2007 Season Report - West Ryde Rovers Football Club

President: Karen Waud
Secretary: Andy Harrison
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
www.westryderovers.asn.au
Newsletter Editor: Leah Hanchard
Email: [email protected]
SECRETARY’S REPORT 2007
The popularity of soccer as a sport continues to grow, as does our club.
From 55 teams in 2006, Rover’s 50th Anniversary, this year we fielded 63
teams from U6 to Over 35, including 15 women’s teams.
Of our 45 competitive teams, we succeeded in achieving 9 Premiers and
4 Runner-up Premiers. We had 21 teams in semi-finals, and got 16 of those
through to Grand Finals. We ended the season with 12 Champions and 4
Runner-up Champions by the end of the well spread out Grand Finals.
The Rover
WEST RYDE ROVERS
Congratulations to all players in those teams. Congratulations also to all
other players who contributed to making 2007 the biggest season ever for
West Ryde Rovers.
The Club would especially like to thank all coaches and managers for the
work put in over the season, whether at training or games, in communicating information to teams, in organizing everything that needed to be
done. A volunteer Club our size can only exist through the people who
put their hand up to participate. Again, from our heart, thank you.
As Rovers continues to grow, the management of the club also becomes
a bigger job. This year we needed to buy in more strips and equipment.
We also have to compete for increasingly scarce training grounds, at increasingly scary costs! You may find the paperwork on Registration Day a
chore for your family, or team perhaps – try doing it for 870 people! Grading days, recruiting sponsors, issuing equipment, organizing canteen, assembling newsletters – none of these things would be possible without the
Soccer Committee. Thanks team!
La Cantina contributed some much needed funding to the club over the
season to help us cover costs while minimising registration fee increases.
Well done to everyone who helped make that possible over the season.
Thanks also to our wonderful sponsors, and please think of them first when
deciding where to direct your business.
As a Club we do not necessarily want to keep getting bigger, but we certainly want to keep getting better! If you have any ideas, suggestions or
constructive comments that you think could improve the running of our
club, please bring them to the committee’s attention. We might not always be able to use them, but we’ll always consider them!
Have a wonderful break (if you get one!) and we look forward to seeing
you at 2008 Registration.
Andy Harrison
Club Secretary
2007 has been a tough season, but we have some outstanding results!
Following are our achievements in the Premiership and Championship rounds
Premiers
Champions
9/8
AA4
AA11
AA19
35/1
35/4
35/5
AA4W
17/1AW
17/1BW
13/1W
10/1W
Pennant
Comp
Winners
9/8
16/3
AA19
35/1
35/5
AA4W
AA8W
17/1AW
17/1BW
12/1
16/2
12/1W
Runner-Up
Premiers
9/3
AA21
35/4
AA10W(Tm7)
Runner-up
Champions
9/3
AA3W
9/6
11/3
14/3
17/1
15/2W
AA8W
AA10W(Tm 7)
AWARD
Other
Semi-Finalists
CRITERIA
WINNER
Most Outstanding
Senior Team GHFA
Most Outstanding
Junior Team GHFA
Best Attacking Team
GHFA
Best Defensive Team
GHFA
Most Outstanding Team
NWSWS
35/5
171bW
Victoria Rd. Physio
Team Spirit NWSWS
AA8W
Encouragement Award
Lowest Competition
Points GHFA/NWSWS
16/1W
Bill Plaskett
LH Waud
Andrew Lang
Bob Goldsworthy
Bob Montgomery
2
9/8
35/1
9/8
2007 WRR PREMIERSHIP RESULTS
TEAM
PLAYED
WON
DREW
LOST
9/3
9/6
9/8
10/1
10/6
11/3
12/1
12/4
13/1
13/4
14/3
15/3
16/2
16/3
17/1
21/1
21/2
AA1
AA4
AA5
AA10
AA11
AA15
AA19
AA21
AA22
35/1
35/4
35/5
35/7
10/1W
12/1W
13/1W
15/2W
16/1W
17/1W
17/2W
AA2W
AA3W
AA4W
AA6W
AA7W
AA8W
AA10W7
14
14
15
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
9
14
14
14
14
11
11
11
11
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
8
7
15
3
4
9
3
4
3
1
6
1
7
12
7
2
7
3
6
4
7
6
6
12
11
1
12
10
13
4
4
2
2
5
0
7
9
0
7
10
3
7
10
7
2
2
0
1
1
0
3
6
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
1
0
4
5
3
1
6
0
1
1
0
2
0
1
4
1
0
1
2
1
4
3
1
2
3
2
4
2
2
4
5
0
10
9
5
8
4
10
12
6
11
7
2
7
11
7
7
3
7
6
2
8
1
2
8
0
4
0
6
6
9
7
3
13
1
0
11
3
1
9
3
2
3
AA10W8
14
5
1
6
BYE
FOR
AGAINST
POINTS
PLACE
2
24
15
48
14
13
46
18
17
21
16
35
7
23
54
33
13
44
18
29
29
25
35
23
52
79
12
70
39
47
20
10
8
15
18
4
31
51
5
35
41
27
21
45
23
12
12
2
39
24
14
24
18
38
64
39
44
20
24
35
48
27
33
17
28
28
18
35
14
20
40
8
14
11
28
22
28
22
11
68
16
4
42
12
11
39
13
19
15
26
23
45
10
13
27
12
18
10
4
20
5
21
36
21
7
21
13
23
15
22
24
18
37
34
3
38
30
40
16
13
6
10
20
1
31
36
7
29
33
11
25
32
29
2nd
4th
1st
6th
6th
3rd
6th
5th
6th
9th
4th
8th
5th
1st
4th
8th
5th
7th
4th
6th
5th
3rd
6th
1st
2nd
N/A
1st
2nd
1st
6th
7th
10th
8th
5th
8th
1st
1st
N/A
3rd
1st
6th
4th
1st
2nd
2
17
20
22
4th
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
2007 WRR SPONSORS
Please support these businesses first…….
•
•
Thai Chef
Set in tranquil bushland
Lunch & Dinner
Tues – Saturday
Parties & Functions
Brush Park Bowling Club
Marsden Rd, Dundas
Ph: 9858-1166
Brush Park Bowling
Club
“The Family Club”
BUDDY’S AUTOMOTIVE
Cnr Marsden Rd &
Rutledge St,
ALL MECHANICALS
WEST RYDE 9809-3238
RYDE 9807-4335
Dundas 2117
Ph: 9858-1166
Andrew Robinson | Director | The Logo Works
Phone 02 9437 5377 | Fax 02 9437 5378
Email | [email protected]
4
2007 WRR SPONSORS
Please support these businesses first…….
Victoria Rd
Physiotherapy
Rick Reeve & Theo Theodosi
For the treatment of:
•
Sports Injuries
•
Spinal Problems
986 Victoria Rd, West Ryde
Ph: 9807-3270
“We Won’t Be Beaten”
66-76 Parramatta Road
Lidcombe NSW 2141
Toyota
Ph: 9648 5566
Fx: 96472273
Mitsubishi - Ph: 9648 4188
Fx: 96484094
Sydney Wedding
Photography
Weddings – Portraits,
Family & Team Photos
All your photography needs
Ph: Paul Basha 9804-8811
5
Season Reports
Under 6 Emu
Coach: Damian Bouma
Manager: Rachel Kendrick
The season started with most of our team never having played soccer before. It was fun and very rewarding to
watch them go from flailing bodies running amuck on the field to a fairly co-ordinated, ball passing team, with many
an amazing goal scored, and a love of soccer born! They became a real team who loved to train together and loved
their Coach Damian! A big thank to Damian Bouma for having lots of fun with the kids and teaching them so
much. For Ryan M, training was the most fun because he got to learn from Damian like a big brother and hang out
with the team. For Sammy it was learning to run fast like Damian and being a goalie and scoring goals. And for
Harley K it was running, kicking, scoring goals and training. Many to thanks to coach, players and parents for a great
season of playing mini soccer together; our team was Madison Breakwell, James Brown, Samuel Cranfield, Mitchell
Harrison, Harley Kendrick, Harley Mackintosh, Ryan Manley, Joshua Tetto, and Ryan Todd
Under 6 Kangaroo
Coach: Iris Binion
Manager: Rebekah Evans
The U6 Kangaroos 2007 will be a season to remember. With a team that was well suited half having played the year
before and the other half on their debut into the wonderful world of soccer. There were many fantastic highlights
throughout the season. Isaac and Callum, the self declared team leaders, were relied on by the team for their speed
and goal scoring ability, with both scoring a number of goals in most games. We could not forget the trail of destruction left by Justin one Saturday as he dribbled the ball around players as they fell to the ground as he passed, finishing by kicking it in for a great goal. Ben and Christopher always seemed to be in the right position at the right time,
both showing great skill and ability that developed throughout the season. First time players Jenson, Joshua and
Gabriel all improved over the season, and are great team players. The final highlight of the season came in the last
game, with the entire team and sideline of supporters willing John on to score, the prize being of monetary value,
thanks to his grandpa, and increasing as the match went on. But it wasn’t meant to be this season.
The one area we did not get much practice at throughout the season was in goals, with most of our games were
played in the oppositions half, it was not often that the position of goalie had much to do other than watch the game
from afar.
As the season neared its end it was great to see the boys all playing as a team, passing the ball and communicating
with each other.
Thank you to the effort put in by all the parents, your help was appreciated by all. Looking forward to more great
memories, from a fantastic team, in the 2008 season!!!
Under 6 Koala
Coach: John Antoun
Manager: Peter Lillicrap
It all started one sunny afternoon in late February when a group of fresh faced 5 year olds arrived for the first time
at training to meet not so fresh faced first time coach, John and manager, Peter of the under 6 Koala's.
After a couple of training sessions and 2 successful trial matches hopes were high for a very successful season.
Being Under 6's and approaching winter, games were in cool temp's, early and as far a field as Kenthurst. The kids
suffered from this and the first few weeks losses consecutive losses. As the start times of the games got later, the
Koala's fortunes rose and a draw was quickly followed by several wins and the efforts were starting to pay off!!!!!
While Thomas, Anthony and Cameron were scoring goals, Gabrielle, Jessica and Natalie were stopping them.
As the season end grew near James and Josie both scored goals and Mark the youngest player in the team became
unstoppable in the midfield.
Each and every player developed their skills and became a valuable contributor to the team and special thanks must
go to John, or Coach as he became called, for his patience. Also thanks to the Soccer mums for washing the jerseys
each week and making sure there were oranges at half time.
We finished the season with a BBQ at Coach’s place and can only look forward to next year!!!!!!
6
Season Reports
Under 6 Kookaburra
Coach: Alan Smethurst
Manager: Tony Guanta
The U/6 Kookaburras in their very first season had an outstanding 2007. The boys took to soccer like ducks to water
and by the end of the season they looked like they’d played together for years. The kookaburras showed great enthusiasm at training every week and it showed on match day every week as the kookaburras were a pleasure to
watch for all the parents and family. Congratulations to Ahmed, Jayme, David, Max, Jack, Mitchell, Karthik, Nicholas
and Thomas on a great 2007. Special mention to Super coach Alan Smethurst on coaching the kookaburras to a successful year.
Under 6 Magpie
Coach: Michelle Heffernan
Manager: Narelle McKenzie
As the final whistle blows on another season, it is with mixed emotions we say goodbye to the 2007 under-six Magpies. For most of the boys it has been their first season of soccer, and possibly their first involvement in a team
sport. Wins and losses have come and gone, friendships were made and laughter shared along the way. In their own
way I believe each player experienced the spirit of team work, the joy of victory, the pain of defeat and the defiance
to return next week to do it all again. In short they experienced life in all its complexities and were made better for
it.
Way back in April we played our first trial game against Dundas – going down 7-0. The problem was; we didn’t
tackle, didn’t dribble and forgot which way we were going. Late in the game the boys looked at me in confusion and
asked, ‘when was it our turn to score?’ After that game I set a rather humble objective for the year – to score a goal.
A couple of weeks later we did score that goal and another – going down 5-2 in our first ‘official’ game. Suddenly we
needed a new objective, this time – to win a game. Sure enough we needed another objective the following week as
that first win materialised. A funny thing happened over those weeks - the tackling, the dribbling and on the odd occasion the passing that was missing against Dundas started to happen.
Driven by the intuitive learning that success and confidence bring, players like Tom Zanolla, Ethan Uslu and Jacob La
Manna started scoring goals with regularity, and the big hearted determination of Charlie Timms shined through like
a beacon. But learning can be a subtle exercise and its results slower to appear - as it was with Matthew Hogan,
Kaelen Saunders, Joshua Whineray and Jacob Bradford. Each of these boys started the season without any experience, yet by season end could hold their position anywhere on the park with ease, even scoring a couple of goals
too.
Yet in every team there is a special player or two, and the Magpies were no exception. For me James Webb stands
out in this regard for simply trying and bringing an infectious enthusiasm to all his games. For me James shows that
everybody who participates is already a winner. Lastly but not least is our steely eyed enforcer – Luke Smyth. At six
years of age a boy who already stands out as a mercurially gifted athlete, Luke was the driving force behind our
team and set the standard for everybody to aim for.
Again, a funny thing happened throughout the season - little by little we moved from a group with a small nucleus of
talent to a group that was more well-rounded, less dependent on its stars and more resilient in its capacity to absorb
and repel pressure. In short we changed from a group of individuals to a team, which was possibly the greatest
achievement of our season.
As weary mums and dads get a couple of months off from the Saturday morning cattle call, and the orange cutting
roster gets filed away until next Autumn, everybody who has been involved in the team this year can feel proud of
their efforts and enjoy their summer break – next season is not that far away!
Under 6 Platypus
Coach: Todd Hogan
Manager: Mike Webb
What an amazing year the little, but very talented Under 6 Platypus have had. The boys have been on an incredible
journey throughout 2007. We have seen enormous improvements in their skill level in both attack and defence,
teamwork, encouragement and dedication. Most importantly we believe the nine little champions and their parents
have had a great deal of fun.
The Team
Luke – “Mr Improver”. From the beginning of the season to the end, we have seen remarkable progress. Some big
7
Season Reports
kicks in attack, great tackles in defence and some terrific saves when Luke was our goalie.
Hamish – “Mr Dedication”. Hamish gave 100% in each and every game. His big kicks in attack and tricky ball skills
were always a threat to the opposition. His rock solid defence has been a credit to his game.
Logan – “Mr Team Player”. Great attacking skills, with some huge kicks and solid passing to his team mates. In defence, was always a threat to the opposition and made some outstanding saves as a goalie.
Stephen – “Mr Patience”. Stephen is a thinker in the game. Many parents often held their breath wondering which
of his skills were about to come – his tricky foot work or his hard kicks. Stephen’s speed in both attack and defence
were a big advantage to our team.
Ryan – “Mr Allrounder”. Ryan would be everywhere that he was needed on the field. He has great speed and skill in
his attacking game which led to some brilliant goals. In defence he was able to track the ball down and go for it leaving nothing behind.
Anton – “Mr Has Come A Long Way”. Anton has really come into his own. He became very involved in the game as
the season went on. He made some great saving stops as our goalie. In attack he produced some huge kicks and
showed terrific dribbling skills in attack.
Ben – “Mr Speedster”. Ben’s defence was strong and he made some great tackles. He was always a threat in attack
– he was a goal scoring machine. His speed left many behind. His quick and skilful game allowed him to score some
brilliant goals.
Evan – “Mr Quiet Achiever”. Evan has a big kick for a little six year old. In attack this kick helped his team move
forward on many occasions. In defence he was always a threat and made some brilliant saves as our goalie.
William – “Mr Reliable”. William always gave it all that he had. In every game throughout the season Will would be
showing his excellent ball skills in attack which lead to some great goals. In defence he would sprint to the opposing
end as quick as a wink with solid defence at all times.
CONGRATULATIONS to all of the boys for an outstanding 2007 season.
Under 6 Wallaby
Coach: Robert Spinetti
Manager: Michelle Cassidy
What a great 1st season, and a great bunch of little wallabies, for a bunch of boys who had never played before it
was amazing to see the dedication and concentration from such a young group, but more than anything was how
they played as a team and made new friends.
Our mighty team consisted of Gianni, Marcus, Corey, Tahn, Kiyah, Cameron, Alex, Lachlan, Jesse and Shaun. All the
boys found their feet early in the season and just kept on improving as the season went on.
We had a great bunch of parents and relatives and a regular little cheer squad, they were always there cheering the
boys along. And of course we had our memorable moments...especially when Lachlan blew a kiss to his mum right in
the middle of the game...that’s priceless!!! And we had a few injuries during the games, especially the goal keepers,
but after a few cuddles from mum and dad, they continued to go back and defend the goals.
All the team would have to thank our 1st time coach Rob for a great job, the boys all loved Rob and most of the time
they did what he asked. He was very, very patient. Of course Rob had plenty of help from other Dads, especially
Mark and Julian, and a great big thanks to our team photographer, Peter, for the fantastic job he did on the individual players CDs, what a great memory to keep for all of us.
Well, that’s a very quick summary of our 1st season of soccer. Thanks to everyone - boys and parents and see you
all next year.
Under 7 Koala
Coach: Patrick Smith
Manager: Sandra de Silva
Congratulation Koalas for a fabulous entertaining season of soccer! The boys were keen, enthusiastic and eager at
every training session and every game to do their very best in soccer. During the season we came up against some
challenging teams that gave us a tough battle on the field. But the ‘never say die’ attitude of our team produced
some thrilling games. We finished the season triumphant, just loosing only 2 games. It has been exciting to watch
them grow as a team, sensing each others strengths and weaknesses and stepping up to the job at hand. They have
come a long way in skills of passing, dribbling, tackling and position playing. Every player contributed to the success
of the season. All these while having a great deal of fun. Patrick our coach I know is proud of the achievements of his
8
Season Reports
little charges, and we thank him for his dedication and guidance, in teaching the boys how the game is played.
A few words about our players;
Brian – ‘Mr Incredible’ we were treated to some incredible soccer from our strong man Brian. He was unstoppable
in attack, often a nightmare to the opposition. He was also in the heart of defence, working hard to keep the ball in
Rovers possession. Not only was he a scoring machine he was also a terrific goal keeper.
Abel – ‘aka little Schwarzer’, our regular goalkeeper. You couldn’t guess that this was Abel’s first year playing soccer. Abel’s performance in goal was remarkable. Many a time he had ‘body on line’ to save a goal. Abel showed a
natural talent, positioning himself to make those saves. He has improved his game tremendously this season.
