2014 VAFA & Breeze Tour Programme

O F F I C I A L P R O G R A M M E F R I D AY 3 T O M O N D AY 6 , O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

CHALLENGE CUP U18 VAFA v U18 NZ Hawks

AFL INTERNATIONAL YOUTH GIRLS CUP

Australian Breeze v U18 NZ Kahus

AFL New Zealand

VAFA

As the great game of AFL develops within New Zealand, it is visits from touring teams that provide us a measure of how far the sport has come in recent years.

The Victorian Amateur Football Association is an AFL institution.

The story of VAFA began in 1892, and predates the Victorian Football League.

This weekend we will once again see the Victorian Amateur Football Association visit our shores, in what will be their 6th consecutive year. The links between our organisations have never been stronger. Many New Zealanders currently play in VAFA teams, and the Senior New Zealand Hawks recently played Ormond AFC as preparation for their International Cup campaign.

For the U18 New Zealand Hawks, the VAFA series is the most important date on the calendar. Our boys will be striving to be the first New Zealand team to defeat VAFA, and with the constant improvements in the AFL New Zealand High Performance Programme, they have every chance.

The U18 New Zealand Kahus will have the honour of playing their counterparts from Australia in a full International Series.

The last 12 months have been an exciting time for female AFL participants in New Zealand. More female students than ever are involved than ever at Primary and Secondary schools, and in 2014 AFL New Zealand awarded the first ever Female Player of the Year Award.

These exciting developments are mirrored in Australia, with players from last year’s series against the New Zealand Kahus starring in the inaugural female draft and match between the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs. As the code develops on both sides of the Tasman, we look forward to International matches being an integral and prestigious aspect of female AFL. AFL has never been stronger in New Zealand than it is now.

With tens of thousands of people participating every year, and hundreds of thousands watching AFL on Sommet Sports, the game is more visible than it has ever been.

To everyone who has made the trip to Aotearoa, we welcome you, and warmly invite you to enjoy what is sure to be a great weekend of football.

Robert Vanstam CEO AFLNZ

VAFA is the largest amateur league in Australia, featuring seven senior divisions. The Association covers Metropolitan Melbourne, and has a long and proud history of representative football, commencing in 1925.

VAFA now involves vast numbers of Melburnians participating in leagues, with 250 teams from 74 clubs playing. More than 12,000 players lace up their boots in VAFA matches every year.

Since 2009, VAFA have been selecting an Under 18 representative team to travel to New Zealand and take on the New Zealand Hawks. Many of the players who have been part of those selections are still involved in football, and some have even gone on to play at high levels of the sport.

Over the years, representative teams have also competed against VFL, VCFL and VFA selections.

The VAFA see this tour as a chance to showcase the opportunities available through participating in VAFA clubs, and also to reward some of the key players in the U18 leagues.

On behalf of the VAFA, we wish to thank AFL New Zealand for their hospitality, and we look forward to an exciting weekend of football.

Brian Goodman VAFA General Manager of Football and Umpiring

Breeze The Australian 16s Youth Girls team, Breeze, is excited about taking on the New Zealand Kahus in the second Trans Tasman female challenge.

The trip is an ambassadorial one and aims to: • Provide a leadership opportunity for the players and coaching staff of the Australian team; • Provide a challenge for the NZ Kahus to test their brand of AFL and • Continue to build on the strong partnership between NZ and the AFL

The players were selected by their peers and coaching staff during the 2014 AFL Academy and by State Game Development staff based on how they performed in club and state programs. Selection criteria included leadership qualities, what the players had given back to the game and interpersonal skills as well as AFL knowledge and skills. It is an incredible opportunity for the players and the outstanding coaching staff leading the tour to really challenge their leadership skills and impart their knowledge to help the NZ participants who are still in their AFL infancy.

The team includes three girls selected in the All Australian team from the 2014 National Youth Girls: Lily Mithen, Sarah Allan and Shae Gundlach. Most of the players are in their 16th year.

Head Coach Alicia Eva (Victoria) steps up from her 2013 tour role of Assistant Coach. Cooper is delighted that Eva can take up the opportunity saying, “progressing the coaching skills of Alicia Eva is an important step in her coaching career as her previous roles have been that of assistant coach. Eva will be joined by Northern Territory’s Natasha Bennett who works in a remote community but who displays excellent people and AFL coaching skills. Together they make a formidable combination to hugely benefit both the Australian and New Zealand players.”

The tour also provides professional development for state based Game Development staff who are leading the tour. Chyloe Kurdas (AFL Victoria) is again the Tour Director. She will be joined by Libby Sadler (AFLNSW/ACT) who has previously been manager of the AFL’s Academy where the Breeze were selected from. Emma Gibson (SANFL) joins the tour as Head Trainer whilst assistant coach, Natasha Bennett (AFLNT) was released from her teaching duties on Tiwi Island off the back of back to back Kickstart premierships.

Jan Cooper AFL Female Development Manager

Australian Breeze Youth Girls TEAM LIST NO.

