Where Eagles Dare 1954-2003 Annual Magazine
Transcription
Where Eagles Dare 1954-2003 Annual Magazine
St Johns Eagles JRLFC Inc PO BOX 336 Punchbowl, 2196, NSW Secretary Contact: 0410 653 475 1954-2003 2003 Annual Club Magazine 2003 has marked 50 years of St Johns Eagles as an avenue for young people to be involved in the great game of Rugby League. Since the early days when St Johns was started by the De La Salle Brothers as a school catering for boys, Rugby League was seen as an important sport for their development of young men. Today we follow the same ideals that the brothers set for us in the early days. St Johns has been built on the tradition of family values. In 2003 our family was able to gain much success on and off the field. On the field all 17 teams wore the St Johns colours with pride. Even though three teams won the Grand Final, the real success can be measured by the enjoyment all team's displayed. Off the field 2003 was a year of celebration. The Queen's Birthday long weekend saw the major events with a successful Lawn Bowls days, Rugby League gala day and an anniversary dinner. A 50 year commerative booklet was also published outlining the history of St Johns. We hope you will enjoy the 2003 Where Eagles Dare Annual. A special thank you to all coaching staff for their input and to Charbel Khoury for all his help in compiling this booklet. Fady Ghanem 1 Presidents Report I write my first report with great passion and enthusiasm, as I try to acknowledge everyone who has been involved and active in our 2003 campaign. First, I take this opportunity, to thank the parents of each child, for choosing, St Johns football club as their number one choice. I believe that the club’s successes and triumphs can be measured by the volume and strengths of our juniors. I cannot express enough, the many thanks to all the parents and their children for helping to make St Johns into the club it is today. This year has been a special year for St Johns, as we reached our fiftieth year, a great achievement for any junior league club. Seventeen teams were registered for 2003, in the Canterbury/Bankstown District competition, featuring eleven junior teams and six senior teams. Nine of the junior sides went through to contest semi finals and finals, with three making it through to grand finals. Congratulations to all the teams that made the grand finals, under 7’s, 8’s, 9’s, 14’s, 15’s and A grade. I pay tribute to all our coaching staff for the hard work, the time and effort, the commitment that you gave so readily throughout the season, to do this job on a voluntary basis is a credit to you all. To all the people and members of the club, who helped with the BBQ, canteen and the setting up of the field, I thank you all for the help you gave so unselfishly. To all our Sponsors, thank you all for the generous sponsorships. In today’s environment, financial backing is very hard to come by, part of our success and survival can be attributed to your financial backing, once again I thank you all for your generosity. To all the players, thank you for giving us a memorable year, for being great ambassadors for the club in the way you conducted yourselves on and off the field. You have gained respect and credibility not only to yourselves, but also for your team and your club. We are proud of your efforts and achievements. I commend you all. Last but not lease the executive committee, with all the hard work, planning and organizing done behind the scenes deserves the highest accolades one could give. Many thanks to you all. In closing I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and safe New Year and look forward to seeing you all again for the 2004 season. Mitchell Raimona (President) 2 Patrons’s Report As we near the end of the Club's 50th year I would like to thank Fady Ghanem, Julie Brown and the Committee for their organisation of events to mark a half-century of commitment to providing healthy recreation to the boys of our district. The dinner and gala day in June were great successes, particularly as they created opportunities for the Eagles of the present to meet with those of the past and demonstrate a solid base for the future of the Club. The video and magazine launched at the Dinner, I am sure, provided a nostalgic walk down memory lane for many. In competition the Club was again a force to be reckoned with in 2003, fielding 17 teams in the Canterbury competition from U/6 to A Grade. Of these 12 teams were semi-finalists, six grandfinalists (U/7, U/8, U/9, U/14, First XIII, A Grade) and three won their competitions. I congratulate the Premiers (U/8, U/9 and U/14) along with all players who competed with tenacity and sportsmanship throughout the year and brought the Club to 3rd position overall in the Club Championship. I also wish to congratulate the new Committee on the manner in which they have approached their first year as office bearers. It is always difficult to move into positions of responsibility for the first time and I know from my contact with Mitchell Raimona that this Committee is working hard to ensure that they meet all requirements of their positions. St John's Eagles is very much part of the local community, not only through its connection with Holy Spirit College, but also through its association with Punchbowl RSC. The sense of our very diverse cultural nature came together once again to show that we are one Australia as members from the U/6 to A Grade marched with Punchbowl Diggers on Anzac Day. The association of the Club with Holy Spirit College is now at a crossroads. As the club concludes is 50th year so too do the last of the students from St John's College conclude their secondary education and graduate. I also leave the position of Principal of Holy Spirit College. It is a time to look to the future but in the meantime I wish you well and thank you for the past. Treasurer’s Report Jenny Rickard (Principal Holy Spirit College) Well what a busy year this has been for the St John's Football Club, this is my first year as treasurer and it has been a very interesting and enjoyable experience for me. I am proud to have celebrate St John's Football Club’s 50th Anniversary with all of you. I would also like to thank a few people for their help & support throughout the year, Nal ,Joe, Anne Mariee, Jan, Michell, George, Ciaron, Fady, Pania, the sponsors, the coaching staff & all the parents. And I'd just like to say without these people this club could not run smoothly. Grace Simmonds (Treasurer) 3 Secretary’s Report 2003 saw the St Johns Eagles playing in its 50th year of competition. This milestone was achieved by the commitment and dedication of a large number of people over the last half century and culminated in the current members celebrating this major accomplishment. We congratulate all those people who have been involved with the club over the past 50 years and let them know that the club is in good hands and will continue to grow and prosper for at least the next 50. While the on-field and championship successes of past years were not achieved this year, we must acknowledge those teams and players who did rise to the occasion and accomplish their goals by way of team premierships or representative honours. Congratulations go to the Under 8, Under 9 and Under 14 teams for their premierships. Special mention also goes to the Under 8 team who won the Keith Holman Shield knockout title as well this year. Individual congratulations go to the following St Johns players who represented the Bulldogs this year; Holo, John, Wade and Jacob from the Under 15's and Dean, Jai, Danny and George from the Under 18's. To the other teams who made the finals series we congratulate them on their efforts to reach that stage. To the teams who were unable to make the semi finals, we acknowledge their efforts throughout the year and with more hard work and dedication will come the successes in future years. The trials and tribulations of running a large football club are many and varied, and I must congratulate the current Executive for their efforts this year in dealing with those issues. As with all things there is a constant learning process involved and I am sure the current members will take this years experiences on board and make next year a more successful one, both on and off the field. Individual team management (coaches, managers and trainers) will also need to assess their performance this year and carry forward all the things necessary to enable the players to have an enjoyable and successful year in 2004. A certain level of commitment, dedication and responsibility is required by all those involved with a team and to give anything less is to undervalue the importance of their role both with that team and the St Johns Club. I look forward to season 2004 and the challenges and successes that will come, but I am sure that with all members of the Club pulling together it will be an enjoyable and exciting year. Mark Brown (Assistant Secretary) Canteen Report After being appointed to the position of canteen secretary after only a couple of weeks into the season, I didn't fully realise just what a huge responsibility the position was, but having survived my first season, I now truly understand just how important the canteen is to our club. I also believe that under the current leadership of our club the future is ours to expand upon and go forth to a better and brighter future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank some very special people for their valiant support in the canteen throughout the season, Kirsty Brown, Rachel Bakhos, Jean Raimona, Grace Simmonds I could not have had a better team, thank you. With your support, I look forward to being there again next season with some new and innovative ideas on how to maximize the potential earnings of the canteen and to minimize the outgoing expenditure a task not to be taken lightly. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all St Johns officials, players and supporters a very happy and safe Christmas. I look forward to seeing you all in the 2004 season. Once again thank you for all your support. Jan Simmonds (Canteen Secretary) 4 Coaching Co-ordinator This year to assist all our coaches with their roles we put together a St. John's playbook. The purpose of this booklet was basically two fold • • To provide the most up to date coaching information to all our coaches. To help create a progressional playing style at St. John's as players go through the grades. At the start of the year the coaching staff met with myself and Pauline Brown (Mini/Mod Coaching Co-ordinator) for a series of coaching sessions. The sessions covered many aspects of a coaches role. • • • • • • Attack and defence principles in the different age groups. Skill development for all ages. Defensive set-ups for all age groups. Running a fleld session. Communication with players Types of fitness games to play Both Pauline and myself ran these sessions at the start of the year and to the coaches credit they got into it extremely positively. During the season we attempted to meet with all coaching staff once a month to discuss issues each team had and how to solve them. Each coach throughout the year was given up to date material to add to his or her coaching folder. The club hopes to build on this booklet and coaching clinics next year, which can only benefit the players in the long run. Coaching is a very complex and multiskilled job and the only way we can make our coaches improve, is to work together and continually, as coaches look to improve ourselves. Nal Wijesekera (Coaching Co-ordinator) 5 Under 6 Reserves Semi Finalist St John's Under 6's reserves 2003 was a very exciting season for the players, parents and coaching staff. We made it to the finals for the first time, but unfortunately we couldn't go all the way. The players improved dramatically throughout the year, especially in their defence line. The biggest highlight of our season was when we beat St George Dragons. After playing them once and getting beat, we didn't go into the second game with great expectations but the boys played brilliantly and came away with a great win 14-13. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my manager Karen for organising the paperwork and the kids on game day, and making my job easier. Also to Jason, my trainer for his on field guidance of the players. To my ball girl Jamie Lee, thank you for your help on the field. I would like to thank Spike for being our main touch judge and Ben for helping Karen on a few occasions with time keeping. Lastly I would like to thank all the parents and supporters for encouraging our kids all year round. Thank you again and we hope to see you next year. Hamit Dinclik (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Ayden Dinclik Blake Sheehan Joshua Nassif Fatu Togagae Second highest point scorer. Had a good season in both attack and defence. Improved greatly in attack. Our second receiver. Tackled and ran hard when he got involved. Played well every game. Improved throughout the year, especially in tackling. Scored a few tries. Our first receiver. Tackled strongly and also scored some great tries. Hunter Wood Tristan Andrew Siosaia Vaikeli Jean-Louis Jones Anthony Mikhael Philip Soufar Jordan Safi Junior Meafua Tried his best. Played half of the season. He was improving throughout the season, but decided to leave. Happy to play half games. Scored a try and tackled. Well done. Played strongly on a few occasions. Scored some very good tries and tackled to his ability. One of our biggest boys. On the right day he played to his ability. Started slowly but got more and more involved towards the end of the year. Started to run strongly and tackled more. Progressed throughout the season. Played well during the season. Highest point scorer. Caused trouble for the opposition when he had the ball. Great tackler saving many tries. UNDER 6 Reserves Results OPPOSITION RESULT Revesby Berela St Lukes Milperra Dragons Warriors Moorebank Revesby Won Lost Won Won Lost Won Won Won POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 25 5 29 30 5 11 34 30 OPPOSITION 0 19 0 3 15 0 3 3 Dragons Berela St Luke Milperra Dragons Warriors Moorebank Revesby RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST Lost Lost Won Won Won Won Won WonForfeit 13 8 24 16 14 23 23 GAME Semi Final OPPOSITION Milperra RESULT won POINTS FOR 27 POINTS AGAINST 3 Final Dragons lost 13 43 43 22 3 3 13 3 3 UNDER 6 Reserves Player Stats PLAYER GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS Junior Meafua 16 26 4 108 Ayden Dinclik 16 16 2 52 Fatu Togagae 15 11 0 35 Jordan Safi 15 6 4 26 Jean-Louis Jones 13 8 1 26 Anthony Mikhael 14 6 3 24 Blake Sheehan 16 4 2 16 Joshua Nassif 16 5 0 15 Tristan Andrew 7 2 0 6 Philip Soufar 15 2 0 6 Siosaia Vaikeli 16 1 0 3 Hunter Wood 2 0 0 0 7 Under 7 Grand Finalist You know the football season has come to an end when you start writing the end of year report and what a roller coaster ride its been. Through a lot of hard work the St Johns under 7's improved steadily in many areas and had a very successful year. But sadly it all went horribly wrong in the last ten minutes of the grand final. With the scores level at half time we thought we were a big chance but as it turned out they were to good. Nevertheless well done boys you should be proud. It's still a great achievement to finish minor premiers and make the grand final. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be for us this year but I'm sure we'll bounce back, we all know the grand final result was not a true reflection of what this team is capable of, so congratulations must go to Greenacre they came ready to play and they deserved their victory. There are lots of people I must thank and I'll start with Mitchell and the club committee for giving me the opportunity to coach the team. Thank you also must go to my lovely manager Lina who worked very hard all year behind the scenes. My trainer Michael who took great care of the kids whenever he was needed. All the parents who helped at training Robert Bakhos, John Massima, Sionne Vainga, Simmi Moli and Solamon De Gois. I must mention the excellent work of John Massima who video recorded our games every week, which was a great help for me to watch replays of each match. To everyone from the St Johns club who came out to watch our grand final thank you for your support and encouragement it really meant a lot. Finally to all the parents' thank you for your support throughout the year and I look forward to seeing you all back next year. Nabil Allazze (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: KHALED ALLAZZE FELIX MOLI JASON KAZZI Very dangerous dummy half good defender and excellent goal kicker Loves his football and he can't wait till next year. Very popular boy who lifted his team mates when they needed him. Excellent Runner of the ball and solid in defence. Going to be a great footballer. First year of football he came on in leaps and bounds. Electric ball runner and good defend er, very good goal kicker, bright future. SOSAFATE VAINGA JASON DE GOIS ALEX MASSIMA JOSHUA ABBOUD MATHEW MELVIN ELYJAH ANDREW ANDREW FAYAD JOSHUA BAKHOS Much improved all round player, excellent defender who held the front line together. His run ning got us plenty of yards all year, plenty of potential. First year of football but was one of our best players all year. Saved us plenty of times with his cover defence, excellent runner of the ball, excellent attitude. Our hard yards runner. Always willing to do the hard work up the middle for plenty of metres, solid in defence and improving all the time. Hard working player with a good attitude. Solid defender and loves to run hard, excellent goal kicker, good job at first receiver all year. Good contribution to the team with his dummy half work and excellent goal kicking. Plenty of potential in both defence and attack. Had an interrupted season excellent goal kick er. Very aggressive tackler who can do some damage with the ball. Excellent team player. Very courageous little player who always had a go. He loved to make tackles and never gave up and always came back for more. Loves to run with the ball and was very close to kicking his first goal. UNDER 7 Results OPPOSITION RESULT OPPOSITION POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST Revesby Heights Berala Bears Bye Won Won 19 19 15 17 Greenacre Bankstown Sports St Christophers Moorebank Revesby Heights Won Won Lost Won Won 32 33 17 33 38 25 21 19 12 10 GAME OPPOSITION RESULT Berala Bears POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST Lost 20 24 Greenacre Draw 16 16 Bankstown Sports Lost I5 25 St Christophers Won 28 20 Moorebank Won 18 16 Revesby Heights Won 28 14 Bye RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST Semi Final Greenacre won 36 22 GrandFinal Greenacre lost 10 34 UNDER 7 Player Stats PLAYER GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS Khaled Allazze 15 59 14 87 Felix Moli 14 65 1 67 Jason Kazzi 15 47 8 63 Sosafate Vainga 14 35 - 35 Jason De Gois 15 23 2 27 Alex Massdaa 13 19 2 23 Joshua Abboud 14 - 11 22 Mathew Melvin 13 - 7 14 Elyjah andrew 8 6 4 14 Andrew Fayad I5 6 2 10 Joshua Bakhos 15 - - - 9 Under 8.1 Premiers 2003 has been the most successful season for our U8 Grade. The boys achieved their goal to win U/6, U/7, U/8 Grand Finals and I'm proud to say these boys are still our most successful team in Mini Field Competition. