This season has easily been one of the best yet, both on and off the field, and that’s because the Rebels family is second to none. I truly can’t fault anyone who has been a part of our campaign. To play in such a positive and encouraging environment, with a healthy dose of competitiveness and a large dose of laughter, has allowed each of us to flourish and unlock parts of our game we didn’t know existed. Chris laid the foundation for the Rebels to play patient and technical football, and maybe at times we didn’t, but the thought was always there! Nevertheless, I can’t thank him enough for what he has done with this team.
And to my girls; may we continue our climb and build on a great 2018 season - thank you for letting me lead you this year.
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It's a tough gig to go through your season losing just one game and not winning the league. It's an even harder pill to swallow when you come second to your arch rivals for the second year in a row. Well that was the case with the Ellerslie Division 1 Diamonds. Having placed second in Div 2 last season we moved up a little nervous whether we could front it in Div 1. We needn't have worried. Winning 14 of your 18 games and drawing 3 is a season to be proud of really, but gee wizz it hurts missing out on the title again. Especially when you come so close! Our last 2 games of the season were against the 1st and 3rd placed teams (we were 2nd) whom we had both drawn with in round 1, and the equation was simple. We win both games we win the title. We were pumped, and we were confident. But we fell at the first hurdle.
The second round game against the WS Stingers has been the game of the season for the past 3 years with both teams rallying their biggest (and most hostile) crowds and with the title always on the line (imagine if we had finals football...?). This season was no different. A heated and hard fought 1-1 result gave the opposition one hand on the trophy and their convincing victory over 3rd from bottom the following week secured them the title. What might have been had we not had injuries or absentees to 3 or 4 key players...
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But it can be a very cruel game at times and it wasn't to be. To celebrate we went on to slump to our first and only loss of the season. Tired legs, sore bodies, and shattered emotions were still recovering from the week before.
Going through undefeated would have been a special
achievement but no one really cared if it didn't win us the title. So in summary it was a season of 'so close but so far away', but as it is with the Diamonds (and I'd like to think for all of the Ellerslie teams) the season is as much about the results as it is about the camaraderie and the off field experiences. On that front we definitely won. Some new signings did a great job at dropping the median age and quickly became a part of the culture, and we even had a world cup winning All Black join our squad (he should stick to rugby). We made a real effort as a team to be mindful of our impacts with a particular focus on plastic pollution (it's a $2 fine for wearing electrical tape or bringing a new plastic bottle). We also had some memorable nights out with our fans (aka friends and family) and the highlight of the season was definitely the inaugural Diamonds Tour. This year we made the trip to Dunedin and played against a invitational 11. So much fun! What goes on tour.... Bring on 2019!!
Player of the Year Charles Williams Sportsman of the Year John Chisholm
Golden Boot Charles Williams - 12
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We are made up from last years’ Comets and Fury teams, plus some new team members.
Our final standing really doesn’t reflect the season we had. We fought hard and played well as a team. These ladies are a great group who have fun on and off the field.
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The Boylan team of 2018. With a few key players missing from the previous campaign the squad was made up of 8 new players. The team got off to a slow start to the season and never recovered unfortunately, although we did have some close losses against top teams including diamonds and stingers. However we all thoroughly enjoyed the year and morale stayed positive throughout. With 30 goals scored less than last year we are looking for an Aguero in the coming transfer window. Sportsperson of year: Sam Hutching, most committed to attending training and games.
Player of year : Liam Palmer
29
Following up on a near undefeated season from 2017 was always going to be a hard ask. Especially with the need to rebuild the squad somewhat. We had a great pool of players enter into the squad for the season that we actually had the ability to make a reserves team. This aided in the squad being able to train with larger numbers and gave us excellent competition. The Champs got off to a great start in the season. We had a couple of upsets along the way in the lead up to the end of the year. Poor results against Papatoetoe and Mount Albert Ponsonby and Waiuku all ended up leaving us with a tough ask against Waiuku away from home to determine the league. These games were typified by unlucky results where we dominated games but conceded and couldn’t get any goals back. Massey Park is not the easiest place to play at the best of time and our play which focused on build up, control of possession through short sharp passing did not play well at the ground where traditional long ball football was required. Waiuku won the match and subsequently the league off the back of this. Unfortunately our cup run did not play out similar to past glories and although being completely dominant in our 1st round game struggled to convert chances into goals. The subsequent penalty shootout was lost not without some controversy from a referee. We will be back next year to challenge for the cup and regain this for the club. We introduced a lot of new members to the squad and I am proud of the achievements of the team, the team will be in a good position next year to kick on and make improvements to our play style and dominant the league and cup.
