DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 CONTENTS President’s Report………………………………………..…………...……3 Board of Management……………………….……………………………5 Treasurer’s Report…………………………………………..…………….6 Juniors Report …………………………………………………………….8 Team Reports: Under 10s………………………………………………………………...10 Under 12 Girls ………………………………………………………...…12 Under 12s………………………………………………………………...13 Under 14s………………………………………………………………...15 Under 16s summary……………………………………………………...18 Under 16As………………………………………………………...19 Under 16Cs……………………………………………………...…20 Youth Girls……………………………………………………………….21 Under 18s…………………………………………………………………23 Women’s………………………………………………………………....24 Reserves………………………………………………………………….25 Seniors……………………………………………………………………26 League Partners: 2 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 PRESIDENT’S REPORT Dear Members, What an eventful year 2012 was for the Deer Park Football Club! So, if the achievements of 2012 are a sign of what’s to come, then everyone needs to get onboard for 2013, as the Club will be even BIGGER and BETTER than it was this year!! THANK-YOU Firstly, and most importantly, a BIG thank-you to my wife and family for tolerating me and my many hours spent down at the Club!! Secondly, thank-you to the Board of Management for their enduring support. Team Performances in 2012 In 2012, there were 10 teams representing DPFC, that is the Under 10s, Under 12s, Under 12 Girls, Under 14s, two Under 16s teams, Youth Girls Team, Under 18s, Reserves, Senior’s and the Women's team. Each team was a credit to the Club and I’m personally very proud of the level of commitment and dedication shown by the coaches and support staff, the players, the parents and the tireless volunteers who contributed so much their respective teams. You can read more about each team in the team reports on the following pages... Furthermore, a BIG congratulations to the Under 14s who won the Premiership this year!! They were undefeated (bar the very first game), for the entire season and their convincing win in the grand final is a very encouraging sign of what’s to come as our under 14s develop into men and eventually leaders of our great Club. Also, well done to the Youth Girls who made it to the second round of finals!! Which is an outstanding achievement, given that this is only their second year in the competition! Well done girls and with the introduction of a women’s team, we now have a pathway for these young women to continue their football career for many years to come. Team Configurations in 2013 As the Club is currently experiencing significant growth and there has been a lot of interest from prospective players to play with us, we are therefore expecting to offer more teams in 2013 to represent DPFC. At this stage of planning, we are hoping to add an extra 4 teams to our Club, although, of-course it all depends on the number of players we are able to attract and retain at the Club. Therefore, unlike other years, this pre-season will see a heavy focus on achieving the aims of our recruitment strategy, there will be lots of updates over the DPFC website and Facebook page encouraging players, parents and supporters alike, to bring potential players and volunteers down to Club on registration days and meet the coach days. If you know anyone that might be interested in either playing or taking a supportive role at the Club, then please start recruiting! So please ensure you are connected with the DPFC website and Facebook pages for current information. 3 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Off-Field Highlights in 2012 2012 was a very important year for the DPFC in terms of achieving stability within the management and hierarchy of the Club. Our Committee of Management (which is made up of volunteers from the Club who come from a variety of different backgrounds and skill sets) really proved what a GREAT group of people there are at this Club. We now have strong and clear operating procedures at the committee meetings, in addition to a new level of professionalism as our Club Secretary Justine brings this particular skill set to our Club. Also, the outstanding job Steve has done as Treasurer to ensure our finances are up to date, within budget and comply with all the regulations, is a HUGE bonus to the Club. Kinna, Colin and Mark Rowbottom have all worked tirelessly to promote the Juniors football within the Club and ensure they receive all they are entitled to as well as to plan for the future. Thus, due to the constant hard work and continued passion of these volunteers, the committee of management for 2012 has ensured that the DPFC is now experiencing our most stable and self-sustainable position ever! In terms of sponsorship, the Club is experiencing its most successful year to date! We have strong commitment and signed partnerships with a number of major sponsors who have agreed to continue to provide financial support to the Club for 2013 and beyond, which is essential to the success of the Club, because as the number of teams increase, so too do the costs... Social Functions in 2013 We are working hard to develop a list of social events in 2013 which will engage the entire DPFC family, that is, we want the wives, girlfriends, mothers and sisters of players to come down to functions and feel like a valuable member of our Club. Which you most certainly are!! A social functions committee is being developed and will contain representatives from across the Club and will therefore be able to provide a list of social functions which should be able to entice everyone to at least one event in 2013… Again, look for updates on the DPFC website and Facebook page. 2013 and beyond… The Club will continue to lift the bar in the upcoming season and the Seniors will be leading the way for innovation and growth. As a result of the transition into a playing coach, I felt it was the right time to make some adjustments to the Senior Playing List. In 2013 you will witness a record number of new recruits into the Senior ranks that will bolster our on-field performance in both the Seniors and the Reserves. Whilst it is always disappointing to lose players, we feel that the new players coming to the Club will give DPFC a substantial lift in profile and inspire our younger players to want to be part of the history that beckons! The Club is growing quickly and we continue to strive to be the best Club in the area! Mark McGoldrick DPFC, President, 2012 4 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 2012 BOARD OF MANAGEMENT President – Mark McGoldrick Vice President – Brian Duggan Treasurer – Steve Krstevski Secretary / Public Officer – Justine Curatolo Administrator – Colin Clohesy Member – Mark Rowbottom Member – Mark Lanham Member – Shanon Barry Member – Garry Allen Member – Peter Kinniburgh Member – John Singarella Member – Jeff Stevens Member – Sam Stevens Member – Simone Clohesy – Auskick Co-ordinator (resigned Sept 2012) Retirement – Garry Allen 2012 BOARD OF MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS ANZAC Day function with Kevin Sheedy and Tony Shaw A Juniors Sub- Committee was created To focus on fundraising Planning for 2013 and beyond Help set the costs for membership fees Help in the design of merchandise Selecting Juniors coaches A Multi-Cultural Sub-Committee was created To increase the cultural diversity within the club DPFC representatives attended the Bulldogs and AFL multi-cultural cups Colin Clohesy was nominated for Western Region Coach of the Year Steve Krstevski was nominated for AFL Volunteer of the Year The Seniors and Juniors Presentation (excluding Under 10s and under 12s) were held at Westend with an unprecedented turn up The oval lights were fixed ready for night games in 2013 Anthony Koutifides played an exhibition match DPFC were successful in receiving a defibrillator grant and training for it The Club song was professionally recorded The traditional owners of the land are now acknowledged at every board meeting The board met with the AFL regarding the growth of AFL in the West and to protect DPFC’s interests Marc Bullen was announced as the Seniors Coach for 2013 and beyond 5 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 TREASURER’S REPORT Season 2012 was another successful year both on and off the ground. This has happened due to the collegiate approach by all those who helped the club in 2012 both on and off the field. Our move up into Division 1 demonstrates the hard work that has been invested into the Club. The 2012 Financial Reports represents another successful year where the club has posted a profit of $3,323. This result doesn’t just happen but is the result of a lot of hard work from many people within the club in particular the Board of Management. Thanks also go to those people not on the Board that freely gave their time to support the club. FINANCIAL STATUS Balance Sheet - Cash & Assets: Comprising money in the bank and Assets acquired this year $16,675 Liabilities: The Club continued to pay all its short term debts as they become payable and is again debt free, there has been an advance however of $15,000 from the Lion’s Den which has been recorded as a liability in the Balance Sheet. INCOME Income was up substantially in 2012 by $77,292 or $35% from 2011, in particular: Sponsorship: $76,638 Due to the hard work of Mark McGoldrick who is able to attract new sponsors and the implementation of the Player sponsor photo boards. Bar: Down $2,751 due to fewer functions and holding our year end presentation night at West End. 6 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 EXPENSES Unfortunately a reduction was not achieved in 2012: This was due mainly to: · Fees: WRFL fees increased by $11,832 this was due to seniors going into first division, youth girls come under the umbrella of the WRFL and other increases in umpiring etc. · Equipment: Due to the councils forceful removal of all our signs from Ballarat Road we had to spend over $5,000 to relocate all signs around the ground. · Player Payments: Well within budget, we set out at the start of the year with being under 100,000 and we managed to achieve this. · Merchandise Costs: Up substantially due to our suppliers delayed and not to the specifications ordered. Thank you to Mark for all his support, Kinna with the bar, Zoe, Sharon and Liz on Thursday nights, Nathan & Joe with the merchandise, all the team managers: Jodie, Julie, Karen, Gary and Ron, as well as Mark Langham, Mark Rowbottom and Shannon for their diligent work managing the player fees. In addition thank you, Daniel Sammut for his hard work while being employed by the club and finally Justine with just about everything else. And finally, the BIGGEST thank-you of all to my beautiful wife Liz for tolerating me and all of my hours spent down at the Club. I couldn’t have done it without your support!! 2012 saw a number of highlights for Deer Park Football Club, a successful entry into Division 1 and a Grand Final win to the Under 14’s. Congratulations to the players, coaches and support staff. Success is something football clubs search for and hopefully we reach our goal in 2013. I wish everyone the very best in the coming year. Steve Krstevski DPFC, Treasurer, 2012 7 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 JUNIORS REPORT 2012 2012 was a fantastic year from a pure numbers angle – 10’s, 12’s and 14’s all with 25-28 players plus two under 16’s is a great result for the junior section club and much credit for this must go to the junior coaches (Jason, Kim, Phil, David, Colin, Garry and Jeff) for making the football so enjoyable for the players and encouraging them to bring along their friends to participate. The u12 under David had a phenomenal influx of players both from other clubs and new to football. A sure sign that David was able to engage with the kids and make football enjoyable for them regardless of how many games they won or lost. The coaches put many hours into running their individual teams and the club is most appreciative of the work that they do as coaches, mentors and friends of the kids. Our u10’s are always a little up the air with numbers early in the pre-season as we wait to see how many new kids enter the club. This year was no different however with Phil taking on the coaching role assisted by Team Manager Jodie – they were able to recruit high numbers and form a culture which thrived on both the kids and parents bonding together and enjoying their time at football, whether that was training, matches or at the functions that they organised. With two under 16 teams this season, it meant participating in A Grade – a fantastic opportunity for our boys to be tested against the best. While a finals spot was not achievable, our boys did carry themselves extremely well and can be proud of their efforts. Many of these boys pushed up to play several games in the under 18 team with some of them even playing games in the reserves team, an awesome effort for 15-16yo boys. For the 2nd team, the boys showed super commitment to front up each week with the help of some u14s and give it everything they could to make both Garry and the club so proud of them. The u14’s won the premiership – the 3rd for Coach Colin – which showcases not only the boys abilities but also the dedication and understanding that Colin has in winning the respect of his charges and challenging them to work hard to develop, improve and achieve. On the female side of our juniors the Junior Girls (U12) team had fantastic numbers and were able to get a really good understanding of the game under coach Jason Robertson, who in his 1st year of coaching was able to relate really well to the girls and enjoyed his time coaching them. The girls really developed as the year went on and they were able to win most of their games. Three girls from the team graduate to the Youth Girls next season – Stacey, Chelsea and Rhiannon should all be able to make the transition without any trouble whatsoever. The Youth Girls (U18) team developed even further in their 2nd season and with a revamp of the competition were able to win their 1st ever game and made finals and won an Elimination Final. 