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our manager Suliana Siale, our trainer Maikolo Funaki, for their outstanding work for this season. Also a special thanks to John Tafao, George Malkoun, Valenitini Vaikeli and Loa Fa'aui for a job well done in helping us at training. A special thank you to Tanielu Tuulau our Touch Judge and Geeta Singh for relieving our manager at times. A big THANK YOU toa our sponsor, Moraitis Leaders in Fresh Produce for their most generous sponsorship for our U/8. Lastly but not the least I would like to thank all the parents and supporters for their help and support. It has been a great season. Sosaia Siale (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Salesi Funaki Taniela Siale Valupei Lui Samuel Asiata Shane Fa'aul Jacob Malkoun Misieli Vaikeli 10 He's one of our most skillful player. His courage was on display in the Grand Final when he crossed the tryl ine four times. One of the greatest U/8 players with the speed of a back and his tackling power always a threat to the opposition. He's a strong forward player. He's a constant threat to the opposition with the ability to find gaps around defence and mauls with a strong run. One of our greatest forwards who's sadly missed by the team due to his moving places. He's not huge for a hooker but his explosive power, speed and tenacity makes him more than a match for much bigger players. He's our biggest forward for this season. He's highly regarded for his take no prisoners approach and is a very smart player. He's a successful second receiver, he can set up a gap for our attacking player. Terry Tafao He's one of the smallest player in our U/8. He has the experience and skills to score from dummy half Very talented player. He's always there to back up his team mates. An excellent goal kicker. He has always been known to pull off a big tackle that can change the course of the game. Tevin Singh Jason Tutilau UNDER 8.1 Results OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST St Christopher Moorebank Brothers St Johns 2 Bass Hill Warriors Berala Bears Greenacre won won won won won won won 23 50 46 38 44 23 25 10 10 13 0 5 18 5 Moorebank Chester Hill Bankstown Sports St Christophers Brothers Padstow Panthers St George Dragon won won forfeit won won lost won 48 32 34 27 35 22 60 8 0 0 8 12 26 5 RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST Semi Final Padstow Panthers won 23 15 Grand Final Padstow Panthers Won 25 19 GAME OPPOSITION UNDER 8.1 Player Stats PLAYER Salesi Funaki dillela, Siale Valupel Lui Samuel Asiata Shane Fa'aui Jacob Malkoun Misiell Vaikell Terry Tafao Tevin Singh Jason Tuulau GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS 16 15 16 8 16 16 15 16 16 16 112 109 89 42 11 16 10 6 - 22 16 10 4 18 8 14 16 12 6 134 125 99 46 29 24 24 22 12 6 Proudly Sponsored by 11 Under 8.2 Played well St Johns Under 8's Reserves had an excellent fun season. With plenty of fresh faces to the team and to the St Johns. The kids quickly got to know each others weakness, strengths and had fun at the same time. I think out of it all, the kids enjoyed coming to training more, than the actual Saturday games as training was not just about, learning and building confidence but getting to know their team mates. We had a slow start to the beginning of the season, but after going through to Reserves the kids came out. They played in some run away games with one game being 52-7 and a couple of close games where it was 16-17. Out of it all the kids played well, and the Coaching Staff were very proud to guide and teach such great kids. During the season the Coach gave each of the players a nickname which went with their style of play . Chaz Matauaina (Coach) PLAYERS PROFILES: “The Hitman” One of our best defence players, never judge this book by his cover. Daniel Safetly “The Fast & the Furious" This player has technique, speed and agility and you should see him Joshua Maree when he's angry. "Hulk'" Unstoppable player, when he's mad and determined. Chaz Matauaina "Secret Weapon" One of our oldest players who has so much talent both in defence and Esperidon Zoghaib offence. “Jake the Snake" This player comes out of no where with moves that professionals use. Jake Safetly "Road Runner" This player takes off, zig-zags, side steps and gets to the try line before the Ahmed Jufaar opposition knows what hit’em. “Utai junior" He plays like the Bulldogs player, barges through anything with the same deter Fouvale mination as Matt Utai. “Terminator" Tony was another unstoppable player, this player has a motivation that would Tony Taei move mountains. He’s a big player, but he also has the speed. “The Destroyer" This player would come out of no-where and hit em hard. Great strength for David Haddad a player his size. UNDER 8.2 Results OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST Padstow Panthers Berala Bears St Johns 1 Moorebank Chester Hill Bass Hill Warriors Revesby Heights St Lukes Milperra Colts St Christophers lost lost lost won won lost lost won won won 0 10 0 41 44 15 20 23 42 27 50 50 38 8 6 16 27 13 19 3 UNDER 8.2 Player Stats PLAYER GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS Ahmad Jaafar 13 11 4 19 Chaz Matauaina 14 3 1 5 Daniel Safetly 14 3 3 9 David Haddad 11 - 6 12 Esperidan Zaghab 14 3 2 13 Fauvale Metuli 14 - 4 8 Jake Safetly 14 - 2 4 Jason Hachan 4 - - - Joshua Maree 14 14 2 18 Tony Taei 14 11 1 13 13 Under 9 Premiers What a great season for the under 9 champions of 2003. It turned out to be a very successful and enjoyable year. We had our ups and downs but we managed to play our best football when it counted. As the year wore on, the players became closer and developed friendships that helped them hold on when things went against them. Losing two games to Berela this season by a couple of points each time really made us stronger and I knew that either when we would play them in the semi finals we would punish them with our aggressive defense, and that is exactly what we did grand final day! Our clash with St Christophers was the best game of the year. We knew we were the best side in the competition and we proved to everyone by beating them 19-8! I would like to thank all the boys for a great season, all the hard work including laps, tackling and hard yakka paid off. As I always told the boys before a game “ let’s do what we do at training and we’ll win easily.” I’d like to thank everyone that helped out during the year to make this another successful season. Danny Safetly PLAYER PROFILES: Joseph Safetly Sam Nohra 14 A very fast and illusive runner. Scored plenty of tries out wide The hitman runs the ball as hard as he can and does the same in defence Mark Boutros Small in statue but has a big heart. Gives everything to the team Had a great season in attack and defense Charbel Rahme Played well this season hard hits in defense Jordon Abu Haider Great all round footballer, trouble for the opposition with his speed and tricky step Chris Assad James Tagague Furnau Progressed dramatically this season, good runner with the ball Jacob Sooalo ‘Devastating runner’ the next Willie Mason, tackles hard Mohammed elchikh Always gave his best, showed improvement throughout season Tapa Paulo Aggressive player, very hard to stop, a great season Mitchell Mammy Our biggest player, runs hard with the ball. Strong defense Mohammed Kaseam Very aggressive in defence, always a threat to the opposition. Chris Tiatia A strong forward, very handy in attack Hadi Saleh Another new player, tackles anything that moves with the football UNDER 9 Results OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST Moorebank East Hill Chester Hill Berela Padstow Panthers Greenacre Dragon Warriors won won won lost won won won won 38 23 39 11 52 52 42 50 7 13 0 20 0 3 11 0 GAME Semi Final Final Grand Final OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST St Christohpers Moorebank East Hill Milperra Colts Chester Hill Berela Dragon won won won won won lost won 24 36 22 36 43 24 48 5 7 0 17 7 25 10 St Christohpers lost 15 23 RESULT won POINTS FOR 32 POINTS AGAINST 10 Berela won 26 18 St Christophers won 19 8 OPPOSITION Bankstown Cougars UNDER 9 Player Stats PLAYER Chris Assad Sam Nohra Mahmoud Kassean Jacob Sooalo Joseph Safetly Mithell Mamny Tapo Paulo Jordan Abu Haider Mark Boutros Mohammad El Chikh James Togague Fuan Charbel Rahme Chris Tyiatia Hadi Saleh GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS 19 19 19 17 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 16 19 9 57 120 59 86 47 54 34 3 5 17 3 7 7 17 4 1 6 6 7 3 3 - 91 126 73 100 81 62 36 12 12 17 11 14 - 8 - 15 Under 10 Finalist St Johns Under 10's Season 2003 was a very fulfilling and exciting season for the players, parents and coaching staff. The team this year made the Semi-Finals only to be beaten by St Christophers and Padstow Panthers. The team improved as the season went on and became one of the best offensive sides in the Under 10's Competition with the aggressive attacking play. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my brother Joe who looked after the boys for most of the year. My Manager Geeta for organising the kids on the game days, and making Joes and my job allot easier. Also to my Trainer Karem for his on and off field guidance of the players. Lastly I would like to thank the parents and supporters for encouraging and cheering for the kids all year. Wishing all of the families and officials a great off season. Paul Farah (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Eronny Mareko Michael El Azzi Maroun Mansour Wilson Faanoi Leilani Latu Joseph Abou Raad Matthew Jarjoua James Habib Tekohu Roto Ekiaki Politoni Danny Younes 16 Played both in the forwards and Centre. Had allot of hand in our tries. Player of the future We call him Shifty and Slippery Michael. Directed the team all year with his great ball skills The smallest guy in the team but biggest heart. Carved the oppositions with his kicking game Can score from anywhere, and great in defencive. Great Player Steam rolling in offense and a Brick Wall in defence. The bulldog, caused headache for the defence with his lightening speed The quiet achiever, Caught the defence in a spin with his deadly sidesteps The utility could play anywhere and did it in style. The rollerball. Was devastating in both offense and defense. A forward, but liked his spell in the back line where he did all his damage. The speedstar. Could play anywhere, and tackled well with a few try savers. Anthony Bakhos Improved Game in Game Out. Played dummy half and controlled the ball well around the ruck. Switched from Dummy half to Centre, and fitted right in with his skillful ball Work. Was devestating everytime he got the ball Dillion Singh Tresh Maivaa UNDER 10 Results OPPOSITION RESULT Moorebank won OPPOSITION POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 37 RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 5 St Christophers lost 12 18 won 47 0 won 55 0 Chester Hill won 47 7 Moorebank Warriors won 48 12 Chester Hill Berela Lost 0 30 Warriors won 50 0 Lost 7 42 Padstow Panthers won 37 7 Berela Greenacre won 48 18 Padstow Panthers won 27 15 Dragons won 43 0 Greenacre Dragons won Lost 50 10 0 13 Bye UNDER 10 Player Stats PLAYER Joseph Abou Raad Anthony Bakhos Michael El Azzi Wilson Faanoi James Habib Mathew Jarjoua Leilani Latu Maroun Mansour Eronny Mareko Ekiaki Politoni Dillon Singh Danny Younes Tekohu Rota Tony Vuli Tresh Maivaa GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS 15 15 14 15 15 16 17 17 15 14 17 17 14 7 17 71 8 87 15 3 80 26 27 30 16 44 2 16 14 16 8 6 26 6 16 12 2 2 12 73 16 8 101 31 11 86 26 32 27 46 28 2 2 56 Sponsored by Energy