📰 OIGFC Newsletter

July 16, 2024

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** OIGFC Newsletter #6
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Greetings, Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football Club Members
Senior Report (7 wins, 4 losses and 5^th on the ladder)

Round 6: OIGFC 2.8 – 20 def by De La Salle 10.14 – 74
Round 7: OIGFC 12.16 – 88 def Williamstown CYMS 13.7 – 85
Round 8: OIGFC 9.9 – 63 def by Old Haileybury 13.9 – 87
Round 9: OIGFC 15.12 – 102 def Caulfield Grammarians 14.12 – 96
Round 10: OIGFC 13.11 – 89 def Old Camberwell 9.5 – 59
Round 11: OIGFC 6.11 – 47 def by Old Geelong 6.13 – 49

After our very strong start to the season, where the senior team was 4 wins and 1 loss, the senior team has progressed through the next six rounds and moved to 7 wins and 4 losses. Our three losses in this batch of games included the impressive Old Haileybury and De La Salle who are first and second on the ladder.

A 7 – 4 record leaves us fifth on a very tightly contested ladder, 5% points outside of the top 4, with Old Trinity and Old Geelong filling out the top 4. Hopefully, our most recent loss to Old Geelong, after being well in front at three-quarter time does not haunt us at the end of the season but we were due to lose a close one!

All in all, the team is performing at an admirable level with the three-game period between the King’s Birthday bye and the July double by, termed Buffalo month (IYKYK), a particular highlight. For each of these three matches the team was without nearly 10 members of the Club’s best 22; however, this period was successfully used to play three current Ivanhoe Grammar School students in the senior team. Tyson, Charlie and Brodie each demonstrated they are up to the standard and will hopefully be senior players of the club for many years to come. Those supporters and members who travelled to Caulfield will attest that the win that day was one of the Club’s finest in its 60-year history in terms of the bravery and desire shown by the playing group.

With many players returning to the senior team in readiness for the home fixture against Old Trinity on July 20, we are hopeful that the team can finish strongly and push for finals and even promotion and back-to-back premierships.

In all likelihood, the hoped run of success will need to be done without Ollie Hayes-Brown, our Richmond listed ruckman. During the King’s Birthday weekend, Ollie successfully debuted for the Richmond VFL team. As a club we wish him well in his future endeavours and should the opportunity arise we hope that Richmond look to us to develop any listed players who are not yet at VFL standard.

Reserves Report (8 wins, 3 losses and 3^rd on the ladder)
Our reserves team, which has been such a dependable area of strength for the Club in recent seasons has continued to perform at a high level despite the step up from Premier C to Premier B. The losses recorded have been to the top two sides (Old Trinty and De La Salle) and a 1pt loss to Old Camberwell (5^th).

Given the large number of unavailabilities endured by the club during the most recent rounds the team’s performance is not just a testament to the depth of the squad but more importantly to environment created by the reserves leadership group and their coach Darren Toll and his assistant Terrence Anderson. All involved have found that finely balance mix of professionalism and enjoyment and the results in past few seasons are testament to this work.

With many players returning across the club, it is hoped that the reserves, just like we hope the seniors, will finish the season strong and qualify for finals.

U/19 Report (2 wins, 9 losses, one draw and 8^th on the ladder)
At one point, it looked like the doors might close on the U/19s for 2024 after they were humbled by close to 200 points by University Blues. Since that fixture, the squad has responded exactly like you would hope they would and while they have not been able to salute with a victory they have played each of their oppositions close and in their most recent fixture played out a thrilling draw against St. Kevin’s.

A significant amount of credit is extended to the team’s leadership group, coaching staff and team manager; Cathi Taylor for keeping the group together, encouraging the involvement of current Ivanhoe Grammar School students and ensuring that enjoyment was high on the team’s agenda.

