Contents:

2

2014 Vale: Louise Hewlett and Jason Richardson

2014 started with a very sad farewell to Louise, the much loved, almost 5 year old daughter of Owen and Renee, and sister to the potential front row of Zachary, Oliver and Lance. Dad Owen and son Zac are club players, and prior to the arrival of the children Owen and Renee were Coach and Manager to Junior squads at ERUFC.

Louise and the family received greatly valued care and support from a small Melbourne based charity called “Very Special Kids” who specialise in the care of families with terminally ill children. The ERUFC Management Committee decided to adopt “Very Special Kids” as a Club Charity for Season 2014 and, motivated by this, will continue on an annual basis to support a charity that has resonance within the Club’s membership.

Rest in Peace Louise.

Jason Richardson, a former ERUFC member and Under 12 Coach, died in June 2014. He was a

prominent part of the Australian rugby landscape, including playing and coaching roles in the Australian Army and various community clubs. He made a difference to a number of young players in our small rugby community and was a strong, but respected coach. Jason suffered a heart attack and despite intensive care and treatment passed away with his family around him in hospital. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, especially his son Jamus, daughter Lucy and partner Maria.

Jason’s life and contributions to Eltham rugby club were celebrated with a minute of silence before each Eltham fixture at home on the 31 May.

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2014 Charity

Sponsorship Season 2014:

Sponsor (organised by Chris Yeats) Player Allocation

Experior Amir Samuels

Experior Sam Vettorelli

Trees R Us Riley Bain

Trees R Us Colm O'Mahony

Sheren Electrical Rick Murphy

Lachlan Yeats Joshua Guy

Heath Yeats Aaron Hall

Dovagate Nick Steel

Dovagate Alex Steel

The Shed Company Tony Keach

Knox City Sportsco Oliver Reid

Zen Fitness Personnel Training Marika Navuni

Adams Family Norton Fenton

Southwood Family Michael Wehipeihana

David Griffiths IT Services Isaac Haimona

Brent Hansen Dan Hall

Brent Hansen James Hansen

RFW Classic Cars Joshua Abrahams

David Griffiths I T Services Brad Graf

Vicki Ward (ALP Candidate for Eltham) Sam Judd

Manester Family Joshua Paver

RH Consulting (The Hurdle Family) Mark Southwood

Grafcon Christian Stander

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Lloyd Thomas TEL: 0417502710

Painting and Decorating Pty Ltd

Rats-Head Aluminium, Preston

DOVAGATE PTY LTD

SECRETARY Roz Manester

* Life Member R Resigned

SENIOR COORDINATOR Oliver Reid

PRESIDENT Tim Adams

TREASURER Annette Lambert, Alan Steel*

JUNIOR CO-ORDINATOR David Taylor

UNDER 6s TEAM Manager & First Aid.: Deanna Lavanty Coaching: Andrew Gilbert, Russell Hurdle

UNDER 10s TEAM Manager and First Aid Shelly Lidgerwood Coaching: David Watkins, Chris Yeats, Rhys Griffiths Aaron Ballenger Match Official: David Taylor

UNDER 12s TEAM Manager First Aid: Rose Herring Coaching: William Taurina, Michael Hopkins, Scott Levi, Shane Slater. Match Officials: David Taylor and Kevin Mercer

CLEANING : Kazza’s Cleaning Services Alys Kamalabaskaran

MATCH OFFICIALS Tim Adams, Bill Cooper, Lachlan Farquharson, Tom Gould, David Griffiths, Rhys Griffiths, Lance Hudson, Joshua Hudson, Sean Richards Bully Shaw, Habib Sorial, David Taylor and Junior Team Coaches

THURS CATERING Mark Adams, Roger and Bronwyn Iacobucci, Adrian Reid, John Thompson* Ange Southwood and others.

NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS: Tim Adams, Andrew Brown, David Evans*, Andrew Gilbert, Mark Fitzgibbon, Roger Iacobucci, Shelly Lidgerwood, Roz Manester, Adrian Richards, Andrew Shaw, Ange, Mark and Mal Southwood, Chris Yeats.

Sunday Touch:

Phillip Wallis R

XMAS TREES: Alan Steel*, Thompson Family, Aaron Hall and numerous valued volunteers

The Volunteers:

UNDER 8s TEAM Managers: Adam & Sharon Buckland Coaching: Neil Southwell, Thomas Navanua (Coach/Ref) First aid: Bronwyn Hudson Photos: Bruce Agnew

COMMUNICATIONS Adrian Richards David Griffiths

MEMBERSHIP Adrian Richards Angela Southwood Alan Steel* David Taylor

VICE PRESIDENT Nick Newell

FACILITY MANAGERS

Leigh Thompson R Tim Adams Rose Herring Mark Adams Sean Adams

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY Andrew (Bully) Shaw

1st XV TEAM Manager: Grant Draper Coaching: Tom Navanua, Bully Shaw First Aid: Mark Graf

UNDER 14s TEAM Manager: Cara Francis, Roz Manester Coaching: Nicholas Steel, Robert Vanags, Oliver Reid, Rian Olivier First Aid: Helena Sorial, Wendy Vanags

2nd XV TEAM Managers: Tim Adams & Bill Cooper* Coaching: Rob Ward, Tom Navanua, Bully Shaw

UNDER 16s TEAM

Coaching: Lance Hudson

Manager/ Asst. Coach:

Adrian Richards (AR)

Asst. Manager: Meredith Wykes

First Aid: Alex Carter, Bronwyn Hudson, AR

Match Officials: Tom Gould Lachlan Farquharson, Habib Sorial Photos: AR & Phil Wykes

SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING

Roger Iacobucci, Nick Newell, Chris Yeats

GENERAL COMMITTEE Riley Bain David Griffiths Aaron Hall Daniel Hall Rose Herring Tony Keach Shelley Lidgerwood Peter Maddalena Oliver Reid Adrian Richards Catherine Saunders Alex Steel Chris Yeats

SENIORS ‘ FIRST AID SERVICES

Bill Cooper *, Mark Graf, Adrian Richards, Andrew Shaw, John Thompson*, Back in Motion

FIELD MARKING AND SENIOR MATCH DAY FIELD SET –UP Rob Maddalena*, Leigh Thompson, David Taylor and other valued volunteers

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SECRETARY Roz Manester

* Life Member

SENIOR COORDINATOR Oliver Reid

VICE PRESIDENT Nick Newell

FACILITY MANAGERS

Leigh Thompson R Tim Adams Rose Herring Mark Adams Sean Adams

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY Andrew (Bully) Shaw

1st XV TEAM Manager: Grant Draper Coaching: Tom Navanua, Bully Shaw First Aid: Mark Graf

2nd XV TEAM Managers: Tim Adams & Bill Cooper* Coaching: Rob Ward, Tom Navanua, Bully Shaw

SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING

Roger Iacobucci, Nick Newell, Chris Yeats

GENERAL COMMITTEE Riley Bain David Griffiths Aaron Hall Daniel Hall Rose Herring Tony Keach Shelley Lidgerwood Peter Maddalena Oliver Reid Adrian Richards Catherine Saunders Alex Steel

SENIORS ‘ FIRST AID SERVICES

Bill Cooper *, Mark Graf, Adrian Richards, Andrew Shaw, John Thompson*, Back in Motion

BBQ: Rose Herring, Roger Iacobucci, Annette Lambert, Shelley Lidgerwood, Roz Manester, Adeja & Jayda Puroku, Katie Richards and many other valued volunteers

MERCHANDISE: Alex & Alan Steel* Roz Manester, Mark Adams, Adrian Richards & others

The Management Committee:

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Management Committee Attendance at Meetings

Meeting date 19-Nov

-13

12-Dec-1

3

23-Ja

n-14

10-Fe

b-14

17-Fe

b-14

07-Apr

-14

05-M

ay-1

4

02-Ju

n-14

21-Ju

l-14

25-Aug

-14

22-Se

p-14

26-Oct

-14

Tim Adams

Riley Bain

David Griffiths

Aaron Hall

Dan Hall

Rose Herring

Tony Keach

Annette Lambert

Shelley Lidgerwood

Peter Maddalena

Roz Manester

Nick Newell

Oliver Reid

Adrian Richards

Cat Saunders

Andrew Shaw

Alex Steel

David Taylor

Leigh Thompson

Chris Yeats

2014 ERUFC Management Committee

2014 ERUFC Officers President Adams Tim Vice Pres Newell Nicholas

Treasurer Lambert Annette

Secretary Manester Roz Director of Facilities Thompson Leigh Director of Rugby Shaw Andrew Junior Player Rep Taylor David General Committee

Bain Riley

David Griffiths

Hall Aaron Hall Daniel Herring Rose Keach Tony

Lidgerwood Shelley

Maddalena Peter

Senior Coordinator Reid Oliver Richards Adrian Saunders Catherine

Steel Alexander

Yeats Chris

Present

Matopos Cup Gala Day Victory— a pre-season gala against neighbours Maroondah

Inaugural Colin Campbell Cup Victory — a pre-season win for the seniors against Melbourne University

Club Pathway Membership: on an improving trend, and thanks to Andrew Gilbert and Deanna Lavanty, our first season with a team specifically for Under 6s.