30
Glen Jones
This was the first year the Champs Reserves were in action. The team has been fantastic throughout and although injury problems were rife during the season we still put some awesome performances in. The team started in division 6 in AFF and went undefeated until there was an opportunity to be elevated to Division 2. The team relished the challenge and took on the opportunity. The team did well in Division 2 and climbed the table although the team played 7 games less than the others in the competition. Division 2 provided some excellent close games which was far more welcomed than the inflated score lines in Division 6. This lead to us playing better football as a result and will leave the team in a better position next year to continue the journey up the leagues. Glen Jones
31
Over 40’s Mustangs – Motuihe Division - League Pos: 5th= The season started like the past few – “hit” but with the “s” missing but little did we know it is true you only go up when at the bottom. Recent seasons we have not left the bottom. After about 4 games if you were an EPL Manager there would have been a big shake up and sackings. Luckily for our Selector he is not the Manager and the team don’t know how to get rid of him. Finally many would say the Selector listened to the knowledgeable and the team game day line-up was changed to a 1 4 2 defence line. Results nearly happened overnight – the only thinking stopping this was the change was on a Thursday and the next game was Saturday. Team morale, players strengths, the whole way for older players to enjoy the game flicked a switch with the style change, it was like going from a warehouse shirt (probably D’s like) to finally finding a quality Italian tailored clothe shirt – you just feel better for being ripped off paying an excessive price but you do get results and up the table we went. Thanks Paul for being the instigator of change and perseverance to make it happen. Now where was I? Yes our Manager could not be sacked. We never would under no circumstances anyway. Ian P is the best Manager a team could ask for, he goes about tirelessly doing all manager jobs, arranging strips, collecting the funds, part of the away trip committee and dealings with the Tim and the Club. On this note Tim you are the best Chairman ever and we appreciate everything you do for the Team and Club. This report has been draft written a few times. This one is very different from the others, just changed on Friday. The Team has played its 28th season and I’d like to congratulate two players for their input towards the team since Day 1.
32
Len N: the first ever Captain of the team, a guy who has played the best quality of football (this was again evident last Saturday during our away trip to Queenstown. A team came up from Invercargill to play us and some said they would be around 45 plus (“Yeah right” as the striker was 22 and what a player and many other were still playing top level footie in Invercargill – when you get passes from one side of the field to the other and direct to a guy’s foot even though he is running faster than us is something to admire and we did a bit of that going down 5 – 1). Any way back to Len. Len played for the opposition and silly I thinking why not help them out by giving them a player. Len
