The North Gippsland Football Netball League is thrilled to announce, that AGL Loy Yang, will continue their partnership for a further two years, as the major sponsor of the NGFNL, known as the AGL Loy Yang North Gippsland Football Netball League.
AGL Loy Yang have been the major sponsor of the NGFNL since 2015 and prior to this, were great supporters of the league. This years’ sponsorship with AGL Loy Yang, will allow for three community-based celebration rounds.
The ongoing AGL Pride Cup, which is now in its seventh year, will be contested by Heyfield and Cowwarr and will be played on 22 June 2024. The Pride Cup Round is where the LGBTIQ+ community are celebrated within football and netball and inclusive cultures are promoted within all 11 North Gippsland clubs. Two new partnership events will also be held during the season.
A Mental Health Round with Mindful Aus will also be held for the first time this year, which will be known as the AGL Loy Yang Mental Health Round. The round will be played on 3August 2024, with a feature game at the Rosedale FNC. The aim of the round is to raise awareness of the importance of mental health. It builds on the previous partnership activities of AGL Loy Yang who has also supported Mindful Aus to deliver mental health sessions within all 11 clubs, as well as training two members from each club in mental health first aid.
AGL & NGFNL will be promoting an Indigenous Round during NAIDOC week on 6 July with smoking ceremonies & Welcome to Country at each home ground. A round encouraging learning, awareness, and knowledge of Aboriginal culture within our local communities.
The sponsorship with AGL Loy Yang supports the NGFNL and their grass roots clubs, to embrace these community issues and promote the importance on and off the field/court, as we recognise our clubs are extensions of their local communities.
The generous sponsorship from AGL Loy Yang will also support the NGFNL in their junior player development program, involving Interleague squads for U15 & U17 Netball and U18 Football. This support will enable the league to engage competent and qualified coaches and provide development opportunities for the players, as well as league apparel.
NGFNL president Martha Truin, stated:
“That the continued partnership with AGL Loy Yang allows the NGFNL the opportunity to show case their 11 member clubs & promote community-based awareness events, whilst delivering an opportunity for patrons to have a sense of belonging.”
“AGL Loy Yang is committed to supporting our local community and recognise the importance local leagues like NGFNL play in connecting the community through sport. We also value our shared commitment to promoting diversity and mental health, and look forward to the partnership events coming this year. AGL also wishes the NGFNL, their member clubs, players and supporters a successful 2024 season.” – Christo van Niekerk, General Manager Loy Yang.
Following two years of successfully conducting online vote counts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has now opted to host the event in person at the Sale Greyhound Club while still making the count available to live stream.
Sale Greyhound Club
Monday 28th August 2023.
6.15PM for a 6.30PM Sharp Start
$5 Per Head – Includes supper
Drinks at bar prices
Live Stream Connections
Gippsland livestream website
https://streaming.naoca.com.au/e/48b4f502-e0ee-4d7c-bd57-e8dbf26b3a32
YouTube
Congratulations to the two TRFM Rising Star Award Winners for the month of July.
Eva Tatchell – Glengarry FNC
Eva came up through our junior club and has always been a stand-out player. She won B Grade best and fairest in 2021 and then found herself in our A grade side. Due to the team’s strength, she missed a lot of court time last year, particularly in the semi-final, where she didn’t take the court. At the end of last season, this led Eva to question whether she would continue playing or not.
Rather than walking away, she chose to turn this negative into a positive and has worked harder than ever to earn her spot. Always the first at training, practising shooting, and always doing extra fitness sessions, she is finding herself earning more court time. She trains with the stronger players and seeks feedback from them and the coaches regarding where she needs to improve. She puts effort into everything she does, getting involved with the social committee and helping wherever possible. At times she can be a quiet achiever, but you can see her dedication to the game when she is on the court. She loves the club and has the potential to be our next A Grade best and fairest if she continues this work.
Eva is always the first at netball training and attending all non-compulsory fitness sessions this year. She is at netball on a Saturday from 9 am watching Juniors and is there till the end of the day watching Seniors.
Eva is also on the social committee and has helped with each event this year as well as always cleaning up the next day. She has shown interest in joining the committee next year and wants to help develop the club in years to come.