On field success: the Under 12, Under 16 and both the A Grade and B Grade Senior Teams

progressed to the preliminary stage of the “Finals Competition.

The A Grade Senior team not only won their Competition Ladder and Grand Final but also notched up 17 victories, 0 draws, 0 losses through Season 2014.

The Under 16s were also Minor Premiers of their Division, long before the end of the junior season.

External Awards: an exceptional year for acknowledgement of individual members (see External Awards on page 8), and the accolade of “Best Junior Club” in Victoria.

Cowper Shield Status as 11th best club in Victoria (NB there are 9 Premiership Clubs). Maintained status 2013.

Improved communication via Club Team App., Facebook, and the new Pitchero Web Site is a huge achievement orchestrated by our long serving committee member, Web Master and Under 16 Team Manager, Adrian Richards.

Creation of an “Annual Club Charity Appeal” of relevance to club members. In 2014 the club raised $905 for Very Special Kids.

Ladies Day Function - our biggest and best event ever thanks to Rose and her fantastic team of assistants.

Summary of Achievements 2014:

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Life Members - the contribution of our oldest and most loyal members was acknowledged with a match day function organised by Oliver Reid on the 10 May.

Senior Presentation Evening - thanks to Oliver Reid, Rose Herring and others, an inclusive function for players, team volunteers, sponsors supporters and their partners was held on the 23 August at Greensborough RSL.

Volunteering By Senior Players: a record number (7) joined the Management Committee for Season 2014 and made a significant contribution to off-field activities; particular credit in this regard to Senior Coordinator Oliver Reid. Olly also initiated a number of local radio broadcasts to publicise Eltham games.

Pathway Fun Day and Junior Presentations held on 13 September; a huge collaborative effort by our volunteers blessed by good weather.

Record Merchandise Sales - for the 2nd year in succession thanks to the procurement skills of Committee Member and loyal club player Alex Steel .

Highest Ever Christmas Tree Sales organised by , Dovagate (Pty) Ltd and their business associates. Generously supported by a large contingent of volunteer sales staff and delivery crews.

Membership Fee Debt Recovery: Alan Steel, Life Member, and Club Accountant, with dogged persistence recovered all outstanding fees from Season 2013 and 2014!

Water Bill: almost $7000 recovered again by Alan Steel who generously gave his time to unravel a lengthy history of wrongly estimated water bills from Yarra Valley Water.

Capital Projects: Equipment for a Members’ Gym (acquired in 2014), and seating for an improved Spectators’ Terrace are in storage. Plans for these items and other projects are well advanced, and a members’ survey was created and distributed by Adrian Richards to ascertain project preferences amongst members.

Capital Reserves: are at a historical record, pending spending on projects as approved by club membership.

Volunteering: an exceptional number of participants on the Management Committee, resulted in improved coordination of match day and social events, and interestingly Social Membership peaked in 2014

Summary of Achievements 2014, Cont.:

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$-

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

ERUFC Cash Reserves 2005 to 2014

Cash on Deposit

Melbourne Rebels Community Rugby Awards 2014

Premiers 2nd Division A Grade

Minor Premiers 2nd Division A Grade

Minor Premiers Under Sixteen B Grade

Best Junior Club 2014

Coach of the Year: Thomas Navanua

Player of the Year, 2nd Div. B Grade: William Taurima

Leading Point Scorer 2nd Div. A Grade: Rick Murphy

Best Player in the 2nd Div. A Grade Final: Tony Keach

Players’ Player in the Masters Competition: Ian Barker

Pathway “Rising Star” Award : Jack Castles

Representative Rugby - Melbourne Rebels

Under 12 Team : Riki Kusaka

Under 17/18 Sevens Elliot Turner Tui Volau

Melbourne Rebels Junior Gold Program Andre Jones Elliot Turner

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Roger Iacobucci

External Awards 2014:

Best Junior Club 2014

Premiers 2nd Division A Grade

Coach of the Year, Tom Navanua

Best Player, Tony Keach Lead point scorer Rick Murphy

10 8

Roger Iacobucci

Internal Awards 2014:

Jim Speight Memorial Award 2014: Alan Steel and Rose Herring Presented by Club President Tim Adams for greatest contribution to Eltham Rugby Union Football Club in 2014

Seniors A Grade Presented by Team Coach Tom Navanua Best Back Rick Murphy Best Forward Sam Vettorelli Coaches Award Dan Hall Most Determined Aaron Hall Most Improved Sam Judd Players’ Player Sam Vettorelli

Presented by Club President Tim Adams Most Promising John Browne Shield Joshua Paver MVP Haimona Shield Tony Keach 10 Year Loyalty Awards Brad Graf Rob Vanags

Seniors B Grade Presented by Team Coach Rob Ward Best Forward Joshua Davis Best Back Aaron Ward Coaches Award Dave Moore Most Determined Conor Zyskowski Most Improved Chris Burke

Under 18/Senior B Grade

5 Year Loyalty Award Daniel Michau

Under 16 Team Best Back Tui Volau Best Forward Phoenix Simmonds Coach’s Player of The Season Sean Richards Most Improved De Villiers Duvenage

Most Determined Genesis Gardiner Players’ Best and Fairest Mayson Hoverd

10 Year Loyalty Award William Carter Sean Richards 5 Year Loyalty Award Genesis Gardiner Joshua Hudson Phoenix Simmonds

Under 14 Team Best Back Cooper Newell Best Forward Jason Shaw Coach’s Player of The Season Andrew Bullock Most Improved William Holmes & Matthew Manester Players’ Best and Fairest Timothy Stent 5 Year Loyalty Award Andre Jones (2011) Matthew Bullock

Samuel Easthope

Under 12 Team Best Back Shaylin MacDonald Best Forward Wilson Beck Coach’s Player of The Season Alex Taylor Most Improved Riley Lidgerwood Most Determined Jake Fitzgibbon Players’ Best and Fairest Riki Kusaka

5 Year Loyalty Awards Finn Jones (2011) Ariel Strickland

Under 10 Team Coach’s Player of The Season Connor Lidgerwood Most Improved Thomas Creber Most Determined Orlando Simmonds Parents’ Award Archer Simmonds Players’ Award Darcy Aiken Players’ Best and Fairest Macauley Cox

5 Year Loyalty Awards Josh Manester Riordan Watkins Heath Yeats Lachlan Yeats

Under 8 Team Coach’s Player of The Season Rameka Waiomio Most Determined Jadon Pretorius Most Improved Ezekiel Navuni Parents’ Award Cameron Weightman Players’ Best and Fairest Elijah Navanua Team Player Award Jack Castles

Under 6 Team No individual awards but like all participants Under 6 to 12, each Under 6 player received a Season 2014 Medallion.

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Winning the Matopos Cup

The President Report, Tim Adams

The old-timers at the club will tell you it has been done before – a Senior side going through the season undefeated – but no-one is quite sure when it happened. What we do know is that on Saturday, August 16th, at Spark’s Reserve, Box Hill, before a large, predominantly Eltham crowd, our Senior A side defeated Kiwi-Hawthorn to take out the Second Division A Grand Final,

maintaining an unbeaten run of 17 matches for the season. An outstanding achievement, capped afterwards by the awarding of the Rebels Community Rugby Coach of the Year to Tom Navanua, our Senior A coach. In addition, Will Taurima was voted Second Division B Grade Player of the Year. Our U16 side capped a successful regular season with a dramatic charge at the Grand Final, falling several points short of victory. In October, in an

event held at AAMI Park, Eltham RUFC was awarded the Rebels Community Rugby Junior Club of the Year. In highlighting these and other achievements for 2014, the club as a whole should feel a shared sense of pride in what has been achieved during this season.

Season Highlights Senior Club For the last three years Eltham has turned out two Senior sides in the Second Division competition, one each in the A and B grades, no mean feat for a club of our size. Senior A coach Tom was joined by first-time coach Rob Ward, who took charge of the B side, with both coaches ably supported by our Director of Rugby, Bully Shaw. While I have touched on the remarkable season enjoyed by the A side,

another highlight of the season was the performance of the B side, who reached the Preliminary Final only to be defeated by Bendigo. As usual, the season combined home games with road trips of varying distance, although Albury did not feature on the fixture list this year. I believe the homeward leg on one bus trip in particular was the stage for a “coming-of-age” function for some of the younger players of the team in question – an event that, thankfully, was not recorded for The Wattle by either of our much-appreciated Senior team scribes, Andy Gilbert and Bully (there may, however, be Facebook evidence…).

While we did not have a stand-alone Masters team, Eltham “gentleman of a certain vintage” were able to play with a combined Masters team administered through the Maroondah Rugby club. I would like to thank Ian Barker for facilitating Eltham’s participation with this team, and congratulate him for being voted Rebels Community Rugby Masters Player of the Year.

