This time last year, I wrote that the 2020 season was like no other and we breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. We managed to work our way through the Covid issues and fielded 5 teams without winning any flags.
Fast forward to 2021 and what a year it has been for completely different reasons. Fielding 6 teams every Saturday and seeing 5 of those teams make their respective grand finals is something in which we should all be extremely proud.
The Club’s main mission is to provide an opportunity for Old Scholars and Aquinians to come to an environment where they can play with their mates and to develop new and lasting friendships in a supportive and enjoyable environment. I think we achieved that in 2021.
FOOTBALL - ONFIELD
I have said this before, but we are very fortunate to have 2 senior coaches the calibre of Damian and Tom leading our Men’s and Women’s programmes. The dedication and professionalism they have displayed is a credit to both men and I believe is reflected in the results we have achieved over the last 3 or 4 years.
What a day it was down at Woodville Oval with 3 men’s team competing in the Grand Finals. Damian led the men’s programme, coaching the A grade to an historic and emphatic win. Tim Rice led our B grade to a solid victory after the team was down at half time. This completed an undefeated season for the B grade, a remarkable achievement. Henry Curtis and Nathan Bailey were in charge of the C grade who couldn’t quite get over their opposition on the day.
A few weeks prior to the men’s grand final we ventured to St Mary’s to witness the A grade women take on their nemesis in Happy Valley. Our girls had got closer and closer to them during the year and in a superb performance won reasonably comfortably. Tom and his team coached the players superbly and the result was a fitting one.
A week later and the B grade women also played in their Grand Final, falling just short in a very competitive game. We must bear in mind that these girls had been moved from Division 7 to Division 5 during the year to assist the League and play in a more competitive environment. If they had stayed in Division 7, I have no doubt they would have won the flag. Kelly Rossi is to be congratulated for all the work she did with her “wolf pack”.
The D grade team missed the finals this year but our thanks go to Andrew Twynstra, Ben Thornton and Michael Thomas, who acted as joint coaches. Managing the D grade team is a very hard task, especially given the number of players who are rotated through the playing roster. Our thanks again, go to these three gentlemen.
The amount of work that goes into fielding six teams every week is enormous. Our head coaches were supported by many people and I would like to mention and acknowledge the following for their large contributions throughout the year:
KEVIN WHITFORD (football director)
ADAM WEST (A grade assist coach)
MICHAEL CONNELLY (A grade women’s assist coach)
DR BRIAN GUE (B grade women’s assist coach)
TONY McINERNEY (B grade men’s assist coach)
SAM JANETSKI
PAT KERIN
DAMON CALLER
PETE D’ANTIOCHIA
CLIFF FLOWER
NICK MARTIN
JOHN VAGNERELLI
TOM LEWIS
ED CURTIS
JULIE WINTER
DYLAN COOK
BELINDA TWYNSTRA
OFF FIELD
Running the Club requires a large number of volunteers and assistance in many areas.
We are fortunate to have a great group of trainee physios and medical staff who attended every game and every training. My thanks goes to all of them and I particularly would like to thank Lauren Zanelli for coordinating the team and Sophie Boots who assisted wherever she could.
Utilising our facilities at KRO include the opportunity to run the bar upstairs and the BBQ downstairs. The funds generated from operating these outlets is more important than ever as the profit that is generated is critical to the Club’s overall finances and keeping the player subs down. My thanks goes to all the volunteers who assisted in these areas. I would particularly like to mention Patrick Steen, who took on the role of Game Day Operations, and was an invaluable help to me. Thanks also to Seb Turner who acted as bar manager in the second half of the year.
Running the BBQ at every home game is a big job and I extend my sincere thanks to the “teams” that put in such great efforts to support the Club.
SACA
We are indeed fortunate to have such a magnificent facility at KRO. We know that many Clubs are envious of our situation and we shouldn’t take the facility for granted. Having said that, we are in constant dialogue with SACA and are working in a positive and constructive manner with them. This will result in us juggling some games and training to work in with their cricket schedule, but our cooperation is necessary.
SACA has agreed to an extension of our lease until 2027 which is a tremendous result for the Club.
SPONSORSHIP
The Bath Hotel acted as our major sponsor again and we are happy to report that they remain our major sponsor in 2022. The Club is fortunate to have such a willing and supportive major sponsor and we thank Tony Franzon for his ongoing support.
The Club has numerous other sponsors that are listed on our website, or weekly in the Dropkick, and I want to thank them for their invaluable contributions to the Club.
MEMBERSHIP
The Club again encouraged supporters to contribute by becoming a Member. The membership packages are a simple way of helping the Club remain viable and we raised over $7000 this year. My goal is to double that figure in 2022 and I thank the supporters who contributed in 2021.
THE DROPKICK
The Dropkick remains an incredibly important part of our Clubs communication and I thank Nick Griffin and his team for their tireless efforts. We will be seeking more contributors in 2022 as we venture in Div 1 and I encourage players to consider how they can assist with this publication.
FINANCES
The Treasurer has detailed that we will run the Club at a small loss this year. Paul Zollo has acted as Treasurer for 14 years and his contributions to the Club cannot go without comment. Paul has spent countless hours working on the books, grants, functions and events and for that we should be immensely thankful. Paul is working on ensuring we are back in the black next year and I thank him for his ongoing work.
COMMITTEE
The committee has grown and changed over the last few years. I would initially like to thank the following main office bearers:
TREASURER : PAUL ZOLLLO
SECRETARY : DANIEL MCCABE
MEDIA : MATT OVERY
MINUTES SECT: RICHARD BRANFORD
UMPIRE COORD: PAT TYMUKAS
AUCTIONEER : RICK WARD (and many other jobs)
SOCIAL SECT : ISAAC RYAN
Other members of the committee who assisted in many and varied roles include;
ZAC BORLACE
KATE HARRIS
LIBBY GUE
ERIC CASCIANO
ALICE KERINS (when voted in)
The committee welcomes 2 new members in 2022 but we still require some assistance and particularly supporting roles to our Secretary and Treasurer. I am happy to discuss this with anyone who believes they can assist.
VOLUNTEERS
As I mentioned earlier, the Club has grown and as a consequence so have the off-field jobs that need to be completed.
I would like to extend a sincere thanks to the following people:
PETER ZOLLO (Business Lunch and Sponsorship)
PAUL MCENTEE (General assistance)
DAN EDDINGTON (League liaison and general assistance)
CHRIS HORNER (Catering)
I am sure I have forgotten someone, but to all the helpers out there, I pass on my thanks.
LOOKING FORWARD
The 2022 season will be upon us before we know. We have begun preparations to celebrate the 50th year of the Club with a Gala Ball and associated merchandise. It promises to be an exciting and historic year as the men play in Division One for the first time in our 50 year history and the women also play in Division One after a short 4 year history!!
It is our goal to be a successful Club in every grade in which we compete in 2022. Under the guidance of Damian Boots, the A grade men have developed into a tight unit and will be competitive in many games in 2022. Division One is a huge challenge for both our men and women, so it is important that we as a Club support the players, coaches, staff and volunteers, whenever and wherever we can. Please consider how you may be able to assist the Club, as we still require assistance both in football operations and off-field roles.
On a personal note, can I say how much I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of a Club that has so many people working to achieve the success we did in 2021. Those results are built on the hard work and dedication of those who have gone before us and ongoing hard work of those running the Club now. 2022 will present its own challenges and I feel confident that we are building an organisation that will confront those challenges head on, as we build a viable, vibrant and successful Club.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our games and again thank the many contributors to our Club.
As always---Go Iggies
PAUL KIRCHNER
PRESIDENT OIFC
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