The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 15
Sæl Vikings!
Well, Shieldmaiden needed a rest over the bye round. Big shout out to everyone who supported the club by buying major draw tickets and then coming out to witness the 5K prize go into the hands of locals – TheRobinsons. It was a big happy hug and just what we all needed after a Saturday observing some ordinary oar rowing at Featherbrook Reserve. The senior squad will need to locate some of the gutsy sword slaying that our U18’s are currently showcasing if they want a place in Septembers big dance; because here comes the tail end of the season. There are only 4 more games before we zip past the point of no return. There is no time like NOW for our squad to pool their depth of talent and leave the scoreboards telling the story. At their best – Altona are unbeatable.
Our U18’s walked off the oval at Hogans Road victorious over the Warriors. From all accounts their game was a consistent show of capability and grit as they maintained a lead the entire game – just! The Vikings came out the longboat gates well and at the turn of the first were 7-points up. The second term saw our drengr add another 21 points to their total while holding the Warriors scoreless, plateauing them at 13 points. Emerging from the rooms at half time, Altona sailed through the third even though Hoppers had put the pedal down a bit. Our lead of 26- points left Altona feeling confident going into the last quarter, but the Warriors were not finished, and in a fight to the end, they kicked five majors to our single point. The final siren saved us from defeat, and we won by the hair on Homer Simpsons head, 1-point. The result 9.7-61 to 9.8-62. Ward and Sadler kicked two a piece, with Panagiotidis, Boicos, Hagg, Horsburgh, and Amos all a single each. Best listed were Hagg, Bencic, Zsembery, Sadler, Collins, and Bentley.
To the Reserves. This game was a walk in Featherbrook park for our Vikings. In an overwhelming display of ability, Altona shattered Centrals convincingly. At the end of the first we held a small lead of 16-points but as the quarters progressed, it was clear that Point Cook Centrals would struggle to convert any of their inside fifties when they occurred. By the end of the second, the margin had blown out to 62-points as Altona marched through the game unchallenged for the most part. In the third quarter PCC scored their third behind for the game as we continued to pile on our own collection of behinds with a handful of goals. The lead was 96-points going into the final quarter, and it’s fair to say that the opposition would have likely been ready to call it a day. Lucky, they didn’t though, because their final term saw them kick their first and only major for the day – which they celebrated – along with the entire Viking-Centrals supporter base surrounding the ground. Final result was 1.5- 11 to 18.18-126.
Our goalers were Sanders, Welch, and S. Tipper with triples each, Carabott, Robinson plus the following of Mead, Papakalodoukas, Whatman, and Purdy collected themselves a single. Best named were the Tipper brothers, Welch, Robinson, Crawley, and Sanders.
In dulling light, the main game of Viking football commenced. Our Senior drengr were unimpressive in the first half of the game. It had supporters shaking their heads. Point Cook Centrals cannot be underestimated – that was absolutely clear to everyone else, but perhaps not to the blokes on the ground. At the end of the first quarter, if you were watching the scoreboard it may have seemed that it was to be a tight tussle exhibition – alas, if you were at the ground, you would have seen the poor management of play from our Vikings, crook use of opportunity, no grunt or yearning for the pill. It was not ideal. Centrals lead by a point at the change and it’s to be said, Vikings second quarter was well beneath our expected effort in a game. It had Coach Corey spitting venom in the rooms at half time – we were down by 28-points, and he was having none of it. What ever happened behind that closed door to say the LEAST worked. Altona came back onto Featherbrook Reserve a different side – pulling up he socks, pulling jocks out of their loins, and managing to gather control of the game with a four-goal push while they muted Point Cooks ambition. Still down by 9-points going into the last term, The Vikings continued to improve on their game that day – but it has to be said – it was far from their best football, though it was enough to get them over the line, when it counted. It was a win – but it probably shouldn’t have been, and one that all our senior drengr need to take note of. No game is won until you win it. To win games our drengr needs to turn up, to play their part, and get the job done. Final score was 12.3-75 to 12.12-84.
Joel Menadue gathered four majors, Minett snapped two of his own, El-Hawli, Naismith, Hicks, Jimma Callaway, Whybrow, and Atchison pulled in one each. Best listed were Szanyi, Clarke, Joel Menadue, Bench, Atchison, and Whybrow.
This win was less than convincing, and we will need to do much better to earn our spot in the final game of the year. Totally doable if the Vikings turn up. Let’s get our heads around this coming round. All three sides will go up against the Doggies of Point Cook at home on Simonds Oval. The U18’s are set to prove they have it in them against their opposition who sit two spots above them on the ladder. Again, totally doable. Stive to compete boys, you can do it.
The Reserves will vie for the win opposite a side who sit second from the bottom. Nothing is won though until it’s won – so do not underestimate the Doggies reserves list. Our Seniors will be proving their game play and style against an in- form Point Cook list who sit below us in third on the ladder. They will be hard to beat – but beatable! Team movement this week we have Formosa, Whatman, Will Taylor, Barnaby, and Paton back into the side while Jackson Menadue and Jack Callaway nurse injuries, Hansen has the travel bug, and the Crooks-Naismith combo bolster the reserves list. With those shifts, Shieldmaiden expects that the side will have some positional changes, including Redpath who’s back into the ruck and sporting a waxed patch, along with teammate Joel Menadue – both rolled the dice for fines this week. Celebration is in the air; happy hatch days to our VP JR and Prez Pauly, and a big congrats to our Number 5 Viking on hearing a yes from his lovely Shieldmaiden.
Our social event of the season is imminent – The Legends Luncheon tickets are on sale NOW. This sells out every year, so go and get your table and tickets organised asap to avoid being a disappointed schmuck. We’ll be joined by AFL meathead Jason Ackermanis, jockey Jimmy Cassidy, and funny man Mick Dwyer.
Junior finals start this Sunday and our two U14 teams are playing at Wyndhamvale at 8.40am and at Laverton at 12.20pm. Good luck to both sides. If you can get to the grounds to support them – please do.
Ha det!
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 14
Sæl Vikings!
It was pretty sucky to be at Simonds Oval Saturday, the weather was bitterly cold and to top it off – the day’s end saw Altona with three losses. However - you should all know Shieldmaiden by now, and she says to her Viking clan with her rosy cheeks, smooth braids, and a wink, ‘There is ALWAYS a silver lining!’
Our U18’s – whoop, whoop. What a fierce display of football they put on for our Viking supporters. They dug in for a full four quarters on Saturday, keeping Districts on the run and pressured. At the end of the first quarter, scores were level. It was a tussle for pill control, and even though the scoreboard showed our Vikings behind for the remainder of the game, it didn’t reflect the on-field pressure and effort that our drengr left on the ground. Down by 5-points at half time, and 19 going into the fourth, Altona still believed in themselves enough not to give up and let Werribee run away with it. In the final term Altona pushed hard, adding 2 goals 2 while holding Districts to 7 points. They gave it a crack, but the clock beat them in the end. Final scores were a very respectable 6.7-43 to 8.7-55. It was a full team effort for them – well done boys. The big ‘Viking Stallion – Horse’ (Horsburgh) bagged three majors, Harrison snapped two, and Worthing a single. Best named were Bentley, Harrison, Collins, Horsburgh, Crittenden, and Zsembery. They play away, against Hoppers this week in a match Coach Spita says they need to win. So, tighten the laces lads, and get the job done for him.
The Ressies: possibly the toughest day at the office Altona has seen in some time, and Shieldmaiden won’t highlight any of the obvious stuff, but will say – that was a game for the ages, wasn’t it? Werribee executed their game against primarily, what is left of our utterly depleted Altona squad. It left our reserves, looking like witches’ hats standing all over Simonds Oval. Okay, they were tactical moving witches’ hats, and it was brutal watching them suffer. Shieldmaiden can’t even begin to imagine how it was to be one of our drengr walking from the oval Saturday. Districts are the benchmark this year, so we’re not to be dwelling on this – but we don’t forget it either. One for the ages, right? Experience it, learn from it, and use it to better our game while we await players to come back into the side. Hang in there Vikings. Final scores were 0.7-7 to 19.14-128. Best listed Mead, McConville, Welch, Stankic, Sexton, and Kennedy.
Moving on.
Going into this game our Seniors were the under-dogs and the Shieldmaiden’s thoughts are just this. On Saturday, Districts were at near full strength – and yet, they only won by 52-points. That seems a lot to most – sure, Shieldmaiden agrees somewhat, but not when you look at what they have beaten other sides by and taking in to account our substantial injury list. That speaks volumes for the ability in Altona – even when we are depleted. But, stop the long boat right there – we have some big player movement this week. We’ll get into those details in a tick so let’s first unpack what happened on Saturday. Districts had a strong start, as expected. It left Altona wheeling as their backline again stood up, pushing their turnovers back into our forward, only for it to be boomeranged straight back out most of the time. Going into the second we were 13-points down, and by the end of that quarter, we walked into the rooms for half time, down by 27. Our third quarter was almost uneventful aside from the single behind we managed, as Werribee commenced its methodical gameplay, adding three majors and a few behinds to their total. Going into the final term we were chasing a 46-point margin. Not unachievable by any stretch, though our Vikings just couldn’t get their beautiful passages of play to convert into majors. Talent alone doesn’t and won’t win you the ball, just a wee observation from the sidelines – TEAM ETHOS boys. Follow your opponent, play your role, start swinging your swords and shields. It’s GO time… Altona at their best can beat Districts with the right frame of mind. The fourth term saw Werribee complete the job they’d come to do, final score being 4.6-30 to 12.10-82. Our four goals were kicked by Naismith, Joel Menadue, Minett, and McDonald. Best listed Atchison, Hansen, Bench, Minett, Taylor, and Clarke.
Looking to Round 14. Mentioned earlier, our U18’s will be playing away at Hoppers – get along to watch them if you can. The Senior sides go up against Point Cook Centrals at Featherbrook Reserve (behind the Brook Hotel) and we have some serious shift in the sides this week as the Senior’s welcome back Hindle, Van Den Berg, ET, Greaves, Whybrow and El Hawli from the VFL’s Bullants. Making way for them we see Sanders, the Tipper brothers, Marlais (Injured), Will Taylor (on hiatus) and Riley McDonald (back to get the 18’s Goal kicking leader) bolster our Reserves. It’s great to see some of our injured players coming back into the playing list.
Saturday night is our Major Draw. There are some tickets left – get online at the Viking Shop to snap one of the last ones left or take your chance Saturday night. Doors open at 6.30pm, your ticket includes beer, wine, and soft drink for two people until 9.30pm, and some nibbles (that’s food, not nibbles from yours or someone else’s guest). A $100 ticket might see you win 5 THOUSAND DOLLARS! Get there.
Ha det!
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 13
Sæl Vikings!