Finally, I would like to thank Tom for what he has achieved at Eltham over the two years, from Pathway through to A grade. It is reflected in the character and commitment shown by the A side this year, and the style with which they played. On behalf of the club, I wish him all the best in his future rugby endeavours.

Junior Club This is the first season in five years that we did not field an Under 18 side, an indication of the challenge of keeping boys of that age group engaged with rugby, a problem we do not face alone. What was impressive was the fact that a number of our eligible Under 18 players while not being able to play for Eltham, showed their commitment to the club by undertaking the Green Shirt Referee program and officiating at games at Eltham. We did turn out six sides from Under 6 to 16, with two teams (Under 12 and 16) making the finals.

A’s secure Premiership and an undefeated season!

Rebels Community Rugby Junior Club of the Year.

Tom Navanua Rebels Community

Rugby Coach of the Year

Tim Adams

Rob Ward presenting The Best Forward Award to B team Captain

Joshua Davis

12

Winning the Matopos Cup

The President Report 2

After a lean 2013 for the Under 12 side, it was wonderful to see many of those same Under 12 players have the opportunity to play semi-finals football this year, a credit to their determination to stick with the game (and this club) and do better. Similarly, our Under 16 team was barely recognisable from last year’s side, winning the Minor Premiership and taking us on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey to the Grand Final, including a heart-stopping last minute, come-from-behind win against Melbourne in their semi-final that ranks as one of the most exciting games of Junior rugby I have seen.

Once again, we had a great turnout from players, parents and volunteers for our Junior Presentation Day, with standing-room only for the Under 14 and 16 Teams’ awards evening. One thing to standout was the award of 10 Five Year and three Ten Year Participation medals, a record number for any one season at the Eltham. In addition, Riki Kusaka was selected in the Rebels Rugby State U12 side for a tour to Adelaide. I would like to recognise the efforts of our new Junior Coordinator, Dave Taylor, who did a great job in his first year in this demanding role. From a club perspective, I am grateful for the efforts of everyone in the Pathway/Junior Club during the season, from players to coaches, managers, volunteers in any capacity, parents and

sponsors – it was your collective effort that resulted in Eltham receiving Junior Club of the Year.

Club and Social Events It has been both a successful and entertaining year on and off the field for the club in 2014. It was our turn to host the annual Matopos Shield pre-season competition with Maroondah Rugby Club, with Eltham triumphant for the third year in a row . We also played Melbourne University for the inaugural Colin Campbell Cup, named in memory of the late Director of Rugby for both clubs, with Eltham coming away victors. In May, our Senior Co-ordinator, Olly Reid, organised a match day function that acknowledged the contribution made to the club by our life members. Following the sad passing of the

young daughter on one of our Senior players, the club adopted “Very Special Kids” as our charity for the year, donating/raising $900 for a very worthy organisation. Once again, a big crowd, including guest sponsors, coaches and managers from the Juniors, turned up for the Senior Presentation Night held at Greensborough RSL. Such has been the success of this evening that there is already talk of getting a larger venue (and more

entertainment beyond Pete M. and Wayne J.’s playlists) for next year. My thanks to the small army of ticket sellers, debt collectors and decorators for ensuring a

Eltham 16s Photos Harlequins 10 vs. 13 Eltham 2 Aug 2014

Rebels Rugby State Under 12 Riki Kusaka

Presentation Night: A Grade Team Award Winners including Haimona MVP Shield Winner Tony Keach

Isaac H looking to the Hall brothers for support on Matopos Cup Day

Matopos Day saved by a 44-5 Under 16 win against Maroondah

13

Winning the Matopos Cup

The President Report 3

successful evening.

However, there is no doubt that the event of the year was Ladies Day. With Rose Herring and her fantastic team of helpers taking charge, the event was always going to be a success, especially after Rose had decided the ideal entertainment for the day would be a Mr. Eltham Competition, following which she managed to

recruit/coerce/threaten selected senior players into participating. Some 70 ladies turned up on the day, to be wined, dined (what a great crew of chefs from our own ranks- Roger, Mark and Pierre – brilliant job, guys) and “entertained “ by the contestants….actually, I am not sure that Tom Nixon, our English import, strutting his stuff in a lime green mankini can be called entertainment, more like visual assault! While Jimmy was the early favourite, it was the urbane Riley Baines who was crowned Mr. Eltham, an adornment he wore with pride well into the evening. A great day!

Finally, at just about any club event, including games and training, there is invariably food and drink made available, and a lot of preparation behind the scenes. I would like to thank in particular Kate, Adeja, Jayda, Mark and Sean, and Adrian Reid for a lot of hard work catering for club members during the season. And it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the two mysterious gentleman who each Friday afternoon, come rain, hail or shine, mark out our grounds for Saturday’s games…thanks Rob and Leigh.

Club Communication The best example of how pro-active this club has become with respect to communication occurred earlier this year, when Adrian Richards and I attended a Rebels Community Rugby seminar promoting a Club App for smart phones. The fact that on that same evening we were both able to showcase the Eltham RUFC Team App to various interested parties is a credit to Adrian, in his role as Communications Manager, who constantly explores opportunities to promote the club, be it through the new Pitchero website, the Team App or Facebook. This takes a tremendous amount of time,

but is critical for advancing the club’s profile. My thanks goes to Adrian for what he has achieved in this respect. Similarly, The Wattle remains an indispensable source of club and Rebels Community Rugby news, match reports, photographs and sponsor details. Thanks go to everyone who contributed, and particularly the newsletter’s editor, Angela Southwood, and occasional editors Adrian Richards and Mark Southwood, for the effort that goes in to producing each week’s contribution. I would also like to acknowledge Olly Reid, who amongst other things re-established a relationship with the local radio station, Plenty Valley FM, resulting in live player interviews late in the season as the semi-finals loomed.

Volunteers and the Committee Prior to last years’ AGM an e-mail was circulated that was basically a call for help, given the increasing demands of running the club and a static volunteer base. The response was quite overwhelming, with offers of help across the board, and many new Committee members, including seven Senior players. When you look across the club, it is remarkable to consider the number of volunteers that are required to effectively and successfully steer a relatively small club such as ours through a season. I would like to thank our new Secretary, Roz Manester, for taking up the challenge of, amongst many things, dealing with the volumes of e-mail traffic that the club receives. While some roles – coach, manager, first aid and so on – are more obvious, other contributions are not, such as the effort put into purchasing and preparing food, decorating the club and participating in working bees. I would like to thank everyone who contributed in whatever capacity to make 2014 such a successful season for the club. There is formal recognition for those volunteers who have been acknowledged by other club members for outstanding contributions to the club during the year – it was therefore a real pleasure to be able to recognise the efforts of both Rose Herring and Alan Steel on the Senior Presentation night as co-recipients of the Jim Speight Memorial Volunteer of the Year award.

‘Mr Eltham” 2014

Rob Maddalena

Jim Speight Memorial Award: “Greatest Contribution to ERUFC” 2014, Alan Steel and Rose Herring

Finance and Sponsors This has been probably one of the most successful years for the club with respect to fundraising. We received a tremendous kick-start late last year with record sales of Christmas trees, with special thanks to Aaron Hall for taking on the difficult role of co-ordinating the volunteer roster, and Dovagate for picking up and storing trees. We have on-going support from a very loyal group of existing sponsors, as well as support from new sponsors, all of which is gratefully acknowledged. Merchandise sales were strong (thanks, Alex, you certainly did deliver), and food and drink sales benefited from a number of successful events held through the year. I did, at our Senior Presentation night, describe Alan Steel as our own Mick Gatto. Not only did he, with the support of the Senior players’ leadership group and team management, manage to secure close to a complete payment of Senior player fees (a club record), Alan also managed to recover reimbursement to the club of close to $7,000 for a “phantom” water meter for which we had been billed for over a decade! I would particularly like to thank Annette Lambert, our Treasurer, and Alan for keeping on top of the club’s finances during the year, one of the most challenging volunteer roles in the club.

Facilities At this point in time we have two proposals in front of Council for consideration – the terracing project and, more recently, a proposal to build a gym at the back of our clubhouse. We have been extremely fortunate in receiving a donation of a substantial amount of gym equipment, currently being stored by one of our Committee members, Shelley Lidgerwood. Chris Yeats has again made a major contribution in planning the gym submission; at this stage, there are a number of administrative considerations that need to be addressed before we can progress to the next phase. With respect to our Bridge St. ground, we have met with Council and an independent expert commissioned by Council to assess sporting grounds in Nillumbik, including our own. Unfortunately, given the make-up of the ground, something close to clay in water-retaining capacity, a sum corresponding to the average home price in Eltham will be needed to completely rehabilitate the Bridge Street ground. This will not happen in the near future, that much is obvious. While there is one short-term option being considered, it is clear we are going to have to work closely with Council and other funding agencies in order to have a chance of obtaining the funds necessary for the future redevelopment of our ground.

