play canberra issue 31 january 2014

@playcanberra facebook.com/playcanberra www.playcanberra.com.auIssue #31 January 2014 follow us:

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ContentsJanuary 201404 The top 5Worst Sporting Mascots

05 Centenary wrapCanberra’s Biggest Year of Sport

08 The State of PLAY - UnionNew Dawn For Australian Rugby

010 The State of PLAY - Aussie RulesSurviving the Pre-season

012 The State of PLAY - Rugby LeagueAuckland 9’s

014 The FeatureSally Shipard - Life Away From the Bright Lights

016 Cross-Triathlon & Multisport FestivalThe Australian Championships kick off

018 Gungahlin Leisure CentreSet to make a Splash in 2014

020 BasketballCarly Wilson Receives WNBL Life Membership

021 Rugby UnionBrumbies Sign first Japanese Recruit

022 The State of PLAY - FootballThe Impact of Individuals

024 Good SportsCanberra Royals Win Club of the Year

025 ACTEWAGL Events CalendarWhat’s on in January

026 The State of PLAY - CricketAshes Whitewash

030 CrosswordThe PLAY Canberra Sports Crossword

Ready. It’s a powerful word, and describes how Canberra feels right now. We are ready. Ready for our second century. Ready for the next stage in our growth as a city. Ready to abandon old stereotypes and march proudly into the future.

We’ve nurtured the careers of some of Australia’s great athletes and the tenacious support of our local teams is always on show. With the youngest and most active community in Australia, we’re entering our second century with a bold and confident outlook on the future.

READY FOR ACTION.

IMAGE: MICHAEL THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHY

www.playcanberra.com.au 03PLAY CANBERRA JANUARY 2014

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Antony Perry Brett McKay Brendan Parnell Russ Gibbs Josh Matic Todd Davey Lyndall Parker

PhOTOGRAPhERS:

Ben Coughlan Ben Southall www.bensouthall.com.au Nudgepix Photography www.nudgepix.com.au Fiona Brammall Joseph Purdam

DISCLAIMER:PLAY Canberra is a monthly magazine distributed to over 500 locations in Canberra on the first Thursday of the month. The opinions, view and comments expressed in PLAY do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publisher. PLAY Canberra is not responsible for the information submitted in the ads by the advertisers.

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The top 5

WORST SPORTING MASCOTSHere at PLAY we have searched far and wide to bring you a list of the wildest, wackiest and some downright terrifying sporting mascots from around the globe. Compiled by Todd Davey.

1. THE NEW ORLEANS PELICAN (PIERRE)

When a change of mascot was mooted in the South West, few agreed that the New Orleans Pelican was a mascot that could evoke a sense of pride from the home fans and fear from the opposition - that was until the Pelican was unleashed.

The only semblance of intimidation that this monstrosity is eliciting is from the children that attend the games.

Unfortunately, coming from the ‘Pelican state’ New Orleans were always going to struggle to incorporate some home state flavor into their team rebranding, yet few could have predicted a disaster of these proportions.

LOOKS LIKE: the monster you feared was under your bed as a child.

2. THE CAIRNS TAIPAN

Given their mascot is a snake; the Cairns Taipan does not suffer from the same affliction as its New Orleans’ counterpart.

They did, however, take a leaf from the Pelican playbook and make their mascot as non-child friendly and terror inducing as possible.

It is safe to assume that the marketing team modeled the Taipan after a mutated Japanese disaster creature crossed with Mortal Kombat’s Reptile.

Mission accomplished.

LOOKS LIKE: the embodiment of the darkest recesses of your mind.

3. WENLOCK AND MANDERVILLE (LONDON SUMMER OLYMPICS 2012)

If you are looking for a pair of mascots that exemplify the polar opposite of what your Olympic games campaign represented; look no further than the Wenlock and Manderville.

London’s hosting of the 2012 Olympic games was lauded as one of the best ever,

in charge over at the Stanford University.

LOOKS LIKE: the offspring of a Christmas tree and a hastily thrown together salad sandwich.

5. CLYDE (GLASGOW COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2014)

Rounding out the list is a mascot from the future, the imprudent creation of a 12 year-old girl who won Glasglow’s competition to design the 2014 Commonwealth Games’ mascot.

Named after the River Clyde, which runs right through the heart of Scotland’s largest city, the base design of Clyde was modeled after one of the most annoying plants known to man: the thistle.

Yes, it is meant to be a thistle.

It is difficult to be too tough on this one given the youth of the mascot’s designer, but given the significance of the event, surely a marketing team could have come up with something more apt rather than what looks like bewinged catastrophe with green skin.