8 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 The girls had fantastic numbers (27) represent the team during the season and the future looks fantastic for this area of the club. Caitlyn won her 2nd B&F in a row, whilst Hannah, Bianca M and Steph fought a really close battle for 2nd place. Captain - Bianca M along with Chanice graduate to the Women’s Team next season and we wish them all the best in their football journey. Balshaw in the Western Youth Girls Interleague team. This year’s Brendan Collins Scholarship winner was Sohrab Ismail A job well done to everyone involved with each junior team and especially to the coaches and team managers who put in many hours each week through the season. Brendan Collins Scholarship winner – Congratulations to the individual Orica-McLeod Scholarship winners – Ben Spina, Jatden BerryThompson, Jacob Azzopardi, Jarrod Rowan and Jessica Singarella. These are awarded to kids who show outstanding qualities as young people rather than any football skills that they may have. They are held in high regard within the club and the aim is for our future club leaders to come from these. Nineteen DPFC juniors were selected to represent the WRFL at the various levels. Congratulations to Tim Plese, Sohrab Ismail, Akat Mayoum, Nathan Knuckey, Michael Boyle, Shane Long, Tim Knight, Andrew Calleja, Matthew Cooper, James Harrison, Matthew Muscari, Tyson Maiava, Sam Bonnici, Michael Angelo (Emerg), Jayden Unwin, Max Lennard, Anthony Petrarca (Emerg), along with Hannah Elliott and Caitlyn Sohrab Ismail Sohrab was Co-Captain of the under 16 team, represented the club at Interleague and also played in the Reserves performed admirably. He also carried himself extremely well around the club, which is an important part of the criteria to win the scholarship. Our aim now is for our juniors to push up to A Division in each grade and to bolster our number of junior teams in each grade. 9 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 10s TEAM REPORT This year the under 10’s made great progress, not only in their skill level and ability but also with their understanding and knowledge of the game. We had 25 players who played with the club this year who all had a passion to play local Aussie Rules footy. Under 10’s is a non-scoring competition which enable us as a club and the coaching staff to focus on the development of skills to prepare the kids for a more competitive game in seasons to come. At the start of the season a leadership group was picked by players and coaching staff. This consisted of five boys who showed the skills and determination to become team leader and help and assist their fellow team mates. The leadership group comprised of Harry, Noah, Cooper, Alessandro and Jake. The boys took these roles very seriously and lead the group by personally showing and encouraging, good team work, maximum effort, courage, determination and respect for coaches and other team mates. This group worked well all season. This year the coaching team consisted of Philip Henderson, Head Coach, Frank Politi & Paul Hill – Assistant Coaches and Brad Turner who assisted with the development and implementation of training drills. The coaching teams’ main focuses for 2012 were: Skill development - getting the players used to using the opposite’s side of their body’s. Enhancing skills in kicking, marking. Team work. Respect. Enjoyment. The season kicked off this year to an amazing start with one of the first every junior registration days. All the under 10’s families were invited to attend the day where parent could make registration payments, and fully register their children to play in the 2012 season. The club generously provided a BBQ lunch, and through generous donations from local businesses all the players received a registration show bag. Included in the bag were a Ross Faulkner size 3 football as well as a drink bottle and lots of other goodies. 10 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 James Condos (Seniors Coach) even took time out of his busy schedule to come along on the day to have a talk with the players and answer any questions that they had. The day was very successful with over 75% of memberships paid in full on the day. All the players played very well this year but the main awards for the year went to: Best and Fairest – Jericho Dadis Second Best and Fairest – Harry Osumi Most Determined – Dylan Caruleski Most Courageous – James Ilievski The under 10’s with the help of their team manager, Jodie Turner tried to contribute more to the club this year through supporting our clubs sponsors. A dinner was held at Nandos Derrimut which was attended by all the players and 85% of the parents. Over $600.00 was spent of the night in meals purchased and the players had a wonderful time enjoying each other’s company away from the football setting. Leadership Award – Liam Micallef Best Team Player – Alessandro Politi Most Improved – Jake Turner Best First Year Player – Joshua Cassar The under 10’s presentation night this year was held at the Deer Park Club and over $950.00 worth of meals where purchased on the night. This year the team endeavoured to recognise that they were a part of a club and tried to contribute as much as possible towards the clubs sponsors. The players also attended an AFL game at Etihad Stadium, Western Bulldogs vs Carlton. Always a big highlight for the year the players and they enjoyed it immensely. It was a great year and we are all looking forward to 2013!!! Orica – McLeod Scholarship: Ben Spina 11 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 12 GIRLS TEAM REPORT The Junior Girls started the year off slowly but soon started to show signs of something special unfolding. We started with just 5 girls which soon became a team of ten (modified rules played with 9 a