Where to next? There is a saying that cautions to be careful what you wish for. The success of our Senior A side this season, and the sustained performance of our Senior sides generally over recent years, raises the question of where we do we go next? As the overall competition structure stands, there is no opportunity to progress the club beyond Second Division and into the Premier Division ranks. This makes us vulnerable, with players and coaches being enticed away from Eltham over a number of years now with the promise of Premier Division rugby. This is no reward for the effort being put in at club level to raise our playing standards and participation rates. We are not alone in thinking this. While there will be no change to the competition structure next year, it is hoped that the proposed Strategic Plan for Victoria Rugby, to take effect in 2017, will provide a fair and equitable solution to overcoming the “glass ceiling” we currently encounter.

In stating this it is critical to acknowledge that the future of our club lies with our Pathway and Junior team players. So many of our current Senior players have come through the Junior playing ranks. This year it was especially encouraging to see our first U6 side playing in Eltham colours, thanks to the efforts of Andy Gilbert and Deanna Lavanty. Nonetheless, a quite detailed demographic analysis undertaken by Adrian Richards of Nillumbik and surrounding Shires has highlighted the low population growth of Nillumbik compared to adjacent areas. This poses a real challenge for the club, not only to maintain player numbers but also to grow them in key age groups, especially U16-20. As we seek input into the development of a new Strategic Plan for the club (please, respond and return the club questionnaire), a key agenda item will be a strategy to raise the club’s profile in nearby non-rugby playing regions, particularly amongst (potential) school age players. Now, if only the Wallabies could win next year’s World Cup…. Tim Adams

The President Report 4

14

Joshua Paver. 2014 , John Browne Most Promising Award. Joshua was acknowledged as the “best” new senior player and has played

5 years of Junior Rugby for ERUFC

Winning the Matopos Cup

Club Communications Report, Adrian Richards

15

Communications Report

In late 2013 the club committee made a decision to make a determined effort to improve our communications both within and outside the club. The main reasons for this push was to improve our profile within the community to recruit members, attract sponsors and to generally improve our members’ knowledge of what is happening in and around the club.

In the past we have tried using local paper advertisements, letterbox drops and listings in other websites such as those of the Victorian Rugby Union (VRU), Nillumbik Shire Council and Steve Herbert MP to gain publicity. All of these only had minimal success and in the case of local paper advertising - no success for about $500 expenditure. As most of you may be aware, attempts to get articles in the local newspapers highlighting the club tend be very unsuccessful, although we did get one article in the Diamond Valley News highlighting one of our junior players being a flag bearer at the Wallabies v France Test earlier this year. Even this required a lot of pushing and supply of photos and a Media Release!

With Nillumbik having one of the highest rates of internet usage in Melbourne we aimed here in 2014.

Facebook The easy access and widespread use of Facebook make it very useful for a club like ours. Using Facebook we advertised Christmas Tree Sales, attracted new (and returning) players, increased our profile and provided exposure to sponsors. On top of this we also attracted a number of former players from the early days of the club and their families to get in touch with the club and re-establish connections.

Much of this was done through a variety of post and targeted adverts including about $300 in paid Facebook advertising which allowed us to aim our message at specific age groups, addresses and levels of interest in rugby. While not always successful, these campaigns saw our Facebook Page grow from 416 followers this time last year to 1062 today (150% increase). This is the largest following for any football club/code in this area and locally is only beaten by the very large Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club, which has over 1500 players, but only 50 or so more online followers than our club.

Mid-way through the year we grew to have the largest online following of any VRU club with the exception of the Chargers Team, and held this until only recently when Harlequins overtook us with a very strong media

campaign. We still have a greater Facebook presence than all other rugby clubs in Victoria. When you look at where our followers are located you can see the spread of our game and this club. This also has some bearing on our recruitment as we are frequently contacted by people moving to Australia looking for a club to play with, or looking for a club near where they are moving to. Some we know have ended up joining the club after finding us online.

ERUFC Facebook Followers Locations

Country Your Fans

Country Your Fans

Australia 904 Malaysia 1

South Africa 32 Italy 1

New Zealand 29 France 1

United

Kingdom 24 China 1

United States of America

13 Greece 1

Fiji 12 Germany 1

Argentina 5 Switzerland 1

Canada 3 Philippines 1

Morocco 3 Papua New Guinea

1

Pakistan 2 Paraguay 1

Sri Lanka 2 Taiwan 1

United Arab Emirates

2 Colombia 1

Russia 2 Serbia 1

Indonesia 2 Venezuela 1

Ireland 1 Finland 1

Oman 1 Brazil 1

Costa Rica 1 Algeria 1

Kenya 1 Hungary 1

Namibia 1 Mexico 1

Samoa 1 Tonga 1

Winning the Matopos Cup

Club Communications Report 2

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TeamApp 2014 also saw us begin using the TeamApp system as a platform for smartphones and tablet devices. Their prevalence and ease of use make these an important part of any communication strategy as sales of these devices now exceed computers in Australia. Any club that doesn’t jump onto this technology can be left behind by others. Happily we seem to be ahead of the game here and again the other major rugby club in Victoria using this platform well is Harlequins. Today we have 149 members on this system making us one of the larger rugby clubs using it.

While not every player or parent used this system, it is a fantastic tool for coaches and managers to communicate to players and parents alike. It also provides a handy point of information for our members especially on a Saturday morning when they are looking for a map to find a club or confirming a kick off time. We started using TeamApp with some caution at the start of the year, but now have to say it has been an overwhelming success putting control of team communications back in the hands of team managers. Functionality of this is growing every month and our use of it is now being copied by the Melbourne Rebels Junior Elite Programs and other clubs and teams.

Web Page This year we moved to a new web format, being a free hosting system from Pitchero. This site allowed us to upload video, photo and other items to the site, but it has not been without problems. Expect more changes again in 2015 as we will be trialling a new website offering from the ARU which may be better for us.

Other Social Media Some of you are aware that we have a number of followers on our Twitter feed and You Tube Channel. In our You Tube presence (search for “ElthamRugby”) you can view footage of some entire games and parts of others. Submissions for this are always welcome and in

the New Year we hope to be able to launch an online advert or two to spread the word about our club. On that note, photographs, articles and any other media items are always welcome for any of our mediums!

Conclusion I apologise if sometimes there seems to be too many posts, or formats for our messages. Sadly, however, this has been needed to attract all important traffic to our club to boost our profile. Our feeds and content have at various times been picked up and spread by Melbourne Rebels, other VRU clubs, Qld Rugby Clubs, Samsung Australia, Members of Parliament, newspapers, blogs and even other clubs in Eltham and surrounding areas resulting in literally thousands of people hearing about Eltham RUFC who may never have heard of us before. We are becoming very popular online and this in turn raises our profile with council, sponsors and the Melbourne Rebels all of which has other benefits to our club. Please help to spread this by inviting all of your friends, family and other rugby/sports lovers to follow us online in every format possible. The more followers we have the more we can use this to recruit potential players, supporters and sponsors.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank former Junior Coordinator David Griffiths and Mark Adams for helping to establish and maintain our online presence it as it is too big a task for any one person. Without this team effort we would not be moving forward anywhere near as quickly as we are now.

Adrian Richards

ERUFC FACEBOOK QUICK STATS

Average Weekly Engagement 444

Average Daily Total Reach 822

Average Weekly Total Reach 4093

Average Daily Total Impressions (views) 2043

Highest number of clicks on a post in one day (16/08/14)

7913

Senior Final Promotion on Facebook

17

Season 2014 had a very successful conclusion with 2 junior and both senior teams competing in finals. The club fielded 6 junior sides (Under 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 years), and 2 senior teams. Participation on and particularly off the field has improved markedly in 2014 and broadly the club is continuing to move in the right direction.

The first indication that 2014 was going to be a great season was the arrival of new talent in the playing ranks and coaching staff.

The “Pathway (under 6 , 8 and 10) Teams” demonstrated their potential with some great rugby on Saturday mornings. It is encouraging to see the raw ability of these youngsters and I strongly recommend that you find time to watch a pathway game on a Saturday morning. These guys are the future of our club, they play their games with passion and, more importantly, really enjoy their rugby every week.

What a season for our Under 12 Team with its two new coaches Willie and Mike. The team improved every week and by mid - season the 12s were in contention for a run at finals. They showed great resilience bouncing back

from hiccups in their form and finished the season in 3rd position. The boys were semi final bound!

The semi final against a combined Boroondara /Northern side was an absolute cracker of a match with Eltham leading at half time. The crowd was starting to get excited as the game progressed but unfortunately the opposition finished the stronger team and secured the win. To their immense credit the boys fought all the way and never gave up until the final whistle.

Although the results didn’t go the way they would have liked the Under 14 Team continued to improve throughout the season. They displayed grit and determination in all their games. Their season culminated in a well earned and celebrated victory in the last game of the season. These boys will continue to improve in years to come.

The Under 16 Team proved that the future of the club is in great hands. Supporters have watched this group of young men go from the whipping boys of the competition last season to securing the Minor Premiership with several rounds to play. In their semi final they surged back from a 15 point deficit to win a deserved spot in the Grand Final. Sadly though they were unable to overcome a similar score deficit on Grand Final Day, but valiantly never gave up until the final whistle.