The place to be Saturday was inside the clubrooms at our President’s Lunch, where the Vikings packed room were entertained by funny man Evan Hocking followed by an emotional presentation by StarSub Apparel’s Jeremy, who handed Pauly a playing jumper covered in images of memorable moments. It’s not often our Pres is stumped for words, but it happened. Choked up, Pauly thanked everyone who had helped him along the way, particularly his lovely Shieldmaiden, Kat, he then made it known that they would both be stepping down next year. It’ll be a well-earned rest for them both, but let’s not get ahead of us just yet, we have a season to finish before we do the mooshy stuff, thank you’s and farewells – and so, the hunt for our next Viking Prez is ON!
Let’s get into it. Njord played havoc with the wind again this week. It didn’t hold the U18’s back though, and they started the day for us with an outcome most convincing, even if the team isn’t quite convinced by Coach Spita’s puns. Direction around giving the team’s proverbial Horse (Horsburgh) a paddock to run in, went straight through to the keeper, or so the Shieldmaiden hears. Many of his jokes just fly straight over our youthful mob, and it could be said Spita’s giving them quite the education in old man language. Shieldmaiden suggests that he perhaps pop pun lines with an image, show and tell style, thus making them memes, and the lads might catch on!
Caroline Springs didn’t score until the third quarter, so the first half of the game was a dominant and accurate scoring exhibition for our drengr kicking 9.3. At the start the second half we were a cruisy 57 points in front, but the Lakers decided to give it a whirl, holding us to a single behind as they finally hit the scoreboard as the stiff breeze kicked it up a notch. Going into the last term the margin was 50-points, it was a slow quarter while wrangling the gales, though we kept the opposition to a behind, the final score being 10.6-66 to 1.3-9. We had four Vikings kick a double major each in Bowling, Amos, Sadler, and McDonald. Harrison and Hutchinson both grabbed a single each. McDonald was only required for the first half as he had a game as the 23rd man in the Seniors to get stuck into, so left his team in good hands, the bests named were Worthing, Graham, Amos, Bencic, Collins, and Dyke.
The Reserves had a tough day at the office. As the President’s Lunch kicked off inside, our boys came out to face a Lakers side who were ready to win. Altona were tested in the first quarter and were down by 13-points at the changeover. An inaccurate Caroline Springs spared us somewhat in the second term as we kicked two straight majors, trimming the margin, and staying within a reachable 11-points of the opposition going into the break. The weather made conditions hard work on the ground, both sides struggling to convert and at the end of the third, there were only two good kicks in it. Viking belief was there for sure, but managing to transfer that to some scoreboard action was proving difficult, for them as much as us, and by the last siren, the difference was 17-points. Final scoreboard 5.4-34 to 7.9-51. Dyke grabbed two majors in his second game of the day, up from the 18’s with teammate Bentley who grabbed a single of his own, as too did Sanders and Purdy. Best on were Brien, B. Tipper, Mead, Bentley, Dyke, and Crawley.
Shieldmaiden expected a rumble in the jungle for the Seniors game, and that’s what she got. It was a high energy clash in conditions not ideal for clean and efficient football. It would turn out to be a fierce battle against the cyclonic conditions, for both sides and all their supporters. Carparks around the boundary were like hen’s teeth as people hid from the wind. And so it began, the Lakers came out with something to prove – pounding their authority on the scoreboard with two straight goals to our two behinds. Shieldmaiden was squirming; with a 10-point lead, Caroline Springs looked to be all up in Altona’s business at the start of the second. Altona used Njord’s advantage, gaining some momentum and plundering the four white sticks, adding three majors and as many behinds to our score, while the opposition converted too, which allowed them to maintain their skinny lead of 3-points seeing Caroline Springs into the changerooms in front. It seemed that Altona had to pull off something mighty in the second half to get this win, and it was obvious that the Lakers wanted it too. The third term was not great for us from an offensive point of view, adding a single behind to our score. Defensively though, our backline stalled the Laker’s wind advantage as they attempted to take what little control they could, and it wasn’t much, but by the end of the quarter they still led us by a single goal, forcing the Shieldmaiden to go and have a nervous pee between the change of ends. She then prayed to Thor and gripped the fence watching the two sides run up and down Simonds Oval trying to gain control. It really was a day of luck for the most part. Defensive pressure from Altona and two unanswered goals in the final term were what it took in the end. After the siren, Altona led by 2 points. 5.9-39 to 5.7-37. Our named best was primarily made up of our back-men, and for good reason. Their second, third, and fourth efforts were the difference in this game. In the six: Coutinho, Formosa, Barnaby, Jackson Menadue, Redpath, and Szanyi. Jacko Menadue booted three of our five goals; we thank you kind Sir! The other two were Hicks and Joel Menadue. That was a tight win, but four points is four points and looking to Round 13, we are taking the wins when we get them.
All three sides go up against the real deal in Werribee Districts at home this week on Simonds Oval. Shieldmaiden has spoken to Njord and there will be no wind for Round 13. Conditions will be ripe for the picking, and all three of our sides will need to turn up for four full quarters to get a sniff at a win versing any of the squads that Districts send out for battle. Shieldmaiden absolutely believes that Districts are beatable, in all three games. We just need to be present for every minute. No slow starts, no getting a feel for the game – just represent, dig deep, play your role, and get the job done. Player movement is Sanders and Ben Tipper into the seniors, along with Riley McDonald, after making an impression as 23rd man last week, on own merit he’ll get another performance on the Seniors’ stage. Greaves (injury), Formosa (illness) and Barnaby (injury) will see that the Reserves are well undermanned as the medical room continues to fill up! While the Vikings face off against Districts, we welcome all our past players, coaching panels, and committee to celebrate the anniversaries of the 1973 WSFL Senior Premiership and the WRFL Div 1 2013 Reserve Premiership. There will be some serious Viking royalty milling around the ground and Valhalla this week, so make sure you get in and rub shoulders, meet some legends, and listen to them chat about the old days from Noon onwards.
Our Major Draw is now only 1 WEEK AWAY, Round 14 – get your tickets NOW. It’s a brilliant night on our social calendar, our biggest fundraiser. Your $100 ticket gets you fed and watered, along with a chance to win 5K, 2K or 1K. Without support from all of you amazing Vikings, we can’t keep doing what we do, so get down and see the Prez for your ticket or pop online and grab one in our Viking Shop.
Ha det!
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 12
Sæl Vikings!
There’ve been some red-hot happenings in the world of sport this week, such as Houston’s incredible kick from outside 50 after the siren; how many salty Bombers fans do we have in our Viking community? Speaking of salty. Does anyone know where the Shieldmaiden can get her hands on a slab of the English Bitter? Bairstow probably needs to take a good hard look at himself – and be grateful he’s not in that AFL nudie file floating around. That would count as something to walk away from your crease for. Back to humble grassroots.
Our trip to Hogans Road Oval proved to be a pretty fruitful day, overseen by a crowd that seemed, to the Shieldmaiden, thin around the ground – there were probably more Viking drengr than said Hopper’s Warriors. The weather played nice, albeit chilly so let’s catch you all up.
Rolling straight off the back of Friday Night Football and the Sydney v Cats drawn game, our U18’s followed suit. We were three goals down at the first change after Hoppers came out strong, but our drengr pushed hard in the second, holding Hoppers to a single behind, while we caught up to be within 3-points at half time. Altona remained competitive in the third term, the deficit being just 6-points going into the game’s final quarter. What a battle the last turned into – our boys kicked 6 behinds along with one goal, inaccuracy plaguing their hurried ambition, and in the final dying seconds of the game, Sotiroudis kicked the crucial major to level the game. Two words come to mind - fighting spirit. Thinking about their last few games, our U18’s have really given it their all. They continue to improve, interpret direction, and deliver on the ground. What more could Coach Spita ask for? The final score was 6.6-42 to 5.12-42. Sotiroudis booted two goals, with Sadler, Amos, and Perry with a single each. Best listed were Hagg, Sadler, Sotiroudis, Harrison, Bentley, and Amos.
The reserves game was a bit of a cruisy yawn, and no doubt disappointing for Hoppers, who struggled to field a full side including a couple of plucky u/16’s filling the gaps and not to mention a 37yo past AFC premiership player Reece Miles helping out one of many former clubs, only to be thumped by an able and willing Altona outfit. Probably a lucky thing that we adore kicking behinds, or the outcome could have been a much worse for them. Shieldmaiden would love to say that the Warriors were competitive, but alas, she cannot considering their circumstances. The first term saw Hoppers kick a solitary behind and going into the second term we led by 21-points. As it turned out for Hoppers, the second was much the same as the first; only that they celebrated big when they finally kicked a goal by an u/16 lad. Meanwhile, Altona practiced their point kicking – adding six to the scoreboard, along with two majors pushing the lead out by 33-points at half time. In the third quarter Hoppers stood up somewhat, manifesting their second goal, while limiting Altona to three goals and single. The margin was 46 going into the final term and by the end of the final toot, it had blown out to a 77-point smacking. Full time score was 2.2-14 to 13.13-91 with Stankic booting four fat ones, S. Tipper and Brien snapping two each, and Sanders, Kennedy, McKay, Mead, and Crawley all snipping one a piece. In the best were the Tipper brothers (Sam with leather poisoning), Trembath, Evans, Stankic, and Rodwell.
Coming out the gates slow – IS the Altona Way… Oh Thor help me! You guys keep Shieldmaiden on her toes, fiddling with her braids, pacing the longboat, and sweating proverbial bricks while you sort out your first quarter squirts. In the huddle, Coach Corey barked his interpretation of the team’s first term effort – it was not glorious. Being 9-points down going into the second, Altona heeded the call for arms and blitzed it on the ground, piling on seven goals and forging out a 43-point turnaround, to get back into the lead by 21-points at the half time break. The third quarter was much the same, but the vibe around the ground was still uncertain, and anything could happen if Altona took the foot off the pedal. Hoppers were competitive – it just wasn’t being converted. To that point in the game, the Vikings had only had three extra scoring opportunities, though we led by 33 going into the last term, where Altona continued to score, and Hoppers continued to be inaccurate. The closing siren saw, for the first time in 2023, our seniors score over 100 points in a game. Final scoreboard: 8.11- 59 to 17.9-111. Joel Mena came back into some nice form with his twinkle toes, booting himself five majors and his cousin Jackson managed three of his own. Minett and E.T snapped a duo each, and the rest were singles from Crooks, McAllion, Hicks, and the Callaway brothers. In an already stella cast of Vikings, Bench again, showed his mastery, and was named in the six best with Formosa, McAllion, Joel Menadue, Hansen, and E.T.
They sung the song hard following the win, and continued singing later to the No.1 shuffle song, Jackie, back in the Valhalla at their function. Big thanks to the bar staff JR, Naomi, Kat and Pauly for the efforts late into the night.