side). With one loss to their name after two games the team started to grow. I stepped in to lend a hand which soon led to me coaching the girls for the rest of the year, something that I truly enjoyed and makes me want to coach again in 2013. Rounds 3 to 9 saw us develop into a team that was able to string a number of wins together. Some of the highlights for the year was Bella, not only getting the ball around the ground but kicking 49 goals for the year including 13 in one game. Another star was Chelsea who dominated all parts of the ground with her Chris Judd like displays every week. Shanae with her wild but extremely long distance kicking soon learnt to control it to kick 4 goals in a game and was laying tackles like a tiger! tackles and putting son some great shepherds which resulted in goals. Rhiannon also kicked her 1st goal ever and didn’t let her fans down with dancing as she celebrated her goal in fine style. Poor little Sky who didn’t have a great year because she was injured most of the time, showed signs of being a handy pocket-rocket the way she went after the ball. All in all we had a great year and loads of fun. I hope the girls all come back next year with a friend or two, to continue improving their skills and I’m sure they will be surprised how good they really have become. Thanks for all the support and help I received from the parents and girls. JASON ROBERTSON Under 12s Coach Jasmine and Shanelle also got better as the season went on with Jasmine kicking her 1st goal in a matter of weeks and Shanelle proving a handful in the ruck and even learnt to just get rid of it when she got it. Stacey was the 1st to master the art of getting the ball and bolting like lightening and even taking a bounce or two! Chantel was our unluckiest player, playing more games for other teams than ours but when given her chance she didn’t disappoint kicking a bag of 4 goals in a game. Emilee who continued to remind me every week, that she had never touched the ball in her life during a match got put in the middle of the ground and had 5 touches and also was laying 12 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 12s TEAM REPORT The Deer Park Under 12's had a good year being quite competitive against most sides and winning 3 games. Unfortunately we only got to play the sides below us on the ladder once and all the ones above us twice, was Runner Up Best And Fairest and Polled 10 votes in the League Best and Fairest. The players that had played for Deer Park previously all improved and contributed greatly and all had their moments. In all 30 players played for the side. We had great support from the parents and had some very memorable moments during the year and some outstanding individual efforts. These were namely Dante Mallia , Rhys Scerri, Brandon Camilleri, Shawn Plant, Nathan Galea, Nathan Grima, Chris Mackie Wright, ,Tommy Kuno, Jackson Balshaw,Jack Eeles,Lachlan Gregorio, Jeremy Taleski, Kiana Lester Graham and Chris Kumar. Our games against Old Westbourne were great games and we were unlucky to lose both but they were great efforts. The first time we played Flemington Juniors, the eventual Premiers, was one of our best but again we were unlucky not to get up for a win going down by 3 points. We beat Hoppers twice and Wydhamvale the time we played them. Inaccurate kicking against Altona was frustrating as we again played a great game losing Altona 3- 1 - 19 to 0 - 13 - 13. Settling in and being a big part of the side having come to the club from other sides were Max Lennard, Michael Gurrie, Jayden Berry Thompson, Mutaz El Nour, Liam Foley, Daniel Forde, Josh Mayes and Kyle Collins. Max won Inter League selection and won the Most Consistent Award, Mutaz won our Best and Fairest a great effort seeing it was his first year of Under 12's. Jayden won the John McLeod Scholarship Award. The Captains Anthony Petrarca and Leo Harrison had great years and led really well. Anthony played Inter League and won Most Determined and Leo Playing their first season of Football and showing great potential were Clinton Martin, Jacob Weate, 13 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Christopher Kiselis, Zane Enoka and Dakoda Brooks. We had a bad run of injuries both on and off the field with Jack, Liam, Jayden and Josh all missing weeks with broken arms or wrists. Off field highlights included the pie night on the night the Western Bulldogs Players attended and having question and answers in the room. football. I would like to thank all parents that helped during the year. Craig Gurrie as Assistant Coach/Runner, Kylie Martin as our Trainer, Jason Thompson as our Goal Umpire, Tony Gregorio as our Boundary Umpire and Rob pollock for assisting at Training.Special mention goes to Julie Foley for being such a highly organised Team Manager. DAVID FOLEY Under 12s Coach It was a good year and we look forward to 2013 - Go Parkers! The trip to MCG to see the Richmond vs Western Bulldogs Game and those that volunteered to be mascot for the Seniors. We were fortunate to have AFL great Doug Hawkins address the team pre game and at 3 quarter time against Hoppers Crossing at home - we us getting up to win. The Presentation night held at the Deer Park Club was a great success. At the start of the year I set some goals or standards to be respected by all our opponents, and show respect in return and to Umpires. It was immense pride that I can say we achieved this and on two occasions Umpires approached me after the game to say that we were the best team they had umpired as far as playing hard but fair Best and Fairest – Mutaz El Nour Second Best and Fairest – Leo Harrison Most Consistent – Max Lennard Most Determined – Anthony Petrarca Most Improved – Shawn Plant Most Improved – Michael Gurrie Encouragement Award – Jackson Balshaw Coaches Award – Chris Mackie – Wright Best Club Man – Liam Foley Orica – McLeod Scholarship Winner: Jayden Berry-Thompson 14 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 14s TEAM REPORT The Under 14’s enjoyed a boom year in 2012. There were a number of reasons for this, not least of which was the winning of this groups first premiership for 25 of the 27 players. It was also a year of great growth in sportsmanship, human development, commitment and other life skills that only team sport can offer in a single package. Pre-Season began as usual back in February and was for the first time for this group a hard grind. The Club was buoyed by the return of 4 star players returning home from stints at other clubs. Luke Warden, Tyson Maiava , Nathan Nelson and Jarrod Fox gave us a great lift in class and depth . We were lucky to also