Home Blog Page 657

Tigers to roar in 150th celebration: 2023 FOOTY & NETBALL PREVIEW

“Our 150th committee has been doing amazing work behind the scenes and it’s going to be a very special night.”

– PAUL RIX, PRESIDENT

THE buzz word at Lancefield ahead of the 2023 Riddell District Football Netball League season is ‘pride’.

The Tigers will celebrate their 150th anniversary this season – ranking them among the oldest country football clubs in Australia – and president Paul Rix said the entire Lancefield community was delighted to mark the milestone.

The club will launch its season with a reunion night at Lancefield Mechanics Institute on Saturday, with between 300 and 400 people expected to attend.

Rix said many past players and members would relieve the long and storied history of the Tigers, and encouraged as many people as possible to attend.

“We’ll look back on the decades, and people who have been involved with the club will get up and speak about their era,” he said.

“Our 150th committee has been doing amazing work behind the scenes and it’s going to be a very special night.”

Also planned for Lancefield’s sesquicentennial celebrations are a book launch and special heritage jumpers to be worn during the club’s home game against traditional rival Romsey on May 27.

“The heritage jumper is a replica of our 1888 premiership jumper. It’s got the names of the 24 players who played on that day on the jumper,” Rix said.

“There was a fair bit of work from our historical society to track down the names of everyone. It’s probably the first game where we have a full record of the people who played for Lancefield.

“It’s different colours to our yellow and black. We’re going to make it a bit of a surprise for everyone.

“Our senior side will run out with that and we’ll auction those jumpers off after the game.”

On the football field, the Tigers’ senior team has lost midfielders Harrison Taylor and Joe Slattery to Charlton and Kinglake respectively, but retained the bulk of their playing list under new coach Tim Bannan.

Rix said Lancefield would continue to build around its young core after a two-win season in 2022, promoting several junior players and signing promising prospects such as Jack Radford, who won the league under 19.5 goal kicking last season playing for the Riddell Bombers.

Riley O’Meara, a former Lancefield junior, also returns to the club after playing for Essendon Doutta Stars in the Essendon District Football League.

On the netball court a youth-led movement is also in full swing, with A Grade coach Michelle Rix excited for another year of growth for her young team.

IMG 5537

With Lancefield’s oldest A Grade netballer only 24 years of age, Ms Rix said the group had plenty of time to develop together.

“It’s a very young team, and I’d imagine we’ll be one of the youngest teams in the league, as we have been for the last few years. But for the majority of the girls this will be the third year they’ve played together,” she said.

“It’s exciting having speedy young girls striving to learn and grow together. It’s an exciting place to be as a club.”

Most of Lancefield’s A Grade side will remain intact, with Elke Henson and Stephanie Hammond joining to split time between midcourt and goals and Larissa Rix returning after an injury layoff.

The netballers will also wear heritage uniforms against Romsey to celebrate Lancefield’s anniversary, inspired by the self-made uniforms the club’s inaugural netball side of the 1960s created.

“The beautiful part of it is that a lot of those ladies still live in the community, so they’ll be present on the day to watch the girls run out in their memory,” Paul Rix said.

“It’s a nice touch to remember where we’ve come from. We want to show appreciation for the generations of families who have been part of our club to this point.

“We’re just the custodians of what has come before us through the trials and tribulations of past club members.

“Hopefully we can honour their memory this season.”

CONTINUE READING THE 2023 LOCAL FOOTBALL & NETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Tallarook’s historic double in SDCA finals

By Colin MacGillivray

TALLAROOK is celebrating a historic double after taking out both the A and B Grade grand finals in the Seymour District Cricket Association, SDCA, at the weekend.

The ‘Rook snared the A Grade premiership in a seven-wicket upset win against reigning premier Eastern Hill at Chittick Park on Saturday.

The Eagles finished atop the ladder for a second consecutive season and progressed directly to the grand final, where they were considered warm favourites after dropping only two matches all season.

However, one of those matches was to Tallarook, and the Rookers stormed into the match with plenty of confidence of their own after dismantling Broadford in the semi-final.

