Footy Manager’s Report – Round 11

Passion Teamwork Fun Respect

Oxford Dictionary: HERO, A person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

AFL footballers are often described as heroes; they show outstanding courage and achievement and in some cases do this with a noble attitude, it is wonderful to see a defining moment in a Grand Final or big game when the question is asked and someone steps beyond expectation.

In recent weeks this man Richard Harris has made the elite footballer look ordinary in comparison. Courageous, Kind, Humble, Professional, Methodical, Caring, words are not enough. Can you imagine entering a cave 12 times in 8 days not knowing if you will come out alive, then have the skill/knowledge to ask complete strangers to trust you and make an informed decision on their lives to guide them out safely. Well done Mr Harris and to you the Ex Thai Navy Seal, Saman Gunan, that gave your life so children could get another chance, RIP HERO.

Heroes live amongst us in Bayside. Meet Liz Dawes, founder of the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation.

Liz’s eldest child, Robert, “Connor” to his mates, was a very active community guy, BGS student and great athlete. He passed away in 2013 from brain cancer, Liz set up RCD and leaves no stone unturned in her family’s quest to help find a cure for this wretched disease.

I have known Liz since 2010, having coached Nick Dawes, Connor’s younger brother at Rovers. Liz is one of the most inspiring people you will meet.

• Liz Dawes established the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation in memory of her late son, and in just five years has raised close to $4 million for paediatric brain cancer
• She also created the largest event in Australia (Connor’s Run) for paediatric brain cancer, the country’s number one cancer killer of young people
• An inspiring ambassador, Liz has been working tirelessly to raise awareness for the little-known disease. She’s rallied communities worldwide and has been featured on Raw Courage TV, Channel 9 News, Herald Sun and many others
• She successfully lobbied the Federal Government to co-fund the AIM Brain Project, bringing world-class testing and research to every child in Australia and New Zealand

In Round 13 of the SMJFL season on 29th July, Liz Dawes needs our help. It is the Beanie Round and we all need to dig in and help out. A loud shout out to one of our Under 8 families that have purchased a full team worth of beanies for the D1 U13 team to do some promotional work with Beaumaris Sharks in Round 13 for RCD, the family has asked not to be named, another selfless Hero, Cheers and Thanks.

On Sunday, I was reminded by a mate that “it’s just a game”. Simon McPhee seen below is the Midfield coach at St Kilda FC. Macca has twin lads playing U16 at East Sandy Rovers and another playing U13 at Zebs. Macca could see me getting wound up over some earlier U16 items and a few U13 details that had Macca laughing at my expense. Sunday night I spent cursing myself for yelling out BALL to the Umpire.

DAMN, I spend my life trying to educate others and I fell on my own sword. If you see Simon around take the time to get to know him, a great guy and a wealth of knowledge.

I read all the team reports that have landed; we as coaches need to make every child feel wanted, appreciated, respected and educated. Each child must take a positive message away more so than ever before, here are some of the HERO messages from our gun coaches.

“Celebrate your gameplay and congratulate your team mates when they play well. This game was all about getting back into the swing of it after two weeks off” Sam Van Der Veen, Under 8 Pink coach

“The team showed excellent sportsmanship at the end of the game – with particular thanks to the St Paul’s players that had stepped in for the Rovers. Outstanding!” Rohan ‘Sheeds’ Bardwell, U8 Maroon coach.

“Despite the disappointing result for us, there were some great individual performances including a best on ground display from Lachie Fraser who had the midfield alight along with another teammate in Aussie Parker who ran hard and racked up countless possessions around the ground. Lastly, Tom McKinley whose rebound plays in the midfield and off the half back flank was unmatched all day. Outstanding football fellas!!” Tom Marron, U17 Assistant Coach

“Great team effort today boys. Looking forward to a big game next week against top placed East Malvern. See you at training on Thursday. Don’t forget to touch your football 100 times each day!”
Damo, Chris and Rod
Hampton Rovers – Best Mates

Michael Sharpe, Under 10 Bronze “The back line was really solid in the second half. Theeran was a standout charging through the stoppages and clearing the ball time and again. Harry had a great period down back and won a lot of contested footy while taking more great marks. Campbell gave us great use from the last line of defence and Captain Jack Stefanovic worked hard to ensure his man wasn’t getting a kick”

Two weeks without any footy drove me around the bend, this Sunday can’t come quick enough. Four games until finals for some, 2 weeks until the Lightning Carnival for others, let’s make the back end of the season the best ever, train hard this week and play even harder.

GO ROVERS
Caggs