An occurrence during this period which provided me with much amusement was the planned meal at La Porchetta organised by U/19 Head Coach Brad Shadbolt. To encourage attendance, Brad offered to pay for every attendee’s meal. Never did Brad imagine that 31 young men would attend and at the end of the night, Brad was more than $1000 lighter in the pocket!

Senior Thirds Report (8 wins, 0 losses and 3^rd on the ladder)
*this team commence in Rd 5

The Thirds, being brilliantly led by Narendra Sivakumar, have continued on their winning ways and remain undefeated. It has been great to see so many players represent this team and during the most recent period rise up into the Reserves team to fill the many unavailabilities. I have no doubt that our Thirds team, in just 8 weeks, proven to be an enormous positive to the Club. Congratulations to Narendra and his leadership group for advocating for a Thirds team and then making such a success of the opportunity.

Milestones
With a maturing and committed squad of players, it nice but not unexpected to acknowledge the following milestones:

Blake Gliddon – 50 matches
Harrison Reid – 50 matches
Sam Daniel – 50 matches
Gabriel Battistella – 50 matches
Tom Rattray-Wood – 50 matches
Jordon Dimoski – 50 matches
Cooper Wilson – 100 matches
Luke Scuderi – 100 matches
Tom Kellock – 150 matches
Michael Mitris – 200 matches

Mal Mitris joined the club in 2010 as a Year 12 student after the completion of the AGSV season. In that same season he helped the U/19 team win a premiership by a solitary point. After concluding his studies as the Plenty Campus captain Mal joined the club full time in 2011 and debuted in the senior team in Round 1 and never looked back.

Playing in premierships in 2013 and 2023, as well as captaining the senior team from 2015 to 2022, Mal is one of the greatest and most influential players in the club’s history to pull on the ‘White V’. The leadership he has always shown is a credit to his family but the way he led a young group from 2018 through to 2022 paved the road to the premiership glory the club enjoyed in 2023.

It would be remiss not to mention the support that supports Mal, so a thanks and congratulations to his father Vic, mother Aliki and wife Lauren for the support they have shown Mal and the club for more than a decade.

The club has benefited so much from Mal’s commitment and dedication to the Club and one of the most obvious benefits has been the involvement of his younger sister Lexi. Lexi graduated in 2012 and soon after joined the Club as a sports trainer. In 2024 Lexie is still heavily involved and for many years has fulfilled the thankless task of managing our medical team. Every year this becomes a more challenging task but we are fortunate that Lexie has such an incredible commitment – just like her brother.
Vale
In recent months the club was saddened to learn of the passing of Jeff Stagg and David Purcell. Both men were tremendous contributors to Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football Club in the early years of the Club’s existence. Jeff played in the Club’s debut fixture in 1964. David was a four time best and fairest and possibly the most courageous player to ever wear the White V. Our sympathies to the families of both men.

Fidelis usque ad mortem.
Pavilion Update
At the Council meeting on May 20 the Banyule Council voted overwhelmingly in support of the adjusted lease agreement for Chelsworth Park between the School and the Banyule Council. This adjusted agreement provides the School with the confidence to invest the necessary funds to rebuild the two pavilions at Chelsworth Park. This is a great result for the Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football Club, Old Ivanhoe Soccer Club, Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Cricket Club and Ivanhoe Harriers (an OIGA club) Athletics Club.

The main tenants of the football ground pavilion will be OIGFC and Ivanhoe Harriers and the next stage of the process is community consultation regarding the building design. We are hoping for a two-storey design with change rooms below and function space above.
Chelsworth Club Lunches
It has been terrific to see to the Chelsworth Club lunches so well attended at recent home matches. At our most recent home game against Old Geelong we were fortunate to have AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain as our guest speaker and we are thankful to Andrew Redman for organising and interviewing Ray. Below is a list of our remaining Cheslworth Club lunches and guest speakers. Ticket to a lunch is only $40 with drinks at bar prices.

Like has been the case for more than 20 years, the lunch is catered by Mark Longmuir and his team from Spitting Image catering.