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

CLUB, STATE

1

Jessica

Stramandinoli

Ainslie, ACT

3

Jade

Ransfield

Calamvale FC, Q

4

Emma

Lynch

Ballarat, V

5

Hannah

Davidson

Rockhampton Panthers, Q

6

Lily

Mithen

Newtown Chilwell, V

7

Sarah

Allan

Mt Gambier, SA

8

Shae

Gundlach

Salisbury, SA

9

Rachel

Ortlepp

Coastal Titans, WA

12

Claire

Ortlepp

Coastal Titans, WA

13

Katherine

Smith

Whitehorse, V

18

Courtney

Musico

South Morang, V

21

Erin

O’Brien

Claremont Youth Girls, WA

STAFF

NOTES

Tour Director

Chyloe Kurdas

Head Coach

Alicia Eva

Team Manager

Libby Sadler

Assistant Coach

Natasha Bennett

Trainer

Emma Gibson

Under 18 New Zealand Kahus TEAM LIST NO.

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

SCHOOL

NOTES

1

Rosie

Schuster

Aorere College

2

Tegan

Cooper

Whangarei Girls High School

3

Dayna

Harris

Kaitaia College

4

Tayla

Cross

Albany Senior High School

5

Krystal

Williams

Western Springs College

6

Aleisha

Taylor

Takapuna Grammar

7

Hope

Schuster

Aorere College

10

LoReta

Kaitai-Fraser

Auckland Girls Grammar

11

Setareh

Brown

Whangarei Girls High School

12

Kiana

Lang

Albany Junior High School

13

Maria

Aleni

Aorere College

14

Kayla

Paniora

Western Springs College

15

Marie

Aleni

Aorere College

16

Olivia

Atkins

Rutherford College

17

Jessie

Parr

Whangarei Girls High School

STAFF Head Coach

Lisa Roper

Team Manager

Mareta Kaitai-Fraser

Assistant Coach

Mike Gregson

Physio

Felicity Stevens

Assistant Coach

Jamie Hunt

Physio

Livvy Duggan

VAFA Under 18 TEAM LIST NO.

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

CLUB

1

Ezubalew

Ramsay

UHS-VU

2

Francis

Palleschi

Mazenod

3

Giovanni (Johnny) Ross

Old Melburnians

4

Brodie

Meadows

Williamstown CYMS

5

Brandon

Droessler

Kew

6

Patrick

O’Brien

Westbourne Grammarians

7

Stephen

Forster

Mazenod

8

Matt

Sier

Mazenod

9

Ryan

Malt

Whitefriars

10

John

Cayhan

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers

11

Ben

Dickson

Beaumaris

12

Corey

Peele

Parkdale Vultures

13

Brenden

Miller

Westbourne Grammarians

14

Craig

Sterling

Parkdale Vultures

15

Daniel

Wiles

Mazenod

16

Billy

Shute

Kew

17

Jack

Toouli

Hampton Rovers

18

John

Humphrey

Therry Penola

19

Michael

Caven

St Bernards

20

Jordan

Tabakman

Ormond

25

Zach

O'Halloran

St Bernards

26

Will

Considine

St Bernards

27

Callum

Cusack

Beaumaris

STAFF

NOTES

Assistant Coach / Runner

David Kinsella

Tour Manager

Brian Goodman

Umpire

Anthony Edmonds

Team Manager

Sam Confait

Physio

Mark Tomlinson

Head Coach

Owen Lalor

Trainer

Kylie Da Fonte

Assistant Coach

David Gately

Timekeeper

John Robinson

New Zealand Hawks Under 18 TEAM LIST NO.

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

1

Christian

Blackie

Otago Boys High School

2

Nathan

Lenihan

St Patrick's College, Silverstream

3

Mitchell

Te Whata

Waitakere College

4

Hamish

Lucas

Bream Bay College

5

Te Kopa

Tipene-Thomas

Bay of Islands College

6

Jonty

Hall

Burnside High School

7

Joshua

Copeland

Westlake Boys High School

8

Kalib

Lewis

Aorere College

9

Rawiri

Milne

Western Springs College

10

Gray

Samuels

Green Bay High School

11

Masiu

Vainikolo

Western Heights High School

12

Francis

Pedersen

St Patrick's College, Silverstream

13

Connor

Cooper

Bream Bay College

14

Heta

Scarf-Matthews

Otago Boys High School

15

Carlos

Donnell-Brown

Green Bay High School

16

Waylon

Baker

Porirua College

17

Kieran

Brunel

Paraparaumu College

18

Te Rei

Clark

Whanagarei Boys High School

19

Siope

Ngata

Aorere College

20

James

Little

Takapuna Grammar

22

Taylor

Alaelua

Green Bay High School

23

Giovanni

Mountain-Silbery Aorere College

24

Eugene

Hanna

STAFF

NOTES

Green Bay High School

Team Manager

Joey Te Whata

Coach

Chris Mundell

Physio

Zak Nichols

Assistant Coach

Shannon Wall

Runner

Shane Leat

Assistant Coach

Warwick Kain

Itinerary Friday 3rd October//Grandstand Room, Trusts Arena, Waitakere 6.00pm

Welcome Function

Saturday 4th October//Parrs Park, Oratia, Auckland 12.00pm New Zealand Kahus U-18 vs Australian Breeze Youth Girls GAME 1

Q1

Q2

Q3

FULLTIME

BREEZE KAHUS

2.00pm GAME 1

New Zealand Hawks U-18 vs VAFA U-18 Q1

Q2

Q3

FULLTIME

VAFA HAWKS

Monday 6th October//Parrs Park, Oratia, Auckland 11.00am New Zealand Hawks U-18 vs VAFA U-18 GAME 2

Q1

Q2

Q3

FULLTIME

VAFA HAWKS

1.00pm GAME 2

BREEZE KAHUS

Notes

New Zealand Kahus U-18 vs Australian Breeze Youth Girls Q1

Q2

Q3

FULLTIME