Whittlesea took on Lower Plenty in the
Qualifying Final at Epping. The game was originally fixtured to
be played at Eltham and was moved due to the poor condition of
the Eltham oval. Last time both teams met, Lower Plenty hosted
us and took the points. With a full list of players available,
this was the 1st time this season we were at full strength and
after a weeks rest were eager to play. The 1st quarter was an
even affair with Whittlesea holding a 6 point lead at quarter
time. Inaccurate kicking by Lower Plenty in the 2nd quarter
enabled the Eagles to gain the upper hand and extended the lead
at half time. After the main break, the Eagles dominated the
third quarter and led by around 7 goals at the break. Lower
Plenty won the final quarter with 3 late goals in dead time to
reduce the margin to 16 points. Lower Plenty had 22 scoring
shots to the Eagles 18, Bad kicking is bad football.
Early Exit For Under
19's & Reserves
Finals fever has hit the Northern Football
League. With a number of grounds being unfit to play on, both
games were originally fixtured to be played at Diamond Creek and
was moved to Preston. Under 19's started the day with the wind
blowing from the North favouring the city end. It was goal for
goal for most of the day and It was probably a 2 goal wind
advantage kicking to the city end. At the main break we held an
11 point lead and playing well as a team. With the wind
assisting Mernda in the 3rd term, they added 2 goals 3 to our 1
point and led by 3 points at the final break. The boys were
confident kicking with the wind in the final term but at the 4
minute mark, Brodie Odermatt was knocked unconscious which
resulted in the game being stopped for around 20 minutes until
an Ambulance arrived and transported Brodie to the Austin
Hospital. After the game was restarted, we were told that there
would be no time on in the final quarter, it would run for 17
minutes and then the siren will sound. The club will be
appealing this decision as we should have been entitled to have
full advantage of kicking with the wind as Mernda did in the
previous quarter. Q3, 6 scoring shots, 25 1/2 minute quarter,
final quarter, 7 scoring shots, quarter went 21 minutes, you be
the judge..
The Reserves also took on Mernda in an elimination final and
were full of confidence, we were kicking with the wind in the
opening term and used it to our advantage leading at quarter
time by 13 points. Again, we were disadvantaged, rules of the
game states that 1st & 2nd quarters are a flat 20 minutes, no
time on, but we clocked the 2nd quarter and it went 25 1/2
minutes giving Mernda more opportunity with the wind and at half
time we led by 5 points. In the 2nd half it was goal for goal
but we made some crucial mistakes allowing Mernda to capitalise
on them which resulted in goals. We wasted many opportunities in
the final term term where the ball was in our forward line for
the first 15 minutes of the quarter but could only manage 1 goal
5 to Mernda's more accurate 5 goals 3 which enabled Mernda to
run out winners by 21 points. Congratulations to Mernda Under
19's & Reserves and we hope you go all the way. The club would
like to pass on their thanks to Dave, Patty and the coaching
staff, players and supporters of the Under 18's & Reserves for
your commitment throughout 2010. Please continue to support the
club as the Seniors continue their journey...
UNDER 19's
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
6
6
42
MERNDA
6
10
46
RESERVES
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
7
15
57
MERNDA
11
12
78
Round 18 - Eagles
Defeat Falling Stars
Round 18 and the oval has not been as wet and
muddy as it was for over 10 years after the rain we received
during the week. It wasn't a pretty day for football with wind
gusts of up to 80kmh making it difficult to mark and score. The
main objective was to get the 4 points and end the game with no
injuries and that's the way it went. The reserves and under 19's
also had good wins which puts all 3 teams into the 2010 finals.
The reserves & under 19's will play this week and the seniors
will have a weeks break.
ROUND 18
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
13
8
86
FITZROY STARS
6
6
42
Next Week it's the start of the 2010 finals,
At this stage it looks like the reserves & under 19's will take
on the arch rivals in Mernda at the Preston Oval. This has now
been confirmed.