Eastern Hill won the toss and elected to bat in the grand final, putting up 32 without loss before opening batsman Brayden Speechley fell to Tallarook’s Kalon Winnell for 19.

Speechley was soon joined in the sheds by fellow opener Dallas Bergowicz, trapped leg before wicket by Ben Tarran for 16, and Eastern Hill skipper Seamus Feery, run out by Daniel Fisher for four.

The wickets piled pressure onto the Eagles’ remaining batsmen, and although Ben Bryant was able to steady the home side’s innings, the run rate slowed significantly.

Bryant batted patiently for 39 runs alongside Jake Sutherland, 10, and Oliver Bryant, 18, before being caught off the bowling of Shane Topham. His was the last wicket to fall, as Matthew Collard, nine not out, and Brayden Avola, 11 not out, saw the Eagles through to the conclusion of their 45 overs, reaching 6/137.

Topham was the sole multiple wicket taker with 2/39, but Winnell was the star of Tallarook’s bowling attack with a miserly 1/16 surrendered from nine overs at less than two runs an over.

Tallarook CC fathers and sons
Three sets of fathers and sons played across two Tallarook premiership sides on Saturday, from left, Tarkyn and Andrew Dundon, Lachlan and Sam Watts, and Xavier and Leigh Arandt. ​

Tallarook skipper Lachlan Watts said his side’s strong fielding performance set it up for victory.

“We skittled a few in about 10 overs in the middle for not many [runs] and did it quickly, which probably snuck up on them a bit,” he said.

“All of a sudden there were only seven or eight overs to go and they didn’t have too many runs on the board.

“Our fielding was as good as it has been all year. Getting a couple of run-outs probably proves that. We didn’t miss too many chances.

“Chittick Park is the best surface in the competition at the moment, especially with Kings Park down. You love fielding there and you look forward to it when you get the chance.”

Watts praised Winnell’s performance to lead the Tallarook bowling attack.

“He really put the brakes on when he came in to bowl. He got the breakthrough wicket and they found him very difficult to get away,” Watts said.

“He put the squeeze on them and really did his job, and I think it flowed on from there. The other bowlers supported that and [Eastern Hill] couldn’t get it going.”

Tallarook’s run chase looked to be in early trouble when opener Josh Rudge was caught and bowled by Avola for five runs, putting the visitors behind the eight ball at 1/12.

But Watts would not let his team lose, taking to the crease for what proved to be a match-winning 62-run knock.

Watts batted first alongside Ben Tarran before Tarran’s dismissal for eight at the hands of Jake Sutherland, but kept his composure to forge an 88-run third-wicket partnership with Kasey Duncan.

The pair, knowing they were in front of the required run rate, batted patiently before Sutherland finally broke through to remove Watts. But new batsman Leigh Irving, 14 not out, performed superbly alongside Duncan, 35 not out, to notch the winning runs.

Watts said he was proud of the way his team held its nerve during the run chase.

“Chasing 137, it’s not a big score but I haven’t played in a grand final yet where it’s been easy going,” he said.

“You never know what’s going to happen, but at the same time you want to stay pretty positive and keep the scoreboard pressure on them once you get yourselves in and set.

“You’re always nervous. I’m a nervous starter as it is anyway, but once you feel one out of the middle of the bat early on it makes you pretty comfortable.

“I was confident with Ben Tarran at the other end being able to hold up his end for a while, and the same with the guys coming in behind me.

“Having that confidence in the rest of the batting order makes my job a bit easier to take a few more risks and try to get things moving once I settled in.”

The win gave Tallarook its first A Grade premiership since back-to-back flags in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and confirmed its status as a powerhouse of the SDCA.

The club also celebrated a B Grade premiership, beating Pyalong by seven wickets at Broadford’s Harley Hammond Reserve, 102 to 3/107.

Tallarook B Grade SDCA Premiers
Tallarook’s B Grade premiers. Back from left, Brendan O’Donnell, Leigh Arandt, Sam Watts, Tarkyn Dundon, Ben Trezise, Madison Albers, and Sam Manchester, front from left, Michael Dundon, Jack Maher, Tom Archibald, captain Luke Marshall and Stephen Korosec. ​

Tallarook’s Madi Albers starred with bowling figures of 4/20 from nine overs, including three maidens, while Stephen Korosec took 3/20.

