| Beachside's top award is a three-way tie |
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| Written by Walter Pless | Sunday, 30 October 2011 01:14 | |
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Photo: Life Member Jurgen Webb (left) and Beachside president John Brierley (centre) present Clinton Brown with his life membership [PlessPix] Nathan Robinson, Jack Turner and Luke Atkin shared Beachside’s Alistair Hales Best-and-Fairest Award with 24 votes each at last night’s trophy presentation evening at the Lenah Valley RSL. All senior players voted on the award on a 3-2-1 basis and so this is, in effect, a players’ player-of-the-year award.
Photo (L-R): Jack Turner, Luke Atkin and Nathan Robinson shared the Alistair Hales Best-and-Fairest Award [PlessPix] Goalkeeper Michael Soszynski took out the senior ‘most consistent’ award, while Andrew Douglas was voted the seniors’ ‘most improved’ player. Rowan Franklin was Beachside’s leading goalscorer. Cameron Sweeney took out the Coach’s Award and Anthony Grznic was voted the Club Person of the Year. David Ikin was the ‘most consistent’ in the reserves and Barry Pope the best-and-fairest reserves player. In the Under-19s awards, Shaun McManus was the ‘most consistent’ and Benjamin Gaskell the best and fairest.
Photo: Sue Brierley, John Brierley, Jurgen Webb and Geoff Frame enjoying the evening [PlessPix] In Division Two, Anthony Grznic was the ‘most consistent’ player and Adam Direen the bets-and-fairest player. The Division Three awards went to Ben Ryan as the ‘most consistent’ and Lee Gillam as the best and fairest. Life Membership was awarded to Anthony Grznic and Clinton Brown. Sue Brierley, wife of Beachside president John Brierley, and Danielle Pullen, wife of senior coach Brett Pullen, received special awards for their services to the club. Beachside president John Brierley welcomed players and guests to the function, while senior coach Brett Pullen outlined the positives of the past season and the plans for next season. Pullen announced that Matthew Hedge would be assistant coach of Beachside next season, while Farrell Shaw and Barry Pope would again be in charge of the reserves.
Photo: Sue Brierley (left) and Danielle Pullen received special awards, including buckets of special 'Soszynutski' icecream obtained by Luke Atkin [PlessPix]
Photo: The two buckets of 'Soszynutski' icecream [PlessPix] Nathan Robinson announced his retirement but said he still hoped to attend games. “Our aim is to get more people qualified as coaches, from junior level right through to senior,” said Pullen. “Pre-season is going to be a lot harder thanks to Farrell [Shaw]. He’s got a really good plan for fitness. “It’s going to be a fight for spots and if you’re not there, you won’t play. “We start on 6 December, which is a Tuesday, and we continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays after that. “I’m currently in negotiations with Somerset and we’re going to try and do a pre-season trip up to Somerset with the senior team and also a junior side.”
Photo: Anthony Grznic ws awarded Life Membership, the Division Two 'most consistent' award and the Best Club Person of the Year Award [PlessPix] Pullen said he had learned a lot in his first season as a senior coach and he praised the contribution of Farrell Shaw to his learning curve. “We’ve had some really good meetings during the year,” Pullen said. “We had over 38 players, if you include the Summer Cup, who I tried this past year in our senior group. “It’s really hard to build consistency with such numbers. It takes a coach a long time to get to know everyone’s capabilities. “We’ve had a lot of new players at the club this year and, hopefully, most of them hang about. “To try and get a consistent 15-man squad is almost impossible in one year and to expect clubs to bounce up and down in a yo-yo effect is no good.
Photo: Tom Gordon (left) and Sam Howarth (right) head a table of happy Beachside players and supporters [PlessPix] “In juniors, we started this year with 10s, 12s, 13s and 14s boys and 14s girls. “Next year, it’s our expectation to put an extra three or four teams on the park and we’re getting to the stage where we have to book Sandown Park every night of the week. “The word is getting out that we’re not trying to win everything as far as our juniors go. “That’s not what we are about as a club. A lot of people play soccer and we want to keep these kids playing and that’s our aim.
Photo: Reserves coach Farrell Shaw (left) and reserves best-and-fairest player Barry Pope [PlessPix] “I didn’t develop as a soccer player until I was 15 or 16 and I missed out on State teams early on and developed as I got older and got selected later. “I don’t think the current programs help that, so we’ve got to be responsible as clubs to look after our own and then provide the pathways. “Michael Soszynski will be running a goalkeepers’ clinic next season and that will highlight exactly that. “That’s what we’re continuing to work on.