Services Nand Lal Ph: 9533 7022 Fax: 9533 7155 Mob: 0411 247 436 17 Under 11 Played well On behalf of the Under 11's coaching staff, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the players & parents for their support. As usual we had an up & down season, we just missed out on getting into the Semi's. The last month of the competition was hard for us, we had to forfeit one game and the last competition game we only fielded 10 player, due to players getting sick, injured. But overall the team trained and played as hard as they could. Graeme Borg (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Aaron Borg Igo Fa'aui Edwin Moli Mathew Nader Mazen Safkouni Troy McGrath Jake Dore Baha Bayad Jay Robinson Daniel Tuulau Justin Lemalu Matthew Kan Mitchell Gayed Andrew Wassouf Aaron Chan 18 Scored a lot of tries out wide, the fastest kid in the competition. Elusive runner scored his share of tries out on the wing. Had a quite year by his standards, but watch out next year. Consistent player finished the year playing in the forwards, which suits him. Always up there in defense, another consistent player who gains valuable metres in attack. Played five-eight this year still tackles anything that comes in his direction. Directed our attack playing in a new position (Half-back) and did well. "Hitman" Plays everywhere on the field, be in the front-row or wing. Elusive runner works hard in the forwards to gain metres. Leads the forwards, scores a lot of tries from busting through the opposition's defensive line. New player, always plays hard, bullies his fair share of tries by running through the opposi tion. And a very pleasant kid. Shares the role of dummy-half, always tries hard in defence. Consistent player, scored two tries by sneaking in the dummy-half role, missed out on play ing the last month due to illness. Kicked his first goal, always tries and hard started to show his full capabilities. Came up from the reserves, consistent player UNDER 11 Results OPPOSITION Moorebank Berela Padstow Greenacre Dragons St Christophers Bye Moorebank Berela OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST won lost lost won lost lost won lost lost 30 3 12 31 0 5 17 44 42 12 43 7 Padstow Greenacre Dragons St Christophers Bass Hill Moorebank Berela 27 7 10 42 Padstow RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST lost won lost won lost won forfeit 24 42 3 41 8 29 33 5 39 13 27 20 lost 12 31 UNDER 11 Player Stats PLAYER Aaron Borg Justin Lemalu Daniel Tuulau Igo Fa’aaui Jay Robinson Mazen Safkouni Edwin Moli Mathew Nader Bana Bayed Mitchell Gayed Jake Dore Andrew Wassouf Matthew Kan Troy Mc Grath Aaron Chan GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS 14 15 15 14 13 15 12 13 13 12 13 12 12 14 8 51 36 34 28 32 11 10 6 - 9 8 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 69 52 40 32 32 13 10 8 6 6 4 2 - - Proudly Sponsored by 19 Under 11 Reserves Played well Although we only managed to win one game, this season the boys tried very hard all year and were unlucky not to win a few more games. It was the first time most of the players, played together and improved dramatically as the season went on. The highlight of the year was our only win against Chipping Norton 44-6, the boys played really well that day scoring eight tries. I would like to thank all the people who supported us during the year. The parents who came to our games and the people who helped us out at training. Special thanks to my trainers George Abouhaider and Abdul Elsaj and my manager Monty Dagher who did a great job for the first year as a manger. Also to Norm for typing out my reports. John Aouad (coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Justin Abouhaider George Azzi Joseph Dagher Ahmad Elsaj Joseph Farah Charbel Fayad Phillip Fidon Elie Geha James Hachem Mark Moaga David Malifoud Bilal Said 20 Was our best all year in attack and defence The team really missed him when he went overseas. Peter Beleav- very fast, excellent in attack. Steps well of both feet, solid in defence. Scored some very good tries. His hard running made us good ground. Organised the team really well around the park, good kicking game and defended really well around. Damaging ball runner always made breaks when he received the ball. Did well before going overseas. Played a few games, improved each week. Played well each week Tried hard every game captained the side well throughout the year. Hard runner with the ball. Inoke Faanu Jethro Yates Talia Labbad Solid in defence, hard to stop with the ball. Played well out wide and his defence was solid. Played well in the second half of the year. UNDER 11 Reserves Results OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST St Lukes East Hills Brothers Chester Hill Revesby Heights Chipping Norton Bankstown Cougars lost lost lost lost lost Won lost 5 8 8 15 7 44 10 26 31 27 21 28 6 13 St Lukes East Hills Chester Hill Revesby Heights Bankstown Cougars Brothers lost lost lost lost lost lost 15 10 10 3 5 13 25 21 44 40 34 22 UNDER 11 Reserves Player stats PLAYER Justin Abouhaider George Azzi Peter Beleav Joseph Dagher Ahmad Elsaj Joseph Farah Charbel Fayad Philip Fidon Elie Geha James Hachem Mark Moaga David Malbud Bilal Said Inoke Faanu Jethro Yates GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS 13 7 13 13 13 13 11 11 8 5 9 13 12 13 11 6 10 18 16 21 3 14 11 18 1 8 2 1 3 2 1 - 22 10 18 20 23 3 6 14 13 20 5 21 Under 12 Finalists It was good to come back and coach a team that I was with a couple of years ago. Knowing most of the players made it an easier task for me. The boys knew they had to be on their guard and aggressive in defence if they were going to be competitive this season. As a coach I was very pleased with their defence effort. Also in attack the boys showed a lot of skills this season, which was backed by some outstanding tries they scored. The under 12's played the final against East Hills, unfortunately a few things went against us and we went down 15-14. I would like to thank the parents and supporters for their support throughout the season. Also I would like to thank all the U/12's coaching staff for their great help and support, Peter Hennings, lhab Bayad and Peter Fayad . And last but not least thanks to Peter Haddad for his help and support, also for providing the team with soft drinks after every game. Milad Nasr (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Daniel Abu-Sleiman Andre Yousseff Mahmoud Bayad George El-Azzi Raymond Nasr Chris Nasr Adam Rehayem Patrick Fayad 22 One of the best tacklers in the team and a smart attacking player. Played hooker& winger, he was always keen to be involved. Played halfback and he was a good organiser with the forwards, well done Mahmoud you played well all year What a year this kid had, in short he was awesome in defence & attack. He loved playing football and was always keen to have a go. Played 5/8 and he always tried to set his outside backs up. Chris was a workaholic in defence. Had a slow start to the season and then all of a sudden he blossomed to his best. Well done, keep up the good work next season. Big strong forward he always tried to of load the ball. Viliame Ratucaadre Fady Azzi Jason Yaeoub Sateki Sisale Keifer Hennins Steven Caires Jad El-Azzi James Antou Has the perfect tackling style, he played well all year. He ran hard with the ball and tackled the opposition just as hard, He played hooker and on the wing, he handled both positions well. Was one of the forwards who took the ball up strong & tackled hard. Has showed a lot of improvement this season in defence & attack. Is an awesome player to watch in both defence & attack. Played second row and always tried his best especially against tough teams. Is a speedster and he scored plenty of tries for the team, once he's in the clear no one was going to catch him. Is a strong player, and it always took three to four players to stop him. Anthony Haddad UNDER 12 Results OPPOSITION East Hills Berala Bears Bye Dragons Milpera Colts Cougars St Christopher Moorebank East Hills RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST Won Lost 17 0 0 42 Won Won Won Lost Won Won 35 56 12 12 48 36 14 0 7 14 0 8 OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST Berala Bears Dragons Cougars St Christopher Moorebank East Hills Berala Bears Lost Won Won Draw Won Lost Lost 0 12 21 7 44 17 10 44 10 19 7 5 25 38 Dragons Won 34 10 GAME Semi Final OPPOSITION Berala Bears RESULT lost POINTS FOR 3 POINTS AGAINST 36 Final East Hills lost 14 15 UNDER 12 Player Stats PLAYER James Antoun Chris Nasr Daniel Abou-Sleiman Steven Caires George El- Azzi Mahmoud Bayad Viliame Ratucadre Fady Azzi Sateki Siale Anthony Haddad Andre Youssef Adam Rehayem Patrick Fayad Keifer Hennings Raymond Nasr Jason Yacoub Jad El-Azzi GAMES TRIES IN POINTS GOALS TOTAL POINTS 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 63 40 29 38 29 14 10 11 10 6 5 3 5 5 - 0 9 11 5 7 8 5 4 1 2 2 - 65 58 51 48 43 30 20 19 10 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 - 23 Under 13 Good Season The season got off to a great start. 