pick up experienced players in Johnny Foti, Troy O’Shea and Amar El Nour from rival clubs. Adding to that, 4 great first year players Robbie Plese, Haries Ismail, Michael Parsons, Jahmon Perese all played major roles in 2012 in their first season for Deer park We did not have things all our own way in 2012 although the ladder might appear to tell it otherwise. It was an extraordinarily evenly contested season, with a mere 2 wins separating first from fifth, and even bottom side North Footscray pushing us all the way, on our home ground in round 13. The Season After losing the season opener to Eventual A Grade team Spotswood. Deer Park never looked Sweeping aside St. Albans, Albion and Albanvale over the next three Weeks rounds (2 to 4) set us up for a month of tough uncompromising football challenges Rounds 5-10 were all tight games against the best opposition that the competition could throw at us. The class of Flemington Juniors and the strength of Caroline Springs saw them out play us in the first half and second Half respectively. Then came Werribee Districts away in round 11,Werribee Centrals home in Round 12 and North Footscray home in round 13 all expected wins and all players were given full exposure to impress for finals selection. We cannot fit all 27 Players into 25 spots for finals. The round 14 clash against 2nd place Flemington juniors was a tight and torrid affair, there were clashes of high intensity and players prepared for the finals series just a week later. We got the result that day and that rounded out our 13th consecutive win and minor premiers by finishing on top of the ladder at the completion of the 2012 home and away season The Finals 13 wins from their 14 minor round matches was good enough to see Deer Park finish top of the ladder. Caroline Springs was 4 wins behind in 2nd place, while Flemington Juniors and Wyndhamvale made up the remainder of the ‘four’. The Semi Finals Our semi-final saw us firm as premiership favorites with a 10.12 (72) to 3.6 (24) defeat of Caroline Springs at Altona Juniors home ground in blustering conditions. But Caroline Springs’s stunning preliminary final win against Flemington Juniors caused many to regard the grand final re-match as ‘line ball’. 15 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 The Grand Final Played on the Western Jets ground of Crofts Reserve, on a beautiful calm sunny Sunday. Caroline Springs got the better of the first quarter with Cooper Bond controlling the centre and winners on every line such as Joel Ives and Max Tessari. If it wasn’t for great defensive players Jarryd Domotor, Michael Gorgevski and Tyson Maiava Caroline Springs would have had a 4or 5 goal lead, however we did manage a handful of inside 50s and were lucky enough to get 2 goals on the board thanks largely to Mark Galea and Jamie Clohesy. Deer park 14.7.91 defeated Caroline Springs 6. 9. 45 Nobody at the ground was left in any doubt that Deer Park was by some considerable measure the superior team when it mattered over the finals series Deer park 2.0.12 trailing Caroline Springs 2.2 14 The second quarter saw a shift in momentum. Led by a remarkable quarter by Jacob azzopardi and Matt Muscari. Deer Park started kicking longer and moving the ball quickly. This resulted in a match winning break, outscoring Caroline Springs 5.4 to 1.0 for the quarter. The Backline Deer park 7.4.46 leading Caroline Springs 3.2 20 Our defensive unit in 2012 was again very solid, ranking Best in the competition for points against with an average of only 31 points kicked against us. Led by the ever consistent players Tyson Maiava , Corey Krstevski, jarryd Domotor and Amar Elnour. The backline was a very big key to the season for the Under 14’s and it proved so in 2012. The Third Quarter was almost identical to the 1 st Quarter with Caroline Springs dominating the inside 50’s but not hitting the scoreboard in the way they would have liked. Midfield The Under 14’s midfield shaped up to be one of the best in the business! Deer park 10.4.64 leading Caroline Springs 5.5 35 The Final Quarter was all Deer Park with Sam Bonnici, Jaydan Unwin and Matty Boyle all playing superbly. After kicking the first goal in the last quarter Caroline Springs couldn’t be blamed for letting up a little. This led to a dominating display by Deer Park as every player tried to get on the scoreboard. We final ran out easy winner and was the greatest winning margin the club has had in the juniors for many many years With Mark Galea and Sam Bonnici out for the first half of the year after breaking a leg and injuring a Achilles tendon respectively. Luke Warden and Jacob Azzopardi became the important (in and under) players the team needed. Captain James Harrison had arguably his best season yet, leading the way in possessions and great disposals for the season. Those possessions often ended in the hands of our forwards. Midfielder Robbie Plese, a prolific possession winner and great run and carry player, showed he has blistering speed and became an integral part of the Under 14’s midfield. Johnny Foti made his debut for the club 16 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 and is fast becoming an elite player/Ruckman and leader. Michael Angelo had another great year while, Nathan Nelson and Michael Gorgevski continue to show there courage, skill and ball winning abilities. Rhys Candido also had a great year. pack when they aren’t under pressure. The latter will aid the former naturally but goals are what the Under 15’s need to continue their improvement next season. Looking Forward Forwards This is probably the area that needed the most improvement at the beginning of the year. So often this year we would go forward only to find the opposition defenders coming right back at us with the ball. At times we struggled to hit targets, and consequently kick goals. When talented forwards Sam Bonnici and Mark Galea returned to the side from injury, the forward line really started to gel. We ended the season scoring an impressive average on 86 points a game. This is largely helped by star Key forwards Matt Muscari and Matt Boyle Then with the multi-talented Jaydan Unwin Stepping up to the plate The Parkers Forward Line became an unstoppable force, The most feared in the competition and one of the best potent forward line the juniors have produced in many many years Rucks The job was shared between Matt Boyle Jahmon Perese and Johnny Foti . The Under 15’s have a bright future ahead. Next year should see our team develop into a dangerous combination of speed and skill The Under 14’s early in 2012 looked like they would struggle, but after a dramatic