This was a great achievement for the 16s and also for the coaching staff of Lance and Adrian. Their improved performance and confidence in a single season was really something special to watch.

Director of Rugby, Andrew (Bully) Shaw

The Under 12 Team

The Under 14 Team The Under 16 Team

Andrew “Bully” Shaw

8

Roger Iacobucci

Well done to all our junior teams for an outstanding season you have all played the game with passion and pride. You should all be very proud of your effort and the improvement that you have shown throughout the season.

What a season it was for both senior teams!

The B Grade team had a great season with a lot of new young players coming into the side which added to the core group that had been improving during last season. Competition for game time and the quality of rugby played improved every week. This led to probably the best season the B Team have had in a long time; they finished second on the ladder and earned a preliminary final berth. Sadly they narrowly missed out on a spot in the Grand Final losing to Bendigo Miners. Some lessons were certainly learned during the year that will hold the boys in good stead going into Season 2015.

Those of you that know me are aware that I am a no BS kind of guy. I give credit where it is due and also tell the guys when they are not performing as they should. Bearing that in mind it has taken me a while to write this section on our A Grade Team to capture the achievements of the squad during the season.

After a very good off season and some exciting performances in our preseason matches, expectations

were high for the A Grade Team this season. You could feel a different attitude in the players this year and they had set themselves some very high goals for the season. The first few competition rounds went to plan with some good victories. The challenge came in round three and a road trip to Shepparton. With their backs to the wall the boys held their composure, fought hard and came away with a win; in previous seasons this type of physical game sorely tested team discipline. With a new belief that they could win the tough games (both physically and mentally) the season just continued to improve.

Success on-field, and a growing reputation as the

season progressed created “a target on our backs” and every team wanted to beat Eltham. Some tried to out play us and some tried to out muscle us, but the boys kept their heads and continued to win, often turning around adverse scores within a game.

To cut a long story short the boys went through to become undefeated Minor Premiers and there was a buzz around the club that this could be a very special year.

With a win in the first semi final it was straight into the Grand Final and a week off.

Grand Final day approached and there was both excitement and nerves, could we finish the season undefeated 17 -0?

Director of Rugby Report 2

Captain Dan on Final Day

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The B Grade Team

The B Grade team in action

26 Apr 14. A Grade Team at Shepparton

8

After a very tough game against Kiwi Hawthorn the boys were triumphant, the hill at Box Hill had been taken over by the Eltham faithful and the roar from the crowd after the final whistle will be something that will stay with me for a long time. The win had everybody both at the club and the VRU searching the record books to see if an undefeated season has ever been completed by any team in the Senior Competition.

This was a great way to finish a very successful senior

season.

A big congratulations to Riki Kusaka (Under 12 Team) who in his first season playing a team sport was selected to represent the Rebels Under 12 State Team. Also congratulations to James Hansen (Senior A’s) who was selected to represent New Zealand in the recent Pacific Cup also held at Box Hill.

Also I would like to wish all our U20’s the best of luck as they attend the U20’s State Trials.

Finally, to all Coaches and Managers and other team official’s thank you for the great 2014 season and I look forward to you all coming back in 2015 and making it an even better year. Success is not necessarily about winning but improving, and being the best that you can be. Bully

17 wins and both A grade Titles

Riki in his State Kit!

Grand Final Support

19

Director of Rugby Report 3

A Grade Senior Team Match Statistics

Senior A Grade Results

Round 1 5 Apr Kiwi Hawthorn 3 Eltham 61

Round 2 12 Apr Eltham 86 Geelong 3

Round 3 26 Apr Shepparton 19 Eltham 50

Round 4 3 May Northern 5 Eltham 31

Round 5 10 May Eltham 22 Wyndham 20

Round 6 17 May Eltham 22 Kiwi Hawthorn 0

Round 7 24 May Geelong 7 Eltham 73

Round 8 31 May Eltham 31 Northern 21

Round 9 14 Jun Eltham 32 Shepparton 14

Round 10 21 Jun Wyndham 8 Eltham 43

Round 11 28 Jun Kiwi Hawthorn 7 Eltham 19

Round 12 5 Jul Geelong 0 Eltham 68

Round 13 12 Jul Eltham 28 Shepparton 0

Round 14 19 Jul Northern 10 Eltham 24

Round 15 26 Jul Eltham 25 Wyndham 3

Semi 2 Aug Eltham 30 Wyndham 3

Final 16 Aug Eltham 30 Kiwi Hawthorn 17

Manager: Grant Draper Coaching: Tom Navanua, Bully Shaw First Aid: Mark Graf

Top 10 Point Scorers

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B Grade Senior Team

Managers: Tim Adams Bill Cooper* Coaching: Rob Ward, Tom Navanua Bully Shaw

Senior B Grade Results

Round 1 5 Apr Monash Uni 0 Eltham 41

Round 2 12 Apr Eltham 7 Maroondah 26

Round 3 26 Apr Bendigo 38 Eltham 19

Round 4 3 May Northern 26 Eltham 32

Round 5 10 May Eltham 59 Ballarat 12

Round 6 17 May Eltham 50 Monash Uni 0

Round 7 24 May Maroondah 36 Eltham 10

Round 8 31 May Eltham 28 Northern 0

Round 9 14 Jun Eltham 28 Bendigo 0

Round 10 21 Jun Ballarat 0 Eltham 29

Round 11 28 Jun Monash Uni 18 Eltham 52

Round 12 5 Jul Maroondah 36 Eltham 8

Round 13 12 Jul Eltham 27 Bendigo 7

Round 14 19 Jul Northern 0 Eltham 28

Round 15 26 Jul Eltham 41 Ballarat 8

Semi 2 Aug Maroondah 38 Eltham 17

Prelim 9 Aug Eltham 7 Bendigo 25

Top Point Scorers

21

This year ERUFC Juniors have achieved outstanding success both on and off the field. This culminated in Eltham being named “Junior Club of the Year” at AAMI Park on Saturday 18th October. In conjunction with the senior club successes 2014 must rate as one of our best years in recent memory.

The season kicked off in February with a good turn-out of returning players from 2013 at sign-on day on the 16th February at the Club. Numbers for the year were approximately 135 juniors compared with 154 the previous year. As it turned out, this difference was really due to not having enough numbers to field an Under 18 side despite many attempts from committee members to encourage players back. VCE year pressure and other interests, seem to be common reasons but we hope to have enough to make an Under 18 Team in 2015. Despite the lack of Under 18s, the club fielded strong numbers for teams at Under 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 with especially large numbers in the Under 8 Team.

This year, several of the Eltham committee flew the flag at Gosch’s Paddock on the 23rd Feb. for the Melbourne Rebels Fan Day which attracted some interest from people, but numbers weren’t strong for the day. We targeted local schools with a mass mail out for potential new recruits and managed to attract some new interstate and overseas players plus some new parent volunteers.

Under 14 and 16 training commenced under guidance from Nick Steel (U14) and Lance Hudson (U16) in mid Feb., with the Under 12 players starting just a week later despite being unsure of their coaching staff for the year. The Pathway groups had coaches and managers in place in advance of the season, but didn’t commence training until March as the new staggered “Home and Away” season format didn’t start until early May.

Despite only 2-3 weeks preparation, the first pre-season game was held at home against Maroondah

Rugby Club in the annual Matopos Shield clash on the 15th March, with Under 10, 12, 14, and 16 sides fielded. The U16 team showed us glimpses of the year ahead with a great win, but the U10, 12 and 14 sides were still working out their defensive lines and combinations, so were not successful on the day.

Under 14 and 16 teams also participated in the Rugby Sevens Tournament held at Box Hill and Northern respectively on April 5th, and although well supported by the players as a fitness and bonding event, neither team advanced past the pool stage.

The Eltham Under 16 Team topped the B grade group as Minor Premiers and continued on to the Grand Final. This was a thrilling game to watch but Eltham stayed behind Power House on score and finished as runner-up to the Premiership title Previously, Eltham beat Melbourne in the Semi final in a gripping come-from-behind match which saw Eltham down 0-15 at half time. Despite giving up another try, the combinations started to work in the second half and Eltham ran in 22 points with Melbourne having a player red-carded in the last 10minutes and Eltham scoring in the corner to book a spot in the final.

The Grand Final was held at Southern Districts RUFC and a large contingent of Eltham supporters made the trip down the bay to support our boys. Congratulations to captain Sean Richards and his playing group for many hard fought games both at home and away. Head coach Lance Hudson has provided exceptional mentoring throughout the year and has been well supported by Team Manager Adrian Richards and Assistant manager Meredith Wykes.

Junior Coordinator Report, David Taylor

Picture: President Tim Adams and myself receiving the Rebels Junior Club of the Year award at AAMI Park. All clubs were represented and many commented to Tim and I that “they loved coming out to Eltham to play each time” which is indicative of what other clubs think

of Eltham and our reputation. The day concluded with the Melbourne Rising beating Queensland Country.

