Newsletter June 2015

Mission Statement:
“To develop the skills and enjoyment of Australian Rules Football
through participation for the youth of Rowville”
The Knights
St Simon’s Community Football Club Inc.
June 2015 – Newsletter #3
Presidents Report
A big welcome to our 3rd edition of the St Simons
Community Football Club newsletter for season
2015. Post the mid-season break we have 3 to 4
teams vying for a spot in the finals with our under
17s sitting equal top of the ladder, however, there
is much work to be done before the season ends.
Our 3 other competitive teams, after being regraded, are showing improved signs and they
continue to move up the ladder or demonstrate
that if they play 4 quarters of football they can mix
it with any team.
The club has been very fortunate to witness Tyson
Sheehan and Shaun Lovell represent Eastern
Rangers U16s and both equipped themselves
extremely well when competing against other
Victorian affiliates. Tyreece Leiu is off to compete
for the Victorian U12 team, 1 of only 2 EFL juniors
to make the final squad of 23. Tyreece will be
competing in the Australian Football League
Championships in late July so we wish him all the
best. Sporting talent must run in the family as
Jordan Leiu recently signed with the Melbourne
Storm for 2 years thwarting off challenges from
other NRL clubs including the Brisbane Broncos.
Jordan will be training and mingling with the Storm
boys throughout the school holiday period and he is
encouraged to continue to play AFL for the next few
seasons to build his agility which is a great asset to
St Simons. Last but certainly not least, Anthony
Brolic, a former St Simons B&F and 100 game player
is playing terrific football for the Eastern Rangers
U18 team consistently being amongst the best. If
you see these boys around please congratulate
them as these achievements are nothing short of
exemplary. Well done boys and to their families for
the support they provide them.
Club Expenditure
In the first edition I detailed our plans for the future
in relation to club expenditure. Outside of the
coaches boxes these are yet to be ratified by the
committee but it gives us a goal to work towards.
Items include in order of priority;
Short Term
2015 Training equipment inclusive of Sherrin
footballs.
2016 Coaches boxes at Liberty Reserve.
2016 Synthetic grass in front of coaches’ boxes &
clubhouse to protect new grass.
Long Term - 3 years
Floodlights to cover Liberty Reserve (dependent on
government grants).
Enclosed facility under the pergola for family nights.
I can report that as a club this year we have
expensed on the following:
$4,500 on new training & match day footballs
$1,425 on trainer accreditations
$1,050 on chalk manual line marking unit
$800 on general football operations equipment
$2,500 on merchandise
The Knox Council have provided additional security
lighting throughout the car park at Liberty. This is to
deter potential vandals and ensure the community
feels safer when walking at night. We thank the
Council immensely for completing this security
upgrade at no cost to St Simons CFC.
We welcome new sponsors to the club in Kool Kidz,
Kalessi Bathroomware & Purrfect Cuppa Mobile
Café to go along with our major sponsor Paul
Sadler. Each of these sponsors have signed up for 3
years which demonstrates the confidence they
have in our club going forward.
You can view what each of these major sponsors
offer and all our other valued sponsors on our footy
application and our website. If you haven’t signed
up to our app, what are you waiting for? Treat
yourself at no cost, it is a great way to keep in touch
with the goings on around the club, player updates
and an easy way to view current fixtures, ladders &
results.
A huge thank you to Rod Fisher who has worked
tirelessly to bring this app to life and improvements
continue to be made on a daily basis.
I would also like to thank our volunteers who
continue to help out at training, on match day and
those who assisted us at Bunnings, Dan Murphy’s,
Active April & Auskick events. More to come on
these events below from Nat Williams.
A big reminder that the Team Managers have
recently provided you all with the People’s Choice
Community Lottery raffle tickets. It is essential that
each member sells at least 1 book. Every $2 ticket
sold goes straight to the club as fundraising, not to
mention the great prizes that are on offer if you are
lucky enough to win. These fundraising activities
enable us to keep the fees constant on a yearly
basis despite inflationary pressures.