Priyan – ‘Mr dependable’. Give him a job on the field and you can trust him to carry it out. All season he showed
outstanding skills in defence, attack and goal keeping. This year he concentrated on fine tuning his soccer skills. His
innate sense of where the ball is and what needs to be done to turn the game around was outstanding.
Eric – ‘our Einstein factor’ Eric’s soccer this year reached new heights. Not only did he work on improving his skill in
the game, it was mixed with intelligent play. Eric was our star striker. He has been great where ever position he was
called to fill.
Luke – ‘The lord of the field’ Luke treated the spectators to some entertaining soccer. His approach was relaxed and
full of humour. Who can forget his first goal of the season and the celebrations that followed? Luke showed improvement in running, passing and dribbling during the season.
Lachlan - ‘Lightening’ Lachlan is fast and flighty. He could cover the field from one end to the other in lightening
speed. This talented young man is a natural all rounder in the game. He showed his skill with the spectacular goals
he score with.. was it the right …or … was it the left foot. The debate continues ‘is he a right or a left footed?’
Michael – ‘Most improved’. It was Michael’s first year playing soccer. We saw him gradually improve his game and
also his confidence on the field. On many occasions he was ready to challenge the opposition with his presence. Also
Michael worked hard on his ball skills and tackling during the season.
Anthony – 'Mr Enthusiastic’ Anthony worked hard to improve his game this year. Towards the end of the season we
saw him following the ball and getting in with the action showing determination to make a difference. His confidence
improved vastly through the season.
Among the season’s memorable moments was the Thornleigh GALA day. 5 of the Koalas and Justin from the U6
Kangaroos entered the completion. They played 7 games in all. Without much in the form of a break in between
games and no time off the field during the games, it was a huge effort to come to the final of the medallion competition. In the finals, even though the little hearts were set on winning their little legs had just way too much punishment for a day. We went home runners up, proud players and proud Parents. What a great achievement!
As with everything a successful team is always due to the committed and supportive people behind the team – the
parents. Thank you parents, for all the running around to and fro from training on Thursdays to games on Saturdays, and for being there loud and proud at every game. Thank you also to the dads that refereed the games each
week.
Under 7 Kookaburra
Coach: Leonie Goldfinch
Manager: Kim Ayres
From the very outset of the season, 2007, was shaping up to be a challenge for the under 7 Kookaburras. It was the
first season any of the children had played soccer. We had team members come and go, and go and go!!!! We had
so much wet weather we nearly built an ark! But through it all 7 children persevered and completed the season triumphant (IN SPIRIT).
Samir Emira: Our all rounder with some fantastic ball skills, same could play anywhere impressively.
Lachlan Ayres: Almost weekly Lachlan put his body on the line for his team. Showing great skills in attack, Lachlan
also really enjoyed being goalie!
Billy Khalil: His enthusiasm was gripping, playing his own game in all positions. Billy showed great improvement
over the season.
Meg Jansen: The silver streak down the side line chasing or dribbling the ball, Meg played well in the attack positions.
Emily Goldfinch: Strong in all positions, attack defence or goalie. Emily was an eager player.
Georgia Khalil: Our youngest and smallest player showed enthusiasm and improved confidence over the season.
Morgan Roberts: Our late starter who proved invaluable in all positions, who also provided morale boost to a tiring
9
Season Reports
team mid season.
All these children showed abundant enthusiasm every game. They played tirelessly each week (as usually no subs!!)
without complaint. They were tenacious in their efforts every week to at least try for a goal, and when they scored –
what a beautiful thing! Throughout the year their spirits never waned, there was always the possibility this was their
week!!
Thanks go to Leonie Goldfinch and Dave Roberts for improving their skills with your coaching. Thanks to Kim for disseminating any info needed over the season. Thanks to Mark Jansen for reffing regularly over the season. And to
those parents on the sidelines!
Importantly, as parents we are proud of our under 7 Kookaburras for their good sportsmanship. And hope they had
fun (and are not scarred for life by the experience!!!)
Under 7 Magpie
Coach: Vince Mazzaferro
Manager: Peter Pelle
What a fantastic result for the U7 Magpies all the boy played this season with great results a credit to there coach
Vince. Cheran has shown great improvement on his ball control, Mangesh, Jay, David and Rishab have also developed over the season and you can always rely on Logan and Mathew to carry the ball forward and when the ball is in
our territory Richard has lived up to his name as the defender, Mark Pelle you have shown great talent through the
season and your strike rate has been fantastic scoring goals every week you have also lived up to your name as the
striker. The game that really showed what great talent the boys have achieved as a team was against West Pennant
Hills. They have started passing the ball to each other and really playing as a team the boys won that game 5-3 what
a great result. To all the boys congratulations on a great result and keep up the good work hope to see you all next
year.
Under 7 Platypus
Coach: Michael Wijngaarden
Manager: Melina Waibel
What a team and what a season! More like lions than platypuses, our boys took on every team with fearless energy. All boys contributed to the team's impressive record. Ben became very fast with the ball, scoring a few long
range goals. Matthew's ability to plough through a defense while retaining the ball was inspirational. Jarad got really
involved and covered the mid field and successfully took on attacking players. EJ scored the first goal of the season
and covered the field end to end, a fast runner. Adam scored three/four goals in one particular game, high scorer
and all rounder for the season. Hartley's abilities grew impressively over the season. Emilio’s confidence developed
out of sight and he was able to attack running the ball through mid field. Cooper anticipated many attacks and
brought the ball forward saving many games. Gabriel took plays from the other team, tearing down the sidelines and
forcing the other side to retreat. Together, the boys form a great team. They love the game with a passion that
showed week and after week. A special thank you to all the parents who turned up each week and shared the duties
of report writing, refereeing and helping out with training. Your support for the kids was invaluable. We have enjoyed
this season very much and look forward to getting the team back together in 2008. Best wishes from Melina and Michael.
Under 7 Wallaby
Coach: Allan Reeves
Manager: Caroline Thomas
With a great commitment to Thursday training the children were able to develop their skills as well as their friendship with each other over the season.
Caroline was an outstanding Manager who performed duties well beyond the usual Manager status. Caroline was
always there to help prepare the children for the game and special mention should be made of the accurate and fair
way she dealt out the subs. Much to the children’s delight she always made sure there was a packet of lollies for
after the game.
It was a pleasure that the whole team was keen to participate so we were never short of players for our games.
Joshua suffered a non soccer injury early in the season which kept him out of a few games but he came back eager,
with plenty of energy when he had recovered.
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Season Reports
Early on in the season, the team participated in a gala day which was a great day out for the families who were able
to attend. The gala day was an opportunity for the team to get to know the new players and a chance to build the
players confidence. Ellen’s confidence in the game grew over the season until she became a feisty tackler. Jessica
was our stalwart player maintaining pressure on the opposition for the full game time.
Playing goal keeper was not a popular position but most of the team volunteered to have a turn so thank you to everyone for giving it a go! Brendan was our most valuable goal keeper and has developed great passing skills.
Allan’s coaching sessions sometimes included a game against the parents which was always popular among players.
At other times we had friendly games with another Rover team that trained at the same time. These sessions helped
Lachlan developed in all areas of the game especially in his ability to challenge for the ball successfully in a tackle.
One of the priorities of training was to improve passing between players and Jennifer was a standout in this department. Rene is a player with skills to keep the ball in play and move it up the sidelines and away from the opposition
traffic. Patrick’s strength is his ability to kick the ball a great distance, this often helped the Wallabies get out of the
opposition territory.
The team looked most impressive when they managed to put into action the drills practised at training. It takes team
work to create opportunities for scoring goals. Declan our leading goal scorer, was fortunate to have the opportunities created by the team.
The team has experienced the joy of winning and the disappointment of losing games. Each match was a happy experience, with the players at the end of the Saturday contest eager for more soccer.
Special thanks to Allan for all the patience you have shown our children. Special thanks also to Caroline
for your great organizational skills. A heartfelt thanks to all the parents and carers who consistently took
the time to bring their children to soccer training and the game on Saturdays. We all know that the
memories for both the players and the parents from their days at soccer will last forever.
Under 8 Blue
Coach: Russell Field
Manager: Rick & Anita Lelay
Our team had a competitive season this year. We played a couple of very good teams that gave us lots of defensive
trouble, played others where we displayed skill in attack quite easily, and finally had lots of very close games where
the teams were equally matched. This meant end to end exciting football. These close games were the ones I think
the kids enjoyed most. The last two games of the season were of this type and a great way to finish on a high.
As coach, I am very proud of the performances the kids put in across the season. Their efforts at training were great
and I hope that as well as having fun they continue to learn new skills, and practice the ones they know.
Thanks to Alex, Alexandra, Adam, Cooper, Ethan, Marco, Markos, Mathew, Jack, Jordan, Julian and Justin. Thank you
to the parents that helped out this season.
Well done kids. Be proud of the effort you put in every week.
Under 8 Gold
Coach: John Gittany
Manager: Glen Genner
The end of another great season. This year has been our best year ever in the form of improvement. Our entire team
has improved out of site this year. From the beginning of the season to now our ball skills are sound, confidence is
so strong which is displayed in all our games where we would attack and defend without hesitation or reservation. All
players have a sound understanding of the rules, keeping their positions and passing the ball. Real team work has
started to develop within the team. This is a direct result from our great coach George Bayeh and assistant coaches
John Gittany and Brett Pettit who have unselfishly devoted their time to training, games, and treats for the children,
also extra expense for equipment that was not supplied by the club. The improvement in our team I am sure gives
them all great satisfaction, a very big thankyou. U8 Gold now have a very good base for next year where they will be
graded for the first time and playing on larger fields. I am very confident they will all do very well. A very big thank
you to our parents and supporters who also devoted their time to come to training and our matches. The team Jacob
Genner (twinkle toes), Curtis Bayeh (safe as houses), Jack Pettit (speedy Gonzalez), Thomas Gittany (The powerhouse), Pragash Haran (Goalie extraordinaire), Orlando Li (ball magnet), Joshua Lin (the thinker), Alani Pond (our
little lion heart), Rick Haghi (the little doer), Joseph LaManna (the worker), Isuru Balasuriua (the attacker), Christopher Boudib (never say die). A great season, well done to everybody, hope to see you all back next season. Wishing
you all a safe and happy time.
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Season Reports
Under 8 Green
Coach: Michelle Heffernan
Manager: Wendy Deed
The boys have had a great season with lots of wins its great to see them picking up some great skill from our fabulous coach Michelle they have listened intently at training each week. Michelle always makes it fun for the boys,
keeping them keen and all turning up for each game.
We have Martin who is a great goal keeper diving for some great saves and out on the field he always gives 100%.
Nicholas plays in the backs with a massive kick always moving to position himself before the play has happened
keeping the ball out of our half.
Jackson plays back reading the play well and keeping the other team from scoring.
Lachlan M has great ability to move the ball pass the defenders and has scored some great goals.
Harrison moves well with the ball sidestepping pass the defense and either scoring or passing the ball on.
Grant likes to play centre mid he tackles well and kicks the ball hard and fast.
Max has some fancy foot work moving the ball past the opposition and gets the ball to the right position and drives
home the goals.
Jack plays mid field he likes to tackle and turn the play around moving and passing the ball setting up some great
goals.
Sam's speed always is amazing zooming past the defense and getting the ball back to our end.
Lachlan H scoring his first goal and some great kicks in general play.
Alex has moved the ball nicely around the field with some nice passes and also played in goals saving some awesome goals.
A great start for Simon with all his energy and speed and unfortunately, breaking his leg and missing a lot of the
season hoping to see you back next year.
Well done boys great to see you playing as a team with some great scores and also great sportsmanship along the
way. It has been pleasure to deal with both the boys in the team and also a fantastic bunch of parents. Hope to see
you next season.
Under 8 Orange
Coach: Richard Lane
Manager: Keith Wass
Well it has been an exciting and successful year. The mighty Orange team did themselves, their parents and the club
proud by playing great soccer while all the time showing excellent sportsmanship. Win, lose or draw the team played
their hearts out, never giving up until the final whistle sounded.
Under the leadership of master coach Richard and manager Keith, assisted by Janelle and Adrian, the
kids experienced what it means to play as part of a team, all the while participating in a fun and healthy sport. Everyone had a great season.
The players were:
Charlie - all rounder capable of big bursts of speed.
Jenna - fearless in defence and tenacious in attack.
Nathaniel - throws his whole body in to defence when required.
James - capable of big clearing kicks to get the ball out of trouble
Harvey - turning in a gutsy performance with surprisingly quick reflexes
Hannah - another fearless defender who is also great in goals.
Jordan - another all rounder who can run all day
Madison - a soccer magician, can conjure up plays while simultaneously running rings around the opposition
Jarren - An absolutely fearless defender with a preference to be up at the pointy end.
Kendall - a fast and intuitive striker who can make plays on the fly, using her team mates.
Harrison - an all rounder who can run all day, and shoot accurately for goals
Nicholas - a striker who never gives up in pursuit of one more goal.
My special thanks to all the parents who supported the team, filled in as refs and helped in the canteen. Without
your help the team and the club could not continue.
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Season Reports
Under 8 Red
Coach: Phil Baker
Manager: Shane Bisset
And so four years of mini soccer has come to an end - but what fun and excitement we have seen along the way.
From the little under sixes with their football kit being too big for them to - where it was a job keeping them on the
pitch and even going in the right direction - through under sevens where it was a job keeping them off the pitch as
substitutes. Now we have completed our last season of mini in the under eight Red division where the players have
to make that transition to the full size game. It has been a journey that as coach and a parent it has been great to
see how the players have developed and grown into great little footballers. This season we have seen the team learn
how to position themselves and how to gain ground by passing the ball.
As ever Ryan was always involved, driving forward and crossing the ball in, taking the corners, or chasing back to
help out our defence. Ned ran at defences all season - with his strong kick being feared by defences the length and
breadth of the GHFA and was denied several times by amazing saves! Oliver also was in his element when he was
running at defences - he mesmerised early in the season to score an amazing individual effort and was thwarted by
the goalie on several occasions after leaving the defence standing.
Gabriel was a new addition to our team this year and his strength and confidence on the ball added a new dimension
to our team. Charlie grew in confidence during the season and his skill on the ball and his ability to twist and turn to
beat opponents grew during the season. Dharmesh was our Mr Versatile in midfield and seemed to cover every part
of the pitch each week- surging forward with the ball and equally chasing back to help out in defence. Jesuran added
strength and speed to our midfield and attack, but was also equally willing to help out in defence when required. He
also scored a couple of goals during the season. Brenton - one of our new players always ran hard with the ball was
willing to try something new in his skill repertoire, he also developed a very powerful throw in that gave us an attacking advantage on many occasions. Flynn was another very versatile player tackling hard, getting the ball forward
and also defending - he scored an amazing goal early in the season, volleying back a goalies clearance from 20metres over the keepers head!
Ben - one of our four year veterans now (along with Ned and Ollie) - was reliable as ever in defence - although not
the tallest player on the park he was always willing to tackle any opponent and his passing out of defence was excellent. Again Lachlan was our rock at the heart of defence - along with his huge kicks from defence he added some
great heading of aerial attacks to his defensive skills. Edwin was a new member of our team and he really gave all
throughout the season - it was fantastic to see how he grew in confidence and skill throughout the season. He was
always willing to listen to the coach and defend his territory with enthusiastic blocking and tackling.
All the boys had a turn in goal and all were willing to throw themselves about to stop our opponents. It has been a
pleasure, once again to coach the lads and see them improve their skills - they also had a lot of fun. I have enjoyed
our mini journey - especially the support from all of our parents and of course assistant coach Jason and Manager
Shane.
Under 8 White
Coach: Steve White
Manager: Alexandra White
We got off to a shaky start losing all three trial games and looking as though it was going to be a long season ahead.
Our team comprised of 13 players 6 of which had never played soccer before. Our first competition game saw us secure a stunning victory, thus commencing a platform to build on and boy did we build! I'm proud to say that after 14
matches we finished with the impressive tally of 7 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws. Statistics aside what impressed me
the most was our good sportsmanship and sheer enjoyment for the game. As the weeks went on our less experienced players grew in confidence and personality. We were passing, tackling and defending like a team who had
been together for more than a few weeks. Our matches were thrilling to watch with our never say die attitude a real
feature. We had become The White Tigers, friendships were formed and we were a real force to be reckoned with.
I'm proud of every players achievements and I thank them for their courage and commitment. Thanks to Michael for
his tireless efforts refereeing and thank you to Dave and Lisa for their help with coaching and administration when I
was on leave. To all of the parent's thank you for your support and words of encouragement, it makes it all worth
while. As for the White Tigers you did yourselves proud and it was a pleasure coaching you and watching you play
each week with such a passion for the love of the game! Well done guys and girls.
Go The White Tigers!
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Season Reports
Under 9/3
Coach: David Cooper
Manager: Mark Corbett
What can one say, after a highly successful season that culminated in finishing second on the competition ladder and
going down in golden goal in the grand final. I’ll be honest, after the team trials I was unsure of how we would go in
the season ahead. Put in a division higher than the club nominated certainly was going to be a test and the practice
games didn’t provide any real answers, apart from the fact that there was something to build on.
The opening half of game one against Glenhaven was a real reality check, as to what we were up against. Our opposition only had nine players, but led 3-0 at the break. Some choice words of encouragement at half time seemed to
do the trick and within 7-8 minutes of the second half, the game was all tied up and the boys went on with it to win
6-3, with Luca Torre grabbing a hat-trick (although may have credited as an own goal). From there confidence grew
in the team and they went unbeaten for five games, until meeting the competition leaders Macquarie Dragons at Waterloo Park, arguably the biggest ground in GHFA. If ever there was a case for small-sided games, then this ground
was it. We lost 1-0, but quickly were back on the winning trail, winning our next four games until we met the Dragons again. We lost 2-1, but with only 10 men, we led 1-0 with just 7 minutes to play until exhaustion got the better
of us.
The season ended disappointingly with two 1-0 losses in the deferred games (although one was eventually reversed
to a 3-0 win), but we still managed to finish second behind the Dragons, who won every game during the season,
which was an incredible effort.
The finals was somewhat of a mixed bag, but luckily for us the Dragons, having won every game in the Premiership
rounds, could only draw both their semi finals and we advanced courtesy of our 3-0 win over Pennant Hills.
The Grand Final was a tight affair against fourth-placed team Glenhaven, with neither giving an inch during the 40
minutes of normal time. Chances were few and far between, but our goalkeeper Johann did make one very good
save at the near post late in the match.