By the way, who approved the purple flat-top?

LOOKS LIKE: a reject Muppet from Sesame Street.

with many pundits comparing it to the benchmark games of Sydney in the year 2000. Unfortunately, the people in charge of organising the games clearly delegated mascot duties to the office intern.

These two not only share the dubious honour of being named amongst the most ill-conceived mascots of all-time, they also possess the worst names of any sporting symbols, of anywhere, ever.

LOOKS LIKE: the product of a 5 year old left alone with crayons and a piece of paper.

4.THE STANFORD TREE

A perennial worst mascot list-topper, the Stanford Tree is one of the most bizarre and perplexing members of this esteemed list.

The Leland Stanford Junior University Cardinals decided that rather than going with the obvious and far more appropriate choice of a Cardinal as their mascot they went with this malformed Methuselah.

Mascots are meant to evoke a sense of pride and support the team that is putting the hard yards in on the field, not be a source of ridicule. Unfortunately this fundamental rule was lost on the people

04 PLAY CANBERRA JANUARY 2014 www.playcanberra.com.au

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Centenary wrap

Canberra’s biggest year of sport

Canberra’s rich sporting history has played a major role in shaping the national capital’s place in

Australia’s sporting landscape, and in our Centenary year it was only fitting that sport has played a central role.

The Centenary Year has provided the platform to showcase Canberra as not only the active city that it is, but also demonstrate its ability to host major sporting contests.

We have proven our capacity to stage major sporting events in Canberra both at the elite and amateur level.

Our high quality facilities and the willingness of the community to get behind these events puts a compelling case to the sporting codes to come back to Canberra soon.

In collaboration with the sporting

And our local teams competing in their various national competitions have also hosted Centenary matches with more than 64,000 spectators having been “bold in gold” as their teams donned one-off Centenary strips such as the iconic yellow Brumbies jersey and the Raiders ACT heritage jersey.

The Canberra Cavalry were our standout team, winning both the Claxton Shield and the Asia Series.

But not only the elite sporting teams got into the Centenary spirit. ‘Sportenary’ promoted 100 diverse physical activity opportunities getting Canberrans off the bench and into the action.

Throughout 2013, more than 64,800 got involved in Sportenary events, trying a range of activities including fun-runs, skateboarding, floorballing, fencing, cycling, dog walking and dancing.

Many organisations successfully used their Sportenary event to attract first-time participants to get active, and encouraging them to stay active, hopefully well beyond the Centenary year.

industry, we have showcased many of our sporting achievements through Centenary projects that ensured involvement by all levels of the sporting community.

During the year, we have been fortunate to see many of Australia’s sporting elite including the Australian Cricket Team, basketball’s Boomers and Opals, netball’s Diamonds and the rugby league’s Kangaroos up against traditional foes from the West Indies, New Zealand and Great Britain. The AFL hall of Fame was also held at the Great hall at Parliament house – the first time it has been staged outside of Victoria.


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9 - 11 MAY 201425 – 27 APR 2014Join highly acclaimed Celebrity Chef Justin North6.30pm for sit down 7.00pm.

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The State of Play - Rugby Union.

NEW dAWN fOR AUSTRALIAN RUGBYBrett McKay - @BcMsport

The way the Wallabies finished their Spring Tour of Europe has set tongues wagging again, and even

if we’re still a bit bewildered as to what this mythical “Australian way” of playing rugby is, it genuinely does feel like the national team is leading the way with how we want our teams to play.

In truth, though, Super Rugby has always allowed that hard-at-the-breakdown, always-looking-to-attack mentality to prosper. It’s a major reason why New Zealand sides have been so successful over the history of the competition.

So with that in mind, it will be interesting to see how much of Ewen McKenzie’s approach at national level filters down to the Super Rugby teams.

Already, the Australian conference looks like a race in three between the ACT Brumbies, the Queensland Reds, and maybe even the NSW Waratahs.

The Brumbies overachieved in 2013, by virtue of playing off for the title a full twelve months earlier than their own projections, and where their Wallabies reps were once thin on the ground, suddenly they enter the new season with more than a dozen current and former Wallabies on their books.

Year Three of the Jake White plan for the Brumbies was to have added an attacking element to the defence and breakdown components they built up in years one and two. With Stephen Larkham entering his first season as a head Coach, it’s hard to see that plan wavering and likewise, with Laurie Fisher now directing rugby from a broader perspective, the hard-at-the-breakdown approach that bore so much success in 2013 is now likely to become a cornerstone of rugby in the ACT and the surrounding Brumbies Rugby regions.