6 wins from 6 starts which included the defeat of last years premiers. The U 13'S is a team with unrestricted potential. The amount of skill, power and love of the game is found in every player that walked onto the field this season, which must be a natural trait of any St. Johns player. But unfortunately as the season got longer it also started to become harder to field the side at training this was due to departures overseas and players also leaving. A disappointing result in the end not because the players failed to make the semi-finals but for the reason that they knew some of their games could have been won easily. Overall an enjoyable first season as coach. An excellent group of young men which all possess a great amount of passion for the game. I'm sure all of these will succeed in their football careers and even become professional. A big thanks must go out to Mark Brown who acted as trainer/manager and even coach while I was away, it is truly appreciated. Raymon Garcia (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Elias Abouraad Leeroy Asiata Maroun Ayoub Carlos Azzi Charbel Azzi Steven Azzi An absolute speedstar. You know when the ball is in his hand a try is likely to arise when in the open. My Mr.fix-it. The amount of skill possessed by Leeroy allowed me to play him in many posi tions. Always reliable. When asked to a job it was done at 100% and was always completed. No fear when on the football field. Always the first to put his hand up for the hard work which is a big trait considering his size. The axe. Would tackle anything that moved, no matter how big and this was my smallest player in the field. Excellent defense and workload. Most consistent player all year. The way Steven can hit a hole puts him a class above the rest. Also one not to be afraid of hard work or defence. Daniel Brown Roderick Faanoi Tino Fidow Ronnie Kallas Joshua Mansour Richard Moaga Raymond Onetaka Daniel Rapana Rangatira Ronaki Daniel Safkouni Salamo Seitula Joseph Sooalo My first receiver who always offered quality service to the forwards. A veteran at the club at his young age already. Bulldozer. You know when Rod had the ball it was an easy 15 or 20 meters that was going to be made. The quiet achiever. Never had much to say but always proved himself out on the football field like great players do. An absolute lover of football which is shown every time he goes out onto the field. Centre with great ability to find a hole. This is backed up by his awesome defense. Front rower with one of the biggest work rates I've ever seen. You could keep him on all game at 100%. Raymond improved his fitness by about 50% in one season, His sheer size and power was a force to be reckoned with. Skillful player who moved from five-eight to full back with great ease and also excelled in the position. Pee-wee. With the ball in his hands it was unknown what was going to happen. Always had the defense in two minds. Pure skill An absolute joy to watch in full flight. His knowledge of the game and positioning makes him one of the smartest footballer's on the field. (Captain) A fearless leader with the ability to back it up. Never ever gave up on a game always topped the tackle count. He has it all size speed and skill without the ego. A brilliant player, definitely someone to look for in a few years in the first grade line up. No Statistics provided FLASHBACK ST JOHNS 1954 27 Under 13 Reserves Semi-Finalist The team had an excellent season. At the start the team was green and raw. 90% of the boys hadn't played competitive football and with only one training run a week. We struggled for numbers for the first half of the season making it pretty tough, but the boys hung in with a couple of good performances, one notable game with 11 players which we won by a mercy call. The second half of the season was exceptional with 6 wins and 2 draws. Most notable win over Moorebank, 28-26 and eventual minor premiers St Lukes 40-10. The team were good enough to claim 4th position on the ladder and move into the semi finals. In the semis we played the team we hadn't beaten all season but had drawn with. It was a tough encounter, starting with only 12 players. So with penalties against us we were down 16-4 at half time. The second half, the team performance was much better and the score at full time was 22 all. In extra time we couldn't keep up with the lack of numbers and run out off steam eventually losing 32-22. The boys showed plenty of courage and never say die attitude, well done boys you are a credit to yourselves and to your club. To all who helped with the team, Peter Sammak (trainer), Con Polous (Manager), Joe Ellias; your assistance was much appreciated and needed. Steven Hodgson (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Mathew Borg 28 Goal kicking centre. Had a good season played his best. Robert Chakty Charbel Elias Elie Hajj Jesse Hodson Frank Khattar Elia Loueizi Joseph Mokdassi Tupaea Morunga Antonie Phan John Saliba Jermaine Sammak Ibraham Sleiman Andre Wazen Winger, did what was asked improved over the season Fullback, this kid runs on super, excellent season Second row, wing. Tried hard did his best Prop, improved over season some very good offloads Hooker, tried very hard did his job to the letter Prop, worked hard on his defense all season Centre, strong runner, hard defender, good player Second row, centre. Good defender, played it hard Lock, excellent defender, not too bad in attack, very good player Five Eight, Captain. Good player, good kicking game, improved over the season Second row, very much improved, started to listen, runs strong Winger, Tried hard all season Half back, very good seson, improved with every match UNDER 13 Reserves Results OPPOSITION East Hills Chester Hill St Lukes Milperra Colts Brothers St Christophers Moorebank East Hills RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST lost lost lost 4 24 4 56 42 42 won lost won lost draw 56 12 38 22 18 4 48 22 24 18 Bankstown Sports Chester Hill St Lukes Milperra Colts Warriors Brothers St Christophers lost won won won Draw won won 0 56 40 54 22 44 28 50 22 10 4 22 20 26 Moorebank won 28 24 GAME Semi Final OPPOSITION East Hills RESULT lost POINTS FOR 22 POINTS AGAINST 36 UNDER 13 Reserves Player Stats PLAYER Mathew Borg Robert Chakty Charbel Elias Elie Hajj Jesse Hodson Frank Kattar Elia Loueizi Joseph Makdassi Tupaea Morunea Antonio Phan John Saliba Jermaine Sammak Ibrahim Sleiman Andre Wazen GAMES TRIES GOALS TOTAL POINTS 16 16 16 12 16 16 19 8 14 14 15 15 14 16 33 1 7 2 16 7 2 26 43 2 86 132 4 28 8 64 28 8 108 Proudly Sponsored by Ambassador Cleaning 29 Under 14 Premiers 2003 has to be the most rewarding season of all, with only four teams in our competition it was always going to be a test of skill, mentally and physically, not only for the coaches but for the players as well. Competition was so close between the teams that it left little room for errors. Sitting in second place on the competition ladder throughout the season worked in our favour, it had taken the spot light away from us, being grand final champions for the last two years. So it gave us a bit of breathing space, where we could experiment with different things as in game plans, but still stay in touch with the competition leaders St George Dragons. After losing one of our key players early in the season Nopoto Tuimaualuga, left little doubt that the team had to work hard to fill a big hole left by this player. Like true champions they rose to the occasion. It is very hard to single out any outstanding player as it took a team effort to take out the 2003 premiership, and can I say the boys did it in true style and class. I like to thank all our Parents and supporters for getting behind the team and giving them the moral support that they so much deserved, I also like to thank my two trainers Sonny and Snow for putting in a lot of hard work in conditioning the side physically and last but not lease our manager Grace Simmonds for the tireless paper work she had to endure. So well done to everybody and thank you all for a great season. Mitchell Raimona (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Simon Abousleiman Michael Semrani Alex Milano Ibrahim Jabakenji Charles Chidiac First year with the team, played fullback or wing proved to be a valuable defender bonded in well with the team. Veteran on the wing always shows a lot of guts and determination in his roll, Michael is a well sea soned campaigner Mister consistency in defence and attack and has the potential to go a long way in the game A good strong runner in attack, plays centre but played five eight in the last part of the season, played very well. Quite achiever, winger with a lot of pace to burn and a great defender. Plenty of potential to come. Shaamus Poole Joseph Alam George Siale Sebastian Calderon Edward Maklouf Spiros Mamary Elie Khoury Wesley Manuta Mitchell Raimona Andrew Elmaadi Alan Rodrigues Andrew El-Kazzi Abdul Shayouni Nopoto Tuimaualuga Played two rolls this year fullback and five eight has great vision in reading plays and has a lot of pace to burn. Good all round player. Shows a lot of enthusiasm in everything he does in training as well as on game days, a great halfback Played great football this season. Can be a handful for the opposition. Plays lock forward. As any Captain should do he led by example, great footballer. Played second rower, good utility player as well. Came back to play great football after suffering a disastrous foot injury last season. Turning out to be a great second rower still has a lot to offer. An outstanding defender. Plays second row. First year with the side. A player who plays with a lot of courage and heart. Plays front row or second row. A player who shows as much potential in attack as he does in defence. Good solid front rower. A smart player who found many openings to the blindside which helped assist in many tries, still needs to work on his defence. Plays hooker. A good strong attacker. Has the potential to become one of the best front rowers in the game. New to the side, still learning about the game, once he grasp the game he could turn out to be one of the best front rowers going around in the game. A quite one, plenty of guts in attack as well as defence still needs to bring out the best in him. Not to much game time played, missed a lot of games and training sessions needs to show a bit more discipline in his game. A great player and person on and off the field with the potential to make it very far in rugby league. UNDER 14 Results OPPOSITION Greenacre Berala Bear St George Dragon Bye Greenacre Berala Bear St George Dragon Bye RESULT won won lost POINTS FOR 52 32 18 POINTS AGAINST 10 20 22 won won lost 68 28 14 12 20 30 GAME Semi Final Grand Final OPPOSITION St George Dragons Berala Bears OPPOSITION Greenacre Berala Bear St George Dragon Greenacre Berala Bear St George Dragon Greenacre won lost won won won draw won POINTS FOR 22 10 32 26 22 34 36 Berala Bear won 30 RESULT Chester Hill Regent Park POINTS FOR 28 32 RESULT POINTS AGAINST 14 36 26 12 14 34 28 14 POINTS AGAINST 20 10 UNDER 14 Player Stats PLAYER Ibrahim Jabakenji Shaamus Poole Joseph Alam Alex Milano George Siale Nopoto Tuimauluga Simon Abousleiman Sebastion Calderon Andrew Elmaadi Michael Semrami Spiros Mamary Andrew El-Kazzi Wesley Manuta Charles Chidiac Elie N Khoury Edward Makhlouf Allen Rodrigoes Mitchell Raimona Abdul Sahyouni Jason Moaga GAMES 17 17 17 13 17 4 15 13 17 16 17 15 17 16 15 15 12 17 12 9 TRIES 23 10 5 12 11 9 7 5 3 3 2 1 1 - GOALS 12 16 22 - TOTAL POINTS 116 72 64 48 44 36 28 20 12 12 8 4 4 - 31 FIRST XIII Grand Finalist Season 2003 proved to be our toughest season to date with so many injuries and a lack of true commitment from a few players. February rolled around and with it came 34 players. We settled on 20 players and off we went to Narrabeen for the First XIII camp. The boys were put through some very vigorous training and by weekends end, every player was ready to sleep for a week! The boys should be congratulated on the way they represented the club and especially the way they trained. Our season was up & down mainly due to the amount of injuries sustained. It disrupted us severely with a different lineup every week. Nevertheless the boys gave it their all with some exciting and memorable performances. We reached the big dance only to fall short of our 4th successive title by 8 points. Ironically even on grand final day, we lost 3 players in the first half due to injuries! It was just not meant to be this season. I would like to take this opportunity to express how proud I was of your discipline and sportsmanship on grand final day; you're a great example for all the younger players in the club. As I sit here, writing my last report, I can't help but feel sad as I reflect on my experience with a great bunch of players and how it's all come to an end. To you boys… I have so many wonderful memories that will no doubt last forever. 