Below are the dates of our remaining home fixtures and the confirmed guest speakers at our Chelsworth Club lunches. Contact Sienna on siennawhiteman@y7mail.com (mailto:siennawhiteman@y7mail.com) for tickets.

Date vs Event/Guest speaker
20-Jul Old Trinity Laura Kane
3-Aug Beaumaris Raymore Millar
17-Aug Williamstown CYMS Alister Nicholson
24-Aug Caulfield Grammarians Dylan Buckley
Purchase 20/7 Chelsworth Club Lunch Tickets (https://www.oigfc.com.au/shop/chelsworth-club-lunch-laura-kane-afl-executive-general-manager-july-20th/)

** Volunteer Spotlight
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Brett Jensen has been involved at OIGFC for several decades and last year was recognised as a ‘legend’ of the club. In 2024, Brett continues as our Head of Football Operations and as a member of the Committee. Every matchday and every training session Brett is the first to arrive and last to leave, completing all manner of tasks and jobs.

Enormously admired and respected by all at the Club, from the youngest volunteer to the oldest supporter, Brett is true ornament to the football club. In all honesty, the way he represents himself is exactly how we want our club to be represented to the broader community – hard- working, helpful, caring and inviting.

Great work Brett and here’s hoping we can continue to find other club members to help you in making the Club even better than what it is!
Preparing for 2025
As we enter the back-end of the season we will commence planning for 2025. Not only does this include player and coaching staff retention but also recruitment. High on the agenda is recruitment of young women to allow us to re-launch our women’s team. For those of you who have the opportunity to influence young women who might already be playing in the NFNL, please highlight that if they join OIGFC and play in the VAFA that they will be playing their matches on a Saturday, rather than on a Sunday.

Via the U/19 program we have done terrific work with the School and have been playing boys as young as Year 11 in the U/19 side. I am confident that the vast majority of Year 12 graduates will chose OIGFC as their playing destination for 2025. If you are in a position to provide casual employment roles for some of these young men (and young women should we get a women’s side off the ground) can you please contact me (chris.branigan@ivanhoe.com.au (mailto:chris.branigan@ivanhoe.com.au) ) for a discussion on how best to formalise an arrangement. As I’m sure many of you are aware, the recruitment battle in our local area is challenging one and employment is our most important weapon in the battle against ‘cash clubs’.

We are keen to continue to attract high-end talent to our football club to support our efforts of not just rising to Premier A but becoming a significant club at that level. If you know that you will be in the position to offer full-time roles in 2025 please keep OIGFC in mind and whether the role available could be used to satisfy a high-end recruit.

Finally, it would be great to provide opportunities to our existing playing group, who have already shown great commitment to the Club. In their own way they have all been reference checked and with the playing group as it is, I have known most of them since they were 12 years old.

If you can support or would like to learn more about how you could possibly support our recruiting and retention please get in touch (chris.branigan@ivanhoe.com.au (mailto:chris.branigan@ivanhoe.com.au) ).

** Sponsor Spotlight – Frazer Air
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Frazer Air (https://www.frazerair.com.au/) is a leading provider of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions, renowned for its commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. With a team of highly skilled technicians and a broad range of services, including installation, maintenance, and emergency repairs, Frazer Air ensures optimal indoor comfort for both residential and commercial properties. Their dedication to using the latest technology and environmentally friendly practices sets them apart in the HVAC industry, making them a trusted choice for clients looking for reliable and efficient climate control solutions.

As an invaluable sponsor of the Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football Club, Frazer Air plays a crucial role in supporting the club’s activities and community engagement. Their sponsorship not only provides financial backing for the team’s operations, equipment, and facilities but also fosters a strong sense of community and camaraderie among players and supporters. It is wonderful to have the captain of the club and his family supporting the Club in such an overt manner!
Here is to another good month of football!

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📰 OIGFC Newsletter

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