Malvern Juniors were big winners this weekend, as you’ll read in the Reports, and State League put in a strong showing in the Bob Russell Cup Match at Eltham. As for Divvy 2, Coach Westy’s humour level seems to have dropped a notch this week from his usual irreverent, chirpy report.

This week we have a segment from the President, and some snippets of Club history for your edification.

Last weekend when the thermometer dropped at Eltham the sideline and hillside were well populated with the new black and red Malvern jackets — the first time it’s really been cold enough since the end of last Season when we all bought them — and don’t they look great!! For those who missed out on them,if you make enough noise, further orders can still be placed.

Coming very soon, the New Season Winter ‘08 hoodies and T-shirts. Watch out for them at the Club. You won’t want to miss them — at $30 hoodie, $15 T-shirt, they’ll be flying off the shelves!

Again, please send me your feedback and inside stories and I’ll include them in next week’s mailing. And if you have a good Club photo, serious or funny or embarrassing, send it to me compressed to 200 KB — winning photo each week gets a lacrosse match ball.

Best regards,

Mike

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Picture of the week:

 

Jordy Campbell and Nic Chapman strike a pose at half time in the Round 1 Footscray game. Photo by: Lisa Smith.

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THE PRESIDENTS VIEW

Hi all.

This week I had the pleasure of watching State League, that’s two weeks in a row: I was unable to watch them last season as I was involved with the Division 2. I was very impressed with the improvement of this team: whilst they didn’t win, the score didn’t truly reflect the closeness in the general play; I certainly believe that this team will develop into a very strong State League team, and I know if they all stick together and work on their game they will again see Malvern become a force.

The Junior teams in all grades have been getting a number of Walkovers: whilst this is very frustrating for them, it is a credit to our Club that we have not given any, and that we have good numbers in all Grades. If any of the Juniors wish to bring a friend along we can certainly find a spot for them, and we could help the Club’s long term plans, so please contact your mates and get them playing.

Norm Coleman
President

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Mens Round 3: 26th April 2008

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State League: vs Eltham 6-20

Eltham	3	5	5	7
Malvern	2	1	1	2

Coach Skeps wrote:
This weeks game was always going to be a tough test for us but from the first face off we showed plenty of courage and desire and really made it a great contest. Pat McGrath Campbell had a terrific day in the middle and dominated the face off, well supported by our middies who won their fair share of contested groundballs, a huge improvement on the week before and against much better opposition. Jay Baskaran again had a great game in goals, and is looking very confident in his role as SL goalie; our D in Fazza, Shearmo, Lopes and Scanlan all performed well against a much larger Eltham attack line. Josh Naughton’s great form continued along with Rob Chamberlain, James Moloney and Travis Croll, who were able to control the ball in attack and give us some good scoring chances: more shooting practice during the week should see us improve our conversion rate. In the end it was Eltham’s size and experience that dominated the 2nd half, although the scoreboard didn’t really reflect the quality of the contest. All in all: a step in the right direction, just need to convert more.

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Division 2: vs Eltham 6-13

Coach Westy wrote:
Division 2 lost to Eltham 13-6. Once again we had an overflowing bench with 17 players - this was with 6 senior players unavailable for the game. Despite the score the defence played very well and stopped many of Elthams attacks. Without our more experienced attack we failed to convert as easily as we have in previous weeks and there were too few scorers, goals to - Laidlaw, Joy, Finnigan. Fortunately we did score when Eltham had 4 players in the penalty box. The most entertaining part of the game was when the umpires couldn’t agree on how Eltham would be on-side. The midfield ran hard all day however Eltham were that bit quicker. On to next week.

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U18: vs Moreland 19-0

Coach Bosi wrote:

We were far too good for an under-manned Moreland side. It was an absolute goal fest with Jake Coleman scoring every time he touched the ball. When he took a shot from outside the restraining line we decided that maybe practising some team attack would be better for our development. This week nobody mentioned the dreaded “shutout” word and we were indeed able to hold them scoreless. It was encouraging to see the return of the “rockstar” Cal Van Twist as a spectator. After some constant nagging from Bozzie he agreed to have a run with us in future weeks. Another step forward for the boys who are taking on the Footscray powerhouse next week.

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U16: vs Chadstone 12-5

No report received

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U14: vs Moreland 16-6

Josh Naughton wrote:
The U14s had a great win over an undermanned Moreland team. While both sides were depleted by the long weekend, Malvern emerged as 16-6 victors. Again the team was lead from the midfield by strong efforts from Sam Anglicas and Jaxon Glover, ably supported by Michael Deighton-Smith and Max Dalgeish, and the attack who made the most of all chances with Michael Petritsch, Michael Alaimo and Joe Blakeney all ending up with hat-tricks. The defense allowed only 2 goals in the first 3 quarters with great games by James Butler, Andrej Saule and Nick Gilligan and a fantastic game in goals from Toby Exton who even got on the scoresheet with a coast-to-coast goal.