1998 Under 10 Premiers. 2000 Under 12 Premiers. 2001 Under 13 Premiers. 2002 Under 14 Premiers. 2003 Under 15 Runner Up. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we could achieve all this. It has been a pleasure and an honour especially coaching you as the First XIII in the club's most important year; our 50th year. I shouldn't forget to thank all the players' family's for supporting me through this time, your friendship will always be remembered. I'd like to thank some special people who made my job a lot easier. Rayno you are a champion, thanks for everything you have done in the last 2 years. Rinnai, Robert & Eddie, all your help was much appreciated, and let's not forget the Video girls. Also a BIG thanks to Fady Ghanem for his friendly advice and guidance. Finally a HUGE thankyou to all our loyal supporters who cheered us on in the right spirit of the game. To everyone and anyone who helped out, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Charbel Khoury (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Andrew Abousleiman Wade Hassarani Simi Turagakula Elie Khalaf Paul Kairouz William Mataka Sylvester Esera Charbel Ayoub Joe Abousleiman Sam Taouk Jacob Laupoini John Kite Holo Tonga Danny Azzi Tyson Hennings(Prop) Fineeva Fine Tony Noura Kiore Ronaki Badwe Zaatini Richard Sarkis (Utility) A pleasure to coach. Andrew played for the team with a great attitude. Played in plenty of positions because of his understanding of the game. Pity he goes for St George… (Fullback/Halfback) When he is switched on he is lovely to watch! Very skilful player with plenty of potential to go a long way. Needs to commit more to training. (Halfback/Fullback) A new player to the team with a likeable nature. Another player with plenty of skills who can get a freaky offload away. Pleasure to coach. (Wing) A newbie to League who just had a wonderful season. Scintillating pace of the mark and equally strong in defense. His season was cruelly cut short due to injury. (Wing) A new player who showed plenty of potential in the trials. Once the season began who was cruelly hit with so many injuries which was disappointing. Keep your head up Pauly. (Centre) A tough player who doesn't know how much potential he has. Very strong in defense and knows how to run onto the ball. My only advice Will, get involved more! (Centre) The best tackler in the team by far. Great technique and work ethic. Make's his presence felt on the field with bone jarring defense. A player who played for the team. Wonderful season Ves. (Wing) The gutsiest player in the team. Play's with true passion and give's it everything he has. Love's going in field to tackle and get involved. Congratulations on your best season Charbel. (Wing) Another player who under-estimates himself. Plays his best football when he is aggressive. Plays with plenty of passion, just needs to learn how to control it. (5/8) A brilliant player who possesses a passing game much like a first grader. Excellent vision with an uncanny ability to put players through holes. Injury's plagued his season but he bounced back nicely. (Lock) Class is the only word for Jacob. He is a true footballer, with a strong defensive and attacking game. Popped his shoulder twice which ended his season early. Keep your head up mate and hit the weights. (2nd Row) Captain of the side. When John is fit he is almost unstoppable. Knows how to run into holes and doesn't mind taking on the opposition up the middle. My advice to you, be more AGGRESSIVE. (2nd Row) When Holo is switched on he is breathtaking to watch. A very powerful play er and knows how to hit hard. Runs the ball with plenty of determination. Take some more responsibility on the field Holo. (2nd Row) Danny always made me laugh with his cheekiness. A player who give's it he has. Played 1 game at halfback and stole man of the match honours with an astounding performance. Played a total of 4games due to injury. When he is fully fit, he is one to watch. A team man who still attended plenty of training sessions. A character who just killed me, next year Tyson! (Prop) The quite achiever of the team. Just keeps on getting better with time. A shy kid who plays with everything he has. 2003 was Finni's season. Brilliant year mate and a pleasure to coach. (Prop) A person who has matured so much and I must say how proud I am Tony. Plays with plenty of determination with ability to hit players twice his size. Well done Tony. (Prop) Kiore plays his football tough. Solid player who can tackle and run the ball up with plenty of gusto. If he could get fitter, he would be a far more devastating player. (Prop) A new player who came to us mid season. You wouldn't have thought it was his first year of club football, a brilliant player both in attack and defense! The Sky's limit for you Badwe. (Hooker) The backbone of the team who wears his heart on his sleeve. Wonderful organiser with defensive game that can only be described with one word…. Awesome! Excellent year Rich. First XIII Results OPPOSITION RESULT East Hills #1 Berala Bears St George Dragons Greenacre Bankstown Cougars Chester Hill East Hills #2 East Hills #1 LOST WON LOST WON WON WON w/f WON GAME Semi Final Grand Final POINTS FOR 26 54 16 30 36 48 25 26 OPPOSITION POINTS AGAINST 30 4 22 28 16 10 0 24 OPPOSITION St George Dragons St George Dragons RESULT POINTS FOR POINTS AGAINST Berala Bears St George Dragons Greenacre Bankstown Cougars Chester Hill BYE East Hills #1 WON LOST LOST WON WON 40 20 10 66 56 22 26 30 6 12 WON 26 14 Berala Bears WON 44 8 RESULT won lost POINTS FOR 22 16 POINTS AGAINST 20 24 First XIII Player Stats PLAYER John Kite Jacob Laupoini Wade Hassarani Sylvester Esera Richard Sarkis William Mataka Holo Tonga Elie Khalaf Simi Turagakula Andrew Abousleiman Sam Taouk Charbel Ayoub Fineeva Fine Badwe Zaatini Tony Noura Tyson Hennings Danny Azzi Joe Abousleiman Kiore Ronaki Paul Kairouz GAMES TRIES GOALS TOTAL POINTS 15 9 14 15 14 15 15 13 12 12 10 14 15 10 15 4 14 13 10 7 23 5 11 9 8 8 6 6 4 4 4 4 3 3 1 1 1 1 - 5 36 19 1 1 102 92 82 38 34 32 24 24 18 18 16 16 12 12 4 4 4 4 0 0 1 1 - FIRST XIII PRE-SEASON TRAINING CAMP NSW ACADEMY OF SPORT NARRABEEN Earlier this year, in March, the squad assembled outside Holy Spirit College, excited at the prospect of spending the weekend away with their mates. After arriving Friday evening, the boys enjoyed dinner then a nice relaxing swim. That night they kept us awake till the early hours of the morning ignoring warnings about what was awaiting them the next day. The following day they were awake and training by 6am, much to the horror of some players. it was a very tough day as the squad trained tirelessly until 8pm. By day’s end, they were all pretty exhausted and looking forward to getting some sleep. Our last day together the squad was awake by 5am. Again they were put through their paces till midday. We finished with a meal and a chat. Finally we arrived at Holy Spirit by 4pm Sunday afternoon. This camp proved to be a good bonding experience for players and coaching staff. Everyone involved gained valuable experience in the type of dedication it requires to be a professional footballer. 2003 Rep players Development squad and Harold matthews (under 15’s) L-R: Holo Tonga, John Kite, Jacob Laupoini & Wade Hassarani SG BALL(Under 18’s) L-R: George Batti, Dean McGrath, Danny Youssef & Jai Ayoub Executive Committee Back row: Mark Brown(Assistant Secretary), George Bakhos (Vice President) Fady Ghanem (Vice President), Ciaron Burns (Vice President) Front Row: Grace Simmonds (Treasurer), Mitchell Raimona, & Anne-Maree Poole (Secretary) 35 Under 16 Good Season This year was approached with much expectation. After all the hard work of last year, the 2003 season promised a great deal for the St John's under 16's. Right from the start we struggled with our commitment and our desire to play rugby league. Lack of numbers at training and an overall lack of enthusiasm sent our season into a nosedive, from which we didn't recover and finished second last. For a team that was a premiership threat the year before, this season can only be described as disappointing. We came up with a few good games during the year, with an end of year game against grand finalists East Hills being the highlight. I had great pleasure in seeing some players really develop this year, and it was no surprise that these players were the ones that continually turned up. I would like to thank my manager Charbel El-kazzi, for taking on the role of Manager. As a former player he learnt what it is like on the other side of the fence and he learnt a great deal about the administrational side of rugby league. Also a thanks to Charbel Khoury, Fady Ghanem and Louis Estephan for their help with everything and for running the water for us in our times of need. Thanks to Nancy who filmed a few games that she was able to make. Too the players who turned up week after week, and gave there all to the team, I thank you. I really enjoyed seeing some of you develop as footballer's and as men. George Saab (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Paul