Two's Do It For Kev,
Their Best Win Of The Year
Congratulations to the Reserves who had their best win of the
season under difficult circumstances. The day started with a
minute silence for their late team manager Kevin
RESERVES
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
15
13
103
LOWER PLENTY
9
8
62
Walsh, From then on the boys played their hearts out and
deserved the win and are starting to play their best footy at
the right time of the year. Last time they played Lower Plenty
it was a draw, so as you can see by the scores from Saturday's
game, they have improved. Lets go all the way for Kev.... Thanks
to Grant Wellwood for the great photo's..
Round 17 and we had to venture to Lower
Plenty and play them for the 3rd time this season. It has always
been a challenge and hard to win on their smaller oval where the
centre half forward position doesn't exist, one kick out of the
centre and you are in the goal square. Never the less, if we
want to be a force this year, these are the games we should
still be able to win. Full credit to Lower Plenty as they out
played us in all 4 quarters. Looking forward to meeting them
again in a few weeks at the larger Eltham oval....
ROUND 17
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
11
14
80
LOWER PLENTY
13
16
94
Next Week it is our final home & away game
for the season. It's your last chance to come and watch the
Eagles who take on the Fitzroy Stars at the showgrounds. Hope to
see you all there to support our local boys.
Big Day Out For The
Eagles
Round 16, after a poor weekend the previous
week, all 3 teams had a lot to prove and that's exactly what
they did. All 3 teams had great wins with a combined winning
margin of 286 points, a great boost for their percentages. Evan
Murray had his kicking boots on with a bag of 6 goals. In the
first half, our inaccurate kicking at goal kept Epping in the
game, the second half was a different story. They played as a
team and shared the ball and always found a better option
kicking for goal. A great effort from all 3 teams and should
give them confidence going into next weeks games.
ROUND 16
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
17
15
117
EPPING
6
11
47
Next week is a must win game for all
3 sides to prove that they are all final contenders and gain the
upper hand against Lower Plenty. The reserves must win to give
themselves a double chance during finals...
Round 15 - Eagles
Squander A 34 Point Lead
A disappointing day was the end result for
round 15 for the Eagles. The reserves had to win to obtain the
double chance to give themselves every opportunity in the
finals. The seniors needed this win to gain an edge over Diamond
Creek and cement their top two position on the ladder. In the
main game, they got out to a 34 point lead and looked as if they
were going to run away with it. Well, that was not the case,
Diamond Creek kicked 6 unanswered goals in as many minutes to
lead at the final break by 2 points. In the final term,
they wanted it more
than we did and outscored us in the final term to run out
winners by 15 points with 4 goals and a best on ground
performance to Lucas Hobbs.
ROUND 15
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
13
10
88
DIAMOND CREEK
15
13
103
Next week we host Epping at the Showgrounds
who are also a top 4 team and a must win game for the Eagles. We
have played them twice this season and it is 2 - 0 and must make
it 3 - 0 to prove we are contenders not pretenders..
Round 14 - Eagles Move
To 3 Games Clear On Top Of Ladder
This week's top of the table clash between
Whittlesea & Lower Plenty was shaping up to be a beauty. The 1st
half was a game where both teams applied enormous pressure to
the opposition which resulted in many ball ups. At the half time
break, Lower Plenty held a 9 point lead. In the 3rd quarter, we
managed to break the shackles and played some positive team
football which resulted in us adding 6 goals for the quarter and
the Bears 2. Going into the last quarter with a 19 point lead
wasn't enough to shut up shop. The boys fought the game out well
and out scored the opposition again in the final term to run out
winners by 25 points.
ROUND 14
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
10
14
74
LOWER PLENTY
7
7
49
Grant Wellwood has just sent through some fantastic photo's from
all 3 round 14 senior games,
CLICK HERE to be redirected to the photo page
index...
Round 13 - Eagles
Victors In All 3 Games
With winds gusts of up to 100kph predicted
for game day, it was never going to be a great display of
football. With 95% of the play at the clubrooms end of the
ground, it took me back to when my son played under 9's with
Whittlesea were all 36 players were in one half of the ground
and all trying to get a kick. The final result was never in
doubt were we managed to keep Watsonia scoreless when they were
kicking into the strong winds. All 3 senior teams had great wins
to a total of 360 points. Pictured left, Lucas Hobbs flying
high over Captain Garrett Heenan.