with the space they created (not that we can’t do it occasionally on a Saturday) reminded us of his qualities and was the Player of the Game. Len has given the team 28 years’ service (with more to come) and on Saturday night he said he was moving – then he said to Invercargill to get 90 minutes game time – a rarity in our team but not forgotten. Back in the first team report (1991) Len wrote of our Selector “Out on the wing (when he was there) ..”. Thanks Len for keeping me grounded and I still appreciate the ongoing advice today and after 28 years I believe I have started to listen though probably a bit to go to improve my hearing. Ken H: the second of the originals. Ken gives his all year in year out and is an integral part of the team. He plays where ever he asked to, to the best of his abilities and has a way of getting past players that surprises them and is lovely to watch. A team trip without Ken means there is something missing and the latest trip to Queenstown meant when we did the bike riding excursion that we got to ride a lot together – at the back of the pack because of my lack of bike and saddle fitness, Ken stayed with me, cheers mate. As I said Ken gives his all on Saturdays and this year he had a minor heart attack but after resting he went back on. The follow up to this was he had three stents put in over three weeks and two operations. With the Doctors all clear Ken played at Queenstown – not sure what doctor gave the all clear but great to have you back with us and for years to come. I’m going to wrap up now and have written a special separate report for the team as all the guys deserve a special section of their own. With 30 years as a team looming I made hopefully not a bad choice with dedicating this to a couple of our special mates. I love playing in this team and with you guys, and whilst we are players we are more importantly great mates and have this bond for the remainder of our lives. Bruce
33
34
35
NRFL DIVISION ONE Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Melville United AFC
22
20
1
1
71
18
53
61
North Shore United
22
15
2
5
47
21
26
47
Waiheke United AFC
22
14
1
7
49
27
22
43
Mt Albert-Ponsonby AFC 22
12
4
6
38
23
15
40
Forrest Hill Milford Utd
22
11
4
7
45
35
10
37
Fencibles Utd AFC
22
9
3
10
43
38
5
30
Ellerslie AFC
22
7
3
12
31
34
-3
24
Hibiscus Coast AFC
22
7
3
12
31
44
-13
24
Waitemata FC
22
7
3
12
39
52
-13
24
Tauranga City AFC
22
6
2
14
30
60
-30
20
Manurewa AFC
22
5
1
16
26
52
-26
16
Oratia Utd
22
4
3
15
22
68
-46
15
NRFL DIVISION ONE RESERVES
36
Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Fencibles Utd AFC
22
19
1
2
97
21
76
58
Waiheke United AFC
22
17
2
3
64
19
45
53
North Shore United
22
15
1
6
62
37
25
46
Ellerslie AFC
22
14
3
5
57
25
32
45
Melville United AFC
22
13
1
8
59
43
16
40
Mt Albert-Ponsonby AFC 22
11
2
9
50
41
9
35
Forrest Hill Milford Utd
22
10
2
10
46
47
-1
32
Tauranga City AFC
22
7
1
14
38
66
-28
22
Oratia Utd
22
5
2
15
30
77
-47
17
Manurewa AFC
22
3
4
15
26
54
-28
13
Hibiscus Coast AFC
22
4
1
17
26
61
-35
13
Waitemata FC
22
3
2
17
25
89
-64
11
WOMENS CONFERENCE Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Onehunga Sports
14
10
0
4
55
22
33
30
Ellerslie AFC
14
8
2
4
41
26
15
26
Norwest United
14
8
2
4
27
17
10
26
Fencibles Utd
14
7
2
5
28
21
7
23
Hibiscus Coast
14
7
0
7
34
33
1
21
Central Utd
14
6
2
6
20
21
-1
20
Northland FC
14
5
2
7
25
28
-3
17
Manukau City AFC
14
0
0
14
10
72
-62
0
WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Beachlands Maraetai AFC 12
9
2
1
33
15
18
29
Eastern Suburbs AFC
12
9
1
2
33
9
24
28
Ellerslie AFC
12
6
3
3
25
16
9
21
Onehunga Mangere
12
6
1
5
24
13
11
19
Onehunga Sports
12
4
1
7
26
27
-1
13
Ellerslie AFC
12
4
0
8
20
31
-11
12
Metro FC
12
0
0
12
7
57
-50
0