Tallarook opening batsman Luke Marshall batted throughout the run chase for an unbeaten 38, while Korosec, batting at number five, was also unbeaten on 34.

Watts said the result was the best the club could have hoped for after failing to field a B Grade side and missing the A Grade finals last season.

“Just making finals was a massive effort for us as a club, so to get them both up, we’re pretty rapt with where the club is at,” he said.

“That’s my fourth premiership with Tallarook. I’ve been pretty lucky, but some of the other boys have six apiece, so we’ve got players with lots of experience in finals, which is a bonus.”

The C Grade premiership went to Yea Tigers, who beat Eastern Hill by seven wickets, 7/108 to 3/111 behind Michael Waghorn’s unbeaten 64 runs. Eastern Hill had progressed to the grand final despite losing to Avenel who were disqualified for playing an ineligible player.

Redbacks with chance at grand final redemption

ROMSEY has earned a chance at grand final redemption, knocking off reigning premier Gisborne in a stunning semi-final upset to set up a meeting with Sunbury United in this weekend’s Gisborne and District Cricket Association, GDCA, McIntyre Cup decider.

The Redbacks might have exorcised some demons with the seven-wicket victory – Romsey had lost to Gisborne in last season’s grand final, as well as losing a rematch with the Dragons during the home-and-away season.

The weekend’s semi-final triumph was set up by a strong bowling and fielding performance, with the Dragons able to manage only 123 runs in 56.5 overs.

Louis Moor applied early pressure and picked up the key wicket of Gisborne’s Harry Luxmoore, who had looked threatening with 22 runs and the home side’s only boundary of the innings.

Adam Frost and Aaron Paterson also shouldered plenty of the bowling load early, with Frost economical and Paterson claiming the first wicket of the day, removing Matthew Barake for four runs.

Statistics for Romsey’s run chase were unavailable when the Review went to press yesterday afternoon, but the Redbacks chased down the 124-run target in the space of 41 overs, with seven wickets still in hand.

Romsey will now travel to Sunbury’s Langama Park to take on the Sunbury United Hornets in the two-day grand final on Saturday and Sunday.

The sides met in round 14 last month, with Romsey pulling out a five-run thriller, also across two days, led by Corey Day’s 40 runs with the bat.

Play will begin at 1pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Johnstone Shield

Romsey fell just short of a Johnstone Shield premiership at the weekend, with its second side losing to Macedon by 76 runs in the grand final.

Macedon batted for 74.3 overs to post a hard-fought total of 167, but Romsey fell behind early in the run chase when opener Matthew Richardson was removed for a duck.

No Romsey batsman surpassed 20 runs, with Jake East’s 19 leading the team as it was all out for 91.

Daniel Paterson produced a strong bowling performance, taking five wickets for 53 runs in 25 overs in the loss.

Cleeland calls for Broadford Secondary funding

By Colin MacGillivray

MEMBER for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has called for the government to upgrade Broadford Secondary College and explore the possibility of a public secondary school in Kilmore, inviting Education Minister Natalie Hutchins to tour the region.

Ms Cleeland addressed parliament last month, outlining the pressure Mitchell Shire’s population growth was putting on local schools.

“The Mitchell Shire is growing at a rapid rate with Broadford and Kilmore booming,” she said.

“Before the start of 2023, Broadford Secondary had to turn away several families due to the school being so close to capacity.”

According to Domain’s 2023 School Zones Report, Broadford Secondary College sits second, and Wallan Secondary College eighth when it comes to annual house price growth of the school catchment.

The report overlaid government school catchment zones with price property data, comparing the median sale price from August 2020 – July 2021 to prices from August 2019 – July 2020.

The annual change in the median house price within the Broadford school’s catchment was 15.9 per cent; while in the Wallan catchment it was 11.9 per cent.

Ms Cleeland said the government had refused to acknowledge the issue.

“In April last year the Minister for Education said the school is not currently experiencing enrolment pressure,” Ms Cleeland said.