ROUND 13
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
23
17
155
WATSONIA
3
2
20
Next week we play host to Lower Plenty in our
second home game in a row. With Lower Plenty sitting 2nd on the
ladder, this is a must win game for our club if we want the
double chance when the finals commence.
Round 12 - Injuries
Starting To Hit Hard
Round 12 was to be another away game against
the struggling Thomastown who to date have won 4 games and lost
7. Another tough week at the selection table on Thursday night
with 4 compulsory changes to the side due to injuries to Anthony
Volpe, Matt Dornauf & Jack Dyson. Then on Saturday morning, Nick
Snowdon pulled out injured also. With about half the side either
injured or unavailable this week gives the opportunity for other
players to step up and prove themselves. At the quarter time
break we held a 4 goal lead. The second and third quarter were
goal for goal and at the final break had extended the lead out
to 5 goals. Once again this season we out scored the opposition
in the final term and ran out winners by just over 10 goals...
ROUND 12
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
14
15
99
THOMASTOWN
4
11
35
Round 11 - Eagles Show
True Character
Round 11 was to be another danger game with
the likes of Page, Murray, Behan, Snowdon, Barker & others
missing, Diamond Creek thought that they had it in the bag, but
every player dug deep and contributed 100% with Max Dyson
dominating on the wing and Matthew Quinton playing up forward
booted 4 1st half goals. We led at the main break by 39 points
but in the second half we were outscored and out played by the
opposition and kept goal less in the final quarter but managed
to hang on by 15 points. All in all it was a great team effort
and deserved the win.
ROUND 11
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
13
6
84
DIAMOND CREEK
10
9
69
Next week we are away once again for another
week against Thomastown. With still a number of regular
players out injured or unavailable, this game will not be a walk
in the park as it is also on their turf...
Round 10 - Inaccurate
Kicking Costs Victory
Round 10 and it was our club's Sponsors Day.
A great attendance from our 2010 sponsors where they were wined
& dined and presented with certificates and thank you gifts.
Also at half time, the club's future players performed as the
kids from the Whittlesea Auskick played 2 exhibition matches
during the main break. The day didn't quite go to plan with
Mernda taking the 4 points in the end by 2 goals. We missed some
easy shots on goal. In 7 out of the 10
games we have played, we have scored more behinds than
goals and after 10 rounds of football, we have kicked 193 goals,
174 behinds. That is 174 wasted opportunities. Congratulations
to Mernda, they were the better team on the day and won back the
Brock/Russell Cup. We hope to meet again this season....
ROUND 10
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
12
14
86
MERNDA
15
8
98
Next week we travel to Diamond Creek who are
sitting equal second on the ladder and now are only one game behind. This is a must win game for the Eagles this week if we want
to be a force in 2010.
Round 9 - 3 Top Wins
On The Road Against Epping
Round 9 and we have hit the half way mark of
the season. With another game on the road this time against
Epping who fancy themselves this year. It was a typical Winters
day for footy, cold & wet. The Eagles got off to a good start
but missed a few easy shots on goal but led at quarter time by
22 points. Evan Murray left the ground during that quarter with
a torn Hamstring and will miss at least a month of football.
This will give the opportunity for another player to step up
into the senior team. During the second quarter the rain started
to get heavier and looked like it was going to settle in. This
made it difficult for the talls but helped the crumers at ground
level. Epping pegged the lead back at the final break but were
not able to contain the eagles in the final term where we out
scored them to win by 44 points in the end. A great result and
makes it 9 straight wins and good wins to the reserves & under
19's....
ROUND 9
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
15
20
110
EPPING
10
5
65
Next week is the bye due to the Queens
Birthday weekend. Then in Round 10 it is Sponsors Day where we
take on the arch rivals in Mernda. This is always a great game
as both clubs love to hate each other. Don't miss this one....
Round 8 - Stars Crash
To Earth, Eagles Shine
Round 8 and almost at the half way mark of
the season and we had our longest road trip thus far. We
had to venture down to Victoria Park, Collingwood to take on the
Fitzroy Stars. We have now played all 7 teams in the competition
once and start again this week. Winning all 7 games so far is a
positive sign for the club and sitting 2 games clear with the
greatest percentage on top of the ladder. With some big names
coming back into the senior side this week from injury such as
Toll, Behan, Volpe & Szikla, this puts us at full strength. You
can still never under estimate the Stars as they have some
quality players who can turn it on when they want to. The club
still need your support, purchase a membership to help the club
in 2010 and beyond...