Reportedly, round 12 is going to be a windy event at Simonds Oval. BOM has issued severe weather warnings – but don’t be scared, the BOM is often wrong, so get down to the oval and support our three sides at home this week as they all battle Caroline Springs. Old Man Lake has used his ninth life after his dummy spit antics were rejected by the league powers at be, so we get to witness his waddle again this season. This week is also the next instalment of the 23rd man, where we welcome Riley McDonald into the seniors, and Shieldmaiden predicts that Riley might show OML just how it’s done, and if it’s not him, it’ll be Saad, who we see back into the side as Naismith returns to the Reserves.
Pauly hosts our President’s Lunch in the clubrooms and with the wild weather predicted, it’s been a wise choice for those who secured a seat – those who didn’t, there will be no behaviour such as seen by the English Members at Lords recently. Shieldmaiden doesn’t want to see any faces pressed to the window begging to get in for a slice of that roast meat! The Major Draw is around the corner. Why not get a syndicate together, up your odds of winning a share of 5K; it’s within the rules of the game – and that’s how it is. even Bairstow’s said that at some point. So, find some friends and get your square or five THIS weekend.
Ha det!
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 11
Sæl Vikings!
What did Meatloaf say back in 1977? ‘Two out of three ain’t bad.’ The Shieldmaiden is nodding her head. It was brilliant to hear the boys belting out the song again – much better than big old Meatloaf at the AFL Granny. There were smiles everywhere, and the general kick around the ground was on point. The weather was something else though. We saw it all, wind, rain, sunshine… Melbourne, you sure are a beast! This week’s game will see much the same weatherwise. Cold. Grey. Wet. Very Viking like – so get around it, while half our supporters and players wander around the warmer regions, like QLD, and Europe. *insert Shieldmaiden’s eyeroll.
What a cracking game the U18’s put on. Even though they didn’t come out with the win, their effort was really something. There was plenty of argy-bargy happening as testosterone took control for a bit, but in all, the Vikings really gave it a whack. We led by 2 goals at the end of the first quarter on a day the wind mattered – yet again. The second quarter allowed Point Cook to use the breeze and into the half time break the opposition led by 2 behinds. The third quarter saw the Doggies push hard kicking into the wind, adding three majors to their total and at the three-quarter break we were down by 7-points: a win, still achievable. Alas, the last quarter we were held to a single behind while PC managed a major with a handful of minors. The end result was a 15-point loss for our boys, 5.6-36 to 7.9-51. With eight games remaining in the 2023 season, our U18’s drengr sit fifth on the ladder, underneath Hoppers Crossing, who they meet this Saturday. It should be a good tussle. Best on were McDonald, Hagg, Worthing, Kunze, Bencic and Cassius Bentley, who celebrated his 100th Altona milestone game. Our five goals were kicked by Kunze, Horsburgh, Collins, Sadler, and Riley McDonald – his single this week takes him to 15 goals for the season, one goal behind the current WRFL leader, Point Cook’s Jaimangal, who also scored a single for the day. Keep at it Riley, the Shieldmaiden hopes you kick a bag this week against the Warriors!
To the Ressies. Conditions worsened as the day crept along, the wind picked up a little and the air became frigid as the expected cold front rolled in. The first term saw our Vikings struggle to score, same could be said for the Doggies, who had the wind advantage and didn’t really utilise it, only leading Altona by a goal at the changeover. The second quarter we got with the program, though inaccuracy took a seat in the goal square and at the half time break we had a lean buffer of 2-points. Coach Deano must have laid down some razzle-dazzle- and-spit in the changerooms for the break because our Ressie drengr came out with some grunt, booting five majors for the term and into the third break we were up by 22-points. Point Cook struggled from there on as Altona took full advantage, adding another three goals and four behinds in the final term. Eleven behinds in total for us – the wind to blame for some of that, for sure, but gee whizz, stop blazing away ya peanuts! Settle, centre, and convert. Was a great thing to hear them sing the song, boosting morale in the changeroom huddle. A perfect momentum lifter for our seniors. The final score was 11.11-77 to 6.4-40 with Sanders, Mead, and Sam Tipper booting two each, Kalic, Naismith, Stankic, Moloney, and Crawley all with a single. Best on were Ben Tipper, Sanders, Sexton, Crooks, Trembath, and Naismith. Our Reserves sit third on the ladder and should be looking at getting the job done against Hoppers on Saturday… but, like the Shieldmaiden has said before – it’s not over until the proverbial rotund-chick has sung.
It was bitterly cold by the time the seniors game commenced. Altona came out amped with something to prove in the first quarter, booting four straight beautiful goals. What a pretty sight it was to see no behinds on a scoreboard. Point Cook struggled as Altona’s rejigged defence line stood up, holding them to just four points while having the wind advantage. We led by 20-points going into the second, as the bank of black cloud slid over Simonds Oval, Altona continued to march forward, leading by 19-points as they ran into the changerooms for halftime. The third quarter was a wet event, the pouring rain arrived creating some slippery, icy conditions for players and the crowd along the sideline. It was scrappy footy, but Altona managed to hold, adding to the scoreboard and at the last changeover we were still in front by 28-points. The rain stopped as suddenly as it started, allowing the sunshine to put on a rainbow show. Outdoor heaters were lit and while blood pressure was checked in the Time-To-Test tent, the Doggies pressure on the ground increased in the final term. They charged at us in a last-ditch four goal effort but fell short as our drengr fought to stay in the game and on the final siren – well, the second final siren, the margin was 9-points. Now – the Shieldmaiden needs to say this, if you have no business in the timekeepers’ room – then stay away from there. That job is brutal and thankless, so leave them to it. Moving on. The final score was 9.6-60 to 7.9-51. Saad slipped right back into the side with a bye at VFL level kicking two majors, so too did teammate Clarke. Joel Menna, ET, Jim Callaway, Bench, and Whybrow were all rewarded with singles. Our best listed were Saad, E.T, Bench, Joel, Whybrow, and ruckman Hansen. The senior boys sung the song loud this week – it was a win they needed, that the supporters needed. The Shieldmaiden hopes the momentum will push them through the tough back end of the season. We currently sit third on the ladder, beneath Point Cook, and the undefeated Districts on top.
Round 11, all three sides head to Hoppers Crossing for the day at Hogans Road Oval. The Shieldmaiden is hoping for another three competitive games this week. The downhill run to finals is on us and this year we’ll have to earn our place in them – nothing is a given for any of our sides. The seniors will wave hooroo to Saad for this week as he returns to the Bullants at VFL level. We also see Whybrow out with a niggling injury, making room for Crooks and Naismith to join the party. Speaking of party, the players will host their in-house Plus 2 function after contending Hoppers on Saturday and hope they let their hair down, regroup and launch into the backend of our 2023 campaign.
President’s Lunch is next weekend – GET YOUR TICKET ASAP, sales close this Sunday night. Major Draw tickets have been going ballistic. Don’t miss out. See the Prez now – cheap squares won’t be happening this year – well, not for those who don’t have a full priced one already, so dig your hand deep into your long pocket, under your kilt, or wherever it is you hide your pineapples and lettuce.
Ha det!
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 10
Sæl Vikings!
Njord whipped up a serious gussel on Saturday, proving in all three games that the southern end of Simmonds Oval had a four to six goal advantage. If you didn’t take the opportunity in the quarters you were kicking with the wind, then you were hard pressed to make a stand in the game. T’was a pretty grim day looking at the final scoreboards, though all three games we contested, and just couldn’t convert when it counted.
The Warriors of Hoppers Crossing defeated our 18’s in what was a fair battle for the most part. Our youngin’s came out firing on all four cylinders in the first with Critta and McDonald back into the side. We led by 16- points at the first interval after kicking with the southerly. The second gave Hoppers the same gusty advantage and they took it, holding us scoreless for the term while adding majors to push them in front by 7 at the half time break. It was an up down tussle that saw us back in the lead by 10 at the end of the third, but the luck of the coin toss mattered and the Warriors again, kicking with the wind, held us scoreless for the final quarter, while adding to their total. We just couldn’t hang on and a 19-point loss was felt by all in what was a hard slog on the ground in conditions that were less than ideal. Final score was 5.9-39 to 8.10-58 Our goals were Sadler and Horsburgh with two each and McDonald managed a single. Best named were Horsburgh, Harrison, Bentley, Wilson, Sadler, and Graham.
The Ressies too battled a stiff wind, and probably the stiffest result for the day, conceding to Yarraville Seddon by a single mongrel point. Not that the fifty odd junior dads inside having a wow of a time noticed - again, the gussel played a huge part in this match. Both sides experiencing scoreless quarters while kicking against the brick wall of a breeze. We battled some inaccuracy in the first, locating the behinds seven times, in a bid to find a major. The wind was unfriendly to our visitors keeping them to a big fat zero in the first which allowed us to lead by 13 at the change. During the second we managed to convert while fighting the gusts, but the Eagles found the space between the goal posts and going into the half time break they led by 9 points. Senior coach Corey had a great chat with our guests inside as the second half played out similar to the first, Yarraville again scoreless against the wind while we held them to lead by 11 points going into the final. We were against the wind again and it was a monumental task to keep the Eagles to just the 2-goals-3 the added. Our three behinds pushing into the wind just weren’t enough, and after the final siren, it was up to our Viking Papakalodoukas to try and do what nobody could have done Saturday facing that tempest, and boot for goal from 40m out. It wasn’t to be though; the gust grabbed it and flung it over the boundary line - Yarraville won. Final score was 5.13-43 to 6.8-44. Our five goals were kicked by as many Vikings in Naismith, Sanders, Crawley, Mead and McDonald, who backed up his previous game in the U18’s to bolster our Reserves side. Bests on were Trembath, McConville, Crooks, Arapidis, Dean, and Papakalodoukas.
Just when you think it couldn’t get any wilder, old Njord flicks a switch, and conditions develop into entry level squall for the senior’s game. Our Vikings rose to the occasion while booting into it, scoring well, kicking three majors as YSE kicked four and going into the second we were down a chaseable 10-points, and now had the blustery advantage. We didn’t run with the full length of rope though, and our boys made their way into the changerooms for half time with the skinny lead of one goal. Our mini-Vikings kept the crowd entertained during the interval, playing their grid match, and then lining up afterwards for a guard of honor and hand slaps as the seniors came back onto Simmonds Oval for the second half. Conditions didn’t ease as the day progressed. It was bloody bitter! We managed two behinds in the third while the Eagles thrust ahead of us to lead by a baker’s dozen, (that’s 13 points for our young Shieldmaiden consumers). It was a confident assumption that we could rely on the taxing airstream to help us get back in front. Yet, inaccuracy plagued us, and we missed our chances during the final term, falling short to Yarraville by 7-points in the end. Weatherwise, it was a dreadful day for football, and we could say the same for the game – but the Shieldmaiden won’t, because while this result meant three losses on the trot and a hard pill to swallow for the playing group, there is still hope. After many seasons of concurrent success with a seasoned playing group, losing won’t come easy for our talented young outfit. Hang in there Vikings. Success will return, be patient, believe, and think ‘family’ at every turn. Final score was 8.14-62 to 10.9-69 with Atchison booting three, C. Menadue gathering two majors, and E.T, Paton, Bench, McAllion, Minett, and Clarke all kicking a single each. We had five named in the best, E.T, Bench, Hansen, Szanyi and the brick-slayer-Minett. On the wind-down after the game, the Shieldmaiden has it on good authority that a group of mums and volunteers were found giggling and experiencing the massage chair Saturday night, and there might have been a handful of Junior dad’s left holding up the bar.