Glenhaven secured victory with just over six minutes to go, when the ball got lobbed over our defence and their dangerous forward manage to get clear and make no mistake.
Although it hurt, to the boys’ credit they took the defeat pretty well and displayed great sportsmanship at the end,
which was a feature all year.
As for the players they have been magnificent all year and improved so much. Here is a little on each player.
Jayden Bonnici was outstanding in the centre of defence and saved the team on a few occasions. Terrific ability to
read the game and win tackles in dangerous situations.
Anthony Cameron had this unique ability to kick the ball over his head, usually the wrong way, but did manage to
score some valuable goals during the season.
Jack Cooper found it tough going playing in unfamiliar left midfield role early on, but improved steadily as the season went on with some flying runs down the wing.
Noah Corbett was the flyer on the right, scored a good goal in the opening game and generally worked himself into
the ground every game.
Johann de Silva was a solid contributor on the field, but by season’s end had developed into a very useful goalkeeper. With more practice he could certainly make this position his own.
Thomas Ferella was the smallest player in the team, but certainly packed above his weight and very rarely lost a
tackle.
Thomas McDermott is a tough, no nonsense defender who is strong in the tackle and never one to back away from
the tough stuff. Will certainly get better in this position.
Mitchell McMahon is one of the hardest workers in the team, given the job of screening in front of defence. Reads
the game well, strong in the tackle and could get the team going forward with some good passing.
Michael Puglisi was our pacey forward, who scored several quality goals, including a 60 metre run and goal in the
first game, plus a cracking effort with his left foot later in the season.
William Smith played in several positions, but on most occasions was our central midfielder and usually could be
found everywhere. Possesses good skills on the ball and a good shot.
Luca Torre was our goal scoring machine this year, scoring two hat-tricks and several really well-taken goals. Has
terrific skills and vision and showed good composure in front of goal.
Johan Trujillo had a good season at right back and showed improvement as the season went on. When he got onto
a kick, he could certainly whack it.
Cody Whittacker is the youngest member of the team and developed into a very handy, tenacious defender and
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Season Reports
midfielder. One of the most improved players during the season.
A big thankyou to all the parents, for your support during the year and especially the help at training. It was greatly
appreciated. I must mention Greg Cameron, who acted as assistant coach, and was a big help on match days on the
other side of the ground, giving instructions to the boys.
And finally to Mark Corbett, who performed the managers role to perfection, keeping everyone informed and organised with canteen, washing shirts and match report duty during the season and his assistance on getting the substitutes organised on game days. Nobody could ask for a better team manager.
Under 9/6
Coach: Peter Pelle
Manager: Jacqui Proietti
Well, what a season this has been for the 9/6's Rovers team. Let me start by naming all the boys, we have Andre,
Daniel, Declan, Dilshan, Ethan, Gabe, Gus, James, Jordan, Nic, Oscar, Peter and Tom.
From the very beginning of the season the boys gelled together very quickly as a team, considering that they had
come from different teams and schools. They all attended every training session and match totally focussed and
ready to give their all which was fantastic to see. As we got into the middle of the season you could really see all the
boys improving immensely, through their hard work and determination to be the best team in our comp. They boys
played outstanding soccer, passing the ball as a team from one end of the field to the other, which was wonderful to
watch. Through their improved skills and hard work they deservedly got into the semis. They had to play the 1st and
2nd placed teams to make it through to the Grand Final. The boys fought valiantly to the very end, in which both
games ended in a nil all score! This brought me to the conclusion that the 9/6 boys had grown into men and could
not be beaten by the two top teams!
Boys, in my heart I know that you guys are the champions. I want to thank each and every one of you for your dedication and determination throughout the season.
I personally have got 13 new friends in my life and I wish you all the very best in the future. Hold your heads up
high because I am certainly proud and honoured to be your coach. God bless you all.
Under 9/8
Coach: Anne Montgomery
Manager: Craig Black
Well, well, well, what to say after probably the most exciting season these Rovers stars will ever have. We could always defer to our wonderful parents! Anne Savignano manager extraordinaire, Craig "the kid wrangler" Black, the
nickname says it all. Ian and Bernie Ferrett master craftsmen of the BBQ, Shyam the generous and wonderful Nestle
(free ad) man. And the list goes on, Margaret and Leeanne who loan Cooper and Adam to the coach to do with what
she wishes! With all these great parents contributing each in their own way - who could not have a great season. So
team, it would be really terrific if you all said a big thanks to your parents, they've earned it. Thanks Parents! Thankyou to Cooper Black and Adam Stuart for helping at training every week, another pair of talented rovers.
Titles this season include Undefeated PREMIERS, CHAMPIONS, winners of the LESTER WAUD TROPHY for most outstanding junior team and winners of the BOB GOLDSWORTHY TROPHY for the best defensive team. A pretty good
resume' all round really! And so to the many stars in the team, let’s go to our team awards firstly:
CIARAN HARTLEY - winner of our award Players Player of 2007, you guessed it! Voted for by players only, Ciaran
won because he earned the respect of his team with his "never say die" attitude. His love for game is obvious - and
he loves nothing better than slamming the ball into the back of the net. Named Captain on GF day and the Highest
goal scorer including hat-tricks, all season. Screams from the crowd every time Ciaran got the ball told you something special would probably happen and usually did. Ciaran has too many special moments to write them all but
there is one. He crossed the ball into goal from centre left followed it in, everyone else missed it. Ciaran didn't, he
scored from his own pass! Truly a deserving recipient and a passionate soccer player, Congratulations to Ciaran.
TOM FERRETT - was just one voting point behind the lead. Rightly so, Tom is persistent, talented and a thinker.
Tom plays a man's game on the field, taking the lead whenever things look safe, this is why he too is a Hat-trick
Hero. His drive not only shattered the opposition when defending but annihilated their teams with field runs that left
the parents puffing. His energy is infectious and when Tom takes off the rest of the team can't help but follow. Tom
with team support passes runs on then passes and runs on, all the way with one focus - a goal or three. Then, when
he's finished and drops back our defense is at it's best. Well done Tom and have to say it “Onya toes Tom!" Now
how about one of those fantastic smiles!
IAN MOFFAT - slides in just two points behind the lead making up our top three voted for players. Have you ever
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Season Reports
noticed the great ones never have much to say because actions speak louder than words, well that’s our Ian. Persistent, cool and great at upsetting the opposition. He is so on the mark, reading the game very well, his commitment
is undying on the field and his team support unquestionable. The slamming goals from the right mid, magic. Taking a
back pass and switching balls perfectly across the field, priceless. Just one problem though, IT'S really not a good
idea to tell the coach to go to the pole Ian!!! ha ha luv it! You're a tough act to follow!
HENRY CHOI - winner of our Most Improved Player 2007, once more as voted by the team. Henry's first soccer
year and what a tiger. Going where other players feared to tread, Henry would pop out of the most unexpected
places, with the ball! Henry did everything he could but was extremely unlucky not to score. He set up goal scoring
opportunities for his team mates every game and put thought into his pass backs. Keep it up Henry and most soccer
players love hot cars as well as soccer, plenty of room for both!
After all the accolades to the points winners its got to be ladies first, next is.....
GABRIELLA GUITERREZ - 1st lady of the 9/8's, proud of it and so she should be. Gabriella went out every week
and battled it out with the boys. She was hot to trot at the start of the season scoring regularly and winning the respect of the team. Johnny on the spot several times, it took a lot of nous to concentrate with a whole other team
running straight at you! Hopefully you are over all your illness and getting strong again. Now, the thing is we've just
discovered Gabriella is a dancer as well - so when are we going to see some of that fancy footwork on the field
Gabby? Your beautiful outfits would really distract the opposition! Way to go Gabby!
AARON MOODY - became a class act this season. His field play became very team orientated, fitting in well on the
field, mostly in the midfield. His passes became definite and team mates knew that Aaron wouldn't just stop and
watch the ball go past. He was in there boots and all, not kicking the opposition but taking the ball and clearing it.
With Aaron getting a flu in the season it gave him the chance at goals, and he found out it's not always just standing
there doing nothing. Rising to the occasion he threw his body on the line, showing us all he'd earnt his place in the
team. Aaron became our no.1 goalkeeper, and did some exclusive training, determined to get it right. Thankyou
Aaron for being a good team mate and doing the job other people only want to do at training!
ROHAN KUMAR - legend. Simple as that. Anyone who, in there first full field year, can take control of the defense
the way Rohan does, has a big future. He is as cool as a cucumber when an infield pass (bad move) takes him
straight across the 18yd box with a whole other team running at him. He carries it clear, switches it and drags the
defenders back up to half way. Rohan would regularly leave the crowd aghast with his remarkable saves and look
like it was nothing. Total dedication, Rohan was the only player who never wanted to desert his position and have a
chance to score. He knows, without a great defense - there are no goals. Excellent playing Rohan, your team knows
how reliable you are!
GERARD IRVINE - relentless. Gerard will throw everything his got into getting that ball and when he gets a run he's
unstoppable. Terror on two legs to the opposition. When he really wants something it's great to watch. His game
really lifted towards the end of the season and Gerard became an aggressive necessity in the back row and the midfield. Unlucky not to score a few times but more than most setting up his own team mates with opportunities. So
what I don't get is that Gerard, was ready to play baseball before soccer was finished. What's with this baseball
stuff? Isn't soccer the only game in the world? Great soccering Gerard.
KURT MOODY - always kept us on the ball. What can I say? You are a natural soccer player you just don't realize it
yet. You get on the field and do some amazing things. Kurt can carry a ball down the field with the best of them,
tackling - not a problem - Kurt's not scared of anyone. Scoring, no problem, Kurt's done that too. His energy is
enormous and he would definitely be one of the fastest in the team, many times he raced back caught the runaway
and prevented the challenge. Thankyou for all your efforts this season Kurt.
ALEX BLACK - goal thumper brilliance sticks in the mind. When Alex really wants to hit a ball and relaxes and does
his "natural thing", it's pure poetry in motion. One of the best natural rights in the team Alex works with his team
mates very well. Opportunities made by Alex regularly end in goals. Backing up the forwards is his business and his
understanding of running through is great. This is where his standout moments come in. Mostly playing in the midfield, he's no copout. Put him in the front row and he just goes off. Alex is one of those kids who nails it, says it like
it is. Quotable quote after the game "We played like Barbie Dolls!" Luv it! Most memorable moment - when Alex
went on in centre forward and left his dad gobsmacked! Way to go Alex!
BEN MALAFIEJ - joined the team a little later than everyone else so he had a lot of catching up to do. Ben at first
decided he wanted to have a go at goalkeeper. Actually he was quite good at this position but then decided he
wanted more time on the field. Once on the field Bens most outstanding moment would have to be at the Kenthurst
game where he seemed to come alive. Ben was everywhere, tackling, passing and he even got a chance at a shot.
There were glimmers of good play in later games but this was Ben's standout. Way to go Ben, good luck to you
mate.
TRAVIS STUART - I believe is the artist in the team. Although sometimes his body gets into some of the most awkward positions when clearing the ball, not very artistic at the time but he more than does the job. Travis is part of
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Season Reports
the best defense line in the comp and you can often hear Trav and the other defenders discussing tactics and marking on the field, good teamwork. His over the top balls were consistent all season as was his dedication to his team.
Missed one game but still turned up to take photos of his team mates, very cool. So you do realize Travis your going
to have to do it all again next year with just one added thing. Because you're so good at match reports I think you
should do them all next year!
PATRICK BRAGATO - silent but deadly. If you need a job done on one player Patrick is your man. Another quiet
achiever (not a lot of them around!). He concentrates on the job given and always ended up using reverse psychology on the opposition. When he's marking he always turns it around so the other team ends up marking him. He is a
natural lefty, kicks a mean ball, and is a coach’s dream. Even when Patrick was in pain with unfortunate injuries, his
love for the game put him in goals by his own choice, just so as he could be on the field with his team. Patrick you
are a great kid, well done!
MICHAEL SAVIGNANO - I have deliberately left you till last. I have more than one word for you Micheal - tenacious. You are the most tenacious player in this team. Gutsy - it doesn't matter what sort of a mess the ball is in,
your not scared of anything. Tunnel-vision - you've got it, all you ever see is the ball, all you ever want is the ball!
The only thing in danger from you is the ball and of course the goalkeeper (as it should be). You are another player
who is a coaches dream - let’s just clarify that. Not at training but definitely at the games. You would play any position you were put in to your utmost ability. And the last word Cheeky - even your mum knows it and you know what
Michael, sometimes it's just at the right time to lighten the moment! Well done Michael on just being yourself!
WELL DONE TO ALL ON A GREAT 2007 AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PITCHED IN.
Under 10/1
Coach: Matthew Hanchard
Manager: Kerrie Haig
The 2007 season was full of challenges for this talented group of 9 and 10 year olds, the most significant of these
saw the team promoted from second division to the first division. Despite the team only being victorious on three
occasions, the year was far from a failure with the boy’s individual skills and teamwork improved exponentially.
Whilst the team took a while to adjust to the pace and skill of the top division, this season will defiantly hold them in
good stead for next year’s competition. Many people consider wins to be their highlights of the season, but for me
this team’s finest day was when they pushed the eventual premiers Gladesville Ravens to the limit in the second
round. The boys found courage and determination that they probably didn’t think they had in that game, with Ravens only clinching the game in the last few minutes. The boys really came of age in the second round of games and
were unlucky that the results sometimes did not reflect the effort they put in.
Adrian – Gutsy central midfielder who runs all day (including through brick walls if asked). Tough in the tackle but
when needed could deliver the killer pass.
Axel – Dynamic centre midfielder who directs play with intelligent passing and some extraordinary dribbling. Partner
in crime with Adrian.
Bradley – Burly striker or midfielder who never shirks a challenge. Created many scoring chances with some great
runs and exquisite passes.
Callum – Mr Cool, scorer of some superb goals but also the creator of many. Wonderful all round skill with the ball,
Cal was comfortable in the middle of the park or up front.
Deven – Diminutive player who makes up for his lack of size with bags of tricks. Never afraid to take of a player no
matter where he was on the field.
James – Quick as a greyhound and strong in the tackle, James saved the day many times this year with some outstanding cover defensive tackles.
Jayden – Mr Perpetual Motion, Jayden’s performances this year were nothing short of inspiring. All power and pace,
he was certainly a handful to opposition defenders all season.
Joshua – Gutsy midfielder or defender with a never say die attitude. Scored a sensational goal against Ravens and
loves getting forward to assist in attacking raids.
Liam – Pacy wide midfielder or defender, another one of our mighty midgets who’s got a heart as big as Phar Lap.
Thrilling on the ball with mazy runs, amazing passing & valiant defending.
Lucas – The most enthusiastic & improved player in the squad, Lucas was always there to lend an encouraging word
or action. Comfortable in a variety of positions which he was asked to play in.
Luke – Formidable defender anywhere at the back. Smashed more than his fair share of opposition defenders and
launched many counter attacks with intelligent passes.
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Season Reports
Ricky – Conjured more tricks than a magician, Ricky unlocked defenses with skillful dribbling and delightful passing
from his wide midfield role.
Ryan Haig – Resident left back who made many crunching tackles. Likes to push forward and support attacking
movements. Despite Ryan’s lack of height, a courageous header of the ball.
Ryan Huon – Our heroic keeper, Ryan threw himself at opposition’s striker’s feet without hesitation. Remarkably his
best game was the Rnd 1 loss to Ravens that ended 7-2, but without Ryan it may have been 27-2.
Sam – Missed a fair chunk of the season, but displayed some dazzling skill when available. Sam’s showed some
great dribbling skill and a ferocious left foot.
Tom – The team’s fearless skipper. Tom inspired the team with inspirational defending and also displayed nerves of
steel from the penalty spot.
Also, a big thank you to the parents and vocal supporters through out the year, who will forget the 8.15 kick-off at
Arcadia (I wont!). Thanks also to best assistant coach in the business, Smurf (when he turned up) for all his help at
training, warming up the boys before and words of wisdom during games. A massive thank you to our tremendous
manager Kerrie who makes sure everything runs like clockwork, from organising canteen duties, emails for washed
out games etc, the list goes on and on. Thanks Kerrie. But the biggest thanks go to the boys who turn up to training
and games every week with a positive outlook and who despite the result always have fun. See you all next season.
Under 10/6
Coach: Val Pazin
Manager: Luke & Martina Williamson
The 10/6’s had a fun yet character building season with the team having to deal with quite a few curved balls which
meant we were short of players on many occasions. Despite this we held many teams to a draw throughout the season with the help of some great coaching from Sergio who maximized the versatility of the players.
All the players contributed to their best ability and were a tight unit. Brandon’s game really developed and his great
defensive work and big kick got the team out of many a tight situation. Kevin had his first season of soccer but is a
natural and was a terror in defense chasing down the opposition just when they looked like scoring. Angus was the
little general directing the troops and always on the go, his excellent fitness was a big asset. Alex was spirited in attack and carved up the defence with his clever tactics and clever side step. Ben has a beautiful kick on him and
scored the team goal of the season with a curved ball going into the corner of the net from 20 meters out. Luka
played in defence with courage and enthusiasm and was never intimidated by the opposition. Joshua K’s game as a
goalkeeper really developed and he was one of the heroes of the season with his numerous saves and ability to boot
the ball back to half was. Nick was a key player in the team and often turned the direction of play around setting up
many of our plays. Robert always played positively and with enthusiasm regardless of the score and demonstrated
some very adept dribbling of the ball which bamboozled the opposition. Shaun thoroughly enjoyed the season and
demonstrated some fancy footwork. This quote from him indicates he obviously enjoys a challenge: “It was more
fun, because we had losses, and it wasn't that easy." Joshua E was always keen and enthusiastic and a versatile
player who was able to play attack and defence. Mark was fearless in attack and always saw winning as a possibility,
his beautiful dribbling and sidestep set up many a shot on goal. Cameron became more assertive in defence and diffused many attacking plays set up by the opposition. Each of the players showed a marked improvement in their
game and can be very proud of their efforts.
Under 11/3
Coaches: Angelo Tetto and Michael Tudela
Manager: John Fischer
In the lengthening shadows of summer began a new joint venture for the under 11’s squad of 2007. St. George and
Illawarra did it, Balmain and Western Suburbs did it. So too Rovers could do it successfully. 2007 saw the merger
between the Division 2 and Division 7 teams from 2006 to spawn a very strong team which competed in Division 3.
Each year together, the “dynamic duo” coaching staff has had to face new challenges, and this year was no different.