Photo: Chris Eickoff (left) and Division Three best-and-fairest player Lee Gillam [PlessPix] “We’re a big family and we really want to be working together. “We want to get our kids involved and our partners involved and we want to make sure we’ve got a club room that we can build somewhere and where we can all go back to and have a brew, make a coffee and feel like it’s our home. “That’s what we’re building towards.”
Photo (L-R): Chris Cook, Barry Pope and Under-19s 'mopst consistent' player Shaun McManus [PlessPix]
Photo (L-R): Barry Pope, Chris Cook and Under-19s best-and-fairest player Benjamin Gaskell [PlessPix]
Photo (L-R): Special coaches' gifts were given to Brett Pullen (left) and Farrell Shaw (right) by Patrick Dunne. Alan Pullen was absent on the night but also received a gift. [PlessPix]
Photo: Michael Soszynski (right) with his 'most consistent' award presented by Brett Pullen [PlessPix] |
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 30 October 2011 09:32 | |
Comments
Thanks for coming last night.
Just a couple of quick corrections.
I'm handing out the coaches gifts to Brett, Farrell and Alan Pullen (absent) not receiving one in the 2nd last photo.
And the guy opposite Tom Gordon is Sam Howarth (not Dan Gardner) in the 7th photo.
Catch you round.
Valhalla are taking orders on it - contact Luke Atkin
did you check out the Olympia 5 a side last week when Ben Mascolo broke his leg on "the pitch". No tackle was made, just did it while shooting and landing. Questions must be asked about that surface.
Beachside have a coaching group. This consists of myself, Farrel, Matthew Hedge, Barry Pope, Luke Atkin and Dan Henderson. That group look after seniors, reserves and under 19's. And also over see several of the junior teams at the club. Out of all of the coaches Farrel is the only current non player, and besides Luke the only one with an extensive coaching career. This makes Farell all of our mentors. At Beachside the coaching group sort the trainings allowing smaller numbers per coach. Game day in 2012 will see Farrel on the senior bench as he was this year, matthew will generally be on the reserve bench but with any group flexibility and exposure is the key throughout the season all the coaches will get a taste of different roles all being mentored by Farrel. Farrel has been a great teacher for me, and i know that our two different styles have kept this ticking along. Can not wait till next year as the second year should provide the club, players and coaches all with more stability and direction moving forward. Cheers BPullen
hmmm...well given that the policy of all A-League clubs is to look at NTC players first for their Youth teams, I would suggest that the NTC has complete relevence.
why should may be out running clinics? his job is to run the NTC, not prop up the coaching at local clubs.
Pretty sure the AIS had a team in the Vic premier league and they may still have one. National version of the NTC in the best state league in the country sets a pretty good example for the NTC to follow. Dont you think?
If the development of the players is the main priority than playing them against senior opposition, like what Abbott at Kingborough was attempting, at the same time as playing as a unit with specific structural aims each week is the best thing for their development. They get exposed to bigger and better opponents whilst being challenged to play to a specific system, rather than playing against reserve and U19 players who run around however they want, whilst trying to stick to a specific structure!
If FFT and the NTC want to produce quality players than this needs to happen and be taken seriously, if that means including 3-4 overage players withing the NTC than so be it, if it benefits the playing group and players individually!
When I played state I wouldve jumped at the chance to play with that team week-in week-out against senior teams.
Pitchy
No disrepect but you would think that if the NTC players were better than what are playing at clubs there would be more of these players at that level.
Jeremy Walker would never of got a contract if he hadn't played a year in the VPL to prove that he could play at that level.
Walker had to play in VIC regardless as A-League clubs are not able to contract youth players who are out of area. He barely played VPL, mostly warmed the bench.
Walker's got a A-League Youth contract and Abbott doesnt?
No, wasn't meant to be taken so literally, but a lot of the time the teams which played the NTC on Wednesday nights were not the usual reserves teams that played of a weekend due to player availability etc. These teams were normally a combination of all 3 squads which affects how a team plays due to new and different personel. I think you're missing the point of the comment too, was trying to focus on positive benfits that could be gained, not negative aspects of reserves teams.
Pitchy
oh my...I guess the fac tthat Walker has a contract and Abbott doesn't. You will find that Abbott will have to move to QLD befre they will consider him
from VIC Premier league in 2009, for one that they were being beaten easily by the other teams but the main reason was that they believed that AIS was for development of younger players and was necessary for them to compete agianst youth teams A-League youth comp!
In regards to Dean May he would be the best one to educate and teach Club coaches that want to learn, or dont educate them on National Curriculum and just have your NTC, state and southern teams and FFT can run comps with them. and Clubs will start thier own Curriclum and Competition and lets see where FFT,state, NTC get their players from then!
spoken like someone who has never been involved at rep level
Some people truly have no idea. If you actually followed the league you would have a clue you duck eggs!
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