And with firepower out wide of the calibre of Kuridrani, Tomane, Speight, Mogg, and

There’s no doubt he Reds will continue to play ‘the McKenzie way’ that has been successful for a few years now, but the interesting dynamic in 2014 will be that with Ewen McKenzie entrenched as the Wallabies coach, he is no longer involved in the Reds set-up. It could yet be a factor.

At this time of year, the NSW Waratahs always pop up as contenders in the media, and their fans seem to lap it up and forget the hollow threats they made in previous seasons never to watch their rubbish again. And so that’s always fun, because with the retention of the new golden boy of Australian rugby, Israel Folau, and the return from Melbourne of Kurtley Beale, the ‘Tahs do shape as genuine challengers for the Australian conference in 2014.

The ‘Tahs do seem to have a nice squad assembled for this year, to the point where there’s debate as to where Beale might end up playing, and a strong Waratahs team can only be good for local derbies. After all, if there’s nothing better than beating the Waratahs, it’s beating the Waratahs at full strength.

To finish up, it’s worth mentioning that all the ‘feel good’ factor around rugby this year is being further fuelled by the news that the Australian Rugby Union is again committed to creating that missing level of competition between club and Super Rugby level.

The National Rugby Championship - a working title, for now - is set to kick off in August, and will include a Canberra team alongside teams from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. If it sounds a lot like the short-lived Australian Rugby Championship from 2007, that’s because it is, and it’s the one thing that’s been missing from the Australian rugby landscape for way too long.

So buckle in, rugby fans, there’s a big year ahead of us...

the evergreen Rathbone, the Brumbies would be mad not to use it. Flyhalf Matt Toomua revelled at inside centre for the Wallabies, playing outside Quade Cooper, and so seeing him looking to unleash his outside men is something Brumbies fans should get very excited about.

Just as the return of David Pocock is something to smile about. It’s not every season you can see a club legend like George Smith and even the super-promising Colby Fainga’a depart the openside flanker spots and be comfortable about it, but the return of the 46 Test-capped Pocock allows that to be the case.

We’ll have a full Brumbies Super Rugby preview in next month’s PLAY, but it’s already hard to expect anything less than a top six finish in 2014.

Queensland snuck into the finals last season, in some respects, and the fact that they’ll have so many top players back on deck and fully fit makes them a dangerous prospect again. James horwill, Will Genia, and especially Quade Cooper all finished 2013 a lot better than they started, and like the Brumbies, they too have Wallabies’ reps dotted all over the field.


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The State of Play - Aussie Rules.

SURVIVING THE PRE-SEASONTodd davey - @ToddJdavey

There seems to be only two seasons in the world of AFL – footy season and pining for footy season.

Unfortunately, given the AFL’s insistence on having one of the longest off-seasons of any team sport around the globe, the agonising wait is long and arduous.

however, the end is finally in sight with the season’s opening match set to kick off in style with Collingwood and Fremantle clashing at Etihad Stadium on March 14th.

There still may be just over two months to negotiate but never fear! The team at PLAY has compiled a list to get you through the final bend and into the home straight.

IGNORE THE FLUFF PIECE

One of the most easily identifiable articles in the AFL off-season, the fluff piece usually leads with ‘player x is flying on the track’ or is ‘the fittest he’s ever been’.

These articles are usually disseminated by the clubs directly to drum up enthusiasm as the beginning of the season draws near.

These articles are typically all-style, no-substance however, with the excitement that your favourite player may finally have his break-out year only to be curtailed by the follow-up article stating

playing in experimental positions then the NAB cup will be right up your alley.

The pre-season comp is not dissimilar to a mirage. Ostensibly it may look like the real thing, but there isn’t really anything there.

NEW SEASON – NEW COMPARISONS

Invariably, with a new crop of young players coming through, the evaluations – often made after seeing 15 minutes of a game – and unfair comparisons will be made.

Who’s going to be the next Chris Judd or Gary Ablett? Is Tom Boyd going to be the second coming of Wayne Carey? Does Jack Martin have the potential to outshine teammate Jager O’Meara in his debut season?

Typically pundits will wait until the season kicks off before they make such bold assumptions, but youtube experts who watch a five minute highlight package from the under-18 championships will tell you how Jack Billings or Zac Merrett are going to be absolute guns.

It is best to wait until players have had time to find their path in AFL football before the pressure of being the next superstar is heaped upon their shoulders.

Follow these simple rules and you will get through the 2014 pre-season unscathed!

his fractured his wrist and will miss five weeks of the season proper.

These pieces are best approached with caution.