change to a more intense and great work ethic brand of football, the team turned their fortunes around and played like a real professional team. All in all, it was ultimately a successful year for the 2012 Under 14’s! COLIN CLOHESY Under 14s Coach Best and Fairest – James Harrison Second Best and Fairest – Sam Bonnici Most Consistent – Matthew Muscari Most Consistent – Tyson Maiava Most Determined – Robbie Plese Most Courageous – Jacob Azzopardi Best Team Player – Luke Warden Most Improved – John Foti Orica – McLeod Scholarship Winner: Jacob Azzopardi Matt Boyle and Johnny Foti, in my mind was the competitions best rucking duo in 2012. They showed just what a dangerous combination they are as they dominated the final series and went forward and back to add further strings to the bow. What is Needed? The 2013 Under 15’s need one or two things for 2013. They need another line breaking (run and carry player to step up and complement Robbie Plese, and they need to identify and hit long targets up the ground instead of just kicking to the 17 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 16s SUMMARY DPFC Under 16 Report for season 2012 Training for the 2012 football season started in early February for the majority of the squad. It soon became apparent that we were going to have enough numbers to make two teams for the first time in quite a number of years in the under 16’s. This meant that we had to find a set of coaches and support staff for the second side. The head coach Jeff Stevens approached Garry Allen and asked him if he would be interested in taking on a coaching role .It then went to the Board and was agreed that if we achieved a number of 46 players within the age group we would put a second side into the competition. As history shows we did reach this number and then some. Moving onto numbers and stats, we had a total of 66 players play within the two sides. 30 players played in the Under 16 A’s and 36 players played in the Under 16 C’s. We had a total of 11 Under 14 players participated in Under 16 games throughout the season giving all of them some great exposure to a higher and faster level of football. We also had 18 of our Under 16 players play in the Under 18 competition once again giving them great exposure to a higher and faster level of football. We had a total of 14 new players come to the club from other clubs and 3 of these were new to the sport. The coaches worked on the model of promotion and demotion between the two sides of which 8 players played in both teams. The Under 16 C’s were also asked if there was anyone who did not want to play in the A side and there were two players that advised that they wanted to play in the C side only. The coaching staff opted to have a Captain, Vice Captain, and Deputy Vice Captain for the season. The coaching staff had all of the players training together in one squad for the majority of the season. It was felt that this would be the most beneficial way to train the large group with support from the Under 16 C assistant Coach John Singarella, some parents and there were more than several sessions that were taken by Dyson Stevens especially during the Pre-season where Dyson was able to bring his skills and knowledge from his training sessions at Werribee Tigers and also at SEDA College. Orica – McLeod Scholarship Winner: Jarrod Rowan 18 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 16 As TEAM REPORT Training was intense right from the start. We had the players training for three sessions a week for the first 6 weeks of training, the reason being was that we wanted to raise the fitness and skill level to enable the boys to be competitive in the A grade competition. Coming from B grade the previous season we felt it was important to bridge the gap between the 2 levels of footy. Pushing them so hard so early we introduced them to many new and interesting drills to keep their spirits high, this paid off in lots of bonding between the players that quickly became a very tight knit unit. successful in representing the WRFL. Which gave us a total of 10 players at the Interleague Carnival. The main areas of success this year were the development of the players they showed that they were able to match it within the A grade scene of their eligible age group not only at club level also at Interleague level. They were also rated very highly at the Under 18 level. In conclusion I believe that the season was a great success. JEFF STEVENS Under 16 As Coach The season proper began for the side with immense pressure coming from having to face the top 5 sides in the first 5 weeks of the season. It became apparent that the standard of the completion was extremely high, we were very competitive against all of these sides, however we found that we were a little lacking in physical size compared to these 5 sides. Round 6 saw us win our first game which was a morale boost for the side. We went on to win 3 games in the season and had a draw in another. Best and Fairest - Sohrab Ismail Second Best and Fairest - Mitch McLean Most Consistent - Tim Knight Most Determined - Tim Plese Best Team Player - Michael Boyle Most Courageous - Josh Tabone Most Courageous - Akat Mayoum We have very good representation at the Interleague with 7 Under 16’s going to try outs and 6 of these were successful in representing the WRFL and there were 3 Under 15’s going to try outs and all were 19 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 16 Cs TEAM REPORT We started the season really well and got a couple of wins on the board early. We had good numbers of players and had an interchange bench which enabled us to rotate players through different positions on the field. We went into round 3 and some discipline issues arose, these continued into round 4 and it was decided that a few of the players that we had recruited did not fit into the culture that we were trying to instill in all of our players. Some players chose to leave the club which caused a bit of an issue with player numbers, the up side of this though was that all players were getting nearly full game time. Lack of numbers continued to be the main issue for the rest of the season, in saying that though we were continually getting new players turning up to training and wanting to have a go. Some of these players that came later in the season even played a couple of games in the A side. We also had a player come to play just the last five games of the season. I hope he continues on again next year. We had a total of 36 different players play in the side for the year, there were a total of 9 under 14 players play in the under 16’s. We had 3 first year players, one