Sam Mitrovski, better known by ‘Moppa’ or ‘Pieps’ sidekick’ around the club, is a great example of home-grown talent and an outstanding clubman!
Sam joined St Mary’s Junior Football Club as a tacker in 1998 and played in over 150 games including 3 Grand Finals with 2 Premiership wins, and of course won a number of coaches awards which led to his mates referring to him as the ‘coach’s pet’.
Unfortunately the Colts team lost the Grand Final in his final Colts year, but he was determined to see more St Mary’s victories, so became part of the inaugural U19s St Mary’s Senior Club team in 2009!
His senior career kicked off with a stellar first season which saw him place second in our club B&F! Sam didn’t stop there, and followed this up with his first B&F win 2 years later in 2011!
Over the years, Sam has continued to see success with the club. He was an exceptional contributor to the Reserves team that won three back-to-back grand finals in 2016, 2017 and 2018, taking out the B&F in 2016 and taking on the role of Captain in 2017, leading the team to another two victories. This year he made an impressive return to the ones, only to be struck down with a serious should injury.
His contribution to the club was recognised in 2019 when he was placed in St Mary’s ‘Team of the Decade’ as part of our 10-year anniversary celebrations.
Despite all of the above, most would agree that his most significant achievement of all is winning the highly coveted “Mr St Mary’s” at the annual Ladies Night 3 times – surely a club record!
After 12 years, Sam has now played the most games out of every player at our Senior Club, which is an incredible achievement!
Senior Assistant Coach Ben Joyce who has played with and coached Sam across their 20-year friendship, shared how valuable Sam has been to St Mary’s over the years.
“What more can you say about the man? Sammy has been vitally important to building the Senior Club into the strong position we are in today.”
“Whilst his on field achievements have been significant, for me the impact he has had in creating and developing the culture of the Club stands out above all else.”
“He is a true leader in every sense of the word and has an unmatched level of respect from the playing group for all that he has contributed and continued to contribute to the Club.”
“Few people have such a longstanding impact and legacy like Mop has at St Mary’s. I’ve been lucky enough to share the journey with him, firstly on the field together and more recently as a coach, and it has been a privilege to see him achieve the success he deserves.”
“The man has it all, by day he is a quality rebounding back flanker, and by night he is always the life of the party, double parked with a couple and Cruisers ready to cut up the dance floor.”
“As a coach, to have such great people in Moppa, and of course his best mate Pieps, as leaders makes your job so much easier, and their partnership has been a key element of the sustained success of the Reserve in recent years.”
This week we shine the spotlight on some of the St Mary’s young guns that have come up through St Mary’s Junior Club together, before making impressive Senior debuts! Zane Costello and Tom Hardy started their footy careers in tackers together back in 2009, with mate Jack Cicitta joining them at St Mary’s Junior Football Club in 2015. The trio saw lots of junior success together playing in multiple premierships and receiving a number of accolades! Tom placed second in the league B&F in U13s, in 2017 Zane won the Colts 2 club B&F, and followed it up by making Colts 1 YJFL Team of the Year in 2018! Since joining the Senior Club in Under 19s, the three players have continued that success and become integral players at the Club, with Tom and Jack leading the U19s as co-captains this year. This year, Tom was runner up in the club U19s B&F, and Zane was awarded the coveted Rising Star Award! In 2019, Jack won the leading goal kicker in U19s award from the NFNL, making his mark as a strong forward at the club!
Not only have al three players won individual accolades, but they have all made notable performances in our Senior team. Tom and Jack made their debuts in the Seniors team this year, and after a successful debut last year, Zane played 11 games in 2021 which saw him place inside the top 10 in the Senior B&F count. Senior Coach Fab Carelli shared how excited he is to see such skilful players develop their senior footy careers at St Mary’s. “We are extremely fortunate to have so much talent coming through from the junior club who are quickly getting the opportunity to play at senior level.” “As a club, we have always looked to develop from within, creating a culture where our players have the chance to forge a strong path to becoming regular senior footballers.” “Tom and Jack performed exceptionally well in their Senior debuts this year, and Zan played some outstanding football across his 11 Senior games this season. The future looks bright for all three players.” With so much already accomplished, we can’t wait to see what these three will do next year and beyond!