“At the same time, neighbouring Kilmore does not have a public school – which was why The Nationals committed to both funding a business case for a new public school in Kilmore as well as $8 million towards upgrading Broadford Secondary College.”

Ms Cleeland said she wrote to Ms Hutchins in February, inviting her to inspect Broadford Secondary College.

She said she would attempt to facilitate a meeting with Ms Hutchins and the school to work towards a collaborative investment.

“The State Budget is creeping up in May and I’d love to see some money put aside to upgrade Broadford Secondary and bring the buildings into the 21st century,” she said.

“I’d be very pleased if the minister accepted my invitation and came up the Hume to understand why this funding needs to happen sooner rather than later.”

A Department of Education spokesperson said government policy was that every student was ensured a place at their locally-zoned public high school, but acceptances for enrolments from outside the school zone depended on school capacity.

The spokesperson said all locally-zoned students had been offered a place at Broadford Secondary College in 2023, but a small number of out-of-zone enrolments were not accepted.

Ms Hutchins said the department regularly reviewed enrolment projections for the Broadford area and $4 million of upgrades were carried out to replace the school’s main building in 2019.

“We’re proud to have recently delivered more than $4 million to Broadford Secondary College for new classrooms, a new literary centre and to upgrade their library and sporting facilities, ensuring local students have the resources and infrastructure they need for the great educational outcomes they deserve,” she said.

“The department continues to work with the school to plan for future needs.”

Ms Cleeland said while she welcomed a recent State Government commitment to upgrade Broadford Primary School, secondary schooling options in the Broadford and Kilmore areas were under stress, especially after the closure of Colmont School, formerly The Kilmore International School.

“[Broadford Secondary] College simply can’t be left to deteriorate,” she said.

“Our investment would have seen portables converted into real buildings, upgrades to sporting infrastructure and an expansion in school capacity.

“Kids in our region shouldn’t have to settle for second best just because they’re 20 minutes north of Wallan.

“The government needs to … provide the facilities the staff, students and community of Broadford deserve.”students and community of Broadford deserve.”

Watch Ms Cleeland address parliament.

Fundraiser for Tom de Sousa a huge success

KILMORE Football Netball Club officials believe a fundraiser for young player Tom de Sousa raised more than $100,000 after what was described as one of the biggest functions in the Blues’ history.

Earlier this year the club announced Mr de Sousa had been diagnosed with brain cancer and launched a fundraiser to support him, his wife Hope and young daughter Eden.

A page supporting the de Sousa family on fundraising website GoFundMe had reached nearly $20,000 as of yesterday afternoon, but Kilmore Football Netball Club president Ben Egan said that total was dwarfed by the money raised at the club’s Big Night In function on Saturday.

Following the Blues’ practice match against Coburg Districts, the club hosted an event with food, drinks, live music and other entertainment, with hundreds of people in attendance raising money through a combination of raffles and auctions.

“We were trying to sign people in, but that was only people who went in through the front door, and a lot of people were filtering in and hanging around outside,” Mr Egan said.

“If I had to have a conservative guess, I’d say there were 700 or 800 people, but it could have even been close to 1000. It was enormous.

“It shows how much support there is for the [de Sousa] family. There were people there who we hadn’t seen in years or people we had never seen before. There were some people who weren’t even connected to the club.”

Mr Egan said while officials were yet to tally the money raised on the night, it was one of the most successful fundraisers in the club’s history.

“We don’t have an official number yet, but we had $40,000 in the auction alone, nearly $10,000 in the silent auction, and we sold about $15,000 in raffle tickets – and that’s before you count any bar takings, [and it] was the biggest bar we’ve ever done by far,” he said.

“If you had to put an overall number on it, I would say at the conservative end it would be over $100,000. It’s insane.”

Mr Egan said he had a ‘massive’ sense of pride at what the club and the community had achieved to support the de Sousa family.

“It reaffirms why we do it. People question sometimes why I do it, but it’s the ability to bring people together and unite the community,” he said.

“It shows the strength of football netball clubs. There really is no place like them, particularly in a regional town. They’re something that can bring everyone from all walks of life together.”

Mr Egan said Tom and the de Sousa family had expressed their gratitude at the support, and thanked the many residents and businesses who helped make the Big Night In a success.