Mel, Kochie, Nat & Berett's on this morning's
Sunrise program announced the Round 8 Results in the game
against Fitzroy Stars and sent their congratulations to Declan
Skehan on playing his 200th senior game for the Whittlesea
Eagles. With that Declan has now become a Life Member of the
Whittlesea Football & Netball Club.
Round 7 - Declan Skehan, 200 Magnificent Games
On Saturday, Declan Skehan ran out with the
Whittlesea Football Club Seniors for the 200th time and
celebrated after the game with a 21 point victory and his family
there to witness the occasion. Things didn't look like it was
going to plan early in the game with Lower Plenty getting off to
a better start than us, we managed to fight our way back into
the game and led by 11 points at quarter time. Our 3rd quarter
was were we won the game kicking 7 goals 9 to there 3 goals 5.
In the end it was tough encounter with Andrew Fairchild & Evan
Murray both booting 5 goals each. We are now 2 games clear on
top of the ladder.
ROUND 7
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
18
16
124
LOWER PLENTY
15
13
103
Round 8 proves to be another must win game
against Fitzroy Stars which is scheduled to be played at
Victoria Park. This size ground should suit our game plan much
better than it did last week at Lower Plenty.
Round 6 - Eagles Maul
Bears In All 3 Games
Round 6 and it was a magnificent day at the
Showground's. The Under 19's started off the winning trend by
defeating Thomastown by almost 20 goals and then the reserves
back it by winning by 11 goals. Then in the main game,
Thomastown led by a point at the first break but from then on it
was all Whittlesea. For the remaining 3 quarters, Whittlesea
Kicked 17 goals to Thomastown's 4 to run out convincing winners
by 88 points. With contributors right across the board and with
Matt Dornauf back in form with 6 goals and well supported by
Lucas Hobbs with 4 goals also. A great win.
ROUND 6
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
19
23
137
THOMASTOWN
7
7
49
Round 7 proves to be the match of the round.
Lower Plenty defeated Diamond Creek by 10 goals last week. This
weeks game against Lower Plenty on their Postage Stamp size
ground is shaping up to be a beauty...
Round 5 - Eagles Prevent Saints From Marching
In
Round 5 was our 1st away
game for 4 weeks against Watsonia who were yet to win a game. 4
changes to the team this week with a number of players pulling
up sore from the previous week. The team were set a number of
goals this week and as penalties have to run 400m sprints at
training. Again we had 11 individual goal kickers with Andrew
Fairchild & Jason hagiar booting 5 each. Again our second half
was our best kicking 16 goals 19 behinds. Our inaccurate kicking
reduced the winning margin to 184 points.
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
27
28
190
WATSONIA
1
0
6
Round 6 next week, Whittlesea vs Thomastown
at home who were in division 1 last season. Thomastown have been
struggling this season but would love to knock off the ladder
leaders.
Round 4 - Eagles A Game Clear On
Top Of Ladder
Round 4, Undefeated Diamond Creek ventured to
the showground's, the winner will take top spot on the 2010
ladder. After a slow start with both teams only kicking 1 goal
each in the 1st quarter. Whittlesea then gained the upper hand
and with great goals to Anthony "Maradona" Volpe & Lucas "Daicos"
Hobbs, Whittlesea ran out winners by 37 points and puts us on
top of the ladder.
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
12
13
85
DIAMOND CREEK
7
6
48
Round 5 next week, Whittlesea vs Watsonia
away. Watsonia are yet to win a game this season but they would
take great pride in knocking off Whittlesea if they had the
opportunity.
I have uploaded a couple of video highlights
from Saturday's game to YouTube. To view both video clips,
please click on the YouTube logo opposite to view a scissor goal
from Anthony Volpe and a check side goal from Lucas Hobbs. I
have also entered to goal into the Footy Show's Almost Footy
Legends.