22

The Under 16 Team after their win against Maroondah on Matopos Day

Roger Iacobucci

The Under 14 Eltham Team played all year with heart and courage with many of the lads returning from last year. Success was hard to find in the earlier part of the season and it was not until the last game against Box Hill that the boys started strongly and went try for try consistently for the whole game and showed us what they can do. The game went right down to the wire with Box Hill looking like winners at 21-17, but with a late try, Eltham won the day and all our hearts with a fantastic 22-21 victory. The 2015 Under 14 Team has already started pre-season training and we look forward to great on-field efforts next year as well as some of the lads moving up to Under 16.

The Under 12 Eltham Team enjoyed great success making the B Grade semi finals for the first time in several years. This group had started the year with many new recruits and without a coach but had spades of determination. The team played trial matches against Maroondah (Matopos Shield) and Box Hill as part of their pre-season preparation and the newly appointed coaching team of William Taurima, Mike Hopkins and Shane Slater trained the boys hard and the results started to come our way. After a surprise win at home against Moorabbin, the team had the conviction they needed to make the finals. The team finished 3rd on the ladder and played Boroondara/Northern in the

semi-final, and despite leading at half time with clinical rugby, the opposition turned on the pressure in the second half and won the day 32-22.

Special mention to Riki Kusaka who scored 22 tries for the season and made the Under 12 Victorian Rebels state team and competed in the Nationals in Adelaide. The club rallied behind Riki and helped raise funds for his trip and he excelled with a try in the first game against NSW – well done Riki! The parents of the Under 12 group had great fun watching the boys enjoy their rugby and special thanks must go to Rose for organizing so many events for the club and looking after the Under 12s all year.

Pathway. It’s always great to see our youngest future rugby stars training and playing so enthusiastically each week.

The Under 6 Team had nine players and they had fun learning to play together, develop their coordination, gain ball skills and trying to play within the rules of the game. There were several weeks when the team had to have a scratch match when we didn’t have an opposition team, or they had to relocate to other grounds at short notice; thank you Under 6 families for your patience and understanding this season. It was greatly appreciated. The commitment of these parents and their tiny players suggest that ERUFC has a very bright future.

Under 16 Awards Recipient

Best Forward Phoenix Simmonds

Best Back Tui Volau

Coaches Award Sean Richards

Most Improved De Villiers Duvenage

Most Determined Genesis Gardiner

Best & Fairest Mayson Hoverd

Under 14 Awards Recipient

Best Forward Jason Shaw

Best Back Cooper Newell

Coaches Award Andrew Bullock

William Holmes Most Improved - Joint

Matthew Manester

Best & Fairest Timothy Stent

Junior Coordinator Report 2

23

The Round 14, Under14 win against Box Hill

Under 12 Award Recipient

Best Forward Wilson Beck

Best Back Shaylin MacDonald

Most Improved Riley Lidgerwood

Coaches Award Alex Taylor

Most Determined Jake Fitzgibbon

Best & Fairest Riki Kusaka

The 2015 U6 Team.Special thanks to Andy Gilbert, Deanna Lavanty and Russell Hurdle for training these kids each week as well as the other parents willing to help out.

The Under 8 Team. Tom Navanua and Neil Southwell brought together a large number (20) of enthusiastic boys for the Under 8 group this year and most weeks were spent showing us what running rugby is really all about. The game they play in heaven seems to be carefree fun at this age, when you can run hard, offload, score tries, run back and do it all again.

The U8 team certainly showed us how to score tries, and although we don’t keep scores at this age, we know how well these boys played all year. Special thanks to Sharon Buckland for stepping up after the season had started to manage this group. Jack Castles was the well deserved winner of the Rising Star Award for the Under 6 to Under 8 age group.

The Under 10 Team. This year, the Under 10 group had some new players as well as the returning Under 9

group from 2013. The Simmonds twins made a big impression and Macca won the Junior Rising Star award this year for Eltham for excellence, leadership and respecting the opposition. Again, Dave Watkins put his hand up to coach and along with Rhys Griffiths and manager, Shelley Lidgerwood, the U10 team had a great framework for success in 2014.

During the year, the team has made great leaps forward each week, refining their attacking combinations and practising their tackling technique. There were some memorable moments with Macca running down the sidelines, Joshie and Connor weaving through the traffic in the middle and Lachstar and the Simmonds twins rucking out. We look forward to seeing this team grow in 2015.

One thing to focus on in 2015 is the retention of a lot of these junior players to develop their skills and make sure we have activities for them in March. This might involve more preseason games, inter-club sevens or touch rugby but at least some variety in the pre-season period before the games commence in early May.

Special thanks to all our volunteers and officials this year. Every year, there are a lot of parents and helpers who work tirelessly in the Kitchen, doing TJ, first aid, cutting oranges, supplying lollies and supporting our teams. On behalf of the Eltham Committee – thank you!

David Taylor

Under 10 Team Award Recipient

Players award Darcy Aiken

Best & Fairest Macauley Cox

Most Improved Thomas Creber

Coaches award Connor Lidgerwood

Parents award Archer Simmonds

Most Determined Orlando Simmonds

Junior Coordinator Report 3

The Under 8 Team with Coach Neil Southwell

U12 Semi Final at Footscray RUC The Under 10 Team with their new match shirts generously sponsored by Sheren Electrics Pty. Ltd..

Under 8 Team Award Recipient

Most Improved Ezekiel Navuni

Most Determined Jadon Pretorius

Parents Award Cameron Weightman

Players Award Jack Castles

Best & Fairest Elijah Navanua

Coaches Award Rameka Waiomio

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Under 16 Team

Coach: Lance Hudson

Manager: Adrian Richards

Asst. Manager: Meredith Wykes

First Aid: Alex Carter & Bronwyn Hudson

Match Officials: Tom Gould, Lachlan Farquharson & Habib Sorial

Photographers: Adrian Richards & Phil Wykes

Under 16 Results

Round 1 3 May Eltham 22 Harlequins 15

Round 2 10 May Maroondah 12 Eltham 10

Round 3 17 May Melton 0 Eltham 28

Round 4 24 May Eltham 26 Box Hill 28

Round 5 31 May Melbourne 33 Eltham 47

Round 6 14 Jun Harlequins 12 Eltham 34

Round 7 21 Jun Eltham 10 Power House 0

Round 8 28 Jun Eltham 39 Maroondah 17

Round 9 12 Jul Bye

Round 10 19 Jul Eltham 51 Box Hill 0

Round 11 26 Jul Eltham 24 Melton 7

Round 12 2 Aug Harlequins 10 Eltham 13

Round 13 9 Aug Bye

Round 14 23 Aug Maroondah 27 Eltham 17

Semi 30 Aug Melbourne 20 Eltham 22

Final 6 Sept Power House 22 Eltham 17

25

Under 14 Results

Round 1 3 May Eltham 12 Harlequins 24

Round 2 10 May Maroondah 41 Eltham 0

Round 3 17 May Footscray 55 Eltham 17

Round 4 24 May Eltham 5 Box Hill 38

Round 5 31 May Eltham 17 Melbourne 46

Round 6 14 Jun Harlequins 46 Eltham 7

Round 7 21 Jun Eltham 5 Maroondah 55

Round 8 28 Jun Eltham 5 Footscray 56

Round 9 12 Jul Box Hill 43 Eltham 17

Round 10 19 Jul Melbourne 46 Eltham 29

Round 11 26 Jul Maroondah 55 Eltham 5

Round 12 2 Aug Footscray 49 Eltham 0

Round 13 9 Aug Eltham 20 Harlequins 50

Round 14 23 Aug Eltham 22 Box Hill 19

Manager: Cara Francis Coaching: Nicholas Steel Oliver Reid Rian Olivier Robert Vanags First Aid: Helena Sorial Wendy Vanags

Under 14 Team

26

Under 12 Team

Under 12 Results

Round 1 3 May B’dara/North 38 Eltham 15

Round 2 10 May Moorabbin 53 Eltham 14

Round 3 17 May Eltham 24 Melb. Blue 32

Round 4 24 May Power H/Geel 5 Eltham 55

Round 5 31 May Eltham 22 Footscray 34

Round 6 14 Jun Eltham 5 B’dara/North 38

Round 7 21 Jun Melb. Blue 15 Eltham 20

Round 8 28 Jun Eltham 26 Moorabbin 15

Round 9 12 Jul Power H/Geel 25 Melb Blue 51

Round 10 19 Jul Footscray 43 Eltham 22

Round 11 26 Jul Eltham 17 B’dara/North 58

Round 12 2 Aug Eltham 20 Melb. Blue 19

Round 13 9 Aug Moorabbin 44 Eltham 20

Round 14 23 Aug Eltham 49 Power H/Geel 7

Semi Final 30 Aug B’dara/North 32 Eltham 22

Manager & First Aid: Rose Herring Coaching: William Taurina Michael Hopkins Scott Levi Shane Slater. Match Officials: David Taylor Kevin Mercer Photographer Andy Brown

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UNDER 6 TEAM Manager & First Aid: Deanna Lavanty Coaching: Andrew Gilbert Russell Hurdle

UNDER 8 TEAM Managers: Adam & Sharon Buckland Coaching: Neil Southwell, Thomas Navanua First aid: Bronwyn Hudson Photographer: Bruce Agnew

UNDER 10s TEAM Manager & First Aid Shelly Lidgerwood Coaching: David Watkins Chris Yeats Rhys Griffiths Aaron Ballenger Match Official: David Taylor

Pathway Teams

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Treasurer’s Report, Annette Lambert

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What a fabulous year 2014 has been, both on and off the field. Congratulations to all the teams who made it through to finals and of course to the Senior A Team on their Premiership win. Off the field we have had some great events; we saw a coming together of the seniors and junior families to make this

club so great. In a club like ours success, of course, comes from its volunteers. This year we have had fantastic participation from a lot of families. Thanks to everyone

REVENUE

This side of the balance sheet is in a very healthy position.