Together they tried new formations and blended the new mix of youngsters together to mould a harmonious and formidable unit, who throughout the season provided some memorable highlights for their multitudes of fans, and
achieved their goal of making the semi-finals.
Despite the season being interrupted by rain which in turn meant a lack of training, the team showed cohesion and
steady improvement in areas of their game both individually and corporately. This exceptional teamwork earned
them 3rd place on the ladder at the end of the minor premiership. The boys won 9 games and created ample scoring
18
Season Reports
chances in the closely fought games throughout the year and will look back at the missed opportunities in the narrow
losses which could have made them minor premiers. Nevertheless, in the semi-finals, they faced teams 1 & 2 and
they did the Rovers jersey proud by putting in two whole-hearted performances and made the opposition fight for
their right to play in Grand Finale.
The playing roster for 2007 was as follows. Daniel again was our custodian in goals and improved in leaps and
bounds while making many crucial saves which aided the team on many occasions.
The backline was made up of Matthew, Reiss, Lokesh, Harry most weeks and they all did a fantastic job working hard
together to hold out the waves of opposition attack. Brandon and Carter also filled in the role of defender at various
stages of the year and made valuable contributions to the defensive line. All have a natural ability to defend strongly
and the skills play the ball out to our attacking weapons.
In the midfield we had our tireless workers Adam, James, Christopher, Hayden, Samuel and Rudy. These guys covered the most territory on the pitch each week and with a superior passing game formed some great combinations
and at various stages showed the crowd glimpses of what they are capable of.
Up front Tom was our mainstay and he was joined at various stages throughout the season by Brandon, Carter, Hayden, Christopher and James. Our strikers scored 40 goals this year which was a great effort with some great finishing and we will now look to next year to build on this and bolster the strike-power we have up front.
This season again the boys performed extremely well and were always competitive whenever they took the field.
They were fantastic in responding to coaches requests to fill in positions that they normally weren’t accustomed to,
while team-mates were unavailable. They played superbly as a team, and were always willing to learn and improve
parts of their game at training.
Our thanks go to our Manager John Fischer for an outstanding job keeping everyone informed and up to date each
week through a challenging ‘wet’ winter. Finally as always, for a team to be successful the support of the parents is
paramount. This team has the best bunch of parents and I am sure Michael and the players will join with me in
thanking you all for your support, getting the boys to training and games on time, all your positive sideline support
throughout the year and a great end of season picnic.
Michael and I have thoroughly enjoyed the year, and I'm sure you have all taken some pleasure out of watching the
boys play and enjoy their soccer with Rovers. We look forward to all of you returning in 2008 for another journey in
search of the Gladesville Hornsby Holy-Grail and to go that one step further and win a title together.
Under 12/1
Coach: George Paterson
Manager: Tim Tully
What a fantastic Year these boys had. With fantastic parents and fantastic family and friends, our support was up
there with the best with over 100,000 plus supporters at each game to cheer on the Under 12 boys.
With our first year in 1st Division, we witnessed many years of hard work done by Master Coach George drilling these
boys into young men as they grew from primary years leading into senior years with some there already.
Without the support of the family and friends helping in the washing, Canteen and BBQ duties, getting the kids to the
field every week and assisting the coach and manager in their times of need, bringing coffee in the nick of time and
just being there was such a pleasure to work with. A big thank you and give yourselves a clap, beer or wine, softie or
all of these as you deserve it because with out your dedication and jokes on the sidelines it would have been pretty
dreary to say the least.
The cold weather, the wet weather and the warm weather all added a different variation to each game and game
plan and training duties and everyone adapted just like clockwork and not a single complaint from anyone over any
issue what so ever. Even canteen and BBQ was a pleasure with everyone working together, as long as the ladies remained in the canteen and let the men do the cooking all was good. Just like the Under 12 1’s a team of professionals.
So in conclusion a fantastic year of soccer at the West Ryde Rovers Club. Well done CHAMPIONS you all had a
Blinder.
Finally, I sadly retire as Manager as of the end of the 2007 with fantastic memories of the young gentlemen and ladies as I have seen them grow into magnificent West Ryde Rovers sports persons and ambassadors for the sport
over the last 7 years . Also, turning into such great teenagers who will see the spirit and friendships in the club remain as a fantastic sporting springboard for all the up and coming champions in the club.
Support the club and enjoy the smiles and disappointments of the kids as they learn all the good and bad of the life
of a sportsperson and always remind them it is just the part of teamwork and working together and just having good
old fun.
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Season Reports
You as parents this year in 2007 have proved that your support has been appreciated as the training and game days
sees the kids turning up and playing and having fun and it reflects on your commitment. A big thankyou.
As like previous years the boys put their minds in action and voted for the Players’ Player of the Year and the Player
voted this year is as voted by the kids is… Daniel Lockwood !!!! WELL DESERVED.
Again, just like previous years, sit back with a beer, wine and a coke or juice and enjoy Master Coach George’s Wrap
On The Year of the Under 12 1’s 2007.
West Ryde Rovers 12/1’S Pennant CHAMPIONS 2007
A tough year in Division One as we ended up winning the pennant however and deservedly so. The spirit shown by
the team is infectious and training is always a laugh and good fun. We played some great football in the first half of
the season but after the rain delays we struggled a bit. Not to worry it’s a learning curve and if you show the same
dedication to playing next year you should be more successful.
The team was as follows:
Ben O'Connell another great year in goal he made some truly magnificent saves. Throughout the season you provided us with some security at the back and some great laughs at training.
Morgan Paterson is continually improving and his athletic ability certainly helps when we are struggling. Some very
fine goals this year notably the run from one end to the other end culminating with a great goal against Kenthurst at
Kenthurst.
Tim and I got a bit lost that day.!!! J
Daniel Lockwood another exceptional talent who gets better every season. His composure and finesse are very well
developed for a boy of this age.
James Rijke has developed in to a great positional player and his defence at times was exceptionally good. He
played more up front near the end of the season and enjoyed his time there.
Nicholas Barnett is a player who is very reliable as a right back. His contribution to the team is always positive and
he shows a lot of maturity in his play. Nick continues to improve each season.
The midfielders consisted of many good players who have to do a lot of work not only in attack but also in defence.
Zac, Tim Wass, Jaydon, Karl and Tim Aston were the main focus of our midfield.
Tim Wass is another player who has developed into a very skilful player. He provides the team with a lot of stability
in the central midfield area.
Jaydon Whybrow had another productive year scoring some great goals along the way. His natural skills give our
team a great advantage.
Karl Spedding has become a very valuable player in our team. His tackling and never say die attitude are very
good qualities which has helped our team enormously.
Zac Macri Our newest member of the team, he played with good spirit and lots of enthusiasm throughout the season.
Tim Aston had a productive year and towards the end of the season excelled in the left back position.
Our main forwards were Brendan Tully and Matthew Vartuli
Brendan Tully once again strutted his stuff in the penalty box. If ever there was a more natural goal scorer in the
box then Brendan is the man. He deservedly is awarded the Golden Boot
Mathew Vartuli had another strong season being very dangerous in front of goal throughout most of the games
season.
Aaron Wareham had another great season playing well on the left side of the field. He scored some fine goals along
the way.
Tom O’Connell (Special Mention): A big Thankyou to Tom who filled in when we were short and always played to
the best of his ability , even after playing in his own side on many occasions just before our game. Thanks Tom. And
thanks Meryl for the card exchanges throughout the season.
We might have had a lacklustre season but we still have a very positive outlook to the way we play and you should
all be commended for this positive spirit. I would like to thank you all for your input and hopefully you enjoyed yourselves along the way. I would like to thank Tim Tully for his excellent managerial skills and for being much more
positive than I was about the way the season unfolded. Tim makes it look so easy. He does however, put a lot of
effort into making sure we are all prepared for each game each week.
I would also like to thank the many parents in our team who have always been positive and helpful and this helps to
maintain a harmonious relationship. The boys pick up on this and they are also benefiting from your many inputs
throughout the season. Well done boys all the best for the remainder of the year.
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Season Reports
Under 12/4
Coach: John Bryant
Manager: Chris
Season 2007 saw the emergence of some future stars for the club, with many players making the transition from
"smash and bash" juniors into composed, hardworking footballers. Throughout the season I always felt that we
showed great sportsmanship towards our opponents, without compromising our desire to do well. Many a close call
was settled with our players admitting to the last touch when Referees were unsighted. A great attitude guys, well
done. This fair and relaxed attitude perhaps didn't get the team the results they deserved on several occasions, with
a bit more determination and fight needed to get us past the post. But, if training and warm-up sessions are anything to go by, the guys always seemed to be enjoying themselves and I certainly enjoyed their youthful banter on a
Tuesday night.
Our backs this year were the backbone of the team with Josh Durrant, Jesse Reale and George Geroulas putting in a
mountain of work each week to keep us in the game. If by chance an opponent did slip through they still had the
safe and experienced hands of Frank Aboona to contend with. The guys were rock solid throughout the year and
showed great maturity at key moments and gave 100% effort every game. The midfield combinations of Stuart Williamson, Aaron Taduran, Nicholas West, Kyle Moody, Hugh Smart and Patrick Souksavath showed great promise,
with our boys dominating the paddock and controlling the game in several key games. This is the area that has
shown the greatest gains this year but needs all players to pull their weight if the team is to perform at its best. A
great effort with measured passing and determined running, often putting us in a fine attacking position. Look forward to more improvements in the future.
Up front saw several different combinations depending on the opposition and availability of players, with Jack Vickery
and Aaron Kim taking up the bulk of the work. Jack showed his cool head and accurate shooting style on many occasions and certainly cemented his position in the forwards with several fine goals. Aaron Kim was new to the team
and showed great adaptability having been asked to play not only in the forwards, but at times in the midfield AND
backs. Contender for goal of the year. Rounding out the group was Jamey Foxton, James Hassett, Lachlan Rush and
Zeya Wark, with Zeya and James being our two wingmen providing other members of the team a reliable option out
wide in times of trouble. A sometimes frustrating position for the boys with great patience required when little possession was coming there way. A much needed component of our overall team plans. Jamey and Lachlan were our
two fill in players with the ability and fitness to cover all positions between them. Jamey often found himself pushing
forward from the midfield into scoring positions and caused great excitement for the spectators on many occasions.
Lachlan showed no qualms about being asked to start in midfield and ending up in the backs with both jobs undertaken with little fuss and maximum effectiveness.
Under 13/1
Coach: Chris Goddard
Manager: Don Crismale
Despite finishing in fourth place in last years under 12/2 competition, an early season surprise from the GHFA advised that we had graduated to Under 13 DIVISION 1 soccer for the 2007 season. After a few heart murmurs and
calls of concern, we embarked on a strenuous pre-season training program that would have had Sydney FC envious.
The season didn’t start quite as planned, with the pace and mental toughness of division 1 claiming us in the first
two rounds, however after some soul searching and some typical Rovers spirit, we began to play some outstanding
soccer for the remainder of the year. Some hard fought wins and some desperately unlucky losses (on the back of
some dodgy refereeing decisions), saw us play an extremely competitive season. The worst thing that happened to
us was the 2 week layoff due to wet weather, because before this we had won 3 out of 4 games and had momentum
in our favour. We showed that we could match it with the best teams in the competition, some of whom have been
playing Division 1 soccer for 4 years. We play extremely well as a team, when all players give 100% effort and commitment. Whilst other clubs in this competition may have a team of champions, I think this year we showed we are a
champion team. No one player is more important than the next, and it shows on the field, by the way we show encouragement and respect for one another, without bagging or being negative to our team mates.
Not only as a team, but as individuals as well, we can all be proud of the improvement and development this year.
We are a 4-5 goal better team than the one that commenced this year. As testament to our standing, an opposition
manager approached us this year and said “You guys are the hardest team in this competition”, to which we were
appreciative. He followed this up by saying that we had “a nice bunch of boys” and we whole heartedly agree. It is
an absolute pleasure to coach a group of young men who play the game firm but fair, and who know how to enjoy
the game and have some fun.
Not only was it pleasing to see the boys develop their soccer skills this year, but it was also pleasing to see them
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Season Reports
begin to grow into fine young men. Their sportsmanship and respect for the game, the club and each other is first
rate, and it showed this year, with very few penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct, and no yellow cards given
throughout the season.
Boys, keep your heads held high and your chins up. We have retained the right to be in division 1 again next year,
and deserve this right. We think we will give the competition an almighty shake next season, and will be a force to
reckon with. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your parents for your commitment and participation this year, and putting up with the weather, changes in training and the rantings and ravings of a couple of Sir
Alex Ferguson wannabe’s.
The Players:
Adam De Santis - Improved out of sight this year. Grew about six inches in the off season and was able to use his
height to great effect in the mid field. Set up many attacking raids with his skilful passing and thinking. Showed
great determination and spirit late in the year when challenged by opposing players.
Andrew Walton - Settled into a role in the back four this year and played with distinction each week. Blunts the
opposition attack and is good on the counter-attack. Tenacious defender who can relied upon to get the job done.
One of the best long throws in the game, which set up many attacking raids for us.
Arthur Balkizas - Grew a few centimetres and put on a bit of muscle in the off season. This led to his explosive
speed being his best asset. Scored a season defining goal in round seven where he raced past 4 opposing defenders
to score in the top corner. Lethal in front of goal and also set up a heap of goals too with his great team play.
Brayden Crismale - Made a home for himself on the right wing early in the season and was used increasingly in
mid-field as the season progressed. Used his powerful right boot to set up some good attacking chances and chased
back hard in defence. Always gives 100%.
Cade Naughton - Found himself in the midfield this year and had a number of stand-out matches. Pushed forward a
few times and used his pace to great effect. Always plays to the best of his ability and is a pleasure to coach. Quiet
player who responded well to the challenges of division 1.
Cameron Goddard - Another who settled into a role in the back four, mainly on the left. Great talker and organiser
on the field who set up a lot of attacking raids with his clever passes and deft touches. Great through ball to set up a
goal against Ryde in round 1.
Carl Wicks – With the new 4-4-2 formation, found himself in the unaccustomed role of sweeper. Gives his absolute
best each week, has a great turn of speed and gives opposing forwards no room to move. Moved to the forward line
for the last match of the year and scored his first goal in league soccer.
Dylan Vischschoonmaker – After a pre-season hiccup, Dylan was welcomed back with open arms. Pint sized forward who hunts the ball like a terrier. Despite his size, Dylan is one of the better aerial exponents in the team, and
was unlucky not to score a few goals with some great headers. Hat-trick against Ryde was his season highlight.
Jack Reeves – Another of the trusty fullbacks who has improved rapidly over the past few years. Gives his best
each week and is ever reliable. Stops plenty of attacking raids with his clever positional play and has a good turn of
foot.
Joel Batour – Settled into the keeper’s position and handled himself with distinction all year. Had a 2 week training
camp at the world famous “Matt Hanchard School of Goalkeeping” and had a blinder of a season. Pulled off some
great saves week in-week out and even scored one when given a run on the field late in the year.
Jordan Lane – Really matured as a player this year. Played predominately in the mid-field where he used his speed
& skills to great effect. When he pushed up front, gave opposing fullbacks no end of trouble. Scored a couple of late
season goals, & set up a few during the year with his pace and vision.
Josh Bridge – Welcomed back into the team after a year studying the game in England. Solid player who gave opposing teams no peace all year. Chases hard and never gives up. Versatile player who can be used in any position
and gives a good account of himself each week.
Karl Stuart – Another welcome addition to the squad having missed a few seasons exploring other ventures. Solid
as a rock in the centre of midfield, sets up plenty of scoring opportunities. Cracking right foot that scored some good
goals and had some fantastic free kicks narrowly miss the mark.
Luke Goddard – Young gun who found a home in the mid-field this year, and was always in the right place at the
right time. A few early season injuries hampered his form, however came home late in the season with a couple of
tip-top efforts. Last minute header gave us victory against Redbacks.
Michael Constanton – Switched to centre fullback early in the season and what a year he had. Made his mark in
more ways than one. Tough and uncompromising defender, he gave opposing forwards plenty of grief with his pace
and never say die attitude.
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Season Reports
Under 13/4
Coach: John Craig
Manager: Trish O’Conner
This was a tough year, which saw the team move up from Division 6 in 2006, to Division 4, and with some players
new to soccer we struggled thorough the whole season. While the step up in class proved difficult, to the boys credit
they kept trying and it was towards the end of the season that we started to play our best football.
In any number of games we looked dangerous in attack, only to concede too many soft goals when the opposition
got us on the counter. We did score some great goals and with a single precious win and a draw to our credit managed to avoid the wooden spoon which went to the Redbacks.
All the players put in over the season. Andrew’s main position was in the backs where his clearing kicks got us out of
trouble again and again. He also had a run with the forwards and showed that he can set up a goal as well as anyone. Michael Bond made some great saves in goal and always worked hard when playing left back. Albert has developed into a very handy player who tackles hard and has a big kick as well. Alex played mostly mid-field where he
tackled and passed constructively, and chipped in with a goal in our only win.
Deniz Dilzis helped improve our defence when he slotted into the backs with his good ball skills, speed and fitness.
When Nathan was on his game he showed he has the skills and speed to match any player on the field. Joseph Hazouri had is first year of soccer and his enthusiasm and energy were a welcome addition. Playing at sweeper where
he cut off many attacking raids, Scott had another good year and gave his best on the field in every game.
Kevin Ma had another great year, with spectacular saves in goals and his huge punts down the field to put us
straight onto the attack, and his determined runs when playing in the mid-field. In his first year back playing soccer,
Daniel Miller slotted into the mid-field and provided good support to the forwards. Daniel O’Conner added some class
to the team. He set up good attacking plays with the forwards and then added some starch to the defence when he
switched to the role of stopper in the second half of the season.
Saurabh played his first year of soccer and worked hard in our defence. It was a pity that a bad knee injury restricted Arnesh’s participation to the last four or five games of the season, because the whole team looked better
when we added his athleticism and speed to our mid-field. Deniz Ulas showed individual brilliance on occasion to create opportunities out of nothing and was probably our player who most regularly found the back of the net. Daniel
Watts had a good year in the forwards with some great goals with his trademark pile driver shots.
Finally, can I say a big thank you to Trish who did a great job as manager of the team.
Under 14/3
Coach: Curtis Coggins
Manager: Jonathan Evans
Players: Goalie - Matthew Withers; Backs - Albert Li, David Politis, Hayden Evans, Oliver Murphy; Mids - Alexander
Bain, Ilke Bilgin, Jaysun Lee, Anthony Pazin; Forwards - Rama Olfat, Youssef Brais, Eden Sessions, Hugo Weber;
Utility - Victor Miguel.