Schibaia Sassin Bey Charlie Daoud Played some great football this year. Improved on some of the finer points in his game, and this really showed. With more work on his game, will get better. Small man big heart. This kid is so full of energy and really has a dig. Likes to roll the sleeves up and played a few games in the second row. Had a really solid season. All heart and a very talented footballer. Was set for an enormous year but injury held him back. One of our best backs. Love this kid. Chris Daoud Michael Michaels Hussain El-Najjar Jason Saliba Tamati Nathan Daniel Hamad Michael Homsi Elias Boustaine Gebran Totu Malai Eli Taouk Youseff Noujaim Junior Tuanikore One of the big improver this year. Got fitter and ended up in the centres. Great mover for a big fella and had an awesome year. Scored some great tries and pulled of some great hits. Great trainer. Sound Year and improved for a first year player. Captain and very gifted footballer. Very determined in all he does. Lead from the front this year with some massive games. Needs to keep a level head at times. Mixes skill with mon grel well. Played out of position, but has all the right mix for a lock. Had a good year directing the team around the park. Great footwork and passing game. His talk improved this year, which I was pleased about. A real pleasure to coach. First at training and gave his all at every session. Love his attitude, and one hell of a footballer. Can make breaks, offload in traffic and rattle bones in tackles. Has it all. If he works hard on his fitness, has a big future in this game. Showed his talents for backing up for the 18's and C grade. Playing kids up to 5 years older than him. What can I say that hasn't already been said. Legend kid, legend footballer. Awesome talent, who I hope puts his head down and really has a decent crack at league. Great athlete with a big future in Rugby League. Solid year from this tough prop. A very lovable guy, who carves up in touch footy. Shut the gates! Played well in patches. Overall had a sound year. This guy is good player and very raw. Great tackler and made his presence felt in games this year. Needs to get more involved in attack, very strong runner. Will only get better. Really enjoyed coaching this kid. Attitude improved out of site. Improved his training, and his footy. Very strong runner of the ball. Awesome year Totu. Went ok, when he decided to turn up. Sound year. Great kid, who can play the game. Played well this year, but injuries didn't help. Under 16 Results OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST East Hill lost 6 52 Berela lost 4 28 Berela lost 16 24 Padstow lost 22 28 won 34 26 Padstow lost 0 14 Greenacre Greenacre won 30 24 Bankstown Cougars lost 4 32 Bankstown Cougars lost 6 32 St Christophers won 26 18 St Christophers won 40 4 Bye Bye East Hill lost 10 12 East Hill Forfeit Berela forfeit Proudly Sponsored by John Khoury Ph: 9891 4566 Fax: 9891 4766 Mob: 0414 434 474 For all your computer Software and hardware needs 37 Under 18’s Semi Finalists 2003 was a very frustrating year for the Under 18's, with a stop start season because of representative commitments. The team never really had the chance to gel together. For the first half of the year we struggled to form a side, but the boys who were there from the start did a great job the keep us in touch with the front runners. I must congratulate the players who were dedicated from the start of the year, because they battled through games with injuries showing true St John's fighting spirit. Once the representatives became a permanent part of the side, the team showed more cohesion, which increased the number of wins. Unfortunately due to Year 12 exam and other commitments the amount of players present at training made it difficult for the side to bond as a group. This was our downfall, which lead to the side losing the first semi final. I'd like to thank the following people: · · · Julie Brown & Amanda Brown on their assistance as managers during the year, Sari Boutros as trainer, and Nancy Estephan & Kirsty Brown, for videoing the games. Louie Estephan (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Jai 'Where's my kicking tee' Ayoub Wadih 'I need a Cab license' Azzi 38 Canterbury Rep. Showed us his talent on the field when available. Can kick a goal Plenty of potential. Bulldozing runner and tough defender Fady 'I'm working 24hrs a day' Basil George 'I'm not angry' Batti Consistent performer week in week out Canterbury Rep Showed us why by putting in 110% in every game. Lots of ticker Devastating runner with the ball. Likes to pop the ball as well Michael 'I need a hair cut' Bolan keeps coming at you all day likes the hard yakka. Moyle 'I'll be back' Bolan Consistent performer week in week out George 'Anyone need a lift' Doaud new comer to the side. Showed plenty of speed and courage Fady 'Forest Gump' Estephan Unlimited Potential. Has the skills in both attack and defense George 'I love referee's' Farah Due to injury could not really show us his potential Andrew 'I'll get off the couch soon' Habib Shows plenty of heart for a man of his size. Consistent week in Tyson 'I'm a surfy' James week out. Up and down year with plenty of interruptions. Has plenty of skill Carlos 'Pretty boy' Maklouf and ability Canterbury rep big future, great all round game Dean 'Oh Ah' McGrath Stop start year due to injury but when on the field, hard man to stop Joe 'My ankles hurting' Nakhle Shows plenty of toughness on the paddock. Very reliable and puts Steven 'I'll be a cop soon' Radford in plenty Explosive fullback, unfortunately had injuries this year, some great Masoud 'My Chest is too big' Toauk try saving tackles Canterbury rep who showed us plenty of zip and class during the Danny ' Don't call me Screech' Youseff season. Asaf Late comer to the side Showed plenty of ticker in defense and Michael 'I have to go to the airport' Eid attack Carl 'I don't look like Nathan Cayless' Romanous Very consistent on the field and likes to put up his hand to do the dirty work Under 18 Results OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST OPPOSITION RESULT POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST St Lukes 64 0 St Christophers 0 50 East Hills 6 38 St Lukes 46 12 All Saints 10 24 East Hills 26 20 Berala 22 16 All Saints 40 30 Padstow Panthers 28 10 Berala 22 16 Greenacre 31 22 Padstow Panthers 6 20 Greenacre 18 18 Falcons 24 4 Bankstown Cougars 28 22 GAME Semi Final OPPOSITION East Hills RESULT lost POINTS FOR 20 POINTS AGAINST 22 39 C Grade Good Season After a promising start to the season, we came to a major stumbling block in round 5. This tore the side apart with the team playing last 10 games without substitutes, and that is a credit to the players who stuck by the team and the club. Each player deserves a huge wrap for attitude and commitment, you are a credit to St Johns! Its a shame we didn't get that allusive win but as they say” winning is not everything”, and just being a part of such a great bunch of young men was the highlight of the year for coaching staff. A successful season will only happen if there is a committed bunch of players. I would like to thank the following: Pania Inia, for her tireless efforts as a manager (great job Pania), Frank and Willey Trostel (the trainers. for all there work week in week out) and my two assistant coaches, George Mastrgelopoulous and Ted McGrath (thanks for your help throughout the year) Greg Rossi (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Donald Campbell Youssef Elachi Mitchel Ghassibe Sonny Faulkner Joe Naddaf John Jabour Verna Kesi Sean McGrath 40 Played well for a first timer, improved as year went on Had a great season, safe under the high ball, great boot for any kicks Had a short season but played great, had lots of speed, excellent fullback Work horse in attack and defence, excellent tackler, god support player Had a great season, great offloader on his hitups, his defence was also first class Had a short season, but played well, shame he had to go overseas A hand full for the defense, offloads a plenty, great defence Had a great season in both attack and defence, great ball skills Paul Mezrani Michael Mikhael Matthew Simmonds Erik Trostel Craig Woodward Raymond Wynne Another first timer who improved the more he played, good offloads Played well, progressed dramatically when played in the scrum Improved more as the year went on, supported players well, had speed Had a great year, good tackler excellent offloader Directed the team around in attack, great skills, always supportive Another player who had a great year, great support play, excellent ball skills C Grade Results OPPOSITION RESULT Berela Bankstown sports Moorebank St Christophers Greenacre Berela Bankstown sports Moorebank lost won won lost lost lost lost lost POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 10 24 20 6 8 10 14 6 32 22 18 22 12 42 22 34 OPPOSITION RESULT St Christophers Greenacre Berela Bankstown sports Moorebank St Christophers Greenacre Berela lost lost lost lost lost lost lost lost POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 2 26 12 20 16 0 19 0 44 30 42 42 32 48 46 63 C Grade Player Stats PLAYER Joe Naddaf Peter Ribet Ray Wynne Craig Woodward Mitchell Ghassibe Matthew Simmonds Youssef Elachi Andrew Abouhaider Filipo Sefo Sean McGrath Sonny Faulkner Michael Mikhael John Jabbour Toby Elazzi Shadie El Khoury Donald Cambell Verna kesi GAMES TRIES GOALS TOTAL POINTS 16 8 16 16 7 14 15 7 5 12 13 13 7 10 7 11 12 2 5 2 5 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 - 9 2 8 1 1 1 - 26 24 8 22 16 12 10 8 8 6 4 4 4 - Proudly Sponsored by MATHSIMS TRANSPORT Mob: 0414 646 364 Ph/ Fax: 9759 9237 When you need to move things safe and fast 41 A Grade Grand Finalist 2003 saw a new team come together to form an A-grade. As individuals the players had allot of skill, this saw us get through the first half of the season. The second half of the season saw us bond together. We hit our best form coming into the semi finals. Finishing 3rd saw us play Moorebank in the first semi-final. After drawing with them in our last competition game we felt it would be a tough struggle. In gale force winds we managed to easily defeat them showing our true potential. We then moved on to play Chester Hill in the final at Belmore oval. This was our best game of the season with both forwards