Today is International Men’s Day, and with so many men part of our St Mary’s community, it is an important opportunity to highlight men’s mental health. Why is this so important? Because suicide is the leading cause of males under the age of 55 in Australia. 3 in 4 suicides are male, and between 4 and 5 men under 55 die by suicide every day. And yet, 75% of male suicide attempts are not linked to a mental health issue. 1 in 2 men will have a mental health disorder in their lifetime, which comes in the form of a diagnosable illness like depression or anxiety. So in talking about men, we think it’s critical to talk about the issues impacting so many men and look at what can be done to improve their mental health and wellbeing. So today, St Mary’s encourages all our players and supporters to check in with at least one male in your life. And to all the males out there, remember to check in on yourself and do something that improves your mental health whether it be go for a run or hanging out with a footy mate. A list of mental health supports is available here: https://smfnc.com/mental-health/
Introducing our 2022 Women’s Football coaching team! St Mary’s is pleased to announce that the Bickerton’s are back! TroyBickerton will return as Head Coach, with his son Hayden Bickerton staying on as Assistant Coach in 2022! We are so excited to have the father son duo back for another year, and we are all looking forward to seeing what our women’s team will achieve next year!
We are very pleased to announce that we have secured $10,000 in funding from TAC Victoria as part of the 2021 TAC Club Rewards Program! Local football and netball has faced a challenging two years and this will go a long way to making a huge difference at St Mary’s. Our players spend a lot of time on our roads travelling to games and training sessions, and we hope that our campaign for road safety means more people can get to and from games safely. Club President Mark Stanley shared how excited the Club is to receive this funding. “This much needed funding boost for our club, and so many others, is an incredible show of support from TAC Victoria after the struggles we have all faced following the 2020 and 2021 seasons.” “We are so thankful that TAC recognises the importance of local community sporting clubs like St Mary’s, and our commitment to making a meaningful impact in reducing road incidents this season.” “The $10,000 will go a long way and we can’t wait to share with everyone the fantastic ideas we have to improve the Club.” “Thanks again to TAC Victoria, and a huge thank you to all our players and supporters that participated in the journey towards safer roads.”
Did you know that only 7.5% of Aussies eat enough veggies? This week is National Nutrition Week, and Aussies are being encouraged to increase their vegetable consumption to the recommended 5 serves per day. Veggies play a HUGE role in how we feel physically and mentally. They can boost your mood and protect against disease by providing us with key nutrients to support our health. According to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), well-planned eating practices help everyone train and play hard, stay healthy, injury free and compete at their best. That’s why we are encouraging everyone to up their veggie intake! It may not be easy but it is worth a go! Try adding an extra cup of veg to your dinner tonight or even try a new vegetable or recipe! Try a new recipe. Get in the kitchen and enjoy a meal with family or friends. If you need hep with cooking attend on of the Nutrition Australia cooking classes this week, or visit their recipe hub – we recommend the avocado chips and pumpkin fettuccine! For more information visit tryfor5.org.au If you want further information on sports nutrition, the AIS provide a number of free resources and information specifically about sports nutrition on their website including research, recipes and tips at http://www.ais.gov.au/nutrition
At St Mary’s we have always been proud of our focus on developing home grown talent, and Tane Cotter and Rory Hanlon are both outstanding examples of this commitment.
Both players started at the St Mary’s Junior Club in tackers together and after a wonderful introduction to senior football as part of a tight knit group of Under 19 players and successful starts in Under 19s, Tane and Rory have quickly become key contributors to the St Mary’s Senior team.
Whilst both boys played a handful of senior games in 2019, this year marked their first year as official senior footballers and what an introduction it was. Tane took out our Senior Best & Fairest with Rory the runner up. Tane was also one of the top goal kickers in Division 2 – Seniors this year, which earned him a spot in the Team of the Year!
Both Tane and Rory were also recently recognised in the Leader’s Best Under 21 Footy Players in the Victorian Metro competition! This means they are considered two of the top 100 players across all divisions of six football leagues.
President Mark Stanley shared how proud the club is of Tane and Rory’s achievements and success at the club!
“It is incredible to see the commitment of these boys to St Mary’s, all the way from tackers to Seniors! We are glad we could provide a pathway for them to continue playing together at a place they love, and support them as they developed into outstanding Senior players.”
Today is World Mental Health Day. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for managing our mental health. Lockdowns, social distancing, travel restrictions and the constantly changing position we find ourselves in is stressful. As young adults, many of our players are in a critical stage of physical, social and emotional wellbeing, and coaches,club leaders and mates can be important influences during this stage. A key way to manage or improve our mental health and overall wellbeing is exercise, with community sport being a great way to get in some exercise and meet our social needs. It can provide great benefits to mental health including better sleep, more energy, stress release and mood improvement. The Australian Guidelines recommend adults do at least 30 minutes of moderate to intensive physical activity. However, if you are feeling down, exercise can be the last thing you feel like doing, but here are some strategies to incorporate exercise into your day: • Set short term realistic goals (e.g 3 20 minute walks a week) • Reward yourself when you achieve a goal • Start small and build up to longer and more intense exercise • Make a plan and schedule in exercise that fits into your lifestyle. If you can’t fit in 30 minutes, try and break this up into 3 10 minute blocks • Equip yourself with everything you may need including the right runners, weights, water bottle and activewear
SMFNC 