The team this year consisted of most of the 13/5 team from last year with 3 players from the 13/3 team and a couple of others. This seemed promising as the 13/5's had been a bit weak in the forwards and three of the new players
were forwards. The season started with a shock this year - an 8 - 0 loss to Pacific Hills. After this the team pulled
together although there were issues with having players out injured or away and they were winning about half their
games. Then came a shocker where they went into a game against the bottom team with 10 players and lost another through the game to have a 3 - 0 loss. This was followed by a 7-3 loss to Glenhaven, the other very strong
team in the comp. Sadly that was the end of the first round which meant that another game against Pacific Hills was
next. The team played well, but still went down 4-2, but this was a turning point in the season and they won or drew
the rest of the regular season games. Coming into the washed out games they had to win one to make the semi's.
First up, a game against North Epping, the number 3 team. They started off well, getting the first goal, but NE
proved too strong and scored the next 4. That left the last game against Eastwood St Andrew, last years nemesis,
but the team played well and recorded a 3-1 win. Into the semi's and first up Glenhaven - the team played well in a
very fierce encounter and it ended up being a 0-0 draw. Now, Pacific Hills for a spot in the final. Again they played
well but Pacific Hills was just too strong and won 2-1 ending our season.
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Season Reports
Under 15/3
Coach: Angelo Joseph
Manager: Gideon Reiss
What a year – coming from being Premiers in 2006 it was a bit of a shock to the system to find ourselves struggling
with form all year. Injuries, loss of a couple of players and moving up a division took its toll. With new coach, Angelo
Joseph, 2007 was a matter of reshaping the team and building some new patterns of play. Over the year, several
players stepped up and presented themselves to fill the gaps. Despite the lack of scoreboard success, Angelo was
always focused on the positive and during the year we witnessed players develop in confidence and skills. Although
spending half the season overseas, when goalie Rob Trethewy was playing he saved goal after goal – putting in another amazing season. Newcomer Adrian Brombal filled in for Rob while he was away and is a welcome addition to
the team. Chris Williams was as vocal and tenacious as ever, putting in a great effort all year. Quite achiever Dinesh
Haran showed great skill development staring in defence and sometimes showing he had great attacking skills.
Daniel Deed was a menacing presence all year and scored some memorable goals. James Purcell, Irantha Vinayagachelvan and Adam Jelfs were the powerhouse mid-field and played their hearts out every game. The silky skills of
Mathew Clear and Harry Jenkins were on display every week. Jonathan Duignan and Cameron Reiss were the ever
reliable, solid defenders who sometimes played up the field. Both playing tirelessly all year and are great team players. Special mention about newcomer and all-rounder Arsalan Zobair, who fitted in seamlessly into the team.
There was a strong sense at the end of the year that the team was finding its form – watch out 2008.
Under 16/2
Coach: Michael Weber
Manager: Debbie Henderson
No Report Submitted
Under 16/3
Coach: Nick Patsidis
Manager: Anne Savignano
The 16/3 team of 2007 had a fantastic season this year bringing home the minor premiership trophy. For most of our
boys this was the second year in a row in which we won the minor premiership.
Of our 14 games we won 12 and lost 2. Throughout the whole year we were constantly pressured by the other 8
teams in the group. Another aspect which impressed me as a coach was the fact that every other team in our group
had a 2nd bye game where as we had to fight it out to the end. With 50 goals within 14 games this is a very impressive result and the boys should be proud of what they achieved.
As a coach when you win more than 4 games in a row you just feel that the day will come that you will lose a game
and unfortunately this occurred this year at a very important time. The boys were unsuccessful to make the grand
final after winning their first semi 2-1 and losing the 2nd semi 2-1. Unfortunately Roselea scored 1 more goal than us
to qualify to the grand final but as we know it is the premiership that is more important to take home. This year
Daniel La Rocca had an absolutely sensational year in goal, saving the team at very critical times. Penalties and
strong shots were not an issue for Daniel and vocally he kept the defence line in shape. Our defence boys of 2007
consisted of Matthew Stephenson, Brett Archer, Michael Page, Domenic Savignano, Matthew Hollings and Michael
Boulton. Apart from most of the players mentioned not being experienced in defence the boys produced exceptional
results. The boys did not make it easy on any team to attack and score. Just when the other teams thought they
would break through the defence to score you would always see the boys give their 100% to not allow a shot of any
form. Always a pleasure to see Domenic Savignano, Michael Boulton and Michael Page tear down the wings to cross
in a ball, spectacular stuff, while we had Matthew Stephenson, Brett Archer and Matt Hollings steam train down
through the middle of the park. Our midfield this year consisted of Phil Yoon, Glen Smith, Carlo Paparo, Sam Phillips,
Kyle Anderson and Damian La Rocca. These boys throughout this year were unlucky not to bag more than 5 goals
each at least. Midfield ran their guts out this year and defended and attacked very well with Sam, Kyle, and Damian
bagging a couple of goals for the team. Carlo Glen and Phil were very unlucky to not score as all of them had many
fantastic chances. Not to worry boys there is always next year. Finally we are left with our lone striker Mr Jake Stuart. Mr Stuart this year bagged himself more than 35 goals which is an incredible achievement. Jake throughout the
whole season would be everywhere on the field supporting defence midfield and himself. Great work this year Jake
and keep up the great ball work. On many occasions throughout the season we were down on numbers and I would
like to thank Jakes brother Carl Stuart for filling in and being part of the 16/3’s. Carl originally from the 13/1’s
helped us out on our most difficult games and by the last semi was officially part of our team. I would also like to
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Season Reports
take this moment to thank all the parents of the team, especially Carl La Rocca. Carl throughout 2007 assisted me
with coaching the boys. Thank you for your time and effort throughout 2007 and the team also thanks you for your
support.
I would like to also thank Anne Savignano for managing the team this year. Anne did wonders for me and made my
life a lot easier. I would definitely have had problems this year without Anne’s support. Thank You.
Minor Premiers ’06 ’07, can we do it again in ’08???
Under 17/1
Coach: Jason Lowe
Manager: Cassie Lowe
It seems like only yesterday when the 2007 season began for this team. This year we went up to division 1. We lost
a few players but gained players whose skill and team play was above what we had lost. It would be a challenge for
last years Premiers and Champions of division 2 to step up to this level. Our aim for this year was to make the semi
finals and be more competitive than we have been previously when we have been in division 1.
We managed to reach our goal with 7 wins finishing us in forth position. This in itself was a feat with numerous injuries and a few suspensions. As a team they were second to none always hungry to win and were always willing to
learn and improve in all aspects of their game.
Our team consisted of the goal keeper Jake Hawken, defence Adam Morris, Phillip McAllister, Benjamin Lowe, Andres
Soldado, Huw Davis, Jonathon Salas and Rhys McAllister, Midfield, Josh Payne, Paul Basha, Ricky Bertoni, Zac Sessions and Forwards Artin Boghozians, Keiron Steel and Eden Sayyadi.
Special thanks to all the parents, your support has been greatly appreciated. For me it has been highly enjoyable
and rewarding being part of this team and look forward to seeing all of the boys back next year for another shot at
the division 1 title.
Under 21/1
Manager: Mark Basha
With the squad put together 2 weeks before kick off and with no coach or manager, our first year in first division was
going to be tough.
We pulled together a few good wins against our rival teams and with all the supporters that we had down at Meadowbank Park the boys are appreciative.
Hez was player of the year and the Moujalli boys had a good year at the back.
Under 21/2
Coach: Paul Borg
Manager: Fiona Jackson
The early form of this team had all concerned brimming with high expectations. Our trial matches against strong opponents gave us much encouragement and it was obvious that we would have a very competitive side. New additions
to the team Alistair Rhodes, Rohan Steel, Jesse Imer, Justin Coggins, Patrick Gschwind, Rami Tageldin, Gavin Morgan and the irrepressible Eagle Patanan gave us a squad that was very versatile. Our first competition match against
RDP was at Christie Park. We put our strongest team forward and blew away RDP, 14 nil. Next game was against the
eventual Premiers and Champions, Gladesville Ravens, which we won 1 nil. This was the hardest game of the year.
Our best match of the season was against arch rivals Kenthurst who we smacked 3 nil. WRR produced the most outstanding football any team I have coached has displayed. It was a flawless victory but it came at a high price with a
season ending injury to Jan Assurwinkler (AKA Henni). This was a tuning point in our season, along with Rami breaking his arm in a pre-match warm-up mishap, loosing Guliano overseas, Patrick and Danny going on an expedition to
the NT was a telling blow to our top four ambitions. The remainder of the team tried hard every game but even they
will tell you that we missed the creativity of our German connection. If thumping Kenthurst in the first round was our
season highlight then losing to Kenthurst in the second round was certainly the low point, GHFA in their infinite wisdom moved our match from 3.15pm to 11.15am at Annangrove with no regards for players or coaches previous
work commitments. We spent the first half peppering their goal keeper and only managed to score once. Kenthurst
managed to score five unanswered second half goals as we tired badly with no subs and in fact finished the match
with only 10 players. There were other highlights to speak of, for example beating EEW 4-1 to resurrect our finals
hopes and who can forget the final match against Ravens with Chris Cowling scoring a memorable goal to put us in
front, only to concede two soft goals to put us behind 2-1. Then, enter the Eagle. Eagle received the ball on our pen-
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Season Reports
alty box dribbled through the whole Ravens team and scored the most outstanding goal I have ever witnessed. This
prompted John to say after the match “That only goes to prove that an Eagle will always beat a Raven”. Tribute to
our attacking prowess is that from a squad of 17 players, only three failed to score, two fullbacks and our Keeper.
The Team is as follows: Chris Jackson, Jesse Imer, Curtis Coggins, Justin Coggins, Scott Beauman, Eagle Patanan,
Rohan Steel, Tom Weber, Guliano Capo, John Borg, Rami Tageldin, Chris Cowling, Daniel Gschwind, Patrick
Gcshwind, Alistair Rhodes, Jan Aussurwinkler and Gavin Morgan.
Special thanks, to Fiona Jackson, our manager, Brian Rhodes, stand-in Coach and the scorers at Christie Park.
AA1
Coach: Matthew Hanchard
Manager: Nathan Harrison
After 2 Premierships and 3 Grand Final win in the preceding three seasons, the 2007 season was a little like a blind
date that promised so much but ultimately ended in disappointment. The squad saw Chris swap places in the Under
21’s with Alistair, whilst Fergo and Sasha also joined the team and Gav returned after a couple of season’s away.
Unfortunately we lost Waz to injury and Moose to a season long loan at state league side Prospect. The team battled
hard in the first round of matched but a combination of a disappointing pre-season, poor discipline and some very
good opposition saw the team struggle to only a solitary win in opening fixtures. Things turned from bad to worse
when Fergo and Rob A. were sidelined for a majority of the campaign with injuries. On many occasions we kicked off
with just the bare eleven, and at this level that was always going to be a struggle. The season’s turning point was
the first game of the 2nd round vs. Hills Hawks who were competition leaders at the time. With only 11 players available at kick off and playing against a team of 18 & 19 year olds, things looked decidedly grim. When Ravi went down
with a knee injury after 8 minutes the boys could have been forgiven if they decided to pack it in. Instead they put
on a rollercoaster of a performance that had the highest of high’s and the lowest of low’s. Against the run of play
Rovers found themselves up 2-0 at halftime and despite Hawks dominating possession and position, WRR were looking at a remarkable against the odds win. In the 2nd half Yaka completed his hat trick and put WRR up 3-0 despite
playing with only 10 men on the park, but WRR could not hang on, conceding 3 goals in the last 12 minutes. The
frustration after the game was evident but the boys displayed spirit that was lacking earlier in the year. The boys
took a lot of heart out of the game and were only beaten by eventual premiers Old Ignatians and bogey side West
Pennant Hills in the remaining games, despite leading in both games. The team looked completely different in the
last couple of fixture, which coincided with the return from injury of both Rob A and Fergo. The boys showed they
were not completely out of their depth at this level, and with a bit more luck and a bit less back chat, the season
may have finished with a more respectable conclusion. Hopefully with additions to the squad from some of the talented youngsters coming through the Rovers ranks and some selective recruiting, this team will return to the success it has enjoyed in previous years. Special thanks go to our dedicated fans, parents and WAG’s (wives and girlfriends) for following us all over the countryside this year. With any luck GHFA will be a bit kinder to us next year
and we will only have to travel to Dural/Galston three times.
AA4
Coach: Gary Neilson
Manager: Craig Pearce
What a fantastic season for our boys!! This team has risen 4 divisions in 3 years and has now justified the handicapper’s decision by being crowned joint Champions for 2007. Along the way, we were only beaten on 3 occasions, and
never once by more than 1 goal. We also racked up the best defensive record in the competition, and had some of
our all-to-frequent unlucky draws gone in our favour, I have no doubt that we would be also listing the title of Premiers alongside our joint Champions honours. Our results in the Round Robin justify that claim. Under the astute
guidance of Supercoach Guus Neilson, the boys rallied with a late season charge to come from second last to surge
into 4th place, and a spot in the play-offs, on the back of a superior for and against. Guus said at the start of the year
that he would have the boys primed for the business end of the season, and he wasn’t kidding, gradually building up
the tempo at training to the point where the boys were jumping out of their skins come semi finals time. In our first
play-off game, we defeated the Minor Premiers, Redbacks, 3-2 after romping to a 3-0 half-time lead. We followed
this up the next week with an emphatic 5-2 demolition of the runners-up, Ignats, to march into a grand final showdown with Normanhurst.
The grand final itself was a cracker, but the judge could not split the 2 sides after 110 minutes of thrilling, high quality football. I feel our boys had the better of the chances, being denied by the woodwork and a great save by the
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Season Reports
opposition keeper. But to be fair to the Norms, they also extracted great saves from both our keepers, and a draw
was probably a fitting result, especially given that on the 3 occasions the 2 teams met during the season, nothing
separated them.
And as for the players………………….
Big Harold: Last year it was the sheep. This year, tore a hammy before a ball was kicked, then on 1 leg took to the
powdery slopes of Perisher rather than chase grand final glory on the dusty flats of Meadowbank.
Rohan: Never a better team man than this fella. Didn’t get much game time in the finals series (2 minutes and 10
seconds I think) but it was all guts and determination.
Carl: All quality on the ball, either in midfield or at the back, and converted the all important penalty that got us to
the play-offs. Suspect during the season he discovered there were more pleasurable things in life than the call of
Last Drinks at the Concord.
B-Rad: The fastest thing on 2 legs, the longest throw in the competition and a never-say-die attitude at the back
made life a misery for opposition strikers. Doesn’t mind the nightlife either and suspect he saw more than 1 rising
sun during the year.
Simon V Oranges: Valencia oranges that is. Started the year at back or midfield but a glimpse of goalkeeping talent
saw him share the custodial duties in the play-offs with The Likeable, with aplomb (or an orange).
Simon The Likeable: Unflappable as ever and kept us in many close encounters with his fearless goal keeping.
Struck some misfortune in downtown Newtown but bounced back to play a key role in the decider.
The Stath Man: Tireless midfielder and inspirational in the air. When he’s on there’s not many who can beat him in
the aerial battles, and proved this with some brilliant headed goals during the year. Once again, made the weekly
trek from the south and renewed temporary Liberty Grove residency to star in team socials.
The Woot: Managed to break all card collecting records, which unfortunately cost him a GF appearance. Would definitely argue that his cards against Ignats in the last Round Robin game were ERRONEOUS!!, ERRONEOUS ON 2
COUNTS. When he’s on the field however, its all a case of nature versus nurture.
Gibbo: Stellar season for the Role Model for Acceptable Hotel Behaviour. Oozes talent, and his confidence just grew
and grew as the season went on and his hat trick solo in the 5-2 victory over Ignats was as dominant a performance
as you could hope to see. Leading goal scorer, although took the long way home to score some of them.
Brendan: Another one whose season got better and better as the year went on. Equally at home at left back or midfield, although he may argue that. Supplied the final delivery from great left foot curling corners and free kicks for
numerous goals and almost broke his duck with a mighty long range speculator against the Arachnids.
Ryan: Fine midfielder whose has that rare talent of pulling off the unexpected. Second behind Gibbo in the goal
scoring department (I think). Can miss the odd one but when he gets them they are usually memorable, such as the
one off the outside of his right foot to completely fool the keeper, and everyone else, who was expecting the left foot
shot.
Matt P: Utilised in midfield and at the back and equally adept in both roles. Has no fear and relishes the challenge of
taking on bigger opponents in the one-on-ones, and coming out on top. May be looking to sue Normanhurst Soccer
Club over the height of their sideline ropes in Round 1.
Floody: Flowed into his debut season like a king tide. A talented forward or midfielder, scored his most important
goal of the year against Redbacks in the last competition round, but 2 crackers against Redfield were also memorable. Unfortunately missed the GF with a knee injury sustained the week before.
Matt L: Made the greatest comeback since Dame Nellie Melba to participate in finals series, after sustaining career
threatening injuries in the R2 match against Normanhurst. Shored up the defence, cool under pressure, and will now
be rewarded with a Champions trophy perched (that’s for you Ryan) on his mantelpiece.
Manetta Man: AKA The Golden Greek, will George’s season be remembered for the great goal he scored against
Redbacks, or the not so great penalty he fluffed against Redfield?? Regardless of which it is, age shall not weary
them as he is still a great midfield performer and team man. Struck down with the El virus late in the season but recovered in time for the GF.
Danno: Solid as a rock in either defence or midfield. Missed mid season with injury but returned with near best on
park performance in R2 game against Holy Cross. Opponents would prefer being slapped with a “Murder1” rather
than being marked by Danno.
Matt N: Inspirational stopper who led by example every week and one of the main reasons we had the best defensive record. Any striker, no matter how good, knows he’s been in a game after Matt’s finished with him. Nailed more
woodwork from long distance than Joseph the Carpenter, but provided the platform for many of our attacking raids.
Great season.
On behalf of the players, I’d like to thank the Coach, Gary Guus Neilson, for all his efforts during the year. Now that
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Season Reports
his Saturdays are free, the Part-time Horse Doctor has been called on by the Australian racing industry to help find
an answer to the horse flu epidemic sweeping the country. God help the horses, he’ll end up diagnosing them with
Hooping Cough. To Concord Hotel, thank you for helping to make our Grand Final celebrations so memorable. And
finally to the WRR Soccer Club, particularly Andy and Karen, thanks for all the ground work. Your efforts help to
make Saturdays in winter something to look forward to for a lot of people.