and backs combining to score some fabulous tries. Our defense was bruising and solid. We felt confident that we would give Berela a good game in the Grand Final. Big game nerves got the better of us in the grand final. We never really hit the full potential we had as a team. This saw us go down in the big game. Even though we lost I can say proudly that each player gave it there all. Reaching the grand final with the little training we did throughout the year and the shortage we had of players at some games was a major acheivement. To the 19 A-graders and 3 C-graders, Sean McGrath, Sonny Faulkner, and Ray Wynne who finished the year, congratulations on a job well done. I would like to thank our manager Ciaron Burns for his professional and faultless running of the team, the trainer Atef Elassi, for his hard work, our strapper Mitchell Ramona and all who supported the team, a huge thanks! To George Saab the almost player, almost trainer, almost assistant coach and always supporter, my greatest thanks. To all who supported the team week in week out your support was appreciated. Fady Ghanem (Coach) PLAYER PROFILES: Fred Noujam 42 Mr St Johns, Captain, Club Captain, all round nice guy. Kept the team going forward and kept the team together, work horse in attack and defence Penni Sueni Elias El Chaar Keith Weston Exciting fullback, with plenty of attacking skill. A player to watch in the future Improved as season progressed. He was solid on the flank. Came to us from Moorebank, made the big move to the centres from hooker, showed his class with a number of good tries (especially against his old team) A smart player, who is all heart, never gives up, never trains!! Solid in defense and attack, a kiwi import that floated above all. An exciting player with a great step, got the team out of trouble on many occasions, a real St Johns man. Started the season as assistant coach, but couldn’t stay off the field. Directed the team around from half back and showed his true class, has played his last testimonial year for the last 5 years running....see ya next year! What a player! All class in defence and attack. Picked up the team with his fearce tackles Made his comback after 5 years in the wilderness. A tough player. One half of the brother combination. A work horse with a never say die attitude, great season. Other half of the brother combination. A fierce player who could break a solid wall, great offloader. The 110% player, who gave all he had in every game he played. Great dummy half skills Class footballer, who was solid in attack and defence A true St Johns man, always does whats best for the team, great defender All class, came back from a knee iinjury 2 weeks early to play in the semi finals, led by example. A strong winger with a tough tackling style. Needs to listen more A Solid player, needs to have more commitment Our most experienced player. Leads by example. Hit holes like a legend. Can’t hit much else A player who gives his all in every game. Over came injury to play in the grand final. A real team man Injury saw him miss most of the season. Charbel El Helou Darren Maititi Sam Sa Claud Katter JohnArthur Williams Nick Mascolo Leo Mino Antonio Mino Garth Zriek Mohamad Masri Michal Mitry Ahmad Daizle Amir Sabri Ben Kutu Luke Kelley Graeme Herewini David Vaughan A Grade Results OPPOSITION RESULT Chester Hill Moorebank Chester Hill Regent Park Milperra Colts Berala Moorebank Chester Hill lost won lost won won lost won lost POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 32 20 28 52 56 38 38 18 8 12 10 6 0 8 26 12 OPPOSITION RESULT Regent Park Milperra Colts Bankstown Cougars Berala Chester Hill Regent Park Moorebank Bankstown Cougars won won won lost lost won drew won POINTS POINTS FOR AGAINST 40 60 22 32 40 46 24 42 GAME Semi Final OPPOSITION moorebank RESULT Won POINTS FOR 38 POINTS AGAINST 8 Final Chester Hill Won 28 10 Grand Final Berala Lost 12 34 14 8 16 16 0 4 24 8 Proudly Sponsored by Zed ‘n’ Zed Jeweller Westfield Shoppingtown Hurstville Allan Zreik Ph: 9579 2889 For all you Jeweller needs 43 Major Award Winners 2002 FIRST XIII WINNERS Mark Cronk Memorial Dennis Jessup Memorial Shield Brian McCullough Players' Player - Daniel Hamad - Daniel Hamad - Charbel Ayoub CLUB AWARD WINNERS Vince Ryan Memorial -Junior Clubman:-Sebastian Calderon & Nopoto Tuirnatialuga Senior Clubman: -T B.A. Bill Wall Mini Player of the Year - Sam Nohra - John Kite Junior Player of the Year - Mitchell Raimona Life Members Service to the Club - Dominic Campisi Senior Player of the year TEN YEAR PLAYING SER VICE Richard Sarkis George Farah Danny Youssef Raymond Wynne John Massoud Danny Chehine 100 GAMES AWARD Anthony Azzi (C) Wade Hassarani (14) Peter Ribet (C) Daniel Safkouni (12) Jesse Hodson (12) Fred Noujaim (A) Mitchell Raimona (13) Daniel Brown (12) Daniel Hamad (15) Daniel Rapana (12) Mark Tautilau (18) Michael Hornsi (15) Youssef Noujaim (15) Daniel Tautilau (10) Dominic Campisi (C) Sam Nader (14) Salomo Saitula (12) John Azzi (15) Joseph Marroun (18) Christopher Nasr (11) 200 GAMES AWARD Dean McGrath Congratulations to all recipients of trophies and special awards. 44 Major Award Winners 2003 FIRST XIII WINNERS Mark Cronk Memorial Dennis Jessup Memorial Shield Brian McCullough Players' Player - T.B.A. - TB.A. - T.B.A. CLUB AWARD WINNERS Vince Ryan Memorial -Junior Clubman: Senior Clubman: Bill Wall Mini Player of the Year Junior Player of the Year Life Members Service to the Club Senior Player of the year -T.B.A. -.T.B.A. - Felix Moli - Anthonie Phan - George Bakhos - T.B.A. TEN YEAR PLAYING SER VICE Fred Noujam David Vaughn Andrew Habib Daniel Hamad 100 GAMES AWARD Carlos Azzi (13) Claude Katter (A) Adam Rehayern (12) George Siale (14) Steven Azzi (13) William Mataka (15) Mazen Fafhouni (11) Elie Taouk (16) Fido Pelenatnio (13) Tony Noura (15) Sateki Siale (12) Daniel Tudau (11) New club awards Coaching staff of the year Award Coach: Trainers/ helpers: -Under 8.1 Sosaia Siale Managers: Suliana Siale John Tafao, George Malkoun, Valenitini Vaikeli, Loa Fa'aui, Tanielu Tuulau and Geeta Singh Congratulations to all recipients of trophies and special awards. 45 Champion of Champions Under 8.1 On Sunday the 21 st of September, the Under 8.1 Grade from St Johns Eagles Junior Rugby League, took part in the Western Suburbs District Junior Rugby League Knockout (KEITH HOLMAN SHIELD). The boys had a fantastic day where they played six games to remain undefeated, scoring 191 points for and 22 points against. This is one of the most successful teams in St Johns history. Four times Minor Premiers and Premiers. They won the Endeavour Shield for Cronulla Sutherland District Junior Rugby League (TOM BISHOP SHIELD) 2002 and (KEITH HOLMAN SHIELD) 2003. The team consisted of: Sosaia Siale (Coach), Maikolo Funaki (Trainer), Suliana Siale (Manager) Players are; Salesi Funaki, Shane Fa'aui, Valupei Lui, Nfisieli Vaikeli, Jacob Malkoun, Joshua Maree, Jason Tuulau, Terry Tafao, Tevin Singh, Taniela Siale, Ahmad Jaafar and Tony Taci. St Johns looks forward to a great future for each player and especially the team. 46 THANK YOU’S The club would like to thank the following sponsors for their kind and generous donations. Without the help of these organisations, the club would find it difficult to operate. We encourage all St Johns people to patronise and use our Sponsors. Let them know that we appreciate their support and generosity. ALEX ELECTRICAL & AIR CONDITIONING AMBASSADOR CLEANING CONTRACTS APPLE FRAMING AND ART SUPPLIES BASSAMS PHARMACY BUILDFAST UNDERGROUND CABLING CONCRETE IMAGES AUSTRALIA DANIEL & DALAL PAINTING ENERGY SERVICES FAB QUIP CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS HAS-A-BIN iBAR CAFE LAKEMBA HOTEL MATHSIM TRANSPORT MORAITIS FRESH PRODUCE NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK PUNCHBOWL RSC PUNCHBOWL SMASH REPAIRS SAWAN PHYSIOTHERAPY SUPERFINE PRINTING THE X-TILES TILING CONTRACTOR TOTAL TEK PTY LTD ZED ‘N’ ZED JEWELLERS LAKEMBA & CAMPSIE 47 The Phantom I'm back, and you all know I'm going to deliver the goods again. Year after year I continue to produce. Maybe I should change my name to the mailman, because I always seem to deliver. Ladies and gents, the phantom stands on a pedestal where he rightly belongs. Again it has been a sensational year in the Junior Rugby League. BUT I am not here to talk about the football. I'm here to let the people of the junior league know, heck, I'm here to let the people of the world know, what happens behind the scenes. If it happened, I saw it. If it's going to happen, I know about it. I take no prisoners. It has been widely rumoured that I have another collumn running in a Sunday paper titled "in the vault", but you can quote me in saying "no comment" Every year the Grand final party has been kind to the phantom, this year has been no different. On that note (I know I wasn't going to talk footy), big congratulations to all the teams this year and especially to all the teams who tasted success in the finals series. Grand final party incident #1: Who is the St John's representative who was partying into the wee hours, and was seen in the company of a woman. Well at least what he thought was a woman. Friendly advances and intimate moments would have no doubt left him feeling nuts. Grand final party incident #2: The club courtesy coach was once again the form of transport to the A grade players wanting to kick on into town. Little did we know that the courtesy coach now has an airbag located at the front left of the coach. This airbag is big enough to cushion the blow of a 747, and left all the players feeling as safe as possible. This GK model airbag is the only one of its kind. How they made such an invention can only be described as a lottery. Grand final party incident #3: A grade player….A grade performer in the females toilets! Grand final party incident #4: A Grade players gathered for a recovery session at the coach's house on Monday morning. Some players continued to drink, others ate, whilst some lazed around and chatted. Two lucky guys had a spa with a member of the opposite sex. The real boring ones, hung around till late that night and watched videos. All the St John's people go out of their way to look after each other. In one instance it was taken to a new level this year. Till next year folks, hope you all have a great off-season………….signing off. Phantom. 48