ON Friday, April 10 Sapphire Coast AFL coaches, club representatives, sponsors, life members, board members and AFL NSW/ ACT staff descended on the Merimbula RSL to officially launch the highly anticipated 2015 Sapphire Coast AFL season.
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As well as key speakers throughout the evening the Pambula U13s, Narooma U16s, Pambula development and Pambula senior grades were presented with their 2014 premiership flags after spectacular seasons respectively.
The key message throughout the launch indicated for a exciting and successful Sapphire Coast AFL season in 2015 and beyond with great initiatives being put in place by clubs, the board and AFL NSW/ ACT to help grow, enhance and professionalise the game of AFL within the Sapphire Coast region.
With six U13, four U16 teams and the introduction of an U11 competition and the Broulee/Moruya Giants into the junior grades, Sapphire Coast AFL chairman Tim Shepherd ‘believes the competition is moving in a clear and exciting direction with junior football a high priority allowing kids to remain active, meet new friends and learn life skills’, while ‘leaving the game in a better place than when I started in the role’.
The Pambula Panthers come into the 2015 senior competition with a target on their back having gone over 12 months without a loss in regular season and pre-season competition. Have the likes of Bermagui, Bega, Tathra, Merimbula and Narooma done enough over the off-season and pre-season to catch the reigning premiers in 2015 and win the 2015 premiership?
With Bermagui, Merimbula and Tathra recruiting well in the off-season they will believe they have improved enough to catch the Panthers while Bega will go into the season as underdogs with the Bombers known to cause some upsets along the way.
2015 will see a relatively inexperienced Narooma team give an opportunity to a number of promising juniors after coming off the back of the under 16 premiership in 2014.
In the junior grades, the Sapphire Coast AFL welcomes the Broulee/Moruya Giants into the competition creating a fresh buzz around the competition.
The Narooma U16s will be looking to duplicate their highly successful 2014 with Merimbula, Pambula and Bega looking to overtake a relatively stable Lions squad. In the U13 and U11 competitions Pambula will be looking to continue their 2014 finals form into 2015.
Merimbula will have a chip on their shoulder after falling short in the finals after looking like the team to beat during the regular season while Bermagui, Bega and Narooma will be looking for development from their highly skilled juniors to challenge for the top prize come September.
In another great sign of AFL developing within the Sapphire Coast, The Sapphire Coast AFL Stingrays will travel to Nowra in June to participate in the junior representative carnival with U12, 14, 16 and youth girls teams available, while the senior men will travel to Canberra in June to take on a Canberra representative team in what should be a great game of football at a premier venue.
Be sure to barrack and follow your local team in 2015!
Lions feel the Anzac spirit
THE elephant in the room in sports media at this time of the year is the Anzac spirit and its ability to provide analogical material, sourced from the feats of our diggers to capture the inspiration that is building at sporting clubs across Australia in the lead-up to April 25.
Far removed from recent controversy of commercial exploitation, sport in Australia has always shared a spiritual link to our Anzac’s which has often inspired us to punch above our weight. Just like our military throughout our history, our sporting teams have always thrived on the tag, “underdog”.
In the town of Narooma we do not have to look far for an underdog story and a short walk to Bill Smyth Oval will provide this live, in living colour.
Having been trounced last Saturday in Pambula by 239 points, the Lions seniors have all but been announced as this season’s underdogs and face oblivion if they cannot turn around the attitudes of so many players who have left the game, either permanently or temporarily and put a consistently full team on the park. If it wasn’t for the support of the club’s U16s team, the Lions Seniors would have been forced to forfeit or take the field with 12 players on the weekend.
The Lions were brave during Saturday’s clash and in the second half won a number of small victories in the centre, showing that healthy numbers around their midfield talent could make them competitive this season. The problem is there are a lot of veterans in Narooma but not many seeking second deployment.
Whether it is the tyranny of distance, the variable nature of shifts people are required to work within this area or simply the distraction of technology, people just seem to be deserting sport in Narooma.
A perfect opportunity beckons for the Lions to rally the troops this weekend however, with a home, Anzac Weekend clash against fierce rivals, Bermagui to be fought out at 2.15pm on Saturday. The teams, both of which are struggling for numbers will see an opportunity for four points if they can get a team on the paddock and a real spectacle is on the cards.
With some luck, the Lions will see the return of a few key players for this week’s encounter and will wear the hopes of their supporters, a fresh committee and wonderful support personnel such as Graeme Hingston and new-to-the-club, Steve Crameri on their uniform as they go to battle on Saturday.
For the Lions’ junior sides it was a much more pleasing result on Saturday with the U13s showing some promising signs in their clash against the well-drilled Pambula Panthers outfit. The Lions U16s were at their premiership winning best, thrashing the home side by 126 points. Hayden Lang, Jack Glasson, Jai Reed, Jamie Duffield, Liam Clothier and Luke Wiggins were outstanding in the win however it is was the amazing team chemistry they have that saw total domination, right across the ground. The U11s team will start their season this Thursday afternoon. Both the U13s and U16 have a bye this weekend.
For a great, free day out this weekend why not venture to Bill Smyth Oval on Saturday to watch the Anzac Weekend Local Derby between Narooma and Bermagui?
By David Moran