of which went on to place third in our Best and Fairest awards. training track it translates into better performance on the field, this meant that they were able to be less frustrated with their bodies as they pushed themselves for longer in games due to more fitness. I will finish off with a snap shot of the last game of the season. We played Point Cook at their home ground. It seems like they had dropped a few of their A grade players back into their C side because their A side was out of finals contention. They had about 6 players on the bench and were able to do plenty of rotations. Conversely we had just 18 players and therefore had no bench. We out scored them in the first quarter, they came back in the second quarter and eventually won the game by about 7 goals. While Point Cook won the game on the score board I think we had the moral victory, because our guys did not give up at any time during the day. They laid tackle after tackle, they chased out of the back line and the forward line, they applied pressure all day. The biggest reason though was the fact that they all came off the ground with a smile on their face at the end of the game. If that does not speak volumes about the tenacity and strength of character of these boys then I do not anything else that does. All in all I think that the season for the Under 16 C’s at the Deer park Football Club in 2012 has been successful GARRY ALLEN Under 16 Cs Coach Sure we did not win many games,however winning games of football is not the only measure of success of a football side. What we did achieve for the season was the development of some young boys into young men in some cases. We also saw some of the group change their attitude to training and learn that if they do put in the hard work on the Best and Fairest – Chase Singarella 2nd Best and Fairest – Paul Edwards Most Determined – Fsha Gebremeskal Most Consistent – Bryce Buttigieg-Clarke Most Improved – Josh Webb Best Team Player – Kevin Cruz Coaches Award – Alex Talevski 20 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 YOUTH GIRLS TEAM REPORT Our season started with a really good pre-season, most of last years girls returned and after a few runs prior to xmas, we really got stuck into it in the new year. We had a few new girls in Chanelle, Shannon, Ebony, Tahlia, Brodie and Natalie. We also had a practice match planned for the 1st…last year being our 1st year, we didn’t have that luxury. This year we had games lined up against Westbourne and Williamstown. We lost to Westbourne by 1 goal, but it proved to be a real springboard for our season. The girls had improved over the previous year but still hadn’t got close to winning a game - this 1 goal loss would certainly help. For the Williamstown game, most of the girls were there however Willi couldn’t field a team and only 1 girl turned up (Hannah), we trained instead and she trained with us and ended up playing the whole year with as well as bringing her friend from Willi (Carli) to play also. On top of this we were lucky enough to have the Willi coach (Kim) join us which proved to be an enormous boost to the team. We had worked on our body language and our talk and it would be put to the test during early games. After an awesome pre-season we got jolted back to reality in round 1 – we got thumped by Wyndhamvale. We did have some patched during the game where we looked ok. Over the next few weeks the girls continued to improve and during this time Bianca M, Caitlyn, Hannah, Jordyn, Ebony, Bianca B, Amanda B who had been instilled as the leadership group worked hard to show the way. Jess, Steph, Amanda R, Maddy, Kyra and Edda…. Were all tyring to deliver our 1st ever win and it wasn’t too far away. Amanda R brought Jem down to play and after a couple of weeks of training she said she was ready. The game was against Westbourne and Jem’s 1st game proved to be the girl’s first ever win. 9 points down with about 2-3 minutes to go, the girls were able to kick 2 quick goals to steal the win and enjoy the sweet taste of winning for the very first time. Carli kicked 4 goals and Hannah kicked the winner on the run from 30m. We had some ‘guest appearances’ throughout the season – Billi and Kirra from the women’s team played a couple of game when the women had a bye, Courtney played a few games and proved she is an extremely good player already, Chanice played a couple and Alana played some early games before hurting her shoulder and helping out with the stats. 21 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Throughout the season the girls showed great improvement and whilst only being able to beat Westbourne (3 times), games against other teams were fantastic and brought the losing margins a lot closer. We also were lucky enough to pick 2 new recruits in the last couple of weeks. Rachel and Lauren played the last game of the season and showed enough to suggest they will be valuable additions next season. Bianca in the women’s team, you have been a great leader for the girls and good luck to all Youth Girls for next season. MARK ROWBOTTOM and KIM FLACK Youth Girls Coaches Our semi final against Altona, who had really smashed our girls a few weeks earlier was great for the girl credibility and confidence. The 1 st quarter was the best for the season. We kicked 2 goals and missed a few others including 2 that hit the post keeping Altona goalless until the very last couple of minutes. Altona managed to over run us but everyone who saw both of the games against Altona was extremely proud of every one of our girls. So we finished the year winning some games, increasing our numbers, improving our skills and meeting new friends. What this means is a little pressure next season – pressure to continue to improve. Our whole attitude has been to have fun and improve each week and to show enough spirit to never ever give up. We had Caitlyn and Hannah selected in the interleague team, Hannah selected as an emergency in the Vic U16 team, Hannah, Jordyn, Bianca M and Amanda B selected in the Trident Academy. Next year we hope to improve these numbers and to push deeper into the finals…wouldn’t it be great to see these girls playing in a Prelim final, or even a Grand Final. This is possible as only one girl (our awesome captain Bianca M) is too old to play. Good luck to Best and Fairest – Caitlyn Balshaw Second Best and Fairest – Hannah Elliot Third Best and Fairest – Bianca Mahkae Most Determined – Stephanie Gustalegname Most Valuable – Ebony Stevens Most Improved – Bianca Bettin Orica – McLeod Scholarship: Jessica Singarella 22 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 UNDER 18s TEAM