Thank you to our Juniors for putting on such a great day for their first Dad’s Social Day. Well done.
At this week’s Thursday night dinner items up for bidding were scarce, and our auctioneer heralded that his master plan and influence was working. Like Pinky and the Brain Shieldmaiden wonders? Players are practicing new skills and remembering to take their crap home – and those few who are still learning were forced to roll the dice and are looking at the price of wax strips this week. Speaking of which, our brick-slayer will be one of them. He’ll feature a smooth leg this Saturday as he fronts up in the seniors again this week, along with Joel Menadue, and Saad ElHawli who is also listed and available from the Northern Bullants, with Jack Malais returning from injury and lastly Mitch Greaves who’s been sunning himself overseas and returned with a fiancé’! Congratulations to you both.
All three teams will face off against Point Cook at Simmonds Oval for the WRFL Rule Prostate Cancer Men’s Health Round. Something that is close to home for JR, our VP, who’s a survivor of prostate cancer and a proud Rule Ambassador. At the conclusion of the senior game there will be a player awarded the Rule Prostate Cancer Medal, under the attentive eyes of the Australian Prostate Center team who we welcome to our sidelines with their TTT marquee. They’ll be available to undertake blood pressure checks and give general advice and information to our Viking and Bulldog men milling around the ground. It’s Time To Test! You’re important, so be a real drengr and take a seat in the TTT tent.
Back to the games, Premier Data created a new Viking in their stats this week, a Benjamin Taylor, who the Shieldmaiden has decided would be a good-looking rooster if he’s a blend of our Tipper and Taylor brothers. Sadly, he won’t be making a reappearance, but the illusive Sav Blanc will be available at the Viking bar which received a new shipment this afternoon! The Shieldmaiden is crossing her fingers for three competitive matches tomorrow, where we take some chances and push hard for each other on the ground.
President’s Lunch is around the corner, don’t miss getting a seat to witness funny man Evan Hocking, he’ll have you in stitches while you feed your face with wholesome tucker. A word of warning from your wise not so old Shieldmaiden, don’t get into a tiny submarine that’s operated by an Xbox controller if you want to survive until the Major Draw on the 22nd July. Squares are disappearing, so get and see the Prez now to secure yours.
Ha det!
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 9
Sæl Vikings!
Are we all well rested from the inaugural King’s Birthday long weekend hiatus – no doubt our Shieldmaidens probably needed the extra week to soak the white playing kits. Our Viking God’s and Goddess’s will have recovered from the star-studded Mid-Season Ball. The Garden State Hotel was treated to some serious frocks and suits after our day out at Spotswood. It was a splash of family togetherness that all generations of Vikings needed. The crowd across the dance floor varied from our Baby A’s right through to some of our ripened and steadfast Viking loyalists, including past players who just can’t miss out on a purple and gold party. Commissary drinks flowed, wounds were licked, and now it’s time to man up, tuck the tackle in, and get back into some of the senior-side-Altona form that the Shieldmaiden knows is floating about somewhere.
Let’s unpack Round 8 a fortnight ago, hmm-hmm, parts of it we would rather forget but there was some pretty fine stuff in there too. So, let’s do it.
Our U18’s played at home against Districts for the first time this season, in what was an assertive win by Werribee – who are an in-form side, currently sitting second from the top. Horsburgh, Sotiroudis, Collins, Kunze, and Graham each kicked one of our five goals for the day which were primarily waved through in the second half, after we remained scoreless for the first term, and managed a lone major in the second. It needs to be said that while this was a decent loss, the margin could have been worse, so our back line has really stood up against the Districts, and our Baby drengr didn’t get rolled by a massive deficit like some of other sides that Werribee have met. Keep at it boys, continue to grow and improve. You have good football in you, we’ve all seen it – believe!
Sadler, Worthing, Horsburgh, Bencic, Wilson, and Collins were listed in the best with the final score listed as 5.1-31 to 13.12-90.
We head on over to the bog of Converse Oval for the Reserves game against Spotty. Victors after the final siren, our development side cruised through the game notching a 35-point win in their belts. Jacko Menadue bagged 5 majors in a dominant forward performance, bolstered by Welch kicking three, Minett two of his own, and a single by Dean. The Reserves would be the only ones to sing the club song for the day, following a final siren and scoreboard of 6.2-38 to 11.7-73. Bests were Evans, Jacko, B. Tipper, Minett, Crawley, and Ogilvie.
There’s no pity party happening here – our seniors lost. Perhaps they we all distracted, thinking about what colour jocks to wear that night, maybe already imagining a chilled brewski from a Viking horn. Regardless, our senior drengr went down to a confident side of Woodsmen by 43-points. In true Viking style we came out in the first term as slow as a wet week, even while Hansen got busy throwing the ruckmen out of the way – by jingoes,
Shieldmaiden loves a bit of tactile adoration. Spotty kicked three straight majors while we ran around the pit of tar in the centre thinking about getting the job done. In a bit of a razz up at the changeover, our blokes finally found some our missing form, booting a small cache of four majors to see us leading by 8-points heading into the half time break. It was short-lived. The third quarter was not our best football, a single behind was our tally while the opposition piled on the pressure, adding five goals to their score. Outclassed and covered in black mud, Altona dropped the lip and seemingly stood by while five more green and gold goals were recorded in the last. It was a tough day for our back-men, who worked their buts off only to see our forwards kicking inaccurately and squandering ten opportunities at goal. Is anyone heeding the Shieldmaiden and her POV on goalkicking? Goals are momentum, momentum is possession, and possession is winnable games. We must get smarter with the shots being booted through the eight white sticks. There were six individual goal kickers in Jimma Callaway, E. T, Redpath, McAllion, C. Menadue, and our 23rd man Bentley one rewarded one.
Result was 14.5-89 to 6.10-46.
We’ve really missed some key players in recent weeks, but we have the depth there, so heads down and tails up.
Over burgers, chips and salad at this week’s Thursday night dinner in our Valhalla Hall, the boys spun the wheel for their fines. The crowd erupted when Minett landed on the BRICK slice, so he will be carrying a lump of oven fired clay in his bag for what’s believed to be rest of the season. Don’t get caught without it Billy! Crowd favourite, Redpath, managed to have his shirt auctioned for a third time this year, and no doubt had his mum scratching her head. Big thanks to the team who fed the hungry crowd, Kat, the Prez, Jaymie and Nom. You guys rock!
Let’s get into Round 9. We have all three games at home. Our U18’s will go up against Hoppers Crossing at Simmonds Oval. Last time they met in Rd 4, our boys pulled off a 24-point victory. They welcome McDonald and Crittenden back into the side this week, so with those two units helping strengthen their undermanned side, the Shieldmaiden has every faith in them to get the job done. We host the Juniors’ Dad’s Social Day in the clubrooms from midday – a huge warm welcome and thank you to them all for coming down.
Both Senior sides step into the ring with Yarraville. The Ressie’s sit third on the ladder above the Eagles, by percentage only, so it’s vital they get the win. With 5 changes this week our third Menadue debuts on Saturday after some quality forward craft the last couple of weeks . The Shieldmaiden is hoping his twinkle toes do something special! Other ins are the brick-slayer Minett and the smiling assassin Formosa both in for their first game in 2023, they slide in for Whatman who’s gone to get a tan, and Jayden Rice (Injured), Josh Norton also debuts for the Purple & Gold since coming back home from a stint at Spotty and lastly the agile Ben Tipper takes to the field replacing his brother Sam….
Other outs are Degan Sanders, Kosta Arapidis and Jack Marlais (Injured)
We’re hopeful of 3 wins on the day – but only if they all turn up, committed, and primed for the game.
We are on the season’s downhill slope, weeks are disappearing. Get your ticket for the President’s Lunch on the 8th July ASAP, it’s filling fast. Major Draw is also around the corner on 22 July, see the Prez to secure your winning square. Stick around after the game for the post-game raffle where there’s a chance to win a Major Draw ticket, and we also draw the VVC $100 back. Lastly, the Juniors have their main event coming up – a trivia night. It’s always a blast and heaps of fun, so grab a few Vikings and get a table together – support the juniors like they do us.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 8
Sæl Vikings!
There was the swirling aroma of sausages and brand-new budgie smugglers on the brisk air last Saturday. Early in the day the senior boys were seen collecting their new Viking jockstraps, destined for Simmonds Oval action and the beaches of Mykonos; the shieldmaidens in Greece are going to love them. Onto less disturbing images.
Our mini-Viking drengr raced out onto the ground during half time of the senior’s game, to the biggest crowd they have played in front of. They loved it and so did the cheering packed sidelines. There were guard of honours, and hand slapping, and oodles of smiles. It was a wonderful display of Viking family.
Let’s unpack the week that was, while Kat and the Prez unpack their suitcases. It’s not easy to write about our U18’s this week, or Spitta’s new hi-vis training apparel. Matchy-matchy – not! That’s the Altona Way, right? I digress, it was a hard day for our team, and Coach Spitta going down to the Eagles by 111 points. What the shieldmaiden will say though, is they bloody try. They do their best, even when they know they’re losing badly - they never stop pushing. They continued to stand up in the back line and hold Yarraville as best they could with a very obviously, depleted side – one bloke on the bench. From a coach’s point of view, taking the positives from a game such as this isn’t easy but I am sure that the loss is felt just as much by Spitta as it is for his playing group. Losing is a part of the football journey and without losses you never appreciate the milestone wins and individual team and player achievements. Their three straight goals were kicked by Collins, Sadler, and Graham. Best on Saturday were Wilson, Bencic, Bentley, Ogilvie, Worthing and Zsembery. We sit fifth on the ladder after round seven. Final score was 3.0-18 to 19.15-129.
The Reserves game was a similar result, but the other way round - a percentage boosting win for our boys. Point Cook Centrals looked like smashed avo out there, as our development side gave them a proverbial forking, seasoning them by 103 points on Simmonds Oval. Altona came out strong in the first, kicking a clean four goals in the first term, to PCC’s lone major. The second quarter Altona added a whopping 9 goals and almost as many behinds to the scoreboard, to lead at the half time break by 69 points. The third was a non-scoring event, neither team kicked a thing through any of the eight sticks on Simmonds Oval, and that continued for the Sharks into the fourth, remaining scoreless until the final siren, the result 18.13-121 to 3.0-18. Our third Menadue, Jacko, bagged five fat ones while teammate, Naismith snapped four of his own. Sanders managed three majors, Welch and Mead collected two each, Trembath and Minett one a piece. Named in the six were Minett, Arapidis, Crooks, Naismith, Formosa, and Ogilvie.
