Match of the Week – Trinity Aquinas v Stirling
16 May, 2008
The Keystart Home Loans match of the week will be the round five A Grade game between Trinity Aquinas and Stirling. Both teams are coming off of round four losses and find themselves at 2-2 making this a must win to avoid slipping to the negative side of the ledger.
Trinity Aquinas is looking to build on last year’s progress and feature deep into September in season 2008. The club is laden with talent and is confident of turning that goal into reality. The coaching staff is positive that if the list can play to its full potential on a consistent basis then the results will look after themselves.
Will Maurice, Rhys Miller and Brendon Franich have all progressed through the club’s colts and reserves system and are now performing well for the seniors and new recruits Tom Willday, Luke Dwyer and Darren Harper have all impressed at various stages throughout the early part of the season. The club was buoyed by the return of Drew Porter to the club and Ben Fleay has shown great courage to force his way back into the senior side after a break from footy and a number of injury concerns.
Trinity Aquinas has welcomed an F Grade side to the club which has given many more players the opportunity to pull on the TA jumper on a weekly basis. All four Trinity Aquinas sides are in the top five of their respective competitions which has given every player great confidence to forge ahead. The two colts’ teams have had some great wins and with strong numbers on the track each week, the managers and coaches have a lot to be proud of.
Stirling Football Club pulled off a major coup in the off season by appointing former-AFL player, Kingsley Hunter, as League Coach in 2008. Kingsley brings a wealth of experience and competitive spirit to the Club and is determined to make a significant impact on the 2008 finals race. With Kingsley at the helm the club’s off-season recruitment drive was bolstered and many valuable new players were signed.
The club had a solid pre-season with impressive training numbers on the track. The Colts team is also experiencing a strong start to the season, in no small part due to the efforts of Colts coach John Batten, who is acting as Assistant to playing League coach, Kingsley Hunter. The leadership group at the club has been expanded, with club champion Frank Rossi elevated to co-captain of the League side with Peter Stevens and Chris Kercheval. The Reserves side has also spread the captaincy duties between veterans Matthew Rayson, Joshua McBeath and Daniel Bonasera.
The majority of the 2007 squad has returned in 2008, with a number of additions to bolster key positions. New recruits to the League side included ruckman Dale Batalha (from Maffra, Victorian Country FL), forward Adam Edwards (from Coolbinia-West Perth), utilities Simon Mieschbueler (from Scarborough), Simon Mitchell (from South Bunbury) and Daniel Richmond (from Bassendean) and on-baller Chad Sellenger (from Hamersley-Carine).
Proving that Stirling’s development structures are in good shape, a number of last year’s colts’ players are pushing up through the ranks and into the League side. The only significant losses from last season are brothers Jeremy and Damien Lloyd (both to Boyup Brook) and Stone Sheriff (to Kingsway)
Trinity Aquinas will hold their annual cocktail party on Saturday 24th May at the Swan River Rowing Club. The club would like to acknowledge sponsors Taggart Developments, Rosie O’Grady’s, Total Staffing Solutions, PowerPlay Sports, Integrated Group and Sheffield Estates for their continued support.
Stirling is holding a 10-year Reunion to commemorate the 1998 League and Reserves Premiership sides on Saturday 24 May 2008. All former players are welcome to attend at Richard Guelfi Reserve, with proceedings starting at 1:30pm.
All current and former players and supporters can keep up to date with what’s happening at the Club by logging on to the Club’s website, www.stirlingsaints.com. The website contains a wealth of information about current fixtures and results, club statistics, honours and historical information. The club is always on the lookout for volunteers to join the Committee or contribute to the club in any capacity.