Jay Diamond – Rosedale FNC
Jay is a highly regarded member and player for the Rosedale Football Netball Club, as Captain of the U/18’s, his professionalism, leadership and club spirit are beyond question. Jay is also a member of our senior football team each week. This requires Jay to continually work on his fitness, recovery as well as continuing to develop his football skills. He does this week in and week out, always putting the team and club first. Jay is a fundamental conduit between the U/18 and Senior Football teams and continues to set the standard for our junior players can follow.
“Jay Diamond- plays like he’s been at senior level for the last ten years. He has developed football smarts beyond his years by continuing to strive for improvements in all areas of his game.”
Jeremy Reid – RFNC Senior Coach
Jay’s commitment to the club, both on and off the field, is well respected amongst the entire playing group. He is one of the first to volunteer for any off-field job that is required and always seeks assistance from his teammates to assist. You will find Jay at every training session, social functions and club working days.
AGL Loy Yang NGFNL 2023 Finals Series
Saturday 19th August – Gaskin Park, Churchill
Football Qualifying Final
U18
Rosedale v Yarram
Reserves
Woodside v TTU
Seniors
Woodside v Heyfield
Netball Qualifying Final
15&U
TTU v Woodside
17&U
Heyfield v Rosedale
D Grade
Woodside v TTU
C Grade
Woodside v Gormandale
B Grade
Sale City v Glengarry
A Grade
Heyfield v Churchill
Sunday 20th August – Yarram Recreation Reserve
Football Elimination Final
U18
Sale City v Glengarry
Reserves
Churchill v Heyfield
Seniors
Churchill v YYN
Netball Elimination Final
15&U
Rosedale v Heyfield
17&U
Glengarry v Woodside
D Grade
Glengarry v YYN
C Grade
Churchill v YYN
B Grade
Heyfield v YYN
A Grade
Woodside v Rosedale
Gary Ablett is the special guest for this year’s AGL Loy Yang NGFNL Grand Final Dinner.
Wednesday 6th September – 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start
Italian Australian Club Morwell
Limited Tickets are available by emailing admin@ngfnl.com.au
Gary Ablett has had a stellar career!
Arguably the greatest player in AFL history, Gary Ablett Jnr will be remembered as one of the true champions of the game. The son of AFL Legend, Gary Ablett Snr, Gary Jnr entered the AFL in 2001 with a huge weight of expectation.
Starting his career as a crafty small forward, who showed nous around goals and tremendous evasive ability, it wasn’t until his 2007 season when he moved into the midfield that everyone realised how good a player he could be. This culminated in Geelong winning the 2007 Premiership over Port Adelaide by 119 points and Gary collecting the following individual awards. AFLPA MVP, AFLCA Player of the Year, All Australian, and Club Best & Fairest.
From 2007 until 2014, Gary was the most dominant player in the game even though during this time he made the huge decision to leave his beloved Cats at the end of 2010 and join the AFL’s newest team, the Gold Coast Suns. This news sent shockwaves through the industry, however in true fashion Gary did not let this affect him. Whilst the first year for the team was a struggle, Gary added his fifth consecutive All Australian jumper and was named Captain, as well as winning the Club Best & Fairest.
As the inaugural Captain of the Club, Gary continued to shoulder much of the load in the first few seasons as his highly talented but younger teammates continued to mature. Winning a second Brownlow Medal in 2013 to add to his first one in 2009, Gary was in peak form in 2014 before suffering a serious shoulder injury in Round 16 which ended his season. Gary’s form until that stage of the year was unrivalled, which was reflected in the Brownlow Medal votes when even though he missed the last 6 games of the season, Gary still finished second and just four votes behind the winner.
Unfortunately the last three seasons at the Gold Coast were hampered by his shoulder injury which he re-injured in 2016. However in true style, when Gary took to the field whether he be injured or not, he would always get the most attention from the opposition yet still manage to play extremely well.
Achievements
• Brownlow Medal 2009 & 2013
• Gold Coast Suns Best & Fairest 2011, 12, 13 & 17
• Geelong Best & Fairest 2007 & 09
• AFLPA MVP 2007, 08, 09, 12 & 13
• All Australian 2007, 08, 09, 10, 11 (c), 12 (vc), 13 (vc), 14
• AFLCA Player of the Year 2007, 08 & 09
• Premiership Player 2007 & 09
• Gold Coast Leading Goal Kicker 2012 & 13
Congratulations to our two Rising Star recipients for the month of June.