Round 3 - Eagles Shine
Brighter Than Stars
Round 3, Whittlesea vs Fitzroy Stars. This
game was originally to be played at Victoria Park on Anzac Day
but the venue was not available so the game was moved to the
showground's. The 1st half was fairly even and we led by 4 goals
at the main break. We managed to outscore the Stars in every
quarter. At the start of the final quarter the heavens opened up
with at one stage it was pouring rain & goals. We kicked 8 goals
to 1 in the final term with big man Jeremy Page booting 4 of
them. In the final quarters of the 3
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
20
21
141
FITZROY STARS
8
6
54
games we have played thus far, we have kicked 27
goals to our opponents 3, Mernda 0, Epping 2 and with Fitzroy
Stars kicking 1. Next week will be the test, Diamond Creek at
Whittlesea and both teams are undefeated....
2010 Under 19's,
Reserves & Senior Playing List
I am in the process of creating a 2010 & beyond playing list with all
players details such as games played etc. I need your assistance to fill
in the missing blanks. Please take a look by
CLICKING HERE and email me with any details you
know.
Round 2 - Eagles Destroy Epping
In All 3 Games
3 wins against Epping, Under 19's, reserves &
seniors demolished Epping by a total of 241 points over the 3
games. After reading a post on Bigfooty straight after the game,
"Not a very nice day at the Showgrounds
today. Seems the Magoo's Coach has had enough and has pulled the
pin. Then we started like a train kicking the first 4 goals then
ran out off steam, and finish 40 odd points down. Then after the
game we stepped back into the 80's for good old fashion spray
from the Coach. Not happy is a huge understatement.The boys have
been put on notice,
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
15
15
105
EPPING
9
7
61
ALL
except one MUST be at Port Melb at 10am or they will NEVER
play footy for him again."I don't think things are
too good at Epping at the moment but it was a great day for the
Whittlesea Football Club.
Round 1 - Eagles Off To A Flying
Start For 2010
Footy has finally returned and there is no
better way to kick off the season with a game against the arch
rivals in Mernda. The seniors got off to a flying start and led
at quarter time by 32 points. In the second and third quarters,
they allowed Mernda to get back into the game and only held a 3
goal lead at the final break. Coach Peter Bugden gave them a
spray and asked them all to lift and contribute something. Well,
that they did with an astonishing 14 goals to 1 point, that
works out to be a goal every 90 seconds as the quarter is only
20 minutes of actual playing time. Unbelievable.
G
B
P
WHITTLESEA
27
12
174
MERNDA
10
7
67
New recruits to the club performed well with
all 3 of them contributing to the score, Lucas Hobbs 5 goals and
2 each to Anthony Volpe & Andrew Fairchild and with Evan Murray
& Jason Buhagiar kicking 4 were victors by 107 points.
2010 Division 2 Fixture -
Seniors & Reserves
Please note change of fixture
for rounds 3 & 8
ROUND
DATE
VS
VENUE
1
Sat 10th
April
Mernda
Mernda
2
Sat 17th April
Epping
Whittlesea
3
Sat 24th April
Fitzroy Stars
Whittlesea
4
Sat 1st May
Diamond Creek
Whittlesea
5
Sat 8th May
Watsonia
Watsonia
6
Sat 15th May
Thomastown
Whittlesea
7
Sat 22nd May
Lower Plenty
Lower Plenty
8
Sat 29th May
Fitzroy Stars
Victoria Park
9
Sat 5th June
Epping
Epping
10
Sat 19th June
Mernda
Whittlesea
11
Sat 26th June
Diamond Creek
Diamond Creek
12
Sat 3rd July
Thomastown
Thomastown
13
Sat 10th July
Watsonia
Whittlesea
14
Sat 17th July
Lower Plenty
Whittlesea
15
Sat 24th July
Diamond Creek
Diamond Creek
16
Sat 31st July
Epping
Whittlesea
17
Sat 7th August
Lower Plenty
Lower Plenty
18
Sat 14th August
Fitzroy Stars
Whittlesea
NFL Confirms 3 Divisions
For 2010 Season
The Northern Football League have confirmed
that there will be 3 divisions starting from round 1 for the
2010 season. This means that we will be playing, Thomastown,
Diamond Creek, Epping, Mernda, Fitzroy Stars, Watsonia & Lower
Plenty. This should make the division 2 competition very
competitive from Round 1 to Round 18. Fixture to be released
soon...