Can’t wait for next year.
AA5
Manager: Mark Koussas
At the start of the season we had high hopes of a top 4 spot, unfortunately due to some spirited opposition and a
lack of depth, our ambition wasn’t to be. We had to settle for a gallant Pennant Comp win, which was somewhat underwhelming. Having said that the year will stand out in our minds as a year we actually saw our sons, and relatives
compete against men for the first time and totally exceeded all expectations. They grew as players and as people
and when it is all said and done, what is sport for after all. Here is a brief rundown of how some may have viewed it
from the sidelines. MARTY was an imposing figure between the sticks, TIM B showed that the task wasn’t beyond him
and at times toyed with the opposition, COSSY after playing in the morning for his school turned up and still ran the
legs off the opposition, ADRIAN despite breaking a wrist late in the season has proven he is capable of playing at a
higher level, JAMES has grown so much as a player and in maturity he would fit into any senior team, TOM what can
we say about someone who hasn’t played the game before, he tried as hard as anybody, PETER G big, strong and
uncompromising defender who loved getting forward, DAVE probably in the top 2 or 3 most gifted footballers I have
ever played with. with a little more discipline has the potential to play at the very highest level, BYLESY in jury and
age prevented a stella season, the mind is willing but the body aint, BRUNO our very own super sub only this one
didn’t want to play, when he did, his Ginger Tomkins impressions amused all, GOGGS showed he has played at a
very high level (a while ago), EDDIE when available was always dangerous (except from the penalty spot), PAT sublime skills, unfortunately suffered a number of injuries walking off in disgust, SHILLO lives by the old adage it now
takes all day to do the things we used to do all day, but can still laugh about it, and finally COACH KOUS having little
game time due to injury (lucky bugger) we have seen him age weekly at some of our antics we can but apologize
and hope the season hasn’t taken to much toll, thank you for a memorable season.
AA10
Manager: Robbie Abonyi
2005 – AA9 Minor Premiers, 2006 – AA8 Joint Champions, what would 2007 bring for this merry bunch of Rovers?
Well, we were advised that despite our efforts of the previous 2 seasons, we would be lining up in AA10 for 2007
which didn’t go down to well with the squad. A few important members of the team packed bags & headed for
greener pastures whilst the rest of us plodded along to complete an inconsistent & ultimately disappointing season.
We welcomed just the 1 new player into the fold this year who goes by the name of Amyn – great to have you on
board & hopefully you’ll be donning the Rover blue for a few years to come. And I mustn’t forget the return of the
mercurial Jorge V after time out due to a long term injury.
Now, a more appropriate name for this side would have been The Inconsistent Rovers as our first 6 games were a
perfect loss/win/loss/win/loss/win – although looking at it like that, I suppose there was some consistency going on
in a roundabout way!
Some long term injuries were picked up early on which would continue to hamper us until the season finally came to
an end. Along with a big drop off in numbers at training, some sessions even being completely cancelled & a lack of
numbers returning to the West Ryde Hotel after games, some serious mid-season soul searching was required if we
were to achieve anything in 2007.
The 2nd half of the season was a lot better & many thanks must go out to some fellow Rovers who helped us out in
our time of need. So cheers to Ben & Eden from the 17/1’s, Brett & Jake from the 16/3’s (brilliant effort for such
young players) & a big thankyou to Alistair, Rohan & Gavin from the 21/2’s – you guys were great. A final thankyou
to the coaches of the respective sides for being more than happy to help out whenever I put out an S.O.S. for some
extra manpower.
After a run of 5 games undefeated which included knocking off the undefeated league leaders, it all came down to
our final match against Roselea with only a draw required to secure a semi-final spot. We went down 3-1 & that’s
pretty much all she wrote.
On a brighter note, congratulations to Sergio, Johnny, Pearl & Riki on reaching 5 years with the Rovers & to “Chief”
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Season Reports
Basset on reaching the 10 year milestone.
Thankyou to all those who I haven’t mentioned here – you know who you are & it was a pleasure to call you my
team mates in 2007.
Finally to Karen & Andy – as long as Blue blood flows through your veins, the West Ryde Rovers Football Club will
continue to grow & become more successful. Very lucky to have you both at the club & I’d personally like to thankyou for all your time & assistance over the years.
AA11
Coach: Danny Zaouk
Manager: Nable Rahme
Champions of 2007!! Even though it was a joint championship it was definitely the boys' year with only 2 losses the
entire season, the Rovers boys were every team’s biggest threat! The majority of last year’s Champions team came
back to successfully defend their title in 2007. Some influential new recruits were able to fill in the gaps and aided to
create an extremely powerful side. Due to an unfortunate injury ruling Danny out early in the season, he confidently
stood up as coach and guided the boys through a successful and enjoyable season.
The determination of the team was never questioned as they remained focused and continually gave their all. Nothing could discourage them from their game plans and rituals, particularly their half time cigarette breaks and post
game McDonald’s visits. Defenders Kelly, Peter B, Simon and Anthony were consistently outstanding! They were built
like a wall and worked together to ensure that the brilliant goal keeper Peter Z had little to do. Pete of course was
there achieving miraculous saves, at the rare occasion the opposition emerged with a great strike! Speedy midfielders Aris, Ray, Camille, Evan and Peter C were capable of always supporting their defenders and simultaneously being
on the attack! Shooting away like bullets, they were always keen to cross in a great ball to strikers Ralph and Buddy
who were there to take perfect strikes at goal when the opportunity arose! Playmaker Steve was always there to assist and always ready to convert his specialty free kicks and penalty shots into great goals!
Many thanks go to Danny for coaching and a very special thanks to all the dedicated family and friends who supported the team throughout the season.
It was great to see that they boys enjoyed the season and it was a pleasure to watch them working as a team. Best
of luck next season!
AA15
Coach: Allan McIntyre
Manager: Karen Harrison
Coach Big Al McIntyre backed up for another season with the team, but with a request to play a higher division. With
the stacking of teams higher up in GHFA the bulk of teams were forced downwards. Thus our jump from AA16 to
AA15 was in effect probably equivalent to 2-3 divisions up. Enough technicalities. This team is comprised of a great
bunch of blokes who love their soccer, appreciate the competitive aspect of the game, but enjoy the social side as
well. It is a pleasure to report that the season was uneventful in terms of issues with match officials, and we had our
share of wins. The competition was strong, with PHD clearly leading the field, but each game brought new challenges. Captain Steve “Pommy” Wood commented’ “If we’d have won more games, we probably would have been
higher up the ladder”. It is a tribute to the team that a great crowd of supporters came to most games, and generally weren’t disappointed with the entertainment. Thanks to all players, who made the season a pleasure. Thanks
again to Big Al for coaching, and to Karen for her no-nonsense managing and washing of stinking, rancid shirts. We
were close to the top 4, and with a bit of luck could have made it. But we’ll be back – look out world!
AA19
Manager: Oren Rahimi
The only way to describe this season is to say that it's one teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich dream about and of course their fans. A squad of fifteen guys came together in the first week of March with only
four of them playing last season and three of them being friends now living in Sydney keen to play. Fifteen players
from different walks of life who have known each other just to play soccer socially on a Saturday during the summer
months.
We started training on a Wednesday night a month before the competition began and played two trial matches which
we lost. We were beaten five one by Dundas and four two by West Ryde Eagles who played in divisions above us.
However we continued our training which is always difficult after having a hard days work and this would prove to be
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Season Reports
a factor in the teams eventual success.
Our first proper match was against Epping YMCA which we won three one thanks to a better fitness level followed the
next week by a tough four three win against All Saints Hunters Hill where everyone in the whole team were nursing
cuts and bruises. We continued building momentum with a four one victory against West Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook
and it was the same scoreline against the Gladesville Sharks. Thornleigh Thunder were defeated two one and West
Ryde Eagles didn't stand a chance as four goals saw off their challenge. So half way through the season we were undefeated.
Then the rain came solidly for two weeks that washed out training and the games on the weekend. After a gap of
four weeks we played West Pennant Hill-Cherrybrook and lost two one. This would be the only match we lost all season. Stung by this loss we turned it around with a six one win over Gladesville Sharks and another two one victory
against Thornleigh Thunder. I would probably consider this our best win of the season as we were only playing with
ten men for the whole match due to injuries and commitments elsewhere. The following week saw it rain goals as we
beat West Ryde Eagles nine nil and thumped Epping YMCA five one. Our last game of the regular season was against
All Saints Hunters Hill which finished in a two all draw.
We won the minor premiership and now it was to the business end of the season, the finals. Our first semi final was
against West Pennant Hills-Cherrybrook and we didn't give an inch. We won the game two nil and we were one step
closer to the grand final. Our next match was against Thornleigh Thunder where both sides needed only a draw to
get through. This occurred and the final score was three all.
On to the grand final and we totally dominated the match and won three nil. It was a great way to finish a season
where after the trial games all of us had to deal with certain doubts as to how we would go in the season. So after
five months we were crowned premiers and champions and we were able to prove that were the best side in the division.
It was a season of so many highlights that I could write a book. From keeping clean sheets to scoring goals worthy
of a professional soccer team. The boys acquitted themselves sportingly on and off the field and this club can be
proud of them. All our thanks go to Oren Rahimi for organizing the team every week and of course to the supporters
who were there week in week out to cheer us on. Our thanks should also go to the club itself who work hard to ensure the smooth running of the season.
See you all next season.
AA21
Manager: Tom Mortimer
A season of very mixed fortunes ultimately ended in disappointment for the All-Age 21’s, a team which might have
staked a claim to the tag of West Ryde’s very own soap opera. A second place finish, followed by defeat in the semi
finals does not tell the story of what was often the league’s dominant team. For when the AA21’s were on song,
maulings followed. The outrageous 20-2 victory over Macquarie University will perhaps be remembered most fondly,
but Gladesville Sharks (11-1) and Epping-Eastwood (7-0) both received similar treatment on occasion. Tight, hardfought victories over fellow finalists Eastwood St. Andrews and Roselea, and a four-goal comeback to draw with Holy
Cross showed that this was also a side with more than enough stomach for a fight. Never were they content with
only bullying the league’s lesser lights. On such days, the side played with a mixture of strength and poise simply
unmatched in the division. The vision and touch of playmaker Robert Petrovic and sweeper Liam Grealy, the raw
power of Grant Fisken, the outrageous speed of Anders Warn and the sheer tenacity of Minu Lee and Daniel Kim – all
were a sight to behold. In truth no player could feel they hadn’t earned their spot on the field. The problem for Mortimer’s side was that, for a myriad of reasons, ‘on song’ was often a bridge too far. Player availabilities were a major
factor. The fact is that Mortimer did not have a full team to choose from on one single occasion throughout the season – in many cases having to make do with ten or even nine players. Injuries were often to blame, chief among
them a hand injury which kept Mortimer, the side’s only goalkeeper, on the sidelines for three months. A broken arm
sustained by Piers Gibbons, and a season-ending knee injury to Peter Budovsky were also major losses. But the midseason departure of star import Grant Fisken, owing to visa troubles was perhaps most telling. The deadeye Scotsman was the spearhead, and often the engine, of almost every Rovers attack. That Fisken managed a stupendous 30
goals, despite his brief stay is testament to his value to the side. In the end, his lost left a massive hole in the side’s
forward line, despite the valiant efforts of Anthony Taylor to cover alone. Undoubtedly, these problems affected both
team cohesion, as well as morale enormously. But perhaps the lowest of all lows was the infamous ‘hole incident’,
where a sizeable ditch which appeared on LH Waud field at half-time resulted in the cancellation of a fixture with
Roselea, owing to the obvious safety concerns inherent. Match and club officials assured a replay on the day, but, in
a decision of unrivalled stupidity (and one which contravened both association and FIFA rules), the game was eventually rewarded as victory to Roselea, who were leading at the time. In spite of the unending drama, that Mortimer’s
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Season Reports
side still managed a runners-up medal, and only one genuine defeat in the regular season, is testament both to the
side’s ability and strength of character.
In the lead, the overwhelming weight of injuries and other distractions lead to inevitable defeat in the finals series.
An AA21 side with only nine players somehow managed to take the lead against Eastwood St. Andrews, but eventually succumbed under the enormous weight of numbers, going down 4-1. Nonetheless, this was a team that ought to
hold its head high. The premiership eluded them, but they still achieved much, almost always under far from perfect
circumstances. The likely prosect of promotion, and what could only be a smoother season 2, will serve as plenty
motivation to spur the side to an even more successful 2008.
35/1
Manager: John Denison
There was much anticipation at the start of the season regarding the realistic expectations of this undoubtedly talented team. No less than 8 former national league players were paraded as the WRR team had set their sights
firmly on winning the competition and then going on to represent the club in the prestigious Champion of Champions
at the end of the season.
Having a couple of equally talented teams in the competition such as past champions Epping Eastwood and Gladesville Ravens was only going to make the task to win the comp harder to achieve.
As the first 6 games of the season unfolded the WRR had effortlessly scored 42 goals and conceded nil – having
along the way beaten Gladesville Ravens 6-0 !! and EEW 2-0 in their own backyard at Boronia Park, effectively winning the championship as early as late May.
The second part of the season rolled in and by this stage teams were batten down the hatches and putting up to
9-10 players behind the ball and trying to minimize the potency of the WRR attack – this proved to be very frustrating for the team as scoring goals became a little bit more difficult to score – second round draws against EEW and
Gladesville Ravens and a total of a further 28 goals followed but the WRR had done enough to eventually win the
competition by 7 points and scoring over 70 goals along the way!!
West Ryde Rovers backed up their Premiership feat by appearing in the Grand final against opponents Gladesville
Ravens who happened to have surprisingly beaten Epping Eastwood 2-1 in the other semi.
As the grand final kicked off one of the biggest compliments was given to the talented WRR team just 5 minutes into
the first half as Gladesville Ravens strategically positioned 10 players behind the ball and set out to defend at all
costs with very little desire to attack except for some half hearted efforts. On the other hand WRR had gone on and
hit the woodwork 3 times and top goal scorer - Peter Vezos had one of those nightmare days that strikers can have
by going on and squandering nothing less than 3 clear cut chances.
Obviously the night rolled on in this vein with both teams left at 0-0 after 120 minutes of playing and having both
teams declared joint champions.
Nonetheless WRR remained undefeated all season and go with much pride into the Champion of Champions:
Players Acknowledged:
Jim Konistis (Safe as Houses)
Leo Karis (Consistently Good)
Lee Sutherland (Mr Perpetual Motion)
Terry Patalis (Poetry in Motion)
Robbie Harmet (Solid as a Rock)
Nick Plataniotis (Man of Steel)
George Kalogeras (Smooth as Silk)
Martin Burke (Cool as a Cucumber)
Billy Gotsis (All Action Hero)
Tom Beris (Marathon Man/)
John Pelekanos (Mr Entertainment)
Vadim Mikoutski (Latvian International)
David Barrett (Talismatic and Powerful)
George Karavanas (Upwardly Mobile)
Tom Pontidas (Electrifying)
Peter Vezos (Genuine Goalscorer)
Season Awards were awarded to:
Players of the Year: Joint Winners Tom Pontidas/David Barrett (13 points each)
Player of the Year Runners Up: Terry Patalis/Leo Karis (12 points each)
Top Goalscorer: Peter Vezos 25 goals
Moment of the Year: Jim Konistis double penalty save against Epping Eastwood May 9
Enough is Enough Award: No more text messages from Tom Beris (Communication Manager)
Goals of the Year (There were so many): George Kalogeras vs. All Saints (Blue), Tommy Pontidas vs. All Saints
(RED), Peter Vezos vs. Epping Eastwood
31
Season Reports
35/4
Coach: Paul Gales
Manager: Jim van Bruinessen/Michael Tudela
How do you win a grand final and still feel like this was the season that got away? Well that was the way it was in
our first run around in the esteemed over 35 ranks.
We started the season with 3 strong wins on the trot and I think we all thought this was going to be too easy. Injuries start to kick in, people get lazy with turning up on time, and by mid competition we went 3 or 4 games in a row
starting less than 11 players. Even still, we led the competition throughout most of the season only to finish 2nd after
losing to Hills Hawks in both rounds.
The finals series was a different story. We fielded full teams, warmed up properly and won strongly against West
Ryde Eagles, followed by Epping YMCA. In an upset, West Ryde Eagles won their 2nd semi final against the premiers
Hills Hawks 3-0 and so we didn’t get the chance to prove ourselves against Hawks, instead lining up in the big one
against the Eagles once again.
We played strongly throughout the game, led 1-0 at half time, one slip at the back let them in for an equaliser, but
Angelo scored the winner with about 5 minutes to go. I think we were more relieved than elated as we’ve had a history of struggling in the big one but this win was very sweet and well deserved.
Highlights of the season – Paul E had probably his best season ever highlighted by a 50 metre chase and slide tackle
at the post to save a goal in the 2nd semi final. Chris and Andrew were always reliable at the back while our own
‘Juninho’ Frank, alongside John J starred in midfield. Angelo and Brendan continued to be dangerous up front, while
Galesy scored the goal of the season with a scorching drive from about 30 metres (he tells it as though it was halfway).
We welcomed some new boys this year – Henry and Richard brought some more South American flair to the team,
and we were lucky to get Jason on a free transfer from Manchester City.
And so our season ended successfully – GRAND FINAL WINNERS 2007!!
35/5
Manager: Col Harrison
UNDEFEATED PREMIERS, BILL PLASKETT TROPHY WINNERS, CHAMPIONS
"I-I-I-I Feel Good, I Knew That I Would, Now" (think James Brown)
A lot of blokes in this team have been around a long time....a real long time. And they've played a few games of soccer, and made the odd grand final, and even won one or two. But something about this one just left a sweet taste in
the mouth, a bit more than usual, like a real good apple when all you've for the last few winters is cold storage crap.
How so? Well, it all began ...............
and they all lived happily ever after (until April next year). I was told to keep it short. But read the top line. I think
we've earned some print space. (If you're smart you'll take this opportunity to go to the bar.)