We have 2 huge events coming up which are
extremely popular with our members and are highly
profitable so please come along, support the club
and most importantly meet new people and have
loads of fun.
July 11th Trivia Night (St Simons Parish Hall)
nd
August 22 - Annual Gala Dinner (Village Green)
Good luck to each of the teams for the remainder
of the season.
Go Knights.
Wayne Sargeant
0418 324 980
President
Under 8’s Mid-Year Report
The under 8’s may be undermanned (we only have
13 players) but what we lack in playing personnel,
we make up for in spirit of the game and team
sense. We don’t submit an official score to the EFL,
but we are currently 4-3, which is a great result for
these boys who have not played club football
before. We have worked hard to instill a “team
first” environment and the boys have not only been
listening, they’ve grabbed it with both
hands. Watching the boys talk to each other during
the game, calling out for the ball when they run into
free space and just some general football sense
makes it an absolute pleasure to coach them week in
and week out. We kicked off our season with back
to back wins and in both games we played
extremely good football from start to finish. We
then came up against some bigger bodied teams who
were a little more intimidating for our group, but
this is a learning curve for them – we took a lot of
positives out of those games (typical coach
talk!). We then bounced back with back to back
wins again, one was a really hard fought affair
against the Eastern Lions, where the ball just went
from one end of the ground to the other, it was a
goal shootout which was fantastic to watch at this
level. My boys have a never say die attitude – you
cannot teach that, it’s something they are born with.
Mixing up our training drills has been the main
ingredient to helping our boys develop over the 7
games that we have played so far. We’ve done
kicking drills, handball drills, loose ball drills, bump
bag drills, agility pole drills, you name it, and we’ve
probably done it. Variety is the key to keeping them
interested. We play a simulation game at the end of
training where Tom and I will not only umpire, but
we also stop the game and talk to the boys about
making the right kicking or handballing decisions on
the day – our main instruction (other than to have
fun) is to always look for the best option. This is
further developed by instructing our forwards on
where to run and when to do it and always playing
on your opponent when they have the ball. This has
been a major focus for us this season and the boys
are starting to “man up” during game time (the
occasional reminder from the coaches never goes
astray though!) and to take the game on, don’t be
afraid to have a bounce and run a bit with the
ball. We encourage our boys to have fun and play
for each other.
We are a little sheltered from the rest of the club due
to our games being down at Lewis Road, but I
would like to take this opportunity to thank all the
Knights parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles
that have come down to cheer on our little
Knights…they may be small in stature, but they
have the biggest hearts! Go Knights!
Regards,
Troy Rabôt
U8’s Coach
Under 9’s Mid-Year Report
Half way through season 2015 & the Under Nines
have developed into a really strong team.
We had eight new players start with the club this
year, some from other clubs & three playing footy
for the first time.
The way that the boys are prepared to work for
each other is a real credit to each of them.
They have really embraced our unselfish style of
play as we have asked them to always look for a
target or centre the ball before blazing away at
goal.
They are also looking for handball options all over
the ground rather than trying to take on too many
opposition players & this has really made our ball
movement very quick as well as bringing every
player into the game.
We have been very hard at the contested ball & we
are constantly amazed by the desperation of our
players to win the footy & then deliver it to a
teammate in better position.
Overall our skills are improving too a reasonable
level but we still need to work hard at training &
everyone can improve in all areas , but as l said
earlier l think the most pleasing thing so far this
year is how well the boys play as a team.
Training attendance has been fantastic so far this
season & we need to keep this up for the remainder
of the season.
A big Thank You to all the parents who help our
team on a weekly basis & those who do duties from
week to week.
Cheers Mitch
U9’s Coach
Under 10’s Report
No Report available
Under 11’s Mid-Year Report
The under 11’s have endured a challenging start to
what is a transitional period for them as they
progress from non-competitive footy to a
competitive footy environment. Re-graded
following round 4 from A to B division we have
since had mixed results with 2 wins and 2 losses.