In 2010, Sponsor An Under 19's,
Reserves Or Senior Player
In 2010, it will be compulsory for all Under
19's, Reserves and Senior players to obtain a Sponsor for the
season. The cost is $100.00 per player and must be paid prior to
the commencement of the 2010 season. If you wish to sponsor a
player, please send an email to
whittleseafc@bigpond.com name the player you wish
to sponsor and your name will be listed under that players name
above the bar. Or you can now pay online by
CLICKING HERE
Bugden, Cardwell &
Heaphy Sign On For Another Year
It gives me great pleasure to announce that
Peter Bugden, David Cardwell & Patrick Heaphy have all resigned
to coach the Whittlesea Football Club's Seniors, Reserves &
Under 19's for the 2010 season. Congratulations on a successful
year and lets go one step further in 2010. We have unfinished
business...
On Friday 16th October was the Northern Football
Leagues Vote Count & Awards Night. Congratulations to our award winners
below. Jeremy Page was equal Runner Up in the Division 2 Best & Fairest
and was selected in the team of the year along with Garrett Heenan &
Evan Murray. Also congratulations to Jess Rizio who was voted equal Best
& Fairest winner in the section 2 Netball competition. For a full
detailed list of all winner,
CLICK HERE
Eagles Night Of Nights
The Whittlesea Football/Netball Club awards
night was held in conjunction with the Annual Ball. The night
was held at the Grande Neret Reception Centre in Epping. I must
thank Luke Dyson who organised the fantastic evening. The night
consisted of the Best & Fairest Awards for the 3 senior football
teams and our 2 netball teams. Approximately 150 people were in
attendance and enjoyed a fantastic evening. We were honoured to
have the clubs number 1 ticket holder in attendance. Mel
presented the awards to the Senior team, mingled and spoke with
many people, conducted a few interviews for the Sunrise program
and still managed to squeeze a dance in with the Netball girls.
The club presented Mel with an away jumper signed by the Senior
Grand Final team. For a full report of all Football & Netball
Award winners,
CLICK HERE. Also thanks again to Grant Wellwood who took
some magnificent photo's during the evening and captured all our
award winners.
CLICK
HERE to view all photo's from Friday nights Whittlesea
Football/Netball Club Awards and Annual Ball. I would like to
thank everyone who attended the evening and it was a terrific
way to end a great season.
Under 19's Grand Final
Photo's Now Available For Viewing
During the Under 19's Grand Final on
Saturday, Grant Wellwood took over 1700 photo's of the boys in
action, He has sorted through them all and emailed nearly 350 of
them to me. I have uploaded them on our web site on 5 different
pages. Pictured left are the McVeigh boys, Patrick and Matt both
celebrating the boys magnificent victory. To view the photo's,
click on the photo opposite. On behalf of the club, I would like
to thank Grant Wellwood for giving up his weekends throughout
the year to take photo's of our Junior and Senior games. His
photo's are spectacular...
Congratulations To The Under 19's 2009 Premiers
What a magnificent victory, with only minutes
remaining in the game, Macleod hit the lead by a point, the boys all
lifted and with a late goal to Will Clarke who during the game who
previously received a yellow card, managed to put us back in front by 5
points. With still a few minutes remaining, to ball was in Macleods
forward line for the entire time, It seemed like it was forever for the
siren to sound, but when it did, we held on by the 5 points. A great
gutsy win by all the boys. Congratulations to Patty Heaphy and his
support staff....
Register And Receive Free Updates From The W.F.C
All
players who intend to play in 2010, can you please SMS your Name and
Mobile Phone number to 0447 370937 to receive free SMS alerts from the
Whittlesea Football Club. The club used this system last season to
advise all players, coaches and committee members of any changes to
games, training and club news. This is the only method the club uses for
contacting people. Your Mobile Number will not be given out to any
organisation and will be kept private. Thanks for your co operation in
making it work.