MENS CHAMPIONSHIP Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Waiuku AFC
17
14
1
2
57
22
35
43
Ellerslie AFC
18
14
0
4
54
18
36
42
South Auckland Rangers 18
12
0
6
45
35
10
36
Western Springs AFC
18
10
2
6
44
33
11
32
Central United FC
17
10
1
6
55
36
19
31
Mt-Albert-Ponsonby AFC 17
8
3
6
42
29
13
27
Fencibles Utd AFC
18
5
2
11
39
49
-10
17
Otahuhu Utd AFC
18
5
2
11
28
63
-35
17
Papatoetoe Utd FC
18
3
2
13
28
65
-37
11
Pukekohe AFC
17
0
1
16
13
55
-42
1
37
AFF DIVISION ONE Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Western Springs AFC
18
16
2
0
83
17
66
50
Ellerslie AFC Diamonds
18
14
3
1
55
18
37
45
Western Springs AFC
18
11
4
3
57
41
16
37
Drury UFC
18
7
5
6
40
43
-3
26
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
6
4
8
38
31
7
22
Three Kings Utd
18
6
2
10
42
47
-5
20
South Auckland Rangers
18
5
2
11
32
65
-33
17
High School Old Boys
18
4
4
10
30
47
-17
16
Clendon United AFC
18
3
3
12
34
65
-31
12
Ellerslie AFC Boylan
18
2
3
13
30
67
-37
9
AFF DIVISION TWO Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
18
0
0
98
18
80
54
Western Springs AFC
18
12
2
4
55
34
21
38
Papakura City FC
18
10
1
7
58
46
12
31
Papatoetoe United FC
18
9
2
7
46
32
14
29
Ellerslie AFC Deceptively Slow
18
9
2
7
37
42
-5
29
Ellerslie AFC Business Time
18
8
1
9
41
36
5
25
Manurewa AFC
18
6
3
9
42
40
2
21
Ellerslie AFC Champs Reserves
11
4
0
7
23
27
-4
12
Onehunga Sports
18
3
3
12
43
86
-43
12
Three Kings Utd
18
2
3
13
20
59
-39
9
AFF DIVISION THREE
38
Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
15
1
2
55
15
40
46
Three Kings Utd
18
11
3
4
60
28
32
36
Western Springs AFC
18
11
2
5
32
24
8
35
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
10
2
6
56
28
28
32
Bucklands Beach AFC
18
7
4
7
29
40
-11
25
SAR AFC
18
7
2
9
55
49
6
23
Bay Olympic
18
7
0
11
37
60
-23
21
Ellerslie AFC KFCFC
18
5
3
10
31
50
-19
18
Ellerslie AFC Kaizer Chiefs
18
3
5
10
27
48
-21
14
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
1
4
13
22
62
-40
7
AFF DIVISION FOUR Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Mt-Albert-Ponsonby AFC
16
14
1
1
62
13
49
43
Unimount
18
10
3
5
59
37
22
33
Manurewa AFC
18
9
3
6
51
50
1
30
Onehunga Mangere
17
9
0
8
37
24
13
27
Pukekohe AFC
16
8
2
6
37
24
13
26
Bucklands Beach AFC
17
7
2
8
35
52
-17
23
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
5
5
8
29
30
-1
20
Bucklands Beach AFC
18
5
3
10
35
56
-21
18
Western Springs AFC
18
3
6
9
37
52
-15
15
Ellerslie AFC Barons
18
3
3
12
20
64
-44
12
AFF DIVISION FIVE Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Clendon Utd
18
14
2
2
86
19
67
44
Papakura City FC
18
14
1
3
69
34
35
43
Ellerslie AFC Black Ponies
18
12
1
5
68
42
26
37
Ellerslie AFC Shicksy
18
9
2
7
46
33
13
29
Western Springs AFC
17
9
2
6
47
44
3
29
Eastern Suburbs AFC
17
6
3
8
56
55
1
21
Drury FC
18
5
6
7
33
47
-14
21
Unimount
18
4
3
11
48
60
-12
15
Onehunga Sports
18
2
3
13
44
75
-31
9
Manurewa AFC
18
2
1
15
24
112
-88
7
AFF DIVISION SIX Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Papakura City FC
18
16
1
1
82
21
61
49
Three Kings Utd
18
11
3
4
71
36
35
36
Bucklands Beach AFC
18
11
3
4
44
28
16
36
Eastern Suburbs AFC
17
10
3
4
41
33
8
33
Pukekohe AFC
17
9
1
7
42
48
-6
28
Ellerslie AFC McMahonMcFace
17
6
1
10
45
58
-13
19
SAR AFC
15
5
1
9
26
45
-19
16
Unimount
16
3
2
11
33
50
-17
11
Ellerslie AFC Sharks
11
2
0
9
18
41
-23
6
Clendon United AFC
18
0
0
18
0
59
-59
0
39
AFF OVER 35’s DIVISION TWO Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Mt Albert-Ponsonby AFC
14
12
1
1
60
10
50
37
Onehunga Mangere
14
8
1
5
49
30
19
25