Our senior drengr came out the blocks like a plate of escargot, kicking five behinds before Jack Callaway found the first goal 14 minutes into play. Once they hit that target, they quickly rallied to lead by 24 points at first break. It was a nice battle between the two sides, with the Sharks showing some grit in amongst their Div 1 inexperience. By the half time interval, Altona led by 29 after the Sharks started hitting the mark. Extending our lead further in the third, the Vikings held PCC to a single behind, as the margin grew to 54 by the final change over. On the last siren we had kicked more behinds than goals and somehow still managed to snavel a 59-point win. Connor Menadue kicked three, Whybrow and Jimmy Callaway managed two each along with El-Hawli also found a duo in his first game of the season in purple and gold. Whatman, Hicks, Redpath, and Jack Callaway were our singles. The best on named were Bench, C. Menadue, McAllion, Coutinho, Atchison, and Whybrow, but the Shieldmaiden has to mention, that the centre magic of El-Hawli, Hansen, Redpath, and ET worked well too. Final score was 13.16-94 to 5.5-35.
Round 8. Our U18’s play at home again, against Districts, again, while our Reserves and Seniors meet Spotswood, over at their home ground on Converse Oval. The Woodsmen have looked up an about in the last couple of rounds, their Ressie’s beating the Doggies last week and Seniors going down by three points, so Shieldmaiden is expecting a contested game on both fronts. Best not to go into this game short-sighted. The seniors have their second round including a 23 rd man, and will welcome Cassius Bentley into the side, which means we also welcome Mumma Bentley and her primed vocal cords. She’s in good company though, so won’t be out of place at all. The Shieldmaiden doesn’t have any intel on team movement this week… discussions are ongoing, so you’ll all get what you’re given.
Players and WAGS will leave the game Saturday headed for showers, hair curlers and some lippy, ready to front up to the Mid Season Ball hosted by the Garden State Hotel. I wonder how many of the Viking jockstraps will make an appearance? Stay tuned for the low down on that! The weeks are flying by, in four rounds time, we have the Presidents Lunch (round 12) on the 8 July. Major Draw is the on 22 July, tickets are available and filling. See the Prez. Get in for both those before you miss out.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 7
Sæl Vikings!
Well, wasn’t that a bloody tough Saturday? Shieldmaiden has been curled up, rocking in a foetal position, and has not long crawled out. She’s assessed the games, readjusted her mindset, listened to Gloria Gaynor and Run-D.M.C. a few times and is ready to greet Round 7 with newfound belief in her beloved Vikings. It’s tricky but we will survive, because it’s not all doom and gloom after three losses in one day, we just need to render the valuable lard from the beast, even if it seems like there’d be more fat on a butcher’s pencil. The reigning premiers pressure pedal has been lifted, and now’s a great chance for the squad to practice some sword swinging without the spotlight. No – not those swords! The proverbial swords, like game play.
Let’s get into how round six unravelled.
The U18’s was our first loss of the day. Going down to Point Cook at Saltwater Reserve by 35 points. Some frustration was clear after the big Critta got into a bighorn ram stoush and ended up with two weeks holiday for his trouble. By the look of the scoreboard, it seems that Point Cook’s inaccuracy saved our young lads from some extra misery, but overall, the U18’s lost by the smallest deficit for the day, so there’s a silver lining. A whole lot can be gained from losing. Resilience. Expectation. Courage in adversity. All that, but from a Shieldmaidens perspective, losing means an opportunity to learn. Use a loss to propel that drive in your guts and hunger for the ball. Final scoreboard was 8.13-61 to 3.8-26 with Sadler kicking two majors and Horsburgh a single. In the best were Hutchinson, Horsburgh, Bentley, Worthing, Sadler and Zsembery.
Keogh Homes Oval was the location of our next defeat for the day, the Reserves going down by 71 points to Werribee Districts, who without a doubt, looked primed and efficient on arguably the smallest ground in the league. Swinging a cat without whacking the bloke next to you in the face might be a difficult task. Districts came out strong leading by 12 points at the first break, and then continued to gain momentum in the second using strong defensive lines which held our boys to two behinds for the term. At the half time break we were 36 points down, and so were heads, but Coach Deano tried his best to rally the boys, we were still in it if we could manage to pull our socks up and have a decent crack, but, we didn’t, our inaccuracy at goal proved to be a small part, Werribee having three scoring shots to our four in the third term, and it has the Shieldmaiden wondering, if we had kicked straight, and maintained some pressure, then perhaps the scores might have reflected differently. The fourth quarter was Districts green light to go hard, adding seven goals to the board, to our two behinds. What do you take from a twelve-goal smack on the arse? Big fat humble pie. You see your deficiencies, adjust game plan and player approach, and you get better, you do better, you think better, that is what you do. Final score was 16.7-103 to 4.8-32 with Minett kicking half our goals for the day, Welch, and Mead the remaining. Best named were Arapidis, Dean, Hansen, McKay, Rodwell and Minett.
‘Twas a tough day in the office for the Seniors too. The groove and move that we normally witness was albeit absent, aside from the few and far between game plays that reflected our real strengths, from a distance we were flatter than Usain Bolt’s feet, and it had the Shieldmaiden sweating like a gypsy with a mortgage. The small ground played a part for sure, with not enough space for our Viking Gods to run, get a purchase on the ball and clear it. Setting the ‘Bench-mark’ in disposals, Josh’s 30 efforts weren’t enough on his own, as Districts happily played on top of one another using exceptional pill movement on their home ground. With only five points in it at the first break, and a draw at half time, it was closer than a bee’s appendage. According to the Wyn FM team, the Vikings went into the game as the underdogs, but managed to jar the loaded Werribee outfit who were no doubt expecting a battle and came into the game prepared. They had ample midfielders to rotate legs and it showed in the second half as the atmospheric pressure built around us, as it did too with on-ground pressure. Benchy was a stand out, and Whatman did his job. The third term saw Districts come out hard, and their goal kicking remained as misshapen as Chad Morgan’s teeth, so we managed to stay in touch on the scoreboard, down by 15 points at the end of the third. The game looked far from over and Altona needed to find some spit and turn the game around. As the rain started in the fourth, so did the pouring of District goals, kicking seven majors to our single, and it’s fair to say, Vanders leaving the ground with a limp, hurt. It was a hard game of football to watch, and no doubt to be one of the drengr playing in it. Even with the thick and obvious rivalry between the two clubs during the game, it was refreshing to see the genuine comradery as they all united after the game for the back and hand slapping. Let’s see if the Altona boys use this gut punching feeling of loss as motivation for round 13 to rectify their defeat. As Coach Corey says – we don’t lose at home. Final scoreboard was 13.15-93 to 6.5-41. The Callaway brothers kicked two majors a piece, S. Tipper and Whybrow one each. Atchison, Whatman, Barnaby, Bench, Szanyi and Marlais were named in the six.
Some news around the ground, Viking stalwart, Col Davies arranged the 2023 Mental Health Session for the senior playing squad on Tuesday night, where Andre Van De Beek presented to a packed Valhalla. The session was proudly provided by the VVC members and will donate $200 to Soldier On. Just landed on the shield; the WRFL have appointed a new CEO, David Jennings, who will hopefully bring some zest to the league. Talking about zest, our U9 Juniors will be showcasing their mini-Viking skills this week during the Senior’s halftime. Give them a toot and cheer, will be great to see them in action.
Let’s talk Round 7. We have three home games. The U18’s meet the YS Eagles for the third time this season. With two of their main drengr out in Critta and McDonald, they’ll be undermanned and will need the crowd to rally them for their 10am start. Get to the ground early, find a park and settle in. Kat and the Prez are away catching some sun in the NT this week, so if you can lend a hand around the ground, tap one of the other Viking warriors on the shoulder and ask how you can help. Actually, you are free to do this every week, don’t be shy, we’re an inclusive club. And, a big happy birthday to Kat, from all the Viking clan. The Reserves and Seniors sides will go up against Point Cook Centrals for the first time ever, both games will hopefully see us back in the winners column, but, like the size- challenged lady says, it isn’t over ‘til she has sung. This week we welcome senior debutant Jay Hansen into the side, along with crowd favourite, Saad El Hawli. Making room for them is Crooks returning to the Reserves and Vanders who has a whingeing knee and will be rested.
Major Draw, tickets are on sale, see JR this week. And while you’re at it grab your, The Toyota Good for Footy raffle ticket for $5. Link is in our socials.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 6
Sæl Vikings!
What a spanking day Saturday was, both weather wise and on the field at Caroline Springs, where the Lakers certainly felt the slap from a longboat oar. The crowd was rowdy, levelling up to the noise threshold of last week’s Thursday night dinner as our Vikings ate lasagne, chips, and salad at the clubrooms. Dessert was a serve of spin the wheel, where a new brick section made a debut, and it could be said, it’s lucky no-one in the long line of fine attractors spinning the wheel landed on it. Imagine lugging a brick around for Thor-knows-how-long in your kitbag…. Quite the penalty, especially if you’re caught without said brick your bag!
The U18’s game didn’t exactly go to plan this week at the Yarraville Oval. Nonetheless, it looks as though they were giving it a fair crack until the match was abandoned after Riley McDonald clashed with a young YS Eagle in a contest 7 minutes into the second quarter. The Shieldmaiden is happy to report that Riley is doing well and is all clear of any major damage but will miss a few games as a result of his concussion. The game was called off before half time, the incident, voiding the score of 5.6-36 to 2.0-12 and rendering the game a draw. Collins and McDonald managed a goal each in the short time they were playing, and no bests were listed for obvious reasons. We’re all extremely grateful that Riley will be okay. Thank you to Sophia our trainer who followed the concussion management to a T, even with the kerfuffle around her.
Over to the reserves game. Returning from injury, our grinning Jye Formosa re-joined the Viking’s Reserve side, along with debut player Cody McAllion, who is new to our playing list. In what was a close game at the start, Caroline Springs lead by a tight two points at the first changeover. The second term saw our Vikings hold the Lakers scoreless, while we took control adding three goals and as many behinds to the scoreboard, sliding us in front by 19 points at the half time break. The second half looked like we slowed our charge and Caroline Springs challenged our drengr, kicking four majors to our two. In the end, we come out with the win, and the four-point reward. Final scores were 6.2-38 to 7.7-49 with our seven goals kicked by just as many Vikings in Formosa, Purdy, Arapidis, Naismith, Harrison, Kennedy and McConville. Our best on were Brien, McAllion, Hansen, Harrison, Formosa and B. Tipper.