“On behalf of the club I want to thank everyone in the community who contributed. We couldn’t have done it without them and to see people vote with their feet and get out there to support Tom and his family was fantastic,” he said.

.

Dire need for endometriosis awareness

By Grace Frost

National studies have highlighted the substantial economic impact of endometriosis, showing a correlation between the condition, financial burden and unemployment.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that occurs when tissue resembling the endometrium – the lining of the uterus – grows outside of the uterus.

The condition affects one in nine Australian girls and women, and can cause chronic pelvic and menstruation pain, fatigue, painful bowel movements, pain during and after intercourse and infertility, as well as mental health problems.

Recent studies in the Annals of Epidemiology found women with surgically confirmed endometriosis to be significantly more likely to face unemployment than before diagnosis, due to the physical impacts of the condition and the limited support for women suffering within the Australian workforce.

Plos One found endometriosis to cause women substantial financial burden, with increased healthcare, carer and productivity loss costs totalling an average of ,898 per person, per year.

Wallan’s Kylie Perry, who has battled with endometriosis for more than 30 years, is determined to raise the profile of the large-scale impact of the condition, with Endometriosis Awareness Month in March.

Ms Perry first began experiencing cramping, nausea and digestion problems when she was in year seven, and later ‘excruciating’ pain when she first got her period, leaving her ‘curled up in a ball, throwing up’.

An orthopaedic surgeon speculated Ms Perry had endometriosis when she was 17, confirmed via a laparoscopy.

With limited information and research into the condition in the early 1990’s, health practitioners recommended Ms Perry, who was still a teenager and at school, fall pregnant.

“They used to think that when you gave birth, all the endometriosis would flush out with it, so, at 17 [in 1995], I was told that I should consider having a baby,” Ms Perry said.

After refusing to fall pregnant, Ms Perry was suggested to go on birth control to stop her period and minimise symptoms.
But birth control proved ineffective for Ms Perry.

Ms Perry, now 46, has stage four endometriosis.

The lesions had spread outside of her pelvic area, attached to her appendix and caused a lump in her bowel, which was down to seven millimetres.

Endometriosis has also resulted in infertility for Ms Perry.

“All I ever wanted to do was be a mum. I was devastated I couldn’t have children,” she said.

Ms Perry has undergone nine laparoscopies, in all of which endometriosis was removed.

She said the condition forced her to give up work as a senior pharmacy assistant and at a health food shop, as the pain made it too difficult to concentrate.

But Ms Perry said public hospitals were now ‘overloaded’, still leaving her between $5000 and $20,000 out of pocket for each surgery when she used the private heath system.

She is reliant on her partner’s income to pay for a private surgeon.

“Women are accessing their super to pay for their surgeries,” she said.

“I had one laparoscopy that was private – my grandma had given me money when she died, so I had to use that.”

Ms Perry said there was a dire need for research into non-invasive diagnostic tools and treatment options for endometriosis, which she said were lacking in Australia, so that women with the condition could experience an improved quality of life.

Currently a laparoscopy is the only definitive diagnostic tool, and average time between symptom onset and definitive diagnosis is eight years in Australia.

Ms Perry said the absence of a multidisciplinary team of surgeons during treatment meant lesions could often be missed, as the nodule on her bowel was.

“Overseas, they’re treating it properly. The gynaecologist has a team of his own, a bowel surgeon who does the bowel and surgeon who does the intestinal tract,” she said.

Ms Perry said she hoped increased research into the condition, being addressed at a national level via the National Action Plan for Endometriosis, would encourage more girls and women to receive early diagnosis and more affordable, quality treatment.

“[Endometriosis] steals your life, it’s taken so much from me,” she said.

“Hopefully [women being diagnosed] won’t have to go through all of the pain and trauma that I have endured.”

More jobs, more lollies after Allen’s factory expansion

More iconic Allen’s lollies, including Minties, Red Ripperz, Sherbies and Milkos, will now be manufactured in Broadford after a $12 million expansion of the factory.

The expansion involved repurposing an existing warehouse inside the factory to an automated dual line production facility and building an additional storage facility adjacent to the factory.