Ava is very passionate and dedicated to playing netball at club level and at representative level for the League. Ava has also been part of the Gippsport Netball Academy. Ava has shown her versatility and desire to play at senior level over the past couple of years.
This year Ava was selected in the B grade senior team whilst still playing 17&U age group. Ava provides a versatile addition to both the 17&U team and our senior B-grade team, with her talent extending across a number of playing positions, in particular mid-court and goals. Ava is flexible and understanding of each role asked of her. In particular, Ava has fitted well into the senior team and demonstrates maturity and promise as a strong senior asset in the coming years.
Ava has shown great initiative as a captain for our 17&U team this year and previous years, leading her team and demonstrating a positive attitude and motivating her players to play to the best of their ability.
Ava takes the 17&U team through their warm up every Saturday and displays great leadership skills by motivating the players before they go on court, during the match and then during the post match cool down.
Ava leads by example and encourages teammates to stay positive. Ava supports the club with off court duties and is usually the first one to help out if extra work needs to be done. She has played 37 junior games and 22 senior games since she began her netball career with the club’s U15 team. During her time at TTU Ava has always been committed to the club, with regular
attendance at training and games. Ava has become a great role model for our junior players, demonstrating good sportsmanship, a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, follow instructions, uses her initiative and ask questions to assist with her development. Ava is definitely a rising star having won numerous club awards, including best finals player with D grade last year and winning the 17&U players player award. Ava also polled well, with league votes finishing in the top 5 each year. Ava strives for excellence every week through her hard work and dedication to being the best she can be.
Spencer has continued to work hard at his game and his determination to “be his best” is now shining through. Spencer is a well respected member of our senior player group, at just 20 he is providing an important link between our young Thirds players and our senior team.
He continually sets a great example of how team sport should be played and is a held in high regard by the players, members and our supporters.
“Spencer has been determined to develop into a key forward and has worked tirelessly to improve his tank and also his marking ability. Whether it’s during training sessions or mid game Spencer is always looking for areas to improve his individual game and also output for the team. His accurate goal kicking is a result of hours spent in front of the big sticks before and after trainings.”
Jeremy Reid. RFNC senior Coach
Not only is Spencer excelling on the field, he’s working just as hard around the Club. Spencer is often the first one to check with the canteen crew or committee on any jobs that may doing. Always eager to assist, whether it be bin duties, cleaning up tables after a function, or cleaning up the changerooms, it is never an issue for him to help around the Club. You can also often find him assisting on the gate selling raffle tickets.
Congratulations to our two TRFM Rising Star Award winners for the month of June!
Liam Heasley from Heyfield Football Netball Club and Oakleigh Riley from Churchill Football Netball Club.
Liam Heasley
Liam’s dedication to training, being one of the first to arrive and always looking to improve but also to help out others where he can. He regularly goes over and above by helping get equipment sorted for training or getting on the front foot with off-field initiatives like club training gear; everything is pretty for this young man.
While still a younger club member, he has stepped up his leadership by taking warm-ups and being more vocal at training and game day. This has seen a rise in his performance and consistency, which also sees him drive the standards as he is helping to set them himself.
His passion to not only improve himself but to ensure the club is improving and is an inclusive environment for all is always at the forefront of his mind.
Oakleigh Riley
Oakleigh has come through our junior netball system and is now a major part of our Netball set-up. She is 17 years old, playing A grade for the first time. She was also appointed Under 15’s coach for season 2023 and was a main driver for CFNC to field a Youth Girls football team this year.
Oakleigh has attended each training session for A grade (training commenced in November 2022), but she has also completed her scoring duties, canteen duties and is always willing to help in any area, usually without being asked. This is as important as any playing requirements in a sporting club.
Oakleigh attends U/15 training sessions early to make sure that when the girls arrive, they go straight into the session and are not waiting around, maximising the training time allocated for the girls.
Oakleigh is always willing help off the court (as listed above), and always assists in the morning set and afternoon pack up of the netball courts, which is often left to too few.
The club is very much in debt to Oakleigh’s commitment and passion to get this done.
Remember, clubs have until 7th July to nominate a TRFM Rising Star for the month of July.