The Senior Vikings soared through the Heads in their longboat ready for a battle on the sandy ground of Taylors Run Oval. A battle encounter it was. Altona showed the Lakers right from the get-go whose boss, outkicking, controlling possession and converting the inside 50s into scoreboard pressure, and forcing old man Lake to waddle down to the back line in a bid to stem the opening term bleeding and earn his apparent 1-percenters.
Anyhow, waddling aside, at the first break we led by 21 points. In an even scoring second quarter, there seemed to be plenty of heat on the ground, and I don’t mean from the heavenly sun. Caroline Springs came out swinging, and things got feisty, but Altona held and maintained their 21-point lead into the half time spell in a measured contest by the lads. In a drop of composure, the Vikings were forced to reassess their gameplay when Caroline Springs turned up the heat in the third and the crowd called for the umpires to regain control of the game. It was high pressure, intense and hard- fought football between the two quality sides, and after, shall I say, a most sensational dummy spit by our head coach, losing his cool, his hat and his glasses, it was his coaching staff who quickly flanked to settled him in time for a very necessary fourth quarter recalibration where they gained back their composure and control of the game, and in the end cruised over the line with a 30 point win. On the final siren, scores were 8.6-54 to 12.12-84
The Lakers were outclassed, and outplayed and yet, you’d be pressed to think the Lakers won going by the WRFL team of the week. Shieldmaiden is perplexed, very perplexed. Clarke and Vanders we rewarded with two goals each, and between eight other Vikings they kicked the rest. Best on was Bench in a dominant game supported by the reliable cohort of E.T. Rice, Coutinho, Atchison and Vanders.
This week our U18’s play away against Point Cook, it’ll be a great game for them to prove they have it in them to beat the Pups on their home soil again. Dig deep boys, you’ll all have to step into some goalkicking boots and get the job done for Riley. Our two senior sides meet Werribee Districts on Keogh Homes Oval for Round 6. Can you taste the anticipation on the chilly air? The build-up, the pressure, the expectation of the Grand Final rematch as our Seniors follow the Reserves out onto the ground Saturday, and I strongly suspect, spots on the fence will be like hen’s teeth, so get your B-hinds to the WRFL match of the week early and before Wyn FM 88.9 goes live.
The seniors have C. Menadue and C.McAllion coming into the side as Grieves is off somewhere getting a tan, and Hindle is injured with a broken wing. This little shieldmaiden is calling this meeting the match of the season and expects it to be, without a doubt, nail biting and excruciatingly torturous watching the two teams at the top go head-to-head. Eeeek. The last time we played on their turf was back in Round 2 of the 2022 season; we beat them by 21-points but from memory it was close. Strap on your helmets, it’s going to be a good one.
It’s official, tickets are on sale for the Mid-Season Ball on the 3rd of June. Head to the Viking shop online to secure your tickets. Major Draw tickets on sale now, see the Prez, JR or purchase via the Viking Shop. And because I love reminding you all, The Toyota Good for Footy raffle is still open, $5 each with every cent coming back to the club coffers. Check the socials for the link.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 5
Sæl Vikings!
It was a brisk day of football on Saturday while Vahalla was full to the brim of 96 happy gorgeous shieldmaidens, or as one described the day on her socials, ‘ladies getting lei’ed’. Braids of all shades gathered for what turned out to be an amazing day of fundraising for the club, plundering a delightful amount of just over $2,500 which completely covers the outlay for our fancy new point of sales setup – nowhere close to the 4-billion-dollar parade that King Charles III put on, but getting there. Vikings, how easy is getting a beverage from the bar now? Ask, crack, tap and go. Wow, don’t say that too quickly. Marquees were assembled out the front to shelter our supporters from the inclement weather, while the Ladies Day event inside kicked off and our boys went three for three on the home soil of Simonds Oval.
After a cracking game by U18’s, Bryce and his entourage of young Viking gods, Luke, Cassius, James and Jordan, happily hosted the all-gal function, completing all things practical and not, such as emptying bins, restocking fridges, cleaning and hoola-hooping, all while being attired handsomely in shirt and tie, hula skirts and leis. They really made the day amazing and we can’t thank them enough for being such great sports. Thank you to the incredible team who put the day together, Kat, Nom, Caz, Jen and the Prez, and not forgetting all our raffle prizes from our donators. It was a fun filled afternoon with laughs, games, daquiris and Tim Rizzoli entertaining until after the final siren to a packed social room. As our Prez mentioned Saturday after the game, everybody is welcome, we’re an inclusive family club, and it was great to see so many hang around.
Now, to the muddy work on field. Down by 7 points at the first changeover our U18’s charged ahead in the second piling on 3 majors to get ahead. The third term saw them hold Hoppers to just 3-points while we slapped on another two goals, pushing us to an 18-point margin going into the last. In a high pressure fourth quarter, it was low scoring for both sides, but we added one major to the Warriors lonely behind. Altona were victors on the final siren 7.6-48 to 3.6-24, and we saw them earn their second win for the season showcasing a half dozen spectacular speccy efforts in Hors, and a bit of arjy-bargy when 15 Hoppers players tried to take on the big Critta. Word also has it that Wardy is lucky not to have lost a tooth – For Thor’s sake, wear your mouthguard ya peanut! McDonald added three to his overall total, Sadler two with Kunze and Bentley kicking one each. In the best were Horsburgh, Crittenden, Hutchinson, Bentley, Hagg and Sadler.
In another dominant game, the Reserves showed Hoppers how to get it done. The depth in our squad is evident, when you see how the development side make a game of football once again look like a training drill. The pool of skilled players our coaches have to choose from is exciting to witness. Altona came out to win this convincingly, piling on eight goals to Hoppers three by the half time break. The third quarter Altona stopped the Warriors charge completely, keeping them scoreless for the term and adding another couple to our three-quarter total. The final charge saw us kick an inaccurate five goals and five behinds, to just a single goal and two behinds for Hoppers. With the result 12.10-82 to 4.6-30, it seems Hoppers were lucky our boys like kicking behinds. Forehead slap. Sanders, Dean, Papakalodoukas and Purdy all kicked two apiece. Naismith, B. Tipper, Minett and Welch each snapped a major and were named in the best along with Welch and Sanders.
The southerly whipped up a notch for the senior battle of drengr on Simonds Oval and the centre of the ground well and truly a slippery ski rink for our rucks and mids. In true Altona style we started slow out the gates, in what looked like our Vikings getting a feel for the different selection of players this week. Atchison and Bench were standouts in a solid outfit, even without the likes of Connor Menadue, ET, Barnas and Paton and they lead all game against Hoppers. Jimma Callaway had a four-goal booty grab, Wil Taylor collected three, and Rice managed a nice duo. Kobi the 23rd man was rewarded with a goal in his debut senior game and honestly, did not look out of place, unlike King Charles’ one white glove and two jewel encrusted rods. On the final siren the score was 3.8-86 to 8.3-51, which seemed to be a great reason for Whybrow to show Redpath some love as they came up the race and we went live for the song singing. Bests listed were Rice, Whatman, Atchison, W. Taylor, Redpath and Whybrow. We sit third on the ladder below Point Cook (second) who have played five games already, and Districts who are on the top, both sides only sitting above us by percentage. Time to start piling on the margins boys! Your chance is next week against Caroline Springs – let’s see if Lake needs to be pulling the boots on again in a bid to get his team over the line.
Over to Round 5. It’s the WRFL Women in Sports round, and Mother’s Day on Sunday - don’t forget! Show your love and appreciation by recognising the shieldmaidens in your footy circle, give them a pat on the back, a high five or just say thanks with a bag of plundered coins and silverware. Our game wouldn’t be what it is without them. The U18’s will be away at Yarraville for a 10am start. If you can get to the ground to support them – please do. It’ll be a great opportunity to see them employ their improved game skills against a side they have previously fallen short to this season. Chins up and lets rock and roll. From midday, our Reserves and Seniors play away at Caroline Springs. Both games will be a test of skill and this little shieldmaiden is expecting a full throttle, high impact and pressure exhibition. There can’t be a slow start this week – so bring your best war paint to the battle.
Upcoming events – get these in your sun dials. Dress to impress at the Mid-Season Ball on the 3rd of June, you can wear a crown and shoes like Charlie’s if you choose. Tickets NOW AVAILABLE via the Altona FC store. Round 12 against Caroline Springs is The Presidents Lunch on the 8 July which is also available for purchase. And the big one – the Major Draw, a chance to win $5K, on 22 July, tickets available NOW, see the Prez. And if you haven’t already, yes, yes, I am telling you again, The Toyota Good for Footy raffle is now open. Please do your tiny part, tickets start at $5 and every cent comes back to the club. Check the socials for the link.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 4
Sæl Vikings!
What a Saturday of grassroots football. Our Vikings had three wins; a comeback, a cruise, and a close call while masses of Point Cook supporters with their portable rave tent, chants, and all, could do nothing but watch. If you weren’t there to witness the spectacle, you missed what turned out to be a magnificent day.
First to our baby A’s. Through discipline, sticking to structure and a fair whack of Viking belief, a thirty-point deficit at half time and what seemed like a long way from getting a win, saw our drengr fight the good fight in a gallant second half of football. The work rate through the mid, by Harro, Cass, Koby, along with a solid ruck contest in Collins, produced considerable opportunities inside the 50. Executing the skills that the side has been working on, the team managed to convert well. Still down by fifteen points going into the final term they held the PC pups to three behinds while kicking four majors to get in front. Players started cramping like no one’s business, Spitta started pacing like a horny lion, Mumma Bentley was cheering her head off from the sideline, and through extraordinary work rate, they held their lead for the final siren and gained their first win, 7.9-51 to 8.11-59. McDonald who’s surely a chance to rack up a hundred for the season, booted five for the day, taking him to nine so far and is equal on the WRFL leader board with PC’s Jaimangal, who was limited by our back line to a single goal for the day. Horsburgh was our other multi goaler, snapping two. Best on were Collins, McDonald, Horsburgh, Hagg, Bencic, and Worthing. What a comeback. The U18s dominated on the ground even if it wasn’t seen the scoreboard early, and that reflected come final siren. They sang loud, starting what was to be a perfect melodious day.
Our Reserves undertook a much cruisier four quarters, with Point Cook finally arriving after the first term while The Shieldmaiden yawned and sought out some excitement in a pie and coffee. Our Vikings kept them scoreless going into the second and in a game that probably should have had a bigger margin, if you look at our behinds, the game looked more like a training exercise. But we come out with the four points and sit third on the ladder. 7.1-43 to 12.8-80 Best on were Gattek, Mead, Minett, Papakalodoukas. Mead and Moloney kicked three a piece, Gattek and Minett each banged two through the posts.