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U12 Black: vs Camberwell 21-1

Coach Gazzer wrote:
On Saturday the Blacks had another away game - this week at Camberwell, and put in another great team showing, winning 21-1. The main highlight was a great team effort with once again everyone getting on the scoresheet. Tim Flanagan had a great game roaming in defence, and served as an anchor for any attempted Camberwell efforts on goal. Elliot Petritsch showed his goalie abilities once again, managing to not let any goals past before a great effort in attack, gaining an assist on the day. Guy Exton, Rupert Smith and Ben Chapman lead the scoring with 4 goals each, and at least one assist each. Darcy Campbell had 6 assists for the day, along with some nice goals, after his traditional first quarter goalie effort. Jordy Campbell once again showed some great running thru the midfield slotting home 3, while Nic Chapman scored 3 goals, before playing goalie in the last quarter. It is also great to see a team full of kids who are willing and wanting to have a go at playing goalie!

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U12 Red: vs Caulfield walkover

Steve Bown wrote:

U12 Reds arrived at Caulfield to find Caulfield only had six players. We took the points for the walkover but decided to have a game anyway, with a few of our players taking a turn playing for the other side. The girls, Ally, Katie, Maddy and first gamer Dana, were unstoppable scoring for us, and a few too many whilst playing for the opposition! With our other first timer, Alex, also scoring for both teams. Aaron and Thom were solid in defence. Never short of volunteers in the goals even little Lochie had a stint, even though the goalie stick was bigger than him! It was fairly evenly matched with our new players doing a fantastic job and great skills shown by everyone. With two of our three games so far this season ending up as walkovers, hopefully next week we will find Camberwell with a full team ready to play!

Note: Caulfield has entered scores for this game on Sporting Pulse; the Ref determined the game was a walkover; Malvern has contacted LV to have the result recorded as a Walkover.

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DID YOU KNOW

*The Malvern Cycling Club was based at the Town Hall ground — they used to race around the ground, imagine that.

*CLUB LEGEND* JIM DAW

• Jim started playing in 1946 played for Victoria , and Australia
• Coached under 16s for over 10 years, also coached under 19s
• Under 16s State Coach from 1971 to 1981
• 7 times A Grade (State League) Premiership player, along with a number of B Grade and Junior Premierships as Player and a number of Junior Premierships as Coach
• Club President 1991-1992
• VLA delegate for 20 years
• Malvern Committee member for over 35 years
• Has been awarded Malvern Certificate of Merit
• Life Member of Malvern
• ALC certificate of Merit
• VLA Life membership
• Jim Played over 800 Junior and Senior games,and was an outstanding goal keeper

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CLUB EVENTS

Sun 25th May: State League have a bye this weekend. Malvern Seniors will play a practice match vs U19 Aussie Team (Vic squad); Town Hall Ground 9:30–11:30.
Sat 31st May: Alaimo Cup Match and Past Players Day — State League and U18’s both playing at home vs Surrey Park.
Sat 2nd August: Senior Trivia Night

Date TBA: Open Mike Entertainment Night
Date TBA: Junior Trivia Night

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THIS WEEK’S GAMES

9:30am	U12 Black	Willy Cities	Greenwich Reserve
9:30am	U12 Red	Camberwell	Dorothy Laver Reserve
9:30am	U14	Willy	HOME
11:00am	U16	Willy	Greenwich Reserve
11:00am	U18	Footscray	HOME
2:30pm	Div 2	Camberwell	Dorothy Laver Reserve
2:30pm	State League	Willy	HOME

Round two saw Malvern receiving 3 walkovers from 5 junior games — not the sort of Saturday we like to see, but the Coaches managed to organise some games and training. Next Saturday’s game are on SportingPulse, but we already know of some changes, so check with your Coach and the whiteboard at training on Thursday, as we’re aiming to avoid a repeat of this week’s problems.
Thanks to our Coaches for getting their reports to me in time for sending this week’s roundup out early in the week. This week we’ll also have Contact Lists for each of our junior teams, to facilitate car pooling and party organising.

Thanks for the encouraging emails — last week’s report should also appear in the Stonnington Leader; thanks to their Sports Reporter, Marty Shevelove, for supporting us. Didn’t receive any photos or stories, so I’ve put in a photo of mine from last year’s Division 2 Grand Final — what a terrific day that was.

Note that this Sunday at Surrey Park the first tryout sessions are on for the U19 Vic Team (9am) and U17 South-East Titans Team (11am). This year’s U17 and U19 Nationals will be at Caulfield in the July school holidays. With these Nationals just down the road, and coinciding with the U19’s Championships and U18 Kangas Tournament in Canada, these are a good opportunity for some more of our up and coming young players to represent our Club at State and Zone level. If you’re unsure whether you should try out, have a word to the Club Coaches before Sunday. For full details, see Mlcmail messages, or LV website.

Again, please send me your feedback and inside stories and I’ll include them in next week’s mailing. And if you have a good Club photo, serious or funny or embarrassing, send it to me compressed to 200 KB — winning photo each week gets a lacrosse match ball.

