THE SWOOP - Round 7 v Gordon

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PRESIDENT'S REPORT

Well it’s Past Players Day this Saturday and we’d love to see as many past players, netballers, coaches, volunteers, committee members and supporters back at the club as possible.

These days are always some of the best on the calendar. They’re a chance to catch up with old teammates and mates, share a few stories from years gone by, relive some of the good times and reconnect with the club. Every era of the club has helped shape where we are today, and it’s always great seeing different generations back around the rooms together.

Whether you played one game or 300, helped out behind the scenes, washed jumpers, worked in the canteen or just spent years supporting the club every weekend, you’ve all played a part in making the club what it is. Once you’ve been part of the black and white, you’re always welcome back.

It’s also a great opportunity for past players and supporters to come and watch the current crop running around. We’ve got a lot of young players coming through both the football and netball sides who are representing the club with plenty of pride, and having former players there supporting them means a lot. Days like this are important because they remind everyone that the club is bigger than any one team or one era, it’s built on generations of people putting in for the place.

We’re also really excited to welcome Nick Hind back to the club for a one-off game. It’s fantastic that Nick has put his hand up to come back and play in the black and white again. He’s always had a strong connection to the club and we know plenty of people are looking forward to seeing him back out there on Saturday. There’s no doubt his presence will give the boys a real lift and add to what should already be a great day for the club.

As a club we’re continuing to work hard to keep building both on and off the field. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes with people putting in plenty of time and effort to keep moving the club forward in a positive direction. Support from past players and supporters plays a massive role in that, and days like Saturday are a great reminder of the strong community the club has around it.

So if you’ve been meaning to get back out to the club, this is the perfect chance. Come down, catch up with a few familiar faces, enjoy a day of football and netball and be part of what should be a terrific day for the club.

Looking forward to seeing plenty of familiar faces back out at Clunes on Saturday.

Thanks,

Brendan

NETBALL REPORT

This weekend we’re back on our home courts as we take on Gordon Football Netball Club, and after a tough day out against Buninyong, there’s no better opportunity for the club to respond.

While results didn’t quite fall our way overall last weekend, there were still plenty of positives to take out of the day, particularly from our junior grades. A massive congratulations goes to our 13A’s, 13B’s and 15’s who flew the flag for the club and showed exactly the sort of grit, composure and team-first attitude we pride ourselves on. Our U13b’s are our only undefeated side going into round 7!

The effort and improvement across all grades continues to be noticeable week after week. From our youngest netballers right through to the seniors, there’s been a real willingness to learn, compete and stick together, even when games get challenging. Our junior sides are setting a fantastic standard with their energy, accountability and never-give-up attitude, and now it’s time for the senior grades to build on that and follow suit.

There’s no doubt the talent is there across the board. At our best, we move the ball well, apply pressure defensively and play the fast, confident brand of netball we know we’re capable of. Consistency across four quarters will be the key this weekend, and with the support of a home crowd behind us, hopefully we can turn strong patches into full-game performances.

Home games always bring a special atmosphere around the courts, and we’d love to see plenty of black and white support throughout the day. Whether you’re there cheering on the juniors early or sticking around for the senior clashes, every bit of support makes a difference.

Good luck to all players, coaches, umpires and volunteers this weekend -  let’s make it a big day for the Maggies both on and off the courts.

FOOTBALL REPORT

It is so long since a Clunes senior team has beaten Buninyong that nobody was able to definitively say when it last happened after we won by 12 points last week. Some stated it was over 20 years but one thing everybody agreed on was we had never won at the ‘new’ Buninyong oval. Built on a strong defensive performance, straighter kicking would have assisted us to stretch the margin but in the end we take the win and move forward.

This week we welcome everybody who is attending our Past Players Day back to the club. These events are so important to community clubs as we get to celebrate past successes, watch the current teams and reminisce about all the memorable games and funny events of previous years. With Nick Hind returning to play with the Seniors and Aidan Thompson flying in from Queensland to play with Reserves, the Past Players Day has even moved onto the oval.

A huge thank you to Luke Harper for his refusal to accept no for an answer in his plan to have Nick play with Clunes this weekend. Harps put in endless hours working through the details to make sure this could happen. We acknowledge and thank the Darley FNC for their support in allowing Nick to fulfil his desire to play in this game which coincides with more promotion of the Hannah’s Voice initiative with Allied Justice. The importance of connections through family and community sport can never be undervalued and our support for Hannah’s Voice is unconditional as we all continue to mourn the passing of Hannah McGuire, a proud Clunes FNC member.

Last year we defeated Hepburn on our Past Players Day which created a highly animated

atmosphere in the clubrooms and social club afterwards. Today we set out to achieve another win against a team that we haven’t beaten for a while in Gordon.

Training this week was full of energy and enthusiasm as the players responded positively to the participation of Nick on the track on Tuesday night. We will be doing our utmost on field in all our games to get victories and we look forward to having an animated clubrooms again after the final siren of the day.

Special mentions: Congratulations to Benji Featherston on his debut last week in the Seniors. A win in his first game and a goal to help seal the victory

A little birdy told me that Darcy Coon is playing his 250 th club game today. Well done Darc.

Rumours of an anticipated return happening in the Reserves today with Nick Wrigley back on the oval. Welcome back Chisel.

Senior Player I’m looking forward to watching this week: Nick Hind. I expect everybody will be looking forward to watching Nick return to Clunes for his first game since before his journey through the VFL and AFL. I hope to see multiple Gordon players run off their feet trying to keep up with Hindy.

Reserves player I’m looking forward to watching this week: Oli Erickson has overcome a broken wrist to return to the team and is moving well on the wing. Early in the season he looked sharp playing forward in the practice matches and his flexibility is an asset. Hoping to see Oli amongst the goals against Gordon.

Junior player I’m looking forward to watching this week: I watched the U/12 kids in their Lightning Premiership at Ballan last week and was impressed with the direct lines that Brax Anderson was running out of defence. This week Brax has been named in the interleague squad and I expect to see more hard running today. Well done on the squad selection Brax.

Go Maggies!