Bar and canteen: We have seen an increase in revenue from the bar and canteen, whilst maintaining our commitment to responsible service of alcohol. This can only mean we have had more people at the club during matches and to our events. The Ladies Day was a fun event which ran into the evening. Of course it wouldn’t have been so well attended without the promise of Mr. Eltham! A great day that raised money over the bar and in donations. The end of season, senior players’ night where a band played, was also well attended. Thanks to Mark and Sean for working behind the bar when some days they started very early and finished late into the night. Thanks also to Adeja, Jayda and Kate for their work in the canteen/BBQ also working very long hours.

Merchandise: The sale of Eltham merchandise in 2013/14 was at an all-time high. Alex Steel introduced a two year goal for Merchandise sales. During 2013 a lot of stock was purchased. Over the two year period much of this stock was sold, resulting in a record outcome for merchandise sales. There was a pride and spirit about Eltham this year that led to some extra sales of Eltham gear right up to the Junior presentation day. Thanks to Alex for his hard work over the last two years running the merchandising of the club.

Subscriptions: 2014 has seen the highest collection of fees in Eltham’s history yet there has been a decrease in membership numbers. The revenue increase is due

to a commitment from the Management Committee that all players MUST pay fees. Even though this was always an ideal; we never really reached that goal. For first time ever all senior fees for 2014 were paid, along with outstanding fees from 2013. Thanks to the tirelessness and tenacity of Alan Steel this was achieved. This was a substantial task that took most of the year. Next year there will be measures in place so that it will not take as long. There will be a requirement that fees are paid by a due date.

Christmas Trees: Our major fundraiser for the year is a baptism by fire for every new committee. It is a busy three weekends in December, where everyone has Christmas parties to attend yet we want more from our volunteers by being here selling trees. This year Aaron Hall had the task of overseeing this and he fulfilled every treasurer’s wish; he made money and lots of it! Thanks Aaron. Again this year we will need volunteers to help sell and deliver trees. Please sign up at the bar.

Sponsorship: Last but not least we have had a boon again in sponsorship. Thanks again to RESI, K9, TreesRUs, ADMA and Dovagate for your continued support as major sponsors over the years. We have had new major sponsors this year too being Sheren Electrical and Sheppards Body Works.

We also introduced a new scheme of player sponsorship raising $1150, thanks to the effort of Chris Yeats. There were many sponsors; families, businesses and individuals who all gave support to the club.

PAYMENTS

We started 2014 with a little experiment of advertising on Facebook for the Christmas tree sales. This seemed to be very beneficial. The reach was far greater than the club would have had by almost any other means. So the beginning of the season was also advertised. Well worth the money spent.

There were some increases in payments this year. The VRU increased fees for membership for the first time in some years and referee fees. Our bank charges were up by a couple of hundred dollars, Nillumbik rates and ground maintenance were also up.

The bar/canteen expenses have increased again. This payment of around $9000 - $10,000 might be the norm for the coming years as we now need to pay people for the roles that use to be performed by

Treasurer’s Report 2

30

volunteers.

Club room maintenance has increased. The working bee early in the year saw some improvements to the change rooms - they were painted and it makes a huge difference. The office was turned into a merchandise room with some extra shelving added. This still needs some work. We have a lot of merchandise to organise during the year

The club bought three new sets of jerseys for the seniors, Under 16 and Under 10 Teams.

This year there were some payments that actually decreased!

Early 2014 the committee agreed to abolish the Player Talent Identification program. The outstanding payments to returning players this year were upheld but no new beneficiaries were named. This program cost the club around $5000 - $6000 over the last couple of years. This year there was only one junior player who was selected for a state team. Member donations and a club funded raffle assisted Riki’s participation on his State rugby tour.

The junior presentations had a lower cost this year as we didn’t give medals to all the children. Every junior player received a team photo, as part of membership. A participation medal was given to the pathway players only. The presentation day was a very successful day.

The cycle for training courses continues on its usual path. After a large number of people renewing their first aid or assistant referee certificates in 2013 the number of renewed accreditations was very much lower this year. Leading to reduced costs in this area.

Expenditure on utilities was down this year, as expected. Last year we had a payment for a water leak that went undetected for some time, which the club had to pay. This year, with no leak our water costs were down. Our water costs will be lower in the coming years too as it turns out ERUFC has been paying for a nonexistent water meter since 1995. Again Alan Steel helped the club; ERUFC has gained an extra $6732 as a reimbursement for payments made over the years from Yarra Valley water. This payment is not shown in 2013/14 figures as the payment was received at the end of October and will be reflected in 2014/15 annual report.

2014 saw only a minor expenditure on capital works/

equipment: the gym equipment. We are now trying to save our pennies for the gym and/or spectator seating/terracing project.

On a personal note, I have said this before but this time I think it will be true. This is my last year as Treasurer for ERUFC. It has been 6 years that I have been in this role and now it is time to pass on to someone else. I would like to thank all the other committee members who I worked with over the years. I have learnt a lot from everyone. I would like to thank Tim, who as President is a great ambassador and diplomat for our club. You give everyone a fair go and your support for me has been unwavering.

Finally I would also like to thank Alan Steel. Way back 6 years ago, he patiently taught me how to be treasurer. I had no idea at all. Over the years he has been there in the back ground with support and time. He would come and help when I couldn’t make the books balance and in the last couple of years he has taken on a much larger bookkeeping role. Thanks.

Annette Lambert

Financial Statements

Page 31 Auditor’s Report

Page 32 Balance Sheet

Page 33 Receipts

Page 34 Payments

Page 35 Certificate of Financial Status

Auditor’s Report

31

ERUFC Assets and Liabilities

32

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Cash at Bank 1,249.54$ 35.77$ 723.53$ 1,534.84$ 327.37$

Investment Account 56,681.24$ 23,643.68$ 49,287.89$ 36,253.30$ 29,480.17$

Cash Float - Bar Till 489.55$ 1,030.55$ 436.60$ 858.35$ 2,138.20$

Stock on Hand - See Below 10,015.82$ 16,882.99$ 7,551.45$ 6,827.06$ 8,052.70$

Debtors -$ -$ -$ 700.00$

TOTAL ASSETS 68,436.15$ 41,592.99$ 57,999.47$ 46,173.55$ 39,998.44$

LIABILITIES

Angela Southwood -$ -$ -$ -$ 173.00$

Eltham Hotel -$ 864.00$ 917.66$ -$ -$

Telstra -$ -$ -$ -$ 130.00$

Capital Works (Estimated) 52,500.00$ -$ -$ -$ -$

Trophies (Estimate) -$ -$ -$ 500.00$ 3,000.00$

TOTAL LIABILITIES 52,500.00$ 864.00$ 917.66$ 500.00$ 3,303.00$

MEMBERS EQUITY 15,936.15$ 40,728.99$ 57,081.81$ 45,673.55$ 36,695.44$

STOCK ON HAND 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Shorts 2,398.00$ 3,215.52$ 3,234.40$ 357.50$ 924.00$

Socks 379.50$ 1,400.56$ 686.40$ 1,339.80$ 580.80$

Club Merchandise 4,913.70$ 10,561.69$ 1,563.20$ 3,310.04$ 4,223.48$

Wine 391.66$ 203.90$ 316.91$ 446.58$ 205.81$

Beer 924.64$ 524.41$ 573.11$ 442.90$ 724.28$

Mixer Drinks 514.33$ 300.24$ 594.82$ 442.76$ 627.72$

Sports Drinks 103.98$ 312.05$ 27.66$ 187.46$ 266.20$

Soft drinks 237.36$ 288.35$ 349.99$ 266.64$ 439.15$

Lollies and Chips 152.65$ 76.27$ 204.96$ 33.38$ 61.26$

Total Stock 10,015.82$ 16,882.99$ 7,551.45$ 6,827.06$ 8,052.70$

ELTHAM RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

Year Ended 30 September 2014

ERUFC Receipts at 30 September 2014

33

RECEIPTS 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Net Profit on Bar and Canteen 27,882.96$ 23,382.52$ 19,679.51$ 13,137.97$ 23,962.13$