REPORT I started the season knowing I was going to have a challenge in front of me with not many turning up to training. With a lot of phone calls and chasing around I managed to get a team together. Most of the team were first year U18’s so this made A grade a challenge. We had a get together/ pizza night to make the boys all feel comfortable with each other and myself as this was the first year of coaching a senior team for me. During the first couple of rounds positions of players were still being sorted, once the positions were worked out the boys really started playing together as a team. We got our first win on the board in round 3 and it was an awesome feeling. We went on to lose a couple more rounds and a few of the boys started to lose interest in the game. Numbers started to dwindle a little and a few of the U16’s were more than happy to step up. In all we had 12 U16’s help us out throughout the season. As well 7 U18 players went up to play senior football. This was a rewarding experience and great for the development of all those involved in playing a higher age group. Throughout the year the boys found it very tough playing in A grade, losing game after game but their determination and effort kept going. They should be very proud of themselves. Thank you to Matt Smyth (assistant Coach), Gary Allen (team manager) Grant Setterfield (runner) and my two trainers for all your support and help. Thank you also to the Deer Park Football Club for giving me the opportunity to coach at a higher level. Lastly, a BIG thank you to all the players that stood by me to the end. JOHN SINGARELLA Under 18’s coach Best and Fairest – Gary Cadman Second Best and Fairest – Craig Plant Third Best and Fairest – Brandon Domotor 23 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 WOMEN’S TEAM REPORT 2012 was the inaugural year for the DPFC women’s team! Success is measured in many different ways, and for the DPFC Women’s team, success was measured by the individual improvements made by the players. Each player proved their commitment to the Club and the team with their level of training, even in the middle of winter with the pouring rain and puddles of mud! For many of the players 2012 was their first season of playing football, therefore to have all of the same players from the beginning of the year to the end, in addition to another 15, is an amazing tribute to the positive culture of DPFC. Academy and State players and was part of the winning Metro Side. From this experience she gained a greater knowledge of the game and team work. 2013 is building to a successful year, as we have secured Justin Charles (an ex-AFL player) to take the pre-season training commencing from October, we have also implemented more stringent internal structure and clear roles for the leadership group, in addition to us feeling more settled at the Club. SPECIAL MENTIONS: Belinda Johnstone for representing DPFC in the ADF Cup in April, players selected from Premier Reserve, North West and South East conferences. Alyssa Galea for being selected in the Vic Country vs Vic Metro game. Alyssa played alongside Best and Fairest Alyssa Galea Presentation night was a great night for the women’s team and DPFC. Congratulations to all the award winners! 2nd B& F 3rd B&F Most Courageous Most Improved Coaches Award Brooke McInley Shannon Barry Justine Curatolo Emma Hartmann Rachel Garthe 24 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 RESERVES TEAM REPORT Overall, it was a very encouraging season for the reserves. With a new coach appointed 3 weeks before the start of the season and players departing, it was always going to be a challenging year. With 72 different players, including U16s and U 18s playing in the side due to injuries in the Seniors and the Reserves alike, it was hard for the team to settle. But to their credit, the second half of the season improved dramatically with an 87 point turn around against Spotswood from the first time they played them. And that was the season that was KON KONSTANTARAS Reserves Coach Best an Fairest – J. Granvilliani Second Best and Fairest – A. Horvath Third Best and Fairest – A.Bryson Fourth Best and Fairest – D. Hastings The reserves started playing more as a team and their self belief improved 10 fold, they were a lot more competitive against the top teams. Finishing 7th on the ladder for their first year in Division 1 football was a great accomplishment. The reserves played with spirit and endeavour, learning a lot from their first year, by the end of the season, the players were excited about what they had achieved, and were looking forward to getting together for pre-season, with an outlook for better things to come in season 2013. 25 DEER PARK FOOTBALL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 SENIORS TEAM REPORT Overall 2012 was a challenging year for the DPFC Seniors, yet we still managed to complete the year having done ourselves proud in addition to creating a rock solid foundation and exciting future for next season. To beat the eventual premiers and third on the ladder is an outstanding effort never done before from any team promoted to the elite Division. This year, we struggled with injuries to a number of key players early on in the season, as well as moving into a higher division for the first year, is a tough ask for the boys, especially some of the younger and less experienced players, although the older and more experienced players did step up and show great leadership, as we expect at DPFC. It’s incredibly important to acknowledge the contribution, experience and skills that James and Nick Condos, together with Bluey Callahan, brought to the Club. The DPFC seniors have benefited enormously from integrity, leadership skills and care that they showed all of the players, James, Nick and Bluey supported the seniors and the DPFC in every way they could, not only through exemplary coaching practices, but also through attending all the Club social events and by providing outstanding role models to all who followed. A BIG thank-you and best wishes to JAMES and NICK CONDOS and BLUEY CALLAHAN!! The Kouta exhibition match was a great opportunity for many of the boys to experience playing with an ex-AFL champion, together with playing in front of such a large (and boisterous) crowd! Whilst we did not enjoy the success on the field as we expected to, 2013 under the capable leadership of Marc Bullen is shaping up to be an exciting and hopefully successful season for the players and the Club. Best and Fairest – Kevin Klix Second Best and Fairest – Rhett King Third Best and Fairest – Ben Foley Fourth Best and Fairest – Luke Geister 26