Well, hasn’t there been some tíðindi (news) on the local rags about this game. Controversial… pfft. Our big boys had to earn every possession Saturday, with purple and gold free kicks as rare as hens’ teeth in what was, at the end, just desserts. We again started slow in the first term, just tasting the air like a boa constrictor, and soon enough our Vikings tightened their grip and took control, leading for the middle two quarters and most of the last. That was until PC kicked two quick goals in the dying minutes, one of them following yet another unconvincing penalty paid to Point Cook. Blood was boiling on the fence line, as the crowds of Vikings supporters were outraged by the resulting goal, landing PC in front. And then, when hope was all but lost – Odin flew in on his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, (that would be Vanders) and the sweetest free kick was paid that saw him lining up for goal from about 40m out just seconds before the final siren squealed. Fair to say the crowded Viking sideline were holding their collective breath, whispering, ‘just kick it through a couple of sticks, ANY sticks!’ We were a point down. Next, in what is said to be the controversial bit, blah blah, karma arrived, and oh, how the Shieldmaiden giggled. Wil Taylor started pointing out the Bulldog blokes in the protected area around the man on the mark, and without hesitation the ump blows his beautiful pea whistle and pays a 50m for dissent. Vanders casually jogs to the goal square and plops the leather pill through the two big sticks. Rejoice? Hell yes, after we all picked up our jaws. The team celebrated, but not before Coach Corey pulled our drengr into a tight huddle before they left the ground to emphasise the close call and work rate required to win against sides like Point Cook, who were missing two key players in Dahlhaus and the leading goalkicker, Rouvray. Next meeting with them will not be easy. The final score was 8.7-55 to 9.6-60 with Connor adding three majors to his season total, and Jack Callaway converting two. Best on were Atchison, Vanders, W. Taylor, Redpath and Hicks.
Let’s get into the week that was and will be. Word has it that the weekly auction is becoming more like a porn (or pawn?) shop every week, you can’t touch anything in it, except for the menu board that Coach Deano loves to lean on as a lectern. It was a very boisterous group this round with a Carlton jumper no one wanted up for grabs, who can blame them? Word has it that the Wep may’ve bought it for one of his love children….. James Sadler got to roll the dice because his jocks bare his shieldmaiden’s face and it wasn’t until Ben Tippers boots come out that the gathering really erupted, and bidding got spirited. While combing my socials, I discovered that Coach Spitta has a new Insta handle; big_bad_spita which has this Shieldmaiden wondering, has she been spelling Spita wrong? And, what is this, ‘That’s The Altona Way’ that he speaks of? Perhaps we should get together big_bad_spita, and have a couch catchup about all things Altona, such as mushroom gravy on the side, moving magnets, and a coaches required dress code?
I could make myself available for next Thursday night’s dinner, where we’ll be back at Simonds Oval Valhalla clubrooms, as there is no dinner at Kooringal this week, due to our beloved barman Nelson going on leave. Instead, there is lasagne, salad and chips with garlic bread and a soft drink for $20. Tickets are now online via our store on the website (www.altonafc.com.au) till Tuesday. Everybody welcome, but order early to save Kat and her Shieldmaiden cohort some catering angst, food will be ordered Wednesday morning!
Saturday has an expected top of thirteen degrees and is predicted to be a wet and cold day, with possible hail. Dress accordingly, though the 100 Shieldmaiden guests may not, as we host a completely sold-out Ladies Day from 12.30pm, and following the final siren the second VVC member draw happens alongside the aftergame raffle. First prize is a Major Draw ticket, which just happen to be on sale this week (see the Prez).
Now, to the games. All three teams face Hoppers Crossing at home on Simonds Oval; 10am, 12pm and 2pm respectively. Notable Viking movement is Kobi Harrison coming in as the 23rd man into the seniors, the first of the WRFL rounds where players under the age of 19 who have played less than three games at a senior level can be listed in the senior side. All the best to Kobi. Clark and Kosta are back, Crooks gets his chance at senior level with Connor Menadue being rested along with Paton, Barna & ET have prior commitments and Szanyi stepping into the captains’ seat for the day. In all three ladders, Hoppers sit below us, but the Seniors could be tested. Shields and swords up, it’s game on against the Warriors!
Lastly, and I don’t mean to threaten you with my war hammer, but… The Toyota Good for Footy raffle is now open. Please do your little bit, help keep our club financial, tickets are $5 and every cent comes back to the club. Check the socials for the link.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 3
Sæl Vikings!
Ooh wee! Njǫrd, our wind god turned up Saturday so we could all bask in the glory of our flapping most magnificent, premiership flag. What a day it was. Kat, Paul, JR & Co. had everything in place for our first home game of season 2023, as our Viking committee and friends divided into hafna to man the stations. The canteen and bar lines ran thick all day, merchandise walked off the hangers and our VVC members were handed their magic drinking horns. With a couple of new, but familiar faces on the deck, Altona’s longboat sliced through a picture- perfect day.
Let’s get into it.
Our only dark cloud for the day was the Under 18’s falling short against Caroline Springs. In what’s been pencilled as a missed opportunity, Harrison brought his own brand of footy Saturday, and carried his side on his shoulders like a true Thor and was reportedly ‘everywhere’ in the third term, thrusting them forward with a team effort four-goal sprint in the third term, leaving the scores going into the fourth. It wasn’t enough though, as the Lakers come out with the 12-point win 10.10-70 to 8.10-58. McDonald snagged four majors for the day, and he, Crittenden, Horsburgh, Amos, Bencic were named in the best. Later, Spitta remarked on their huge improvement in aspects they lacked in round one, but that they just didn’t have the legs to pull them through to the finish line. Their third quarter effort was phenomenal. Let’s hope they transfer that gusto across to this week against the pups of Point Cook who will be hungry for their first fill of winning kibble. It’s going to be a game of who wants their first win more – time to bring out the chainmail for battle boys. Get the job done.
Back at Simonds Oval, Stants stood in for our bedridden Reserves coach, Deano, while he fought off a real man-flu, and won his first coaching game at Altona. It was a thriller game after Spotty took the lead for the middle two terms and most of the fourth. But our men pulled out all the stops in a low scoring game, coming out with a one-point victory over Spotty. 4.7-31 to 3.12-30 It was nice to have the shield in the other hand this week, following last week’s loss and obviously, they happily belted out the song for the first time this season. Moloney was the only drengr to kick multiple, snagging two through the middle sticks. Crooks, Naismith, Stankic, Purdy and McKay were best on, in a side that has plenty of depth.
Following our flag unfurling, the senior sides lined up opposite one another for the Anzac commemorative service. The crowd was thick around the ground and stood silent for our national moment of respect as the haunting sound of the bugle commenced. It never ceases to raise the hairs under my braids and bring a tear to my eye. The sacrifice they made for us, to enjoy the freedom we live in. The purple and gold our Vikings wear is a direct connection to our founding members battalion colours. We should never forget. Lest we forget.
First bounce arrived on a sun-drenched and pristine Simonds Oval, though we started slow struggling to find some possession and control and ended the first quarter in an 8-point deficit. The second saw us gain momentum quickly with a five-goal turnaround, taking the lead. Spotty’s insufficient two points in the third term, to our four goals gave us a 34-point lead over the Woodsmen by the changeover. Whybrow slotted in magnificently, booting three majors for the day, while Joel went one better, bagging four. Hick’s had a stella game - catch me if you can road runner style and visited the media van after the game for a little ‘chit chat’ with the WYNFM media team. It attracted a little gathering of Hicks fans, including the coaching team that initially threw him under the proverbial interview bus. Final scores were 12.6-78 to 6.10-46 with Hicks, C. Menadue, Jack Callaway, E.T, S. Tipper, Atchison named the best, in a side that has shown us each week the potential it has with all this youth at its disposal.
Saturday was a solid team effort by all those behind the scenes, you only had to stand back for a moment to see and appreciate the people rowing the longboat. Igor and Denise filled the drinking horns all day and the hafna in the canteen were in overdrive. Our aftergame raffle has a new face, or well, it’s actually two; Nom and Caz, the dynamic duo who have stepped up to fill some very big shoes, as our Goddess Jenny Molnar has a much deserved rest. Both ladies filled the gaps throughout the day with Nom at the helm of the merch table with Bazz who pretty much got bossed around by Nom, and Caz whacked up afternoon tea with Kat for the halftime Jól (feast). In a packed Viking clubroom after the game, a beautiful young shieldmaiden won our first home game raffle, which was a ticket into the Major Draw on July 22nd. Tickets for the Major Draw will be available at our next home game on the 6th May. See our Pres Paul to get your preferred numbers quick. Our first VVC $100 draw went off with our Pres winning it, and of course, donated it back to the club. It’s still not too late to get on the Viking Valhalla Club longboat, head to the website Shop and sign up.
Some whispers on the wind and written in the aurora this week are that one fashion forward Viking tried to sell their designer ring and received some animated feedback from players, while another got down on his knee and Will’ed his shieldmaiden to accept his diamond ring. And, she said YES! Congrats from all your Viking clan. A hat of a beloved Shieldmaiden almost made it to Thursday auction, and Naismith has learnt just how valuable it is to take your stuff home! You have to be on it lads, CB is lurking and waiting, and before long, this pot of Viking gold is going to be full enough for you all to sail to the blue waters of Mykonos. Or is that the point? Hmm. Premier Data released their Round 2 stats with Altona represented by Connor and ET in the ranking points and Colby for hit outs. I’d love to see coaching data for dummy spits and board thumps. Round three takes us through possibly the biggest roundabout clusterf..k in Melbourne, and onto the best example of a bottleneck road going around, out to the faraway lands of Saltwater Reserve, where all three sides go up against Point Cook. Pack your earmuffs, brollies and jackets, the southerlies tomorrow will be brisk out there.
Spitta’s U18’s bounce at 10am, Deano is back to health and will return to the helm of his Reserves for midday. There’s a little bit of player movement; Szanyi is back into the Seniors out of retirement and a two-match spell from what most of his peers described as a “Grubby Act” in the 2022 Grand Final. He’ll be joined by Hindle, while Rice is unavailable due to work commitments and Arapidis moves to the reserves. The senior clash will see the unbeaten Doggies who currently sit at the top of the ladder, attempt to beat the reigning premiers in what’s going to be a bit of an unknown, what with the recruiting that Point Cook have done in a bid to construct a competitive side for 2023, after finishing second to last in 2022. Starting at 2.15pm I have no doubt our Vikings will show them how it’s done. Following the three tussles Saturday, our players will head on back to the club later that night for their Beer Pong Tournament. Oh, to be a fly on the hall wall Saturday night! If you’re intending on fronting up to Ladies Day on May 6th, get your ticket by Saturday, $60 each and available in the Viking Shop on our website. Final numbers for the daquiris are needed and the room is filling, so get in now for your chance at a Door Prize, guest gifts, raffles, games and more! The braids will be flicking!
Lastly – The Toyota Good for Footy raffle is now open. Tickets start at just 5 measly bucks and every dollar goes back to the club. E.V.E.R.Y. D.O.L.L.A.R. and, you could win a car! Get your tickets, support your club – find the post on our Facebook, or email info@altonafc.com.au for Altona’s direct link.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse – Round 2
Sæl Vikings!