As is to be expected at this age group some kids
have already developed reasonable skills and have
been able to perform at a more advanced level in a
game situation than some of their teammates who
are still in the early stages of understanding the
game and developing their skills.
Following on from their non-competitive seasons
there has been a sustained emphasis on
participation and enjoyment with a continued focus
on the boy’s skill development. Accountability and
some age specific tactics have been introduced, and
to their credit the players have embraced a
commitment to defensive pressure without
sacrificing their natural offensive instincts and flair.
In the coming weeks several boys will reach their
50th game milestones which is a significant
achievement for 10 or 11 year olds.
The challenge for our footy club is to provide the
proper environment so that in another 4 seasons
we are celebrating their 100th games at St Simons
CFC.
Cheers
Brett Petrie
Under 12’s Mid-Year Report
After a big preseason and 7 rounds of footy played the
Kalessi Bathroomware U12's currently have 2 wins, 1
draw and 4 loses. The boys have worked extremely hard
and played some great team orientated footy. They
have showed plenty of determination and continue to
look after their mates on and off the field. The
attendance at training has been excellent and the boy’s
enthusiasm and willingness to learn has been fantastic.
Wins and a draw against top 4 sides have shown what
this group of footballers can achieve when the team play
4 quarters of team orientated football. A win against an
undefeated Knox was proof that this team has the ability
to mix it with top teams in this division.
It is great to see the boys embrace the game style drills
at training and they continue to develop their skills and
forge a great team spirit. Training highlights include the
time spent with the Hawthorn footballers, the parent
involvement, the involvement of the boys from the
U14’s and the intense pressure each boy shows when
the tackle bags come out!
The boys know our competition is a closely contested
one and all teams are very even. There are no easy
games this year so the focus each week is for the boys is
to keep working hard, keep attacking the footy and
continue to work as a team. The boy’s teamwork and
ability to look after their mates continues to impress and
I know that they will all continue to wear the Knights
jumper with pride.
We have number of our boys playing their 50th game in
the second half of this season, a fantastic milestone and
we look forward to seeing them play many more games
of footy with the Knights.
Well done boys on a good start to the season. Keep up
the hard work. We are all looking forward to a strong
finish to the year.
A big thank you to all the parents for their assistance
with training and on game day. Your help makes a huge
difference to your son’s footy experience.
A very proud coach!!!!!
Philip Buck
No game in the Division will be easy, but with a
good effort, teamwork and attitude on the training
track, we can finish off the season in a good position
and give us every opportunity to take part in the
finals.
Under 13’s Report
The Under 13's have had an excellent start to the
season. After last season’s success, we find
ourselves in B Division.
Finally, I would like to thank the help that Andrew,
Wayne and I enjoy at training from Mark Muccitelli
and Craig Jury. This additional help makes each
training session more valuable and gives the players
the opportunity for one on one coaching and a
different voice. Thanks also to all other match day
helpers including Nat Williams our trainer and
Interchange Stewart Matt Hayes.
Michael McCarthy.
This year we welcomed Andrew Williams to
Assistant Coach to replace Wayne Sergeant due his
presidential duties. This change has been seamless
with the coaching team including Runner Wayne
Charlton working well together.
Our aim at the start of the year was to be
competitive though our team rules which revolve
around 100% effort from every player, Teamwork,
Talking and Encouragement of each other, Each
player to play their role for the team, run and create
space and take responsibility for their skills. Preseason saw a number of players work hard on the
track and this has been obvious in their game day
performance. It is also pleasing to see the
improvement in a number of players from last year
and watch them grow as a footballers.
After Round 7 we sit 3rd on the ladder with 5 wins
and 2 losses and the team has proven that they can
match it with any team in the competition when we
stick to the team rules and have the right effort and
attitude. Each player has made a contribution to our
success to date. During a recent game against North
Ringwood, it was great to see the fighting character
of the team to not give up when challenged and
down early in the game. This quality will position
the team well for the second half of the season.
