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The Sun is rising for Mitch By Nick Creely Whether it's 2000 kilometres away in the midst of training at Metricon Stadium. or bursting through the stoppages at Shepley Oval, Mitch Riordan is in his element at the elite level. The new Gold Coast Sun has done it the hard way, with injuries - and self-doubt - cruelling his draft year in 2018, but he didn't give up. A Beaconsfield boy and Dandenong Stingray product, Riordan's dream came to fruition in the AFL's 2019 Mid-Season Draft, held on 27 May after Round 10 of the AFL season, with the midfielder's name called out by the Suns, a moment he will savour forever. His journey is now beginning, and while he wants to make his mark at the highest level, understands he has a long-road ahead of him as he looks to acclimatise himself to his new surroundings. "Every day is kind of getting better, I'm starting to settle in and get familiar with how everything works - the last week was kind of tough, everything was going so fast and it was hard to stop and just settle down, but it's been really good," he said. "The thing up here is to just ask questions, so I've been really open with everyone, and that's made it a lot easier - I've been able to communicate and when I have questions, they're really accommodating with the answers. "That's been the biggest thing - I've been able to get out of my comfort zone a little bit, but you have to show a little bit and ask questions, and they'll help you out with the rest." Riordan said that the draft night was a bit of a "blur", with the excitement reverberating in his family, and admitted he had absolutely no idea where, or if he'd end up anywhere. "I didn't know anything until the night, so it made it a bit worse - you never know, but I did get some interest, however you never really know," he said. "Everyone from the family couldn't control their emotions, it was a good time - Dad was really proud, and apparently wore his Gold Coast hat to training, and they all knew it was a goal of mine, so it was really cool." Another fond of memory of Riordan's was a call from Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew shortly after officially joining the club, with the youngster saying he has made an instant impact on him since moving north.
Former Dandenong Stingray, Mitch Riordan recently began his journey in the AFL with the Gold Coast Suns. Picture: COURTESY OF THE GOLD COAST SUNS "He called me draft night and I was a bit all over the joint," he said. "He's so supportive, and really positive about what we do well, and he mostly focuses on the positives, and as long as the effort is there, he's really happy. "He's been a positive role-model for everyone at the club - all of it's been really positive
so far." It was only a matter of weeks ago that Riordan lined up for the Stingrays as a top-ager after being a strong contributor in their 2018 TAC Cup premiership. But, life has changed in an instant; he's now a fully-fledged AFL player who has found another footballing family. "When I first came I didn't kind of believe it
all, but the first thing that stuck out to me was having my name on a locker, all this free gear and the training, and everyone is just really nice and accommodating, and asking all these questions," he said. "Everything changes, the routine you have back home with under-18 football is nothing like up here. "It's great that everyone cares, it's like you're being brought into the family - it's been an awesome experience so far." While his serious hamstring injury last year put a dent in his draft hopes - and a dream he's had his whole footballing life - Riordan was able to get past his self-doubt, one that made him question whether he wanted to keep pushing, with the help of those closest around him. "I have to owe that to those around me, my family, coaches, and stuff like that," he said. "Last year was really tough with the injury, and there were times where I thought whether it was for me, and they were all just really supportive. "I think having a proper break from footy and just re-setting really helped me, and it helped me attack 2019. "My family's been massive for me, and it's made it a lot easier in rehab knowing I'm not alone - they've been paramount for me." Riordan also owes a lot to two clubs that have helped him to succeed, the Dandenong Stingrays and the Beaconsfield Football Club, who have played an integral part in shaping him as not only a footballer, but a human being. "I've been there for a while (at the Stingrays), and they just set up to succeed," he said. "It's a really, really good program and Flano (Darren Flanigan) coming in this year and as a 19-year-old made it a lot easier, and Coxy (Nick Cox) has also been massive for me with his honesty, and the whole group, it's a special place, and I'll certainly miss it. "And as a junior (at Beaconsfield), you play with your mates, and footy became really competitive around 14, 15 and I have made mates for life in junior footy. "There's a tight-knit group of boys that I still hang out with (at Beaconsfield), and to share those memories with them is what you play for."
A classic win for Dandenong on the national stage By Hayley Wildes The National Junior Classic is one of the most prestigious and hard-fought junior basketball tournaments in the nation. Over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, the very best junior teams from across Australia descended on Dandenong Basketball Stadium and the State Basketball Centre for their shot at the glory. The under-16 girls from Dandenong headed into the tournament with a clear goal in mind; being crowned champions, and after a gruelling three-day run they completed their goal in resounding fashion. Just playing six games in three days is brutally tough, so to perform as well as they did - going through the tournament undefeated - truly proved the team’s standing among the best in the country. It wasn’t always easy. In its second game, a clutch Nyadiew Puoch bucket with just seconds remaining saw Dandenong claim a twopoint win, 53-51, over the Sydney Comets in thrilling fashion. As coach Lloyd Klaman explained, that game served as a reminder to the team that every game must be played on its merits. “We had a tough game against Sydney where we just struggled - I thought we came out a little bit over-confident,” Klaman said. “That was kind of a wake-up call for us and after that we played a lot better.” And speaking on that game-winning bucket, Klaman had nothing but praise for Puoch. “We called a time-out, took the ball on the sideline with six seconds to go and Nyadiew dandenong.starcommunity.com.au
got the ball, made a move - and actually got fouled on the shot as well - but made the bucket with three seconds remaining to seal the game for us,” he said. “Nyadiew was outstanding and she’s been outstanding all year - she’s tall, athletic and a really good kid who’s going to go far. “Dallas Loughridge, who won the tournament MVP, was another one - she’s often the smallest player on the court. “She’s the point guard, but she can score, defend and she’s probably the toughest kid on the floor; she’s really hard-nosed.” Being hard-nosed and having a desire to defend and compete are qualities that Klaman loves to see from his team and it was these qualities that ultimately led this Rangers squad to great things. “They play hard for each other and they’re a really tight-knit group, but defensively we’re just really tough,” he said. “The big thing is that we just want to play hard for each other, enjoy each other’s success and defend. “We know we’re not going to be able to shoot well every night, but we know we can defend well every night.” The grand final against Nunawading was proof that Dandenong’s defence is its real strength. Holding that Spectres to just 42 points saw the Rangers come away with a strong 13-point win as centre Myah Healey top-scored with 15 points. Having added a National Junior Classic title to their list of achievements, which also
The Dandenong Rangers under-16 girls were crowned National Junior Classic champions. Picture: COURTESY OF BASKETBALL VICTORIA includes an Eltham Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament title, the under-16 girls from Dandenong have another massive accomplishment on their mind; Champions of the Victorian Championship (VC) division of the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL). “When we sat down at the start of the season we had three real goals; we wanted to win the Eltham tournament, which is basically the biggest tournament in the southern hemisphere with 100 teams in our age group, we wanted to win the National Junior Classic and
we wanted to win the VC of the VJBL,” he said. “We’ve ticked two of those boxes and we’ve got one more to go, but that’s going to be hard; everyone is gunning for us. “We get everybody’s best game each week, which I think is good for the kids - they get that challenge every Friday night.” This talented Dandenong squad has handled every challenge that has come their way so far and you can be sure they’ll give it their all in their quest for the trifecta. Monday, 17 June, 2019
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