Best regards,

Mike

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Picture of the week: 2007 Division 2 Grand Final — party time for the Malvern Cheer Squad

 

Ally Campbell, Nic Chapman, Darcy Campbell, Mitch Baker, Jordy Campbell, Koby Cook

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Mens Round 2: 19th April 2008

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State League: vs Camberwell 11-14

Coach Skeps wrote:
This week’s encounter with Camberwell showed that things are definitely improving: Jay Baskaran backed up his first game performance with another stellar effort in goals. Our attack line was bolstered with the return of Rob Chamberlain who combined well with Trav Croll and Josh Naughton. The game was an evenly balanced contest going goal for goal most of the game, Malvern holding the lead for a short period in the third term by a goal. Great work in the face off by Pat McG gave us plenty of opportunities, and a tireless effort from the midfield led by Garrett, Coleman, Smith, Anglicas and Moloney kept us in the game and ensured some scoreboard pressure on the opposition. Brendan Farrell took control of a young defence line, with Ryan Scanlan the find of the day picking up a long stick for the first time and showing plenty of physical presence in the back half, also providing plenty of run out of the backline, with Shearman and Lopes in support.

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Division 2: vs Altona 13-4

Coach Westy wrote:
Division 2 travelled to Altona and for the second week had over 16 players. This was lucky because the old guys were feeling it. Gerrard out early with a leg injury, Squeak slowed down with a twitchy hammy, Rod Ansell just old, Cook puffing and Shannon’s mind and body still out of sync. Lucky the younger brigade where there to keep running. The return of Doody helped with him returning 4 goals while Finnigan continued to hit the target (the goalie’s chest!). The young defence line held firm all day with Zac Ansell, Naughton, Norris, Jenkinson and Hourigan-Richmond providing great support for an even younger Benson in goals. The game was played in good spirits (Ed. what, was that in the water?), with Malvern winning 13 to 4.

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U18: vs Caulfield 15-1

Asst Coach Bosi wrote:

It was clear from the start that the Caulfield team was very inexperienced, having a number of first year players. This gave our boys a good opportunity to practice some of our plays and to get the forward line working together. Contributions were very even across the field, however special mentions go to the following:

* Jake Coleman for his tireless work in the centre.
* Oliver Johnson for his cameo role on the forward line scoring 2 goals.
* Angus Norris with a welcome return to form and fitness.
* The eagerly awaited return of Courtney Scanlan who slotted neatly into the backline.
* Daniel Anglicas for doing the unforgiveable and mentioning the possibility of a shutout. For those new to the game you should never say this word while the game is in progress. Invariably the other team scores soon after which was the case on this day.

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U16: vs Moreland walkover

Mike Naughton wrote:

U16’s waited and waited, but the boys from Moreland called it off, citing Fixture problems, with their team spread across suburbs from Eltham to Moreland to Malvern to Camberwell. A scratch match was hastily arranged, with Dave Joy coaching our President’s merry crew, with players from Moreland, Norm anchoring the defence (well, he moved like he was anchored, anyway), Ellen Coleman joining the fray, and some lively U14’s putting in. Don’t know the score, but Norm said it seemed like it went on for two games long, as he was wearing Dave Gerrard’s size 6 boots (no room for socks). A good example of making the best of the situation, a good time was had by all.

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U14: vs Caulfield walkover

Mike Naughton wrote:

The Under 14s team is building steadily, this week joined by new recruits and a couple of players coming across from Caulfield. With a walkover from the scheduled game against Caulfield, they used the Saturday slot to put in a solid training session, and then a number of players jumped in to join the U16’s scratch match. Hopefully, next week’s game vs Moreland will be more live than this week’s U16’s Moreland game turned out to be.

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U12 Black: vs Eltham 13-2

Coach Gazzer wrote:
The Black team had the honour of travelling out to Eltham for a 9:30 game on the weekend, but it did not stop the team from a strong 13-2 win. Jaxon Glover and Ben “Hugo” Chapman, who in his first game for the year got a nice assist, were welcome inclusions to the team this week, which meant we had 9 players. All players managed to get on the scorecard while either an assist or a goal. With 4 goals coming from Jordy Campbell and Jaxon Glover, 2 each from Darcy Campbell after having a great first quarter in the cage and Guy Exton who also gave us a great display of stickwork in and outside of the cage. Nic Chapman also netted a goal and had 4 assists for the day, and Tim Flanagan gave us some strong run in the midfield and attack with an assist, while Elliot Petritsch once again showed us his abilities in the goals and getting an assist while playing attack. Rupert Smith showed some great running from defence, running the ball into attack all day and was rewarded with 2 assists, and a great all round game!

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U12 Red: vs Footscray walkover

Mike Naughton wrote:

U12 Reds travelled to Footscray, only to find they say they have no B Team, even though the Fixtures say otherwise — they’d better not get any bonus points for receiving a walkover in Round 1! Some quick mobile work from Coach Gus found them a game down by the river mouth with the Willy’s. Our intrepid new recruits took the field against Willy’s two U12 A teams, not at the same time, but still a steep learning curve — one of these weeks they’ll get a game against a ridgy-didge U12 B Team and they’ll wipe them off the park.