We'd gone too long suffering less-than-satisfying grand finals. We'd kissed our sisters twice in those stupid 'joint
champion' exercises. We'd done everything but win in 2006 when the now 'world famous' own-golden-goal set
tongues wagging for the next twelve months. But 2007 promised a lot. Up a division but with a rejigged team thanks
to the recruiting drive by Col in the off-season, we began our winning way, playing some crowd-pleasers and maintaining momentum. As always, injuries started to strain things mid-season, but we held on, even at Glenhaven
where we dropped our only points for the year in a draw. Below us Glenhaven and Thornleigh fought tooth and nail
for second spot, particularly when the 3rd semi was dropped. In the end Thornleigh crept into the final from
third place with a well deserved draw against us in the last semi, but as they admitted, that was their grand final. On
the big day we just played superbly and 3-0 was a fitting end to a great season.
It was a real team effort this year. Panda was drawn back into the fraternity when we desperately needed a goalie,
and gave us our best 'against' in years. Borgie, Bruiser and Hadi were safe as houses all year in the back. Big Al was
the usual rock. Mick, Pistol, Angus, Rew, Guts and 'Sugar Ray' Alf delighted onlookers with their control in the midfield. Rosco, Lil' Al, Anthony and (eventually) Sesh made opposition fullbacks contemplate retirement. I spent the
year trying to get the monkey off my back. (Gees, he had long claws.) Yep, it was all good.
A few awards: Most km in one game (1,841.37) - Anthony Boudib; Best impersonation of plush-pile carpet - Hadi
'Doof-Doof' Kazemi; Fattest arm - Bruce 'Bruiser' Francis; Best tactics talk during a game - 'Lil' Al Reeves; Most fist
salutes in a game - Pete 'Pistol' Barron; Best attempted goal - Mark 'Sesh' Sessions; Grumpiest Old Man - Andrew
'Angus' Lang; Best attempted career change mid-game - Alf 'Sugar Ray' Boudib; Marquee player of the year award Ross 'Rosco' Burgess; GFMVP 1st half - Jeff 'Panda' Webster, 2nd half - Craig 'Guts' Burnett. Ooo-aah.
Special thanks to card-carrying members, management and bar staff. See ya next year.
32
Season Reports
35/7 Coach:
Manager: Nable Rahme
No Report Submitted
Under 10/1W
Coach: Anthony Boudib / Chris Goddard
Manager: Greg Cameron
A pre-season phone call from the backbone of the club, Andy Harrison, inquiring about the prospect of an Under 10
girl’s team, was met with extreme fervour and anticipation. A few short weeks later, the dream became a reality and
the team gathered for their first training session under Coach Anthony. The team saw a blend of youth and experience with some girls playing up a year and some having never played before. A couple of pre-season games saw the
team start to come together, and as the competition kicked off, we were ready to go. A few early games saw a couple of good wins, and a couple of unlucky losses, however the girls were improving with each game, which was the
main thing. After the mid-season grading, we found ourselves in division 2, and with a real shot at the title. The midseason rain didn’t help our cause, but we came back bigger and stronger, and finished the season with a flurry. The
last round win against Gladesville Ravens ranks up there with one of the best wins in the clubs history, where 8 girls
(2 of whom were deathly sick) beat the full strength competition leaders. That win got us into the grand final with
our tails up. The grand final was played in extremely difficult conditions-Morrison 1 resembled a lake, and the driving
wind and rain made conditions near impossible to play any form of attractive soccer. A gritty first half saw the girls
take a 1-0 lead into half time after a good team goal, and a gallant second half performance saw the girls hold on
until with 4 minutes to go the Ravens scored a goal to equal the score. Two periods of extra time couldn’t separate
the teams and we were declared joint champions. A great result for a lovely bunch of girls who have thoroughly enjoyed their soccer this year. The team has improved out of sight and many thanks must go to Anthony for his coaching and Greg for his managerial skills. Thanks to, to all the parents who bring the girls each week and do some of the
best barracking on the sideline.
Micheala Vagg - Found herself in goals for a lot of the season and played with distinction week in week out. Pulled
off a couple of great saves and kept us in many games. When playing on the field is a tenacious defender who gives
her all.
Olivia Hudson – Striker who gives her all every week. Quiet as a mouse, lets her soccer do the talking. Set up
some good attacking raids and chased back hard in defence. Always gives 100%.
Isabela Ugonotti – Solid midfielder who really developed as a player this year. Gave opposing teams no peace all
year and chases hard and never gives up. Versatile player who can be used in any position and gives a good account
of herself each week.
Gabrielle Mytkowski - Another of the trusty fullbacks who has improved rapidly this year. Gives her best each
week and is ever reliable. Stops plenty of attacking raids with clever positional play. Had a few games in goals as
well.
Isabelle McDermott –Spent a bit of time in goals and again performed well. Saved our bacon in the grand final
with great save in the dying minutes. Plays as a defender when playing on the field and gives opposition attackers no
peace.
Ysobel Cranfield – Solid as a rock in the centre of midfield, and sets up plenty of scoring opportunities. Covers
more ground than Burke and Wills and has a powerful right foot. Scored a great goal in the Grand Final to give us a
sniff of victory.
Gizem Bilgin – The heart of the defence who plays well each week and keeps opposition at bay. Blunts the opposition attack and is good on the counter-attack. Tenacious defender who can be relied upon to get the job done
Isabella Berryman – Another who settled into a role in the back three, mainly on the left. Great talker and organiser on the field who set up a lot of attacking raids with clever passes and deft touches. Has mastered the foot on the
ball stop and turn, which set up many chances for us.
Elisha Duggan - Found herself in the midfield this year and had a number of stand-out matches. Pushed forward a
few times and used her pace to great effect. Always plays to the best of her ability.
Jasmine Boudib - Played predominately in the mid-field where she used her speed & skills to great effect. Pushed
up front a few times and gave opposing fullbacks no end of trouble. Scored a couple goals & set up a few during the
year with her skill and vision.
Claire Goddard - Made a home for herself up front this year and played with distinction each week. Scored a couple
of good goals and the clincher against Ravens in the last round was a beauty. Set up some other goals with good
team play.
Stephanie Cameron – Started the season at fullback, however as the year progressed made the switch to striker.
Possesses a lethal right boot to set up some good attacking chances and scored a number of crackers herself.
Page 33
33
Season Reports
Under 12/1W
Coach: Neil Knipe
Manager: Anthony Squadrito
The U/12 West Ryde Rovers 14 girl's team was one which had enormous improvement throughout the season, especially in the 2nd division competition at the back-end of the year. Most of the girls had extremely little, or no, knowledge of the game and how it is played at season's start. However, under the guidance of Coach Neil Knipe, the girls
improved tremendously, eventually ending up runners up in the Pennant Final, 1-0 against a strong Thornleigh
side.
Given their limited experience, the team produced some very talented footballers, which no doubt will the see most
of the girls continue in soccer in the future. Goalkeeper Sarah Ivers made her presence in the box felt after all the
girls had attempts in this rather unpopular position. Not only was her goalkeeping prowess notable, she is the owner
of the title for scoring the team's first goal of the season. At the back, the ever reliable pair of Julie Song and Alyssa
Squadrito made the opposition need to produce their very best in order to crack into their box; their steadfast consistency was a pleasure to watch. Wing defenders Brianna Wright and Teresa Fischer also improved dramatically
throughout the season, and kept the line ball a near impossibility. A mid-season positional switch saw Isabella
Ciampa move into the backline, and is rumoured to be the secret weapon behind the girl's late-season charge to
glory.
Diane Mills was a great asset in the midfield, making her presence felt in every corner of the field. The talented
"throw-in" abilities and incredible fitness of Rachael Madeley, teamed with the prowling prowess of Alpa Gupta made
the midfield clearly an area for only the girls in Blue and White. Renee Cannon, Jacqueline Garcia and Millie ReidAlvez also contributed to the midfield, improving every game they played.
However, it was the upfront trio, along with appearances from Sarah, which created the real fireworks. Little Ruby
Spence was not to be underestimated, and was a constant threat to the opposition net. Paulina Peters was, arguably,
the fastest and most effective on the counter-attack, causing all opposition to shiver in their boots when the ball was
at her feet. Leading goal scorer and fierce competitor Paris Knipe could be found almost everywhere on the field
(sometimes too often) and had a boot unlike that of David Beckham.
In all, the girls were victorious in 4 games, resulted 1 frustrating draw, and suffered valiant defeat on 11 occasions.
It was not the results which really mattered to the team though; it was the amount of improvement, the hunger for
victory and the team spirit which defined this team from all others on Sunday mornings. The team's success needs
much thanks to all the parents of the girls, especially Mr. Madeley and Mr. Fischer who regularly helped out in trainings.
We wish all the girls the very best in the future and hope they will continue to love and play soccer.
Under 13/1W
Coach: Anthony Boudib
Manager: Greg Purcell
Sunday August 19 – what a day. There were many trying elements that contributed towards the girl’s final game for
the season: the weather – a soaking oval and pouring rain; nervousness; and anxious parents on the sideline. But
nothing could prevent the girls from going out there and playing their best game of the season. At full time the
scores were locked 0-0, five minutes into golden goal extra time, Rhiannon had a successful direct penalty shot
which broke the deadlock and the girls became ‘The Champions’ of 13/2.
Now for wrap-up of the season and a little bit on each of the girls who made the team:
Audrey: This was Audrey’s first year playing soccer, she was a defender who at times became frustrated but once
her skills had improved immensely, she became a vital member of the team.
Chloe: As Chloe’s second season playing soccer, she was given the important position of mid-field, where she excelled and showed her superior ability and control of the ball (including fancy footwork).
Izabella M: Also Izabella’s first season, she was versatile with the ability to play both in Goals and as a forward
when required.
Isabella VB: Unfortunately Isabella missed some games due to an injury, but continued to be a strong member of
the team by supporting the girls on the side line at most games she could not play at. When she could play she filled
in for the Goalie and also played in several other positions.
Jocelyn: Thanks for joining Rovers this year. Her confidence grew game by game and she became a reliable and
vital member of our defence line.
Kaitlin: Her ability has improved with great help from Anthony (the coach) from out of season training. Her position
on the team is as a forward. When she takes off she can stop – like a missile – but she gets there – she just needs
34
Season Reports
to be able to control that missile.
Lauren: This was Lauren’s second year playing soccer and her skill level and ability playing forward and midfield had
definitely improved.
Matilda: Thanks for playing this season with Rovers – you will definitely be missed next year – hope all goes will in
Queensland. Anthony noticed your enjoyment at his training sessions showed on game day.
Melissa: Another player in her second season with Rovers – she strengthened and improved her positional playing
of left mid field – with her extra effort she was unstoppable.
Nicole: Being one of the youngest players in the team did not stop Nicole from playing a great game in defence –
she did not like it when the opposition scored goals against us and did her best to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately she was overseas for the grand final – keep it free for next year!
Philippa: Her first year with Rovers, her versatility enabled her to play in several positions including mid field and
defence.
Pragya: Her first year playing in the girl’s competition, her skill level and ability to read the game stopped the opposition from entering our half on many occasions and usually ended with a solid return kick of the ball.
Rhiannon: Rhiannon’s ability showed the way. She held her mid field position brilliantly and was the anchor of the
team, and was top goal scorer for the season.
Sabrina: Another girl playing her first year in soccer – she was very eager to learn and developed her skills quite
quickly and became a reliable defender clearing several attempts at goals – including one in the grand final.
Stephanie: Last but not least by any means, Stephanie was the first to volunteer for Goalie but at times was also
needed in other positions. She played an exceptional game in the grand final as the Goalie – saving and clearing
many attempts at goal.
Anthony: The coach of the year – without Anthony’s patience, ability, love of the game and dedication to training
and teaching the girls how to play soccer the right way – the team would not have been as successful as they were.
Thank you Anthony – we hope you will return next year to be our Coach!!
We hope the girls have an enjoyable off season and all return ready for another successful season next year.
Under 15/2W
Coach: Alan Harrison
Manager: Steve Hill
Some changes to the line-up for the 15/2 girls (Our Girls) affected the way we played, and the set up of the team. Al
Harrison returned as coach (masochist) and Steve Hill took over as manager. Overall, our season was solid and consistent, but we lacked numbers on many occasions. A highlight of the season was the return of Laura after a dicky
knee episode; whilst she came back as keeper, she was excellent in the role and made some fine saves. JJ Harrison
also filled in as keeper, and this year got her first goal! Steph and Jessica M were strong in attack and the speediest
on the park by a country mile. Em at sweeper was frankly irreplaceable and her penalty success and ensuing cartwheels were priceless. Our backs were the best in the comp – Rebekah, Genevieve, Chelsea and Eliza – when and
where needed they defended superbly. Newbies Janey, Katherine and seasoned campaigner Sam took our attack to
the other team and from front or midfield kept the pressure on the opposition. Hannah’s exceptional soccer skills
saved us on numerous occasions, and other teams soon came to know what it felt like to be on the other end of one
of her HAMMER kicks. Player Of The Year, however, has to be Alysha. Versatility in playing positions, skill with the
ball, bravery in attack and common sense in defense – a great all-round player who added immense value to the
team. Well done! The best part about this team is the support, the social scene and the positive attitude coming off
the sideline. If they gave out trophies for Best Supporters In WRR, the 15/2W would win hands down!!! Thank you
and well done to all, and especially to the 13/1’s for helping us out on the occasions we were short. GO OUR GIRLS!
Under 16/1W
Coach: Amitav Goswami
What a fun season for the 16/1 we don't think we won a game but let me tell you the girls always had fun and gave
their very best week after week!!!I It was awesome to see the enthusiasm teamwork and newly found friendships by
all the girls. Weekly we begged borrowed and stole players from other teams even the under thirteens but never
gave inn and enjoyed every weekend and training session. The skills developed by the girls were thanks to Jim their
coach and the incredible weekly improvements and determination is a true credit to all the girls. A big thank you to
all the parents and from what I hear ALL the girls are looking forward to the new season in 2008 as well as new recruits for the team. See you all next season!!!!!!!!!!!!!
35
Season Reports
Under 17/2W
Coach: Nicholas Playel
Manager: Toni Meagher
What a fantastic year we have had. The girls won the Minor Premiership and the Championship for their age
group. Every weekend the girls played the game with great talent and sportsmanship and remained undefeated
throughout the season. Grand Final day was a wet, cold and miserable day but it didn't dampen the girls' team
spirit. The whole team played like first class soccer players and defeated Holy Cross 5-0. Fran our top point scorer on
the day was definitely on fire. A well deserved BBQ celebration followed and it was a great end to a fantastic day.
Congratulations girls you deserved to win!
A big thank you to their coach Nick for taking the girls on at the start of the season and taking them all the way
through to the Grand Final. We hope to see you back again next year Nick. It would also be great to have the whole
team back again next year Fran, Ashleigh, Gabby, Mena, Kristie, Laura, Monique, Carla, Annushka, Georgina, Louise,
Daniella and Emily. We will be losing Molly next year who is moving to the Sunshine Coast. Thanks for a great year
Molly and we will miss you.
Thanks again girls for a wonderful season and hope to see you all back in 2008. You all ROCK!!!
AA3W
Coach: Frank Benito
Manager: Eric Lombardo
Summary
The 2007 season has been another good year for the AA3 women’s team. Some minor changes to the squad with 3
new players (Chantchie, Diana & Tatiana) joining the team, whilst 4 others had left, leaving the squad with only 13
players for the 2007 season. After a somewhat indifferent start (3 wins & 3 losses) in the 1stin half of the season, the
girls warmed to the task and had a very strong 2nd half not losing a game and scoring heaps of goals (including a 121 hiding given to Ravens). After an enforced lay off (3 weeks of continuous rain), and a few weeks of Shauna’s ‘Boot
Camp’, which brought the FUN into the fitness work, it all gelled and they all started enjoying training and playing
again. So much so that the Rovers juggernaut made it’s 5th consecutive Grand Final in a row (for Kate & Nicole it’s
10 in a row – what an amazing record). It should also be noted that the team did not have a regular goalkeeper, so
between sharing the role and some assistance from the AA4 & AA10 girls (thanks girls) we managed to get through
with a solid defensive record. Fortunately, our attack more than made up for that, ending the season with the best
attacking record in the comp, and with nine different players getting on the score sheet this year. Well done ladies.
So the Grand Final this year was contested between the two best teams in the AA3 comp; the Premiers Epping YMCA
and the WRR girls. Going into the GF it was 1 win a piece & 1 draw, so it’s anybody’s game for the big one. As expected the Grand Final was a tight affair, with neither team giving an inch, and it took a moment of magic to break
the deadlock. Unfortunately, it was the ‘Y’ who made the breakthrough, and then as the Rovers pushed forward
seeking an equaliser, they got caught out on the break and conceded again to lose the 0-2. So despite a great & gallant effort, it was not to be in 2007.
Biggest win - Undoubtedly the biggest win of the season was the 12-1 hammering they gave to Gladesville Ravens
in round 2. Gee was on fire that day bagging in 7 goals!
‘Most Improved’ award - A very difficult award to give as all players improved during the year. Sonia, not only led
by example with her fitness, determination and never-give-up attitude, but she also worked hard on her soccer
skills, particularly her passing and crossing. Well done Sonia.
‘Best & Fairest’ award - Again, a difficult award to give out, with a number of players having strong seasons.
Linda, had a sensational year, increasing her work rate to a phenomenal level and helping out the team all over the
park when required in those tight games – excellent work Linda.
‘Golden Boot’ award - There was only going to be one winner this year, with Gee netting 13 times. It does help
when you bag 7 in one game though - nevertheless, prolific goal scoring & she normally plays in the sweeper position!
‘Goal of the year’ award - A number of contenders for this award. The most outstanding and pleasing (as a Coach)
was the winner vs. Epping YMCA the 2nd semi. Sonia threw the ball in, Linda volleyed it across the penalty box, and
Nicole volleyed into the back of the net. The ball never touched the ground until it hit the back of the ‘Y’ net. What a
goal, worthy of winning any ‘best goal of the year award’.
‘Guest Appearance’ awards - Thanks to all the AA/4 girls (Eva, Kara, Joules & Naomi) and AA/10 girls (Sam,
Janet, Laurie) who come up and help us out when the team was is in need of some able bodies through the season &
the Grand Final. Thanks ladies.
36
Season Reports
BEC ‘Grella’ Koppers - Bec has had a mixed year with some strong performances and some quiet ones. She reads
the game well and always seems to be in the right place at the right time, particularly covering some of the other
members of the team (ala Vince Grella for the Socceroos) and is often seen marauding down the left hand side of the
field. Bec’s versatility provides the team with many options, whether it be in her preferred midfield role or in a defensive role. Great work Bec.