Under 14’s Mid-Year Report
Well it certainly has been a challenging year for the
under 14‘s team. We started the season by being
promoted from C to B grade (even though the
previous year we finished 5th in C division) this
promotion to a higher level was always going to be a
difficult task for the boys. After 4 rounds in B
division (4 significant losses) and numerous
discussions with the EFL we were regraded to C
division. Having now played 4 rounds in C division
we are still chasing our first win, it’s not so much a
skill deficit as it is a confidence short fall, the B
grade experience seems to have had a long lasting
negative impact.
The good news is that we are slowly becoming more
competitive, in our last game against Kilsyth we led
at half time by 33 points and played some exciting
football, unfortunately we lost the momentum in the
second half.
We continue to concentrate on uniting the boys as a
team , we have had the dads down at one training
session helping out and organised a pizza night on
another occasion, we have had strong numbers to
training all year, averaging 18 players per session
which is fantastic and a great reflection as to the
resilience of the boys.
I am confident that a win is not far away and I am
sure that all of the parents , supporters and coaching
staff look forward to seeing the boys lock arms and
hearing them sing the team song as loud as they
possibly can!!
Go Knights
Rick Harris
Under 14’s Coach
Under 15’s Mid-Year Report
We ventured out onto our home turf at Stud Park to
play against the Boronia Hawks, with three players
celebrating their 100th game. Being the team at
second place, we understood Boronia would put up
a good fight, and each and every win is important
for us to make finals. We started strong and fought
hard, gaining a four goal lead at quarter time.
However, Boronia came back hard in the second
quarter, closing the margin to only 12 points at half
time. After receiving a rev-up from the coach, we
went back onto the ground determined to extend our
lead, and ended up with a 20 point lead at three
quarter time. Although Boronia was hungry for the
victory, we held them off and finished with a 28
point win. All the boys played good hard footy and
all the things we have been working on at training,
is starting to come together nicely. Rhys Oliver,
Andrew Cardamone and Guy Laughlin all played a
solid game of footy for their 100th games.
Under 17’s Mid-Year Report
Well it has been a really good start to the season for
the U17s.
The boys have worked really hard since November
last year when pre-season began. Our main aims at
that point of pre-season was to build a team that
stood together for each other. The U15’s from last
year joined with 7 under 17’s from last year and a
number of new boys to form the playing group. Add
to that a new coach for the majority of the boys and
there was a lot to learn and a lot of relationships to
build. Our aims were to bond and be a strong and
competitive group. Well I think without doubt we
have done this. The boys welcomed all the new
players and blended together to become quite a tight
knit group. The pre-season camp played a good part
in helping this along.
After round 8 we find ourselves 7 wins and 1 loss,
on top of the ladder a game clear with a percentage
just in front of some of the other teams. But this
hasn’t come easy. Most of our games have been
difficult contested affairs with our boys having to
dig deep on a number of occasions to get over the
line.
One of the most pleasing things so far this season is
the ability for all of the players to play their roles.
Every player has different strengths and weaknesses
and levels of ability but everyone has been able to
contribute to the success of the team by playing their
part. This is what a team is about. The boys listen,
learn and give it their all when they take the field.
You cannot ask for more than that.
Coming into the second half of the season we will
continue to work hard on our structures and on
improving the individual player’s abilities and see
what goals we can set for ourselves up until round
14.
Well done to the boys and their families for the
support to the team and the effort all have made to
make the U17s a really good environment for
everyone. Keep that up and we will have a
successful year, whatever that success looks like.
We must not forget the Hawthorn players visit on
Tuesday 19th May. They were both very interactive
with the kids chatting with them and getting
involved with the drills. You could see the kids and
parents looking very excited.