A combination of new and existing equipment was also integrated into a high-speed wrapping line, allowing 1750 Minties to be wrapped per minute.

Nestlé Broadford factory manager Emily Bradbury said the expansion occurred throughout last year, with the last of the new products beginning production in August.

“Our new facilities are in full swing making up to 10 tonnes a day of Minties,” she said.

The addition of the chews and chew mix range has created 20 new jobs at the factory, across production, engineering and quality assurance.

The factory is the largest private employer in Mitchell Shire and the expansion provides long-term job security for the 240 existing employees.

The Allen’s brand is owned by Nestlé Australia and has been produced in Broadford since 1982, with the factory operating 24 hours a day, five days a week.

“We currently produce 20,000 tonnes of Allen’s Jellies such as Snakes Alive, Party Mix and Frogs Alive, plus the additional 2000 tonnes of chews including Mintes, Red Rippers and Chew Mix bringing 2023 production up to 22,000 tonnes,” Ms Bradbury said.

“We’re proud to make Australia’s favourite lollies right here in Broadford, thanks to our hard-working team.

“Our expanded facilities will allow us to scale up production – which is good news for lolly lovers, and for Broadford.”

Minister for Regional Development Harriet Shing visited the Nestlé Broadford factory last week, to see the expansion, which the State Government had contributed to through its Regional Jobs Fund.

“Workers at the Nestlé factory in Broadford have built a delicious and iconic legacy over the past 40 years and our support is helping the Allen’s brand continue to grow,” Ms Shing said.

Panthers on the prowl in Big V season openers

WALLAN Panthers began their 2023 Big V campaign with a bang, posting wins across the board in round one.

Wallan’s division two men downed Melton 87-81 in a tough, come-from-behind victory, but the big talking point was the women, who dominated their division two match-up with 2022 preliminary finalist RMIT to win 89-52.

USA recruit Kylah Collins lived up to her big billing with a superb all-round performance, posting 27 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and six steals on efficient 53 per cent shooting from the field.

Also notable was new recruit Olivia Woods, who joined the Panthers after playing for Coburg last season and scored 17 points.

Other Panthers to fill out the score sheet were Sarah Scott, 11 points, Amber Ross, nine, and Olivia Dalmau, eight.

Coach Carey Papanicolaou said his team was seeing early rewards for an ideal build-up to the season, which included an undefeated performance at a Big V pre-season tournament in Ballarat.

Papanicolaou said the team had greater depth than in previous seasons.

“We won in Ballarat and we won our other practice games, so the pre-season really set us up. We prepared well and the girls played hard, so they deserved to have a big win in the first game,” he said.

“We’ve changed our personnel from last year. We’ve brought a few of the girls up from the youth league side, Liv Woods came from Coburg and we’ve added Kylah.

“Most of them have come up through our system, which is good. We’re pretty happy about that. It’s an encouraging sign.”

Papanicolaou said Collins would be a valuable addition to the team.

“Kylah is a good player. She played great in our practice games in Ballarat and she’s a really good asset for us,” he said.

Wallan’s women will make their home debut this weekend with a double-header, hosting Coburg at 6pm on Saturday and Collingwood at 1pm on Sunday at RB Robson Stadium.

Men

Wallan’s men will seek to sustain the momentum of a strong second half that saw them overcome the Melton Thoroughbreds at the weekend.

While hot shooting from Melton’s Liam Allison and Michael Thompson saw the home side leap out to a 24-16 quarter-time lead, Wallan worked back into the game with a well-rounded team effort.

Forward Tyler Best led all scorers with 24 points, while Tom O’Connor had 15 and Arcaim Lallemand, Dominic Bruno and Jayden O’Brien had 12 apiece.

With the game in the balance in the final two minutes, Best nailed four crucial free-throws to preserve Wallan’s slender lead.

The Panthers will play another road game against Mornington at 2pm on Saturday.

Wallan’s division two youth league men also started their season in impressive fashion, downing Melton 94-76.

Dion Stacey and James Bonnici led the way with 19 and 16 points respectively, while Luke Cairns went 4-4 from three-point range off the bench.

The side will travel to face Western Port at 7pm on Saturday night.