Under 15
Coach Bridget Corcoran
Association Championships is a chance for all rep players from our zone (Eastern) to be Talent Identified.
This is to have the opportunity to try out for Netball Victorias Talent pathway. It’s also a great opportunity for players to represent their leagues or associations with pride.
The morning started out very chilly but turned into a fresh but sunny winters day. The under 15 team was coached by Jess Anderson (Heyfield) and managed by Bridget Corcoran (Sale City) and was made up of a great mix of up-and-coming players from our league. Chloe Fox (Sale City) Eva Corcoran (Sale City) Isabelle Foley (Rosedale) Lexi Charles (TTU) Lexie Francis (Woodside) Lily Carmody (Sale City) Natalie Begovic (Sale City) Tess Anderson (Heyfield) Etse Imhagwe (TTU) – Out with Injury on the day Ruby Christian (Heyfield) and emergency fill ins for the season Georgia Ronchi (Heyfield) and Emily Hustwayte (Woodside).
The girls started the day with a loss to Ellinbank by just 2. Next saw them play their mates from Sale Netball Association and come away with a draw. Then a loss to friendly rivals Gippsland League, followed by a win over Traralgon Association. With another loss to powerhouse Moe Association, they dug deep and had a convincing win over Mid Gippsland FNL and then a small loss to West Gippsland. Which saw them finish 5th on the ladder for the day, narrowly missing out on finals.
These young ladies were an absolute pleasure to look after. Their discipline and determination to be their best was evident in their improvement over the season. They made some great new friends and opened their eyes to the real people who are normally their opposition. Best of luck for the remainder of the season ladies. The league is in good hands with these talented young women coming through the ranks.
UNDER 17 RED
Coach Deb Fox
The North Gippsland League was well represented in the 2023 Eastern Association Championships by 3 teams. One U15’s team and two U17’s teams. The Red U17’s Team consisted of Alyssa Edwards (TTU), Chloe Scott (Sale City), Ciara Fitt (Sale City), Emma Best (Sale City), Maddison Hodgson (Rosedale), Regan Clappton (Sale City), Reigan Leeson (Rosedale), Tilly Fox (Rosedale) and India Dean (Sale City). The team started the day slowly with an 11-1 goal loss to West Gippsland. The second game saw the girls fire up and get a win against Bairnsdale 14-6. The third and fourth games were tough opposition against Ellinbank FNL and Gippsland League going down in both. We then had the bye, regrouped, and came out strong after lunch notching up 2 consecutive wins to land ourselves 4ht on the ladder and into the qualifying final. The team played their hearts out and left nothing on the table. Unfortunately, we went down 14-15 against West Gippsland, which was a significant improvement from out first encounter earlier in the day. I am super proud of the efforts of all the girls, they showed resilience, great sportsmanship, skill and above all else have made some fantastic friendships. Awesome Effort all round and I big Thank you to Corrie Dean for being our Team Manager over the tournament season.
UNDER 17 BLACK
Coach Leah Leeson
Players Alira Robinson (Gormandale), Georgia Anderson (Sale City), Georgia Vardy (Glengarry), Lily Buckley (TTU), Lily Ryan (Cowwarr), Lily Stokes (Heyfield), Summah Aitken (TTU), Tori Bird (Sale City)
Congratulations and well done to all participating players at the association champs. It was a tough day if you looked at the scoreboard, but I don’t feel this was a true reflection of your performance.
There were many moments of growth and positivity throughout the day, I challenged you to back yourself, commit, and if unsuccessful, give me 2nd effort.
All players stood up, never gave up and had their moments. Thank you for embracing the opportunity and challenge, go well at club level.
Tomorrow, the annual AGL Pride Cup will take place between the Sale City and Heyfield football netball clubs, adding a fresh meaning to the phrase “Playing for pride.”
This year the event is hosted by Sale City, with the day dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusivity in local community sports.
At the Official Launch of the 2023 AGL Pride Cup, AGL General Manager Christo van Niekerk and NGFNL President David Kyle were joined by Megan Kelly and Nick Dinsdale from Heyfield FNC, along with Tom Bowman and Elle Baker Horan.
The AGL Pride Cup originated in 2016 and has now become a recurring event in the North Gippsland Football Netball League schedule. The clubs openly display their backing for the LGBTIQA+ community through their involvement in this initiative.
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