The Knights participated in the EFL’s Beyondblue
fundraiser in round 7. We put the money in from the
sales of the Bacon and egg rolls and any donations
to this cause. We are happy to report that we raised
$216.40 for this great cause. For our efforts we were
put in the EFL raffle and won a signed Hawthorn
jumper and Trojan tools. These prizes will go to the
Gala night.
Go Knights
Mike Roach
Nat’s Natter
The Knights have certainly been busy with many
activities. We supported Bunnings at their
Community Day handing out Bunnings footballs,
netballs and basketballs. A group of Under 12
players and parents came and helped, the players
had a ball on all the free rides but also enjoyed the
free fairy floss and popcorn! Thank you to all those
parents and Knights players who came and helped
hand out the various balls.
A special thanks to John Boccari who stayed with
me for the 4 hours with only 4 hours of sleep! But
this didn't stop the man chatting to all the crowd,
even talking a few kids into coming down and
joining the club! It was a great day, I know my kids
had a ball!!
John Boccari also organised the Auskick kids to
come one Sunday and play at half time on the
ground during the Under 17's game. They enjoyed
their time with lots of very happy faces. Many
future Knights players!!
Many of the teams have had their pie nights a great
time to catch up with other parents and the players
to have some fun off the field.
We have also congratulated many players reaching
their 50 game milestones and still have many more
to go over the last 5 rounds. What a great
achievement for these players.
The Knights also have 20 players from the U 14’s,
U15’s and U17’s reaching their 100 game milestone.
18 of these players have played all their games at St
Simons showing that this is a great club to be a part
of.
The social committee has been busy with raising
funds for the club with the Dan Murphy BBQ ($528
profit), Casino night ($546 profit). Still on the
calendar is the Trivia night and Gala Dinner.
Trivia Night
Saturday 11th July
Gala Dinner
Saturday 22nd August – Village Green
There are 3 family nights left for the season, Sunday
21st June, Sunday 5th July and Sunday 19th July.
Please come down and support these nights. There
are kid’s games and free raffle for the kids. Please
see the Knights app for further information.
Our presentation day and AGM has been confirmed
for the Sunday 20th September. This will be held at
the Rowville Football Club on Stud Road.
Wishing the teams all the best for the last 5 rounds.
If you have not got the Knights app yet please
download it and also get the kids onto it as well.
This is a great tool for communicating to all our
members.
Natalie Williams
Secretary
COMMITTEE
Committee Positions
President
Assistant President
Vice President Admin
Vice President Finance
Football Operations
Coaches Coordinator
Website Manager
Team Manager Coordinator
Registrar
[email protected]
www.stsimonsknights.org.au
Wayne Sargeant
David Mackay
Natalie Williams
Tim Harvey
Michael Roach
Andrew Williams
Rod Fisher
Anne Whiting
Kelley Quinn
OUR NEW
KNIGHTS
We are proud to introduce the
latest Knight’s sponsors. We
encourage all members to
support the businesses that
support our kids…
Sponsors
.
several race teams. They also carry out a vast range
of general automotive repairs and are considered a
one-stop shop by many of their customers.
www.awautomatics.com.au
www.paulsadlerswimland.com.au
www.thevillagegreen.com.au
AW Automatics are a family run business that cares
for its customers. They have had 23 years’
experience in the automatic transmission industry,
and also general motor vehicle repairs. AW
Automatics has been extensively involved with the
motorsport industry, having worked with and run
The Village will be offering 10% discount to all
Knights members and 10% of the total purchase will
go to the club. If you are looking for a night out with
the family why not visit the Village Green Hotel.
www.pancakeparlour.com.au
If you have an interesting story or
photo that you would like in the
newsletter please email us with a
copy.
We have a number of players that
will soon be achieving their
milestone games such as 50/100
games. Let us share their success
with the club. Send us a photo of
their achievement for the newsletter.
Photographs should be in a .jpeg
format.
Your feedback is always welcome, please contact
us at;
[email protected]
GOOD LUCK
GO KNIGHTS!!