What a treat it is to be back in the huddle mingling with the smell of dirty grass and liniment while stealing one of Tiny’s lollies. Footy is BACK! After an eleventh-hour wrestle, the straggling last few Vikings were registered – I’m certain it’d be a lesser task to wrangle a bag of feral cats for Thor, and what’s more, it’s an actual miracle that all three sides got onto the paddock without someone forgetting their playing jumper, shorts, socks or jock strap.
Even with the predicted weather, there was a healthy following of fans spread around the ground at Yarraville to watch the opening round clashes. And clashes there were. Tighten your helmets; behold our Viking Saga, aka the wrap up.
A valiant and persistent effort in windy conditions wasn’t enough for our U18’s to get over the YS Eagles, marking a loss in their first game. Scores 16.14-110 to 4.5-29, Coach Spitta encouraged his team’s potential, determination, and leadership on the ground, as Crittenden kicked two majors in a debutant loaded side, Collins and Bowling kicked one each in their first game at senior level. Zsembery, Graham, Sadler and Crittenden were named as stand outs in a side that has a lot to gain from game experience, something Coach Spitta has plenty of, to help nurture these young blokes into the legend status that Spitta holds, and reportedly there are photos floating around to prove it. New Vikings Rubie-Jackson, A Wyebrow and Sotiroudis were among the debuts, witnessing Zack Amos’ creative handball - that was absolutely, not a throw…
By midday the clouds darkened, and rain threatened, and it must have had the cheeky player who called Coach Deano the night before, on edge, because word has it, the weather conditions didn’t really suit said player – or his hair, and he might have to withdraw. Tut-tut-tut. If a shieldmaiden can braid her hair and front up, well then, so can you, you Viking God, you. In what was a seesawing game the Reserves led at two of the changeovers with S Tipper kicking two and Boicos one before he was stretchered off by our trainers. In the dying two minutes of the closing term, the wretched birds, after multiple dubious, time-wasting ruck taps back over the boundary line, managed to kick a goal in the last forty seconds of the game, landing them in front by a single point as the rain really began and hair might be ruined. Trembath, Sanders and Molony were named in the six, in a side that really gave it a crack. It was a bloody shame not to come away with a win, final scores 6.8-44 to 5.13-43 A single point!
Without these close losses you can’t appreciate the wins, and the missed opportunities, so it’s back up onto the war horse you go returning to Valhalla for what I hope was some goal kicking practice. Ten drop punts in front of goal for each minor scored, or burpees, should do it. Or both if it were me coaching you. Cyclone Isla’s wild and wet weather finally arrived from the west coast in time for the Seniors’ game, bringing with it, Andre Coutinho, straight from Love Island’s Beach and stacking up 30 disposals in his debut game in purple and gold. Pretty impressive, like his 13K of followers on Instagram. Viking god, Baldr comes to mind and oh, the Shieldmaiden is blushing. Sorry Kaine, I must honourably decline your offer of marriage. Clearing throat. YSE’s, Varcoe and Co were no match for the copious good looks, charisma, and skill in the Vikings outfit. Norton was instrumental in the opening half until injury took him out of the match.
The brothers Menadue kicked two majors a piece – Joel copped a ball to the face in the warmup and it seemingly knocked him off his game as he dropped a sitter and missed a couple of goals. Very out of character for our trickster god, Loki. It was a physical contest, with multiple battles over the leather pill; ET and Colby tangled their curls in a contest, resulting in ET needing six stiches in his scone and Colby a fat cheekbone.
It was hot on the ground with a few spot fires throughout the four quarters, and things got a wee bit lippy on the side lines too, it was something about a skunk. Clarke is out for two weeks after rattling the feathers of an eagle following an umpire’s call that missed a head high tackle and left those who weren’t in the ensuing scuffle, continuing play which resulted in a goal for YSE. Discipline boys – don’t make me pull my pillaging hammer off the wall and come down there. It was a scrappy, slippery and hard contest, with our senior boys getting the win 5.10-40 to 9.8-62 over an Eagles side, who were (IMOO) no match for our drengr (Viking Warriors). W. Taylor, Clarke, Hicks, J Whybrow, Atchison, and Norton were named in the best and in a supporter packed changeroom our twenty-two seniors sung for the first time that day, and this year.
While most were feeling every muscle and ache in their body after their first battle, a whisper has it that a few miraculously recovered enough to knock the Froth off a few at a former players birthday that very night; some of our best players of the last decade chanted Sweet Caroline as well as they once sung our club song.
Training this week saw plenty of Vikings return to the rooms in a mad dash to collect their auction donations, but alas Thursday night dinner saw six items go under the hammer and plenty of gold poured into the Footy Trip coffers. Vandenberg, W Taylor and Coutinho were named in the Div 1 team of the week – a Shieldmaiden must ask, are there fines for this kind of P.R.?
Over to this coming weekend. It’s a huge day for the club. Both the senior sides will play at home in our traditional Anzac Round game against Spotswood. Unfortunately, fixturing has it that the U18’s play away at Caroline Springs. If you can make the effort to get there, please do and show your support.
The Reserves will be bolstered by about a third of the 18’s squad who are coming up to rumble with the big blokes. Notable changes for the WRFL’s 88.9 WYN FM game of the week are Szanyi and Clarke, with Degan Sanders coming in, to debut. At 1.55pm the premiership flag will be unfurled, and I hope there’s a puff of wind right at that moment to flick it out so we can bask in all its glory.
Following our flag reverie will be the Anzac commemorative service and first bounce at 2.20pm. Our magnificent premiership silverware will be on display, and after the game we have our first of eight Viking Valhalla Club member draws ($100 cash) – at $10 a week to join, you’d be a certain kinda ‘Lidia-Thorpe’ not to get on board; membership includes a magic viking horn that gets the bearer free beer, wine and soft drink, or $3 spirits from siren to siren at all eight home games.
So, catch a longboat to Simonds Oval this Saturday 22nd April and witness the glory zenith of 2022’s hard work, and our boys dig in and get the pillaging done against Spotty. Oh, don’t forget to get your beautiful shieldmaiden’s a ticket for Ladies Day on May 6th. $60 each and available in the Viking Shop on our website.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden
The Shieldmaiden’s Tales of Norse Round 1
Sæl and welcome to Season 2023!
In case you missed it, were perhaps stolen by pillaging Vikings, possibly living under a rock, or even sailing in a longship near Port Douglas – we won the WRFL Div 1 Premiership in 2022. How sweet it was… still is… just bloody glorious, BUT, we have work to do.
On the eve of Round 1, the Viking community is ready to get stuck into 18 rounds of full throttle footy and is amped to watch our reigning premiers vie for a competitive standing on a different looking WRFL Div 1 ladder.
What will be a wonderfully fresh Altona list, there’s ample young-gun talent and stamina to showcase, so don’t miss a game. Make sure you get down to the ground each week and support our boys.
Let’s just catch you all up on a few happenings in and about Simonds Oval. In the weeks after defeating Werribee Districts, a bunch of Vikings headed off on the footy trip to Airlie Beach; word on the vine is someone sobered up in a lockup after running when he should have stayed put, and there was almost a change in airlines after a pesky random with the same name as one of our Vikings was blacklisted and just happened to be on the same flight – common sense prevailed and crisis averted. Not much else has come out of the group that flew up – tight
lipped! What happens on the footy trip stays on said footy trip.
Pre-season started in November last year albeit without a few familiar six-packs out on the grass. It’s no secret that some of our more senior players have moved on, or hung up the boots, which has had the tongues of many in the league’s wider following wagging, ‘how will the season will pan out for the reigning premiership club?’ It’s a different look for sure but I for one, am not worried in the least… with the beautiful spread of youth and talent and generous handful of hardened leaders, there is no doubt that Altona will be a competitive side this year. In recent
days a few news articles have splashed their views around about it and, should I say, managed to completely cock up who our coach was/is, and has left everyone in the know with raised eyebrows watching Johnny Singarella posing as his coaching icon in the Maribyrnong Star Weekly. You had one job Joe and Tara – one job.
It’s been a busy offseason for the committee, coaching staff, and players, and with the silver cup finally back in Viking hands after it’s tour to the MCG, the reigning premiership players all came out on a cold blustery February day for the Premiership team photo in the clubrooms. Following basic instructions seemed somewhat difficult for a good handful of our lads. Some borrowed shorts and socks, Joel Menadue donned a fresh cut and bleach,
Norman travelled back for the gig, and there was plenty of taunting and banter while they all had their turn at sitting straight-backed and smiling for the folks at Local Legends Photography. All was good until Benchy forgot what number he wore while signing Frothy’s playing jumper, and then… Jimmy Callaway dropped the silverware!
We have a huge social calendar pencilled in after what was a great Season Launch post the practice match just before Easter, where our very own VP, John Ryan received his Life Membership pin and joined his gorgeous mum in gilded letters on our Honour Board. They’re the first Mother & Son duo to be decorated and we again thank them both and congratulate JR.
Our President Paul proudly took ownership of our premiership flag this morning at the WRFL Season Launch, so please join us for Round 2 at Simonds Oval for the unfurling. Not to be missed. There are so many ways to get involved at Altona so do yourself and the club a favour and head on over to our website and checkout our Viking Vahalla Club Membership. Player events this year see the return of the epic Beer Pong Tournament in Round 3 and the very entertaining Music & Duos will be running again. Ladies Day is just around the corner on May 6th . It’s a 12.30pm start and includes lunch and a day full of laughs, daquiris, dancing and hoola hoops. Tixs are $60 and available via the Viking Shop on our website now. Get on and like our socials to stay in the loop with upcoming events like the Major Draw, Mid-Season Function, Legends Lunch and the Presidents Lunch.
Now, let’s get into tomorrow’s game. Round 1 we’re away, Yarraville Seddon will host us on what’s predicted to be a wet and windy day. Corey McCall will spearhead our crisp new side with Brodie Hicks and Jake Whybrow debuting in the seniors with new recruits in Greaves, Coutinho, Atchinson, Clarke, and a new Norton, alongside our loyal stars to name just a few, Paton, the Menadue brothers, and Taylor – speaking of who, it seems ET will have his very own changerooms peg. Odin status unlocked? Viking royalty? At least there won’t be any lost
property hanging from it, ready to be auctioned off with the plethora of stuff left behind each week. Such a situation has forced the Viking Gods to rule it as such; going forward, all lost property will be auctioned off by CB each week at our Thursday night dinners, and all proceeds from winning donations will go towards the footy trip. Hmm, if I am right, this will mean a small list of serial offending players will be broke each week if they can’t remember to collect their crap after training. Back to tomorrow – Our 18’s start the day off at 10.00am, followed by the
Reserves at midday and Seniors first bounce is at 2pm. Gather your brollies, scarves, and all things purple and gold and get down to Yarraville Oval.
‘Ha det!’ (Go well)
The Shieldmaiden