Fencibles Utd AFC
14
7
2
5
35
36
-1
23
Papakura City FC
14
7
1
6
28
37
-9
22
Ellerslie AFC Elks
14
6
1
7
32
35
-3
19
Western Springs AFC
13
4
2
7
28
31
-3
14
Western Springs AFC
13
3
1
9
26
45
-19
10
Mangere United
12
2
1
9
16
50
-34
7
AFF OVER 40’s CONFERENCE Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Ellerslie AFC Metro
18
14
1
3
79
33
46
43
East Coast Bays
18
11
3
4
57
35
22
36
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
8
3
7
37
43
-6
27
Fencibles Utd AFC
18
8
2
8
61
50
11
26
Western Springs AFC
18
8
2
8
43
44
-1
26
Takapuna
18
4
3
11
36
56
-20
15
Pukekohe AFC
18
1
4
13
25
77
-52
7
AFF OVER 40’S MOTUIHE
40
Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Onehunga Sports
17
17
0
0
82
23
59
51
Onehunga Sports
18
12
3
3
63
34
29
39
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
11
2
5
49
26
23
35
Bucklands Beach AFC
16
9
2
5
46
31
15
29
Fencibles Utd AFC
17
8
2
7
41
36
5
26
Ellerslie AFC Mustangs
18
8
2
8
41
39
2
26
Unimount
17
4
4
9
41
43
-2
16
Drury FC
15
4
2
9
34
41
-7
14
Onehunga Mangere
18
2
2
14
37
80
-43
8
Bay Olympic
18
1
1
16
18
99
-81
4
AFF OVER 40’s PAKATOA Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Beachlands Maraetai AFC
18
14
3
1
80
18
62
45
Ellerslie AFC Zephyr
18
13
2
3
74
23
51
41
Eastern Suburbs AFC
18
12
3
3
78
20
58
39
Bucklands Beach AFC
18
13
0
5
86
41
45
39
Western Springs AFC
18
8
3
7
44
48
-4
27
Fencibles Utd AFC
17
8
2
7
37
40
-3
26
Bay Olympic
18
6
1
11
35
61
-26
19
Papatoetoe AFC
18
4
3
11
27
58
-31
15
Western Springs AFCs
17
2
1
14
23
83
-60
7
Unimount
18
0
0
18
15
107
-92
0
AFF WOMENS DIVISION THREE Team
Played
Win
Draw
Loss
For
Ag
Diff
Total
Lynn-Avon Utd AFC
16
14
0
2
54
11
43
42
Bucklands Beach AFC
16
11
2
3
34
12
22
35
Waiuku AFC
16
11
1
4
43
22
21
34
Metro FC
16
9
1
6
34
31
3
28
Drury FC
16
7
3
6
26
19
7
24
Onehunga Mangere
16
5
2
9
15
29
-14
17
Onehunga Sports
16
4
3
9
14
24
-10
15
Ellerslie AFC Red Fury
16
2
2
12
12
44
-32
8
Papatoetoe AFC
16
1
2
13
4
44
-40
5
Manurewa AFC
18
2
1
15
24
112
-88
7
41
42
Massive thanks to the following businesses and family’s who have joined our 100 Club initiative - we really appreciate your support! For those who have businesses please support them with your custom! Name Contact Email Horizon Mission Bay markw@location.co.nz Mr Chips dacey.balle@ballebros.co.nz Westferry Services dominic@westferry.co.nz The Alcock Family n/a Jan Malcolm Unlimited Potential jan.malcolm@uprealestate.co.nz General Collective rose@generalcollective.co.nz Mandata Services rob@mandata.co.nz HUP Soccer Skills mark@HUPsoccerskills.com Rockell Family n/a Woodley Family n/a Property Funding miles@propertyfunding.co.nz Naomi Lowe Asset Wise Naomi@assetwise.co.nz Ellicott Family n/a Peninsula Group Wadrobes Ltd matt@pgwl.co.nz CSports Ltd matt@pgwl.co.nz Hooper Family n/a Metalcraft Roofing paul.hooper@metalcraftroofing.co.nz Phillips Electronics markp@phillipselectronics.co.nz Barrington Family n/a Jeffrey Family n/a Coco Hills heather@cocohills.co.nz No1 Currency christopherwilby@hotmail.com Barfoot & Thompson Ellerslie kiri@barfoot.co.nz Balle Family n/a Simply Fit Gym sarah@simplyfit.co.nz Rathbone Family n/a Blue Holmes-Kinsella n/a Hale Manufacturing Ltd stevehale@haleman.co.nz Walker Weir Property Management info@walkerweir.co.nz Tui Robertson n/a Misty Robertson n/a Chopsticks Robertson n/a Magnolia Productions mail@magnoliaproductions.co.nz Muscle Movement susanwaagdijk@outlook.com Spider Personnel daniel@spiderpersonnel.com
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44