Melbourne Tour Article – Warriors

The South Fremantle 16’s Squad recently completed their tour of Melbourne from 8th – 14th July to officially end their 16’s Development Program. The tour is considered a vital part of the development of these players and a once in a lifetime opportunity to play and watch football in Melbourne.

The tour party consisted of Player Development Manager Jason Pedulla, Head Coach Jason Matthews, Assistant Coaches Simon Maxwell, Glenn Kirkwood and Steve Jones, Team Manager Leon Flanagan, Physiotherapist Dean Reynolds and 27 players.

GAMES PLAYED & BEST PLAYERS

The boys flew over on Wednesday 8th July and played two games of football. One against the Calder Cannons on Thursday 9th July and the second against St Kevin’s College on Friday 10th July. The boys were fantastic against a strong Calder Cannons outfit on the Thursday and with their slick ball movement and run and carry had a two-point lead heading into the last quarter. The conditions however took a turn for the worse and the Cannons kicked with a strong breeze in the last quarter kicking 3 goals 5 behinds run out eventual winners by 21 points. It was a very tough, physical game which took its toll on the players. Goal kickers were Litherland (2), Knight (1), Rodin-Zimdahl (1) and Pen-Dennis Watson (1)

After a rehab session at the Melbourne Bath’s the players and staff headed out for dinner where they were greeted by South Fremantle legend Scott Watters who gave a very inspirational and eye opening speech to all the players and staff. His passion for the Club and everyone who has ever worn the red V was clearly on display.

The next day the boys woke up sick, sore and sorry however they had a game to play v St Kevin’s College. They were competitive in the first half trailing by 2 goals at half time however they couldn’t keep up with a team with superior skills by foot and ending up losing by 8 goals. Goal Kickers were Faulkner (1), Sivewright (1), Moore (1), Pen-Dennis Watson (1) and Kickett (1).

(The team listen to Coach Steve Jones in the game against St Kevin’s)

On Sunday night, former South Fremantle players Jermaine Miller-Lewis (Hawthorn) and Ben Newton (Melbourne) were invited to attend dinner for the official presentation of awards. Jason Cross & Lachlan Lindsell were awarded footballs as the two best players across the games, both playing excellent roles in defence. Callan Pen-Dennis Watson was awarded best goal for a freakish snap against Calder Cannons and Lachlan Lindsell also won the award for best tackle/hip & shoulder again against the Calder Cannons.

(From Left: Jermaine Miller-Lewis with Jason Cross, Lachlan Lindsell and Ben Newton at the presentation dinner)

AFL CLUBS / GAMES ATTENDED

The group itinerary was excellent, and the boys were lucky enough to watch 2 games while over there. They watched Richmond v Carlton at the MCG on the Friday night and North Melbourne v Geelong at Etihad on Saturday night. They were also given a fantastic tour of the MCG and the National Sport Museum.

(Half the group singing the South Fremantle song in the rooms below the MCG)

We gave the players a task of reviewing the Saturday’s game and they were asked to give presentation in front of the group outlining what they observed in the game and how the teams played. Their reviews of the game were excellent.

We were also fortunate enough to tour the facilities of three AFL Clubs whilst in Melbourne. Dominic Milesi the National Recruiting Assistant at Collingwood took the boys through the Magpies facilities and also gave a fantastic presentation to the boys outlining what AFL recruiters are looking for in players.

Angus Litherland provided a tour of Hawthorn and spoke to the boys about his transition from playing football in WA to now being involved at the most successful Club in the AFL. His access to the inner-sanctum and advice was greatly enjoyed by all players in attendance.

On the last day of the tour the boys also were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to train inside Essendon’s indoor training facility – The Hangar. Whilst by this time all players were tired and ready to get home, the excitement of this opportunity wasn’t lost on them and the training session was sharp and full of voice. It no doubt had something to do with the man who took the session – Merv Keane who was a Richmond Premiership player and an assistant coach at Essendon under Kevin Sheedy whilst also coaching Sturt in the SANFL and the Western Jets and Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup. At the conclusion of the session Recruiting Analyst Mark Micallef presented to the boys on how AFL clubs judge talent and asked them to evaluate themselves against the scale used by recruiters. It was another fantastic insight for the players and again surely opened a few eyes.

SUMMARY & THANK YOU

In summary it was a fantastic trip with the boys thoroughly enjoying themselves and creating lifelong friends and memories. The Club would like to thank everyone involved in helping create and run another successful Melbourne Tour.