In case you missed it – the NFNL released the senior men’s fixtures for 2022!
Round one kicks off on Saturday April 2 2022 with back to back blockbuster games at Whatmough Park!
Both our Senior and Reserves team will be taking on Banyule in what will be two fantastic opening matches!
Happy New Year to all our loyal players, supporters and members!
The last 2 years have been difficult for community sport and we are so proud of how our club has come together and made it through all the challenges that we faced.
Let’s hope that this year we can have a full season and come back better than ever!
We hope that everyone is able to celebrate tonight with loved ones, and can’t wait to see everyone back at the club!
Merry Christmas to our St Mary’s community!
Christmas is a time of giving and we would like to give you all a huge thank you for your continued commitment to our club during the last 2 years!
We hope you are all spending time with loved ones and have a fantastic day – you all deserve it!
As we close out another year, we want to congratulate all our players that have achieved a milestone in 2021!
Congratulations to all these players, and we look forward to seeing you play many, many more games at St Mary’s!
This week are are taking a look back at our first ever football premiership in 2014, where the U19s defeated Hurstbridge by 22 points at Preston City Oval!
The winning team was made up of 42 players, with 37 of them coming up from Colts together from our junior club.
Unfortunately many of the players had just missed out on a grand final after losing their preliminary final in their last year of Colts in 2013.
Luckily, the Senior Club could provide a pathway for these players and their families to continue their friendships, and of course enjoy a premiership win together!
Even more incredible is that many of these players still play in our Seniors and Reserves teams today, including:
– Nick Gedge
– Joe Bergman
– Daniel Castagnini
– Nic Daisley
– Jake Dambrauskas
– Nick Dean
– Jordan DuPont
– Lachie Potter
– Aaron Batchelor
– Ben Batchelor
– Cruz Bradshaw
– James Girolami
– Mitchell Lee
The team was also coached by long time St Mary’s player Ben Joyce, who still coaches at St Mary’s today!
Football Director Greg Hanlon shared how amazing it is that these players have stuck together.
“How fantastic it is that our club has evolved largely as an extension of our junior club.”
“Unlike many other clubs, we have developed our junior talent, rather than sourcing ready made, experienced players and we are now poised to enjoy the rewards that come with a very close and united team.”
Yesterday our women’s team had some fun at training with their very own Squid Game!
We are happy to report that, unlike the tv show, everyone survived!
Join us for a Christmas catch-up on Monday 20 December, 7pm at Whatmough Park!
The BBQ will be on, and drinks will be available for purchase.
Everyone is welcome, and we can’t wait to see you there!
Today is International Volunteer Day, so we want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who offered their skills, time and enthusiasm to support St Mary’s this year!
Whether they are behind the bar or canteen, an umpire escort, runner, trainer or anything else, running our club would not be possible without our volunteers.
Given the challenging 2 years we have had the continued time and efforts of volunteers have become even more critical, and these people have played a huge role in keeping our club alive and shaping the future for St Mary’s.
Thank you for your support and we look forward to an incredible 2022!
St Mary’s are looking for an awesome new Senior Netball Coach or Co-ordinator for 2022!
There is currently one netball team but we are open to expanding to more teams with support from the new coach!
A coach must be able to commit to attending games on Friday nights between April to September 2022. There are currently no training requirements.
The appointed coach will also need to complete the Foundation Course prior to the beginning of the season if they have not completed this already.
We encourage applications from anyone who is interested in coaching, regardless of experience.
In your application, please include all previous coaching or netball experience and current coaching qualification levels (if applicable).
Please send applications to Fihocking07@gmail.com by 5pm Friday 10 December.
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.”
SMFNC