CHANTCHIE ‘Culina’ Love - Chantchie was one of the off-season signing and fitted in nicely into the team. Overall
she had a mixed season, with some great performances and other not up to the same high standards, mainly due to
some niggling injuries. She also had to adjust to a new midfield role (not unlike Jason Culina for the Socceroos) and
formed a great partnership with Kate as they work hard in the engine room. Good first up season with the team &
some excellent work.
DIANA ‘Princess’ Stufano - Another new comer to the WRR team. Diana had never played soccer before and took
some time to adjust to the skill, intensity and aggression required to play in the AA3 women’s comp. It was a steep
learning curve and she has developed in leaps & bounds from the start of the season. We all appreciate her effort
and willingness to learn and improve her soccer skills, she even gave away a free kick for her aggressive tackling
style – way to go Diana! Well done and keep up the good work Diana.
GEE ‘the Rock’ Vumbaca - Gee has had a very good year, playing strongly throughout the whole season. In particular, she had great season in front of goal, netting 13 goals so far this year – and bagging the Golden Boot Award.
Not bad for a sweeper - eat your heart out Lucas Neill. As we have all come to expect, Gee has been the Rock in the
centre of the defence, reading the game well, full of determination and ferocious tackling. She is one of the main
reasons why the defence was so frugal in giving away goals. Superb performance all round Gee.
HAYLEY ‘Twiggy’ Bligh - Hayley made a welcome return to the team this year, after missing most of last year with
injury. She struggled to come to terms with the pace of the game again, but once she got fit again she was an asset
to the team, both in defence and attack. She even managed to score a couple of crucial goals when playing in a midfield role. Unfortunately, she got injured late in the season and missed the last 4 games and the Grand Final as well
(what rotten luck). How skinny is she? and she eats like a horse! Good work while you were there.
HELENA ‘Bulldog’ Braddock - Helena had another strong season in 2007 and has become the best marker in the
Rovers defence. The ‘Bulldog’ is inevitably given the role of shadowing the opposition’s best player and making sure
they don’t get a sniff of the Rovers goals – something she has done with great authority and intensity, despite the
fact that half the time she is still sleep! If only she could arrive at the games with a bit of sleep under her belt, she
would actually remember what went on! Tremendous work under pressure.
KATE ‘the Wall’ Benito - Kate has had a strong 2007 season. She has evolved into one of the driving forces in the
engine room and tackles anything that moves. She continues to improve her soccer skills, particularly her ball control & her passing, whilst the timing and ferociousness of her tackles, continues to take its toll on opposition’s players, who are often seen leaving the field for a rest after being unable to get past the ‘Wall’. Her incredible long
throw-ins continue to be a most potent weapon and have directly led to a number of goals being scored from them.
Fantastic effort Kate – keep it up.
LINDA ‘Henry’ Tillott - Linda has had a fantastic year, lifting her work rate to yet another level – absolutely phenomenal effort. She puts pressure on the opposition’s defence with her blistering pace, causing them to make mistakes and creates many opportunities for herself & the team. She has great ball control and good dribbling skills, but
still needs some fine-tuning with her finishing (as evidenced by the fact that she managed to scored only 9 goals so
far). She just needs to become more ruthless & deadly in front of goals (like the great Frenchman Thierry Henry).
Ah well we can’t have everything now can we? Nevertheless a sensational year Linda, and a worthy winner of the
‘Best & Fairest’ award.
NICOLE ‘Kewell’ Lombardo - Nicole like some of her team mates, has had a mixed year, putting in some great
performances, but also having some quiet games (a bit like Kewell really). She has all the attributes of a great
striker, speed, ball control and a good eye for goal, but her application sometimes is not quiet right. She started the
season slowly and got better & deadlier in front of goals as the season progressed. She scored some critical goals
(vs. Sydney Uni & Epping YMCA) and when fully switched on is a dangerous attacking weapon for the team. Well
done Nic.
PENNY ‘Mother’ Percell - Penny has had another strong season this year, and with Gee forms the backbone at the
centre of the Rovers defence. She reads the game well and has good anticipation, which more than makes up for her
lack of speed. She is regularly heard barking instructions to her team mates to ensure they are all doing what they
are supposed to – yes Mum. As busy as she is, she has even managed to venture into unfamiliar territory in midfield
and supporting the Rovers attacks on occasions. However, we are still waiting for that elusive first goal! Great work
Penny.
SHAUNA ‘the Terrier’ Taylor - Shauna had another strong season and has continued to improve her overall soccer
skills. She introduced the famous ‘Boot Camp’ to the team’s training mid-season and the new tough routines helped
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Season Reports
motivate the team to get fitter at a critical time in the year. On the field she has become a smarter player, particularly in defence where she is marking much tighter, not giving her opponents an inch (like a terrier biting at your
heels), whilst also making some valuable interceptions at critical times. She even found time to support the attack
and managed to bag a goal for her effort. Excellent work again Shauna & keep it up.
SONIA ‘the Energiser’ Ussher - Sonia has had another strong year and continues to be one of the driving forces
(the Energiser) from midfield for the Rovers. We all know her endurance, fitness and work ethic (even when she is
not feeling well), which continues to set the benchmark for her team mates to follow. Her perseverance and desire to
chase everything in defence and in attack gets her in some good attacking positions. In particular, Sonia’s passing
and crossing has improved noticeably this season, leading to many goal scoring opportunities for her team mates,
whilst she also found time to score a couple of critical goals this season. Superb effort once again Sonia, and a worthy winner of the ‘Most Improved Player’ award.
TATIANA ‘the Guest’ Urrutia - Tatiana was the 3rd new member to the team this year, but unfortunately injuries
forced her to only make only ‘Guest’ appearances, which restricted her ability to show us what she is capable of. She
started well and was finding her feet and getting used to the team, then she got a hamstring injury, which forced her
out for about 6-weeks (luckily 3 of those were washed out). She made a come back later in the year and helped out
the team by filling in goals – where she incurred another hit to her knee this time (same leg). Well done nevertheless when you were there and better luck next year kiddo.
PS - The ‘Sent off’ award - The Coach made history for the Rovers club by getting himself sent off from the sidelines vs. Sydney Uni in Round 7. His aggressive ‘Come On’ encouragement from the sideline after a dodgy student
tackle went unpunished, earned him the wrath of the referee, who banned him from the sidelines. To make matters
worse we lost the game – what was he thinking? All was made good the following week, when the same ref (again
appointed to our game) apologized to him, saying that he had made a mistake & should not have sent him from the
sidelines field and had confirmed this in his report to the association. Phew!
Hope to see you all again in 2008.
AA4W
Coach: Paul Basha
Manager: Lei Fung
Once again its soccer time and most of the girls are backing up for another season. Returning after missing last year
were Alicia and Ricci and our only new comer was Emily younger sister of Jessica. With the inclusion of these 3 players we now had our best side since we started back in 2000. The girls were keen to make up for last season were
they missed out on making it to the Grand Fnal for the first time since been in Rovers colours. Pre-season training
was intense and the girls were ready. Out of the 14 games we lost 1 and drew 3 and ended up 1st with 41 goals for
and 11 against. Goalkeeping duties was shared between Evva Christofi, Mei Yee Fong and whoever was sick or injured. Our brilliant backs were Louise Waterson, Michelle Basha, Ricci Kelly, Jessica Lawrence, Mei and Natalie Rocca
while our dominating midfield of Kara Mouyis, Julia Hay, Holly Freeman, Evva, Anna Hartley, Maddie Hartley and
Emily Lawrence made sure that our speedsters and strikers Alicia Sabin and Naomi Hart had every advantage of
tearing teams apart. As a coach I was blessed with the fact that every one of my players was able to play in more
than one position so covering positions left vacant thru injury or sickness or uni or holidays was not a problem.
The grand final was one of those games where we should have had the game won at half time but a 1 nil lead wasn’t
enough and we headed into extra time. With only minutes of extra time remaining we looked at who was going to
take the penalty shots but then Evva had a shot from outside the box and scored her second goal of the day and the
girls were declared the Champions.
A special thanks to Rachel Cowgill from AA7 who filled in as keeper for us in the grand final. Also thanks to our AA11
men’s and AA7 women’s teams for their support throughout the semis and grand final.
On behalf of Lei and all the parents congratulations on a great year, you deserve the title of Premiers & Champions.
AA6W
Coach: Peter Barron
Manager: Bev Downs
This year saw a few changes to this team with a change of division and some new faces Sue and Robyn added to the
team. A good start to the season but we struggled with putting a full team on the park each week when some of the
girls took an Overseas holiday. We finished the season strong with a winning the Pennant Division, hope to see you
all back next year. A Big thanks to the AA10 Team 7 for helping out during the season with numbers.
Also to Bev Downs for being our Manager and Peter Barron for coaching us again this year.
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Season Reports
AA7W
Coach: Nable Rahme / Paul Basha
Manager: Christina Ciniello
2007 was a very enjoyable and memorable season for the ladies of the All Age 7 team. Many familiar faces returned
to play again this year and we were very fortunate to recruit some fantastic new superstars! Welcome aboard
Vanessa Rahme, Sally Marton and goalie Emma Halliwell. We were also very excited to welcome back Kelly Byrne
who moved back from England. Countless washed out games and training sessions provided us with one of the
shortest playing seasons to date, yet this still wasn’t enough to ruin our teams spirit and dedication. We finished 4th
on the ladder, yet were unsuccessful in ensuring a place in the grand final. Our season and semi final adventures
were definitely something to remember! The team seemed to have a preconceived image. Known to many as the
“Hollywood team”, our glamorous girls would always turn up with their Gucci sunglasses and perfectly blow dried
hair. Our team’s dedication was evident every week as the majority of girls would show up at least 2 hours before
kick off. An extensive warm up routine of basking in the sun and exchanging hugs ensured we were ready for a big
game. It must be noted however, that most of these girls were not actually dressed and ready to play until 5 mins
after the game commenced, particularly El who would just be arriving, running from the car park with her socks and
shoes in her hands. We didn’t mind what time she showed up because she always made up for it with a goal or two!
There were numerous team members who were injured, sick or just plain hung over each week! Special mention
needs to go to our loyal team mate Christy Ferguson (and her loyal hubby Josh), who never failed to come to a
game despite a serious knee injury. Christy was a valuable midfielder who helped control the game, get better soon
Christy! Special mention also needs to go to Emma, who irrespective of how much she drank the night before, would
still be present – gloves, fluro headband and all. The grazes on her thighs and the blood dripping from her knees
were a frequent result of her incredible and goal saving leaps and dives. It would be an understatement to say that
our girls are multi-talented. Aleena of all seasons proved her place all over the park. A once midfielder, she stepped
up on several occasions to fill the big shoes left by the injured defenders and earned her title as the teams never fail
utility player! Vanessa “I can’t play there” Tohme ended up helping strikers, midfielders and defenders! Her Ronaldo
like ball skills and determination saw her score a few goals this year! Sally’s headers put us all to shame. They were
not only constant through every game but they were more powerful than half our kicks! Fiona was let out of goals
and was proudly welcomed to the playing field this year, showing her skills on the wing. Rachael’s never say die attitude was an inspiration to us all. No matter where she played on the park (striker, sweeper, goalie) she always gave
her all and never left a player standing! Liz could be found all over the park but be warned, if you blink you might
miss her! Playing all four corners of the park Liz’s speed and skills ensured that she was the one that ended up with
the ball every time! Skilful Kelly always left the opposition red faced with her back kicks and amazing ball skills. Half
the time she fooled us too! Cris was our rock in the middle of the field. She could always be counted on for support
and her always present words of encouragement. Claudia’s presence was always felt with her loud voice and big
kicks dominating the left side of the field! The four musketeers – Zep, Becky, Renee and Ness Rahme, – the coaches
nightmare! “Girls do this” “Girls stop talking” “Girls no more stacks on!!” Oh who are we kidding! This determined
group of girls wouldn’t let anyone get passed them! They always had each others backs in defence and even had the
opportunity to play together as strikers when they were on their best behaviour. Ness’ unbelievable kicks were the
reason she had to run from half way to take corners. Trouble maker Becky was every opposition’s nightmare by
marking them out of the game. Zep the ever-reliable was always there when we needed her, her speed allowed her
to save many ugly situations. Renee’s desperate cries for everyone to “push up” ensured no-one slackened off and
her runs from fullback created opportunities for the team to turn defence into attack!
We would like to say a special thankyou to our dedicated coaches Paul Basha and Nable Rahme for all their patience,
guidance and support this season. Your encouraging words – “Have it!!” and “Jockey” will always be remembered!
We have learnt a lot and we really enjoyed playing this season. We are officially locking you both in again for coaching duties next year. A huge thanks to all the parents, family and friends who trekked down to watch us every week.
Your support is much appreciated! Another special thanks goes to all our wonderful and noisy spectators from our
fellow West Ryde Rovers teams who came down for a laugh and a cheer and even a few drinks. Cheers boys!
Looking forward to another enjoyable (and hopefully more successful) season next year!
AA8W
Coach & Manager: Lidia Valenzuela
This year the AA8 squad was like a box of assorted chocolates with a mixture of some of the old AA7W White team;
we welcomed some new additions with the likes of Corrine, Anne G, Anne M, Sarah, Sue and Marissa. Marissa who?
you may ask, we asked that too. There was also a changing of the guard with our old coach Matt Hanchard leaving
after two seasons and Lidia Valenzuela taking the helm.
Full of enthusiasm the 2007 season got off to a great start, we were consistently in the top 3 throughout the comp
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Season Reports
and even though we averaged 9 players for most games we were still on target for the finals. We had a solid defence
line with Debbie chasing down anything that moved. Leah and Aziza proved to be very effective as backs making
many crucial tackles. Versatile Leah also proved invaluable on the wings when needed and we hear it had nothing to
do with Matt Hanchard. Our stopper and sweeper duo, Sarah and Joey, firmly established themselves as a formidable
twosome. This season Joey found new lengths to her kicks and Sarah saved the day on more than one occasion.
When the opposition did manage to get past our backs, they had Sue, our fearless goalie to deal with. She easily
rattled the opposing forwards as she robbed them of goals. With the fittest midfielders in the competition, it wasn’t
uncommon for Kerrie who recently completed the Port Stephens Iron Man, to squeeze in a marathon/triathlon before
a game, she well and truly had the field and the opposition covered. Then there’s Michelle who likes to keep fit with
late night drinking sessions and early morning dragon boat racing. She wasn’t always under .5 but with that powerful
kick of hers she was able to carry the ball forward on many occasions. Anne Goss, her deceptive casualness would
fool the opposition who underestimated her natural abilities. If you were looking for the ball chances were it was attached to her boot. Our wings Siobain and Ness who run like the wind, although Siobain may have been running
against the wind, and Ness who literally was to put her body on the line for the team, made the games never a dull
moment. Then there was our attacking super star, Corrine “it’s my first season” and a hat trick specialist was a motivating force. Paula, the pocket rocket, with speed and agility on her side; did we mention her Beckham-esque kicking ability? Anne M who had the goalies covered and is our wealth of knowledge. Not only were we to finish as premiers but a grand final show down was inevitable.
But tragedy was lurking in the shadows. Our right wing Ness was to go down in round 12 to a fall that resulted in a
dislocated ankle and a broken Fibula which required a pin, a plate and 9 screws. Being the true champion that she is,
remained very composed despite her foot bending in the opposite direction (o.k. the meds helped). A couple of
weeks later our scoring machine Corrine dislocated her knee in another season ending fall. Corrine a physiotherapist,
whacked her knee until she realised straightening, not whacking is the best way to put her knee back into place.
Corrine also found comfort with the meds.
The Grand Final
With a couple of our players out we were still determined to end the season as champions! Epping scored the first
goal which only motivated us more. There was a shot on goal by Siobain, however this was met with a hand ball in
front of the goal area, resulting in a successful penalty shot by Miss Casual, Anne G. The ref ruled it accidental, we
beg to differ, it was one of the many controversial calls of the game. During the second half Epping was able to score
again. Our hearts sank but we kept our heads up, we dug deep and with a goal from Paula we were able to even the
score. Finally the whistle blew and after 80 gruelling minutes it was 2 all. So now it was a golden goal situation. We
had a group hug and returned to the field with confidence. We all played hard and eventually we were able to put
one in the back of the net unfortunately it was seen by the ref as offside. Epping also had a few shots on goals but
our backs continued to hold them up. Then disappointment set in as Epping managed to get through our defence and
score. It was all over White Rovers! We may not have had the fairy tale ending, but we can all look back at our season with pride, great memories, and the knowledge that we never gave up. A special thanks goes out to Lidia, whose
dedication, skill and support is truly inspiring, we also would like to thank our supporters who round of applause took
the sting out of the loss as we left the field.
AA10W White
Coach: Alan Downes, Col Harrison, Andrew Lang
Manager: Keith Alden
After starting our first season together last year and being Pennant winners, we decided that we didn’t want to be so
sore after each game and that we would start our training early season. So come Oct/Nov 2006 we started training
at Meadowbank once a week . Al, Col, Angus and Keith ran us through fitness and skills training so that come the
2007 season we would have a heads up on the opposition. Well there was one thing we forgot about was that our
eldest player was 48 and the average age of the team was 40 and our oppositions average age was 25. What a great
season we had some new faces to our team Asanka, Jackie, Sylvia, Helen and Tai made a difference to the team and
we all enjoying playing and training together. Runners up Premiers and Runners up Champion to a much younger
North Epping team that where all doing there HSC was a good result and I think we ended the season happy that we
had achieved such a great result. Hope to see you all back next year girls we had a great season and look forward to
2008. Big Thanks to Al Downs our coach and mentor, Angus our fitness trainer and Col our skills man, and Keith who
looked after the managers side of things.
AA10W Blue
Coach: Dannii Kelly
Manager: Allan Donnelly
No Report Submitted
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West Ryde Rovers
2007 Soccer Committee
POSITION
NAME
President
Karen Waud
Secretary
Andy Harrison
Treasurer
Nable Rahme
Registrar
Karen Harrison
GHFA Delegate
Paul Borg
NWSWS Delegate
Fiona Jackson
Women’s Soccer Coordinator
Paul Basha
Sponsorship / Fundraising Officer
Keith Alden
Newsletter Editor
Leah Hanchard
Child Protection Officer
Ben Harrison
Webmaster
Ben Harrison
Grounds Manager
Michael Weber
Equipment Officer
Alan Harrison
Mini Soccer Coordinator
Ian Walker
Coaching Coordinator
Matt Hanchard
Grading Coordinator
Matt Hanchard
Committee Member
Col Harrison
Committee Member
John Boyden
Committee Member
Jason Lowe
Committee Member
Justin McLeay
www.westryderovers.asn.au
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