Clubroom Hire 100.00$ -$ 1,375.00$ 1,543.00$ 3,415.60$

Merchandising 13,223.25$ 5,453.93-$ 475.95-$ 2,958.46$ 5,459.50$

Rugby Subscriptions 30,312.00$ 23,462.00$ 30,003.00$ 26,900.00$ 25,278.00$

Bank Interest 1,287.56$ 1,355.79$ 2,034.59$ 1,673.13$ 1,597.55$

Fund Raising 33,111.00$ 17,172.20$ 30,101.00$ 20,326.32$ 12,269.85$

Total Receipts 105,916.77$ 59,918.58$ 82,717.15$ 66,538.88$ 71,982.63$

RUGBY UNION Subsriptions 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Juniors 13,371.00$ 11,545.00$ 16,063.00$ 12,610.00$ 12,508.00$

Seniors 13,871.00$ 11,257.00$ 12,020.00$ 10,630.00$ 6,030.00$

Gerries 1,390.00$ -$ 960.00$ 2,060.00$ 2,365.00$

Social 1,680.00$ 660.00$ 960.00$ 1,600.00$ 1,700.00$

Colts -$ -$ -$ -$ 2,675.00$

Total Club Subsriptions 30,312.00$ 23,462.00$ 30,003.00$ 26,900.00$ 25,278.00$

General Fund Raising 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Christmas Trees 14,561.00$ 11,950.00$ 9,714.00$ 7,835.00$ 6,569.85$

Sponsorship 16,900.00$ 4,922.20$ 15,775.00$ 7,491.32$ 4,500.00$

Game Day Sponsorship 500.00$ 300.00$ 4,612.00$ -$

Agribusiness - Jumpers U16 -$ -$ -$ 1,200.00$

Player Sponsorship 1,150.00$

TV Show -$ -$ -$ 5,000.00$

Total General Fund Raising 33,111.00$ 17,172.20$ 30,101.00$ 20,326.32$ 12,269.85$

Club Merchandising - Revenue 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Merchandising Socks and Shorts 10,750.00$ 9,655.00$ 5,320.00$ 5,980.00$ 6,610.00$

Other Club Clothing Merchandise 7,305.00$ 8,158.00$ 2,262.00$ 3,456.00$ 2,820.00$

Total Club Merchandising - Revenue 18,055.00$ 17,813.00$ 7,582.00$ 9,436.00$ 9,430.00$

Club Merchandising - Cost 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Socks and Shorts 2,948.00$ 7,995.20$ 6,493.35$ 4,493.45$ 1,123.00$

Other Clothing 1,883.75$ 15,271.73$ 1,564.60$ 1,984.09$ 2,847.50$

Total Club Merchandising Cost 4,831.75$ 23,266.93$ 8,057.95$ 6,477.54$ 3,970.50$

Net Profit Sale of Club Merchandise 13,223.25$ 5,453.93-$ 475.95-$ 2,958.46$ 5,459.50$

ELTHAM RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

RECEIPTS FOR THE

Week Ended 30/09/2014

ERUFC Payments at 30 September 2014

34

PAYMENTS 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Advertising Newsletter 693.00$ -$ 189.18$ 3,080.98$ 835.00$

ARU Insurance and Public Liability 5,870.00$ 4,970.00$ 4,940.00$ 4,770.00$ 8,800.00$

Mahino Beach Rugby -$ 100.00$ -$ 150.00$

VRU Registration & Referee costs 10,155.00$ 9,735.00$ 10,480.00$ 5,788.14$ 6,932.00$

Bank Charges 1,061.12$ 772.63$ 750.56$ 627.04$ 740.68$

Bar and Canteen Expenses 9,348.00$ 9,130.00$ 4,124.07$ 989.00$ 429.00$

Buses -$ 390.00$ -$ 500.00$ -$

Clubroom Maintenance 6,479.36$ 4,857.66$ 5,672.99$ 4,419.49$ 2,836.76$

Doctors/Physio -$ -$ 150.00$ -$

Equipment Repairs -$ -$ 314.38$ -$

Shire Rates 2,632.70$ 2,547.15$ 2,258.35$ 1,400.30$ 1,322.60$

Ground Hire - Shire Charges 2,280.31$ 2,686.44$ 2,431.00$ 2,873.41$ 3,762.93$

Ground Maintenance 1,332.48$ 747.88$ 849.52$ 662.86$ 1,546.07$

Honour Board etc -$ -$ -$ 2,235.00$ -$

Jumpers/Polos 6,056.49$ -$ 5,367.10$ 5,598.63$ 7,904.70$

Liquor & Food Licence -$ 359.80$ 204.60$ 200.00$ 210.00$

Medical Supplies 2,798.59$ 3,958.75$ 2,594.17$ 143.25$ 908.23$

Office Administration 1,022.10$ 1,861.88$ 1,276.68$ 689.75$ 1,048.07$

Benefits to players/volunteers/social /sponsors2,971.25$ 8,700.42$ 9,406.90$ 3,254.13$ 516.93$

Presentation Juniors, Seniors & AGM 3,445.35$ 4,530.14$ 4,351.95$ 4,894.33$ 3,248.28$

Security System -$ 145.20$ 72.60$ 54.45$

Training Equipment 234.00$ 505.91$ 1,580.04$ 1,899.00$ 3,192.17$

Training Courses 475.00$ 2,055.00$ 305.00$ 230.00$ 2,167.00$

Utilities - Electricity, Water etc 12,633.58$ 15,375.04$ 7,831.53$ 7,871.97$ 5,878.81$

Website -$ 394.35$ -$ 503.80$ 363.80$

Foxtell 1,065.11$ 1,044.00$ 1,032.00$ 882.20$ 900.80$

Amplifier -$ -$ -$ 300.00$

Capital Expenditure 1,105.00$ 9,483.30$ 5,029.25$ 5,045.00$ 15,000.00$

Christmas trees -$ 1,900.00$

Merchandise -$ -$ -$ 392.75$

Total Payments 71,658.44$ 86,250.55$ 71,211.87$ 58,558.28$ 69,441.03$

Capital Expenditure 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Audio Visual Equipment -$ -$ 64.98$ 5,045.00$

Cyclone Fence -$ 1,320.00$ -$

VCR/Photocopier -$ -$ 366.85$

Lights -$ -$ -$ 15,000.00$

Kitchen Equipment Oven etc -$ 650.00$ 2,939.40$

Marquee -$ -$ 1,688.00$

Terracing Project -$ 432.50$

Gym Equipment 1,105.00$

Scrum Machine -$ 7,080.80$

Total Capital Expenditure 1,105.00$ 9,483.30$ 5,059.23$ 5,045.00$ 15,000.00$

ELTHAM RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

PAYMENTS FOR THE

Week Ended 30/09/2014

Certificate of Financial Status, Club Secretary

35

Preliminary Membership Survey Results

36

Q1: How did you feel about the culture and feel of the club in 2014?

Q2: Do you feel that your family are included as part of the club?

Q4: Are you aware of the capital works and building projects that the club has been working towards such as the gym and terraced seating?

Q3: Are you familiar with the club’s Codes of Conduct about behaviour, inclusion, and tolerance of others?

Q5: Please rank the following projects in order of your preference for them to be completed.

Q6: Considering what items you get from the club, services and facilities what do you think of our player fees?

Q16: How often do you read The Wattle Newsletter?

Preliminary Membership Survey Results 2

37

Q8: Considering what items you get from the club, services and facilities, what do you think of our SOCIAL fees?

Q11: What do you think of the equipment available to teams for matches?

Q13: What is your opinion of the look and feel of the clubroom?

Q12: What is your opinion of the facilities in the clubroom?

Q10: What is your opinion of equipment available for teams to train with?

Preliminary Membership Survey Results 3

38

Q14: In order of preference, what are your main sources of general club information? (rank 1 to 9)

Q19 How often do you access the club website?

Q18: In 2014 what was the main way you accessed The Wattle newsletter?

Q20: What items do you access the website for? (tick all that apply)

Preliminary Membership Survey Results 4

39

Q25: Did you perform any volunteer work at the club in 2014? (canteen, BBQ, Working Bee, Administration etc. More than just bringing oranges or washing

Q22: Do you know how to contact a member of the club’s committee?

Q23:What is your opinion of team coaching at Eltham RUFC?

Q26: What factors stop you volunteering for the club or a team?

Q24: What is your opinion of the quality of team management at Eltham RUFC?

Q21: Club logo, need to modernise it or make it more marketable outside the club? From the options below , which do you prefer?

Preliminary Membership Survey Results 5

40

Q29: What factors if any, prevented you from attending an event? (Tick all that apply).

Q28: What events did you attend this year? (Tick all that apply). Q31: If you went to the Senior Presentation evening,

what did you think of the event?

Q32: If you went to the Junior (U6 to U12)Presentation Day, what did you think of the event?

Q30: Do you want to see more social events in future? Q27: Would you be interested in volunteering in any capacity in 2015?

Preliminary Membership Survey Results 6

41

Q34: What is your age?

Q36: What team(s) were you involved with in 2014 as a player, parent or volunteer? (Tick all that apply).

Q37: How many years have you been involved with the club?

Q35: What is your gender?

Q33: If you went to the U14 and U16 Presentation Dinner, what did you think of the event?