RESIST THE ALLURE OF THE PRE-SEASON COMPETITION

Every year we wait impatiently for the regular season to roll around, and every year we find ourselves watching the pre-season competition with the impression that any footy is good footy.

Well we are here to tell you that is incorrect.

If your idea of quality football is to see the second-string teams run around at half-pace, avoiding bodily contact and


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The State of Play - Rugby League.

AUCKLANd 9’SJosh Matic - @MaticJm

There’s a lot to like about rugby league. It is tough, physical, requires good strength but also

asks for mental capabilities in play making and dealing with pressures in the heat of the moment.

Right from it’s earliest days in the late 19th and early 20th century with it’s creation in Northern England and it’s professionalisation in New South Wales, it is has been one of the most followed sports in Australia, New Zealand, England and Papua New Guinea.

But the National Rugby League has finally asked itself: “Where else?”

While there are a handful of nations that show capability in the sport, on a global level, it is still vary scarce.

This year NRL fixtures will be held in each capital city minus hobart, and there could even be one in China.

But one of the better innovations for 2014 will be the Auckland Nines tournament to be held at Eden Park February 15-16.

The NRL has reinstated a pre-season competition for the first time in almost 20 years - since the Tooheys Challenge in 1995.

Although it is being held in New Zealand - a country already well adapted to rugby league - it will begin a trend of staging major events outside of Australia which will see the game’s exposure grow.

And should it become a permanent fixture, there will be options to take the tournament elsewhere and continue this growth.

Eventually it could contribute to the international exposure of the recent world cup, which was held in the United Kingdom but featured many teams from across Europe, and even the United States.

however the tournament has been set up to answer this.

With teams only playing for 18 minutes per game for a maximum of six times, it is a far cry from the pressures of past pre-season tournaments where the same number of games were played at full length.

The event requires at least 12 top-line players from each club to play, and given it is just three weeks before the start of the NRL season, these players will be after match fitness.

One team sure to field a full strength team will be the Cronulla Sharks.

After being fined $600,000 for drug use, and with the club still recovering from previous financial losses, they have the greatest incentive to grab the $2.6million on offer.

Ticket sales have been strong for this event, with over 35,000 people expected on each day.

The event is a positive for the game, and should be made permanent it will grow exposure and with millions of dollars expected to be generated, will assist in keeping the game financially stable.

The tournament will run for two days, with each of the 16 teams split into four pools, with the winner of each progressing to the finals.

Teams will only field nine players, and games will have halves of just nine minutes.

The NRL have also used this opportunity to trial alternative rules, including five point tries for those scored in between the goal posts, five tackle sets instead of six, and shots at goal having to be drop-kicked instead of place-kicked.

In the event of a tie, teams will be split via a “golden try” period of two minute halves, and for single errors, handovers will be used. Scrums will only apply to double errors.

A prize pool of $2.6million will be up for grabs for the winner. Each club must use at least 12 of their 25 contracted first grade players.

The tournament has been met by critics however.

There have been claims it will increase the risk of player injury, and as a consequence, a lot of mainstream players will not play.


As per the normal program, the Raiders spent the pre-Christmas training period working on strength, conditioning and fitness. But now it is crack-down time and with the players with negative attitudes removed from the club, it will be time to play as a team once more.

The bookies have the Raiders as third favourite to take out the 2014 wooden spoon.

however not all is looking bad.

The Raiders will realistically be fielding an unchanged squad, minus just sacked duo Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson, and the departures of Joel Thomson and Sam Williams to the Dragons.

They will be well prepared having played in the inaugural Auckland 9’s as well as two strong trial games, against the Storm in Melbourne and the Knights in Tamworth.

Despite the season that was 2013, there were still a number of shining lights in the squad that could prove the critics wrong this year and act as game breakers.

Anthony Milford should be eager to leave the club on a high before he

The Australian team finished in fourth place at this year’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, in England.

Chairman of Wheelchair Rugby League Australia, Laurie Lawira, said Canberra is a perfect place to show off the game given how much the area loves Rugby League.

“The Canberra Raiders have been big supporters of the NSW Wheelchair

Wheelchair Rugby League will be played in the Nation’s Capital for the first time

when an exhibition game involving Australian representatives will be played at the Institute of Sport on Saturday 18th January.

Members of the Wheelaroos will line up against each other in what will be an exciting match up to show case the emerging sport.

Rugby League competition, and it has always been our objective to bring our sport to them.”

“What better way than to have our best players compete in an exhibition game at the AIS,” Mr Lawira said.

Wheelchair Rugby League allows people with a disability to play alongside and against able-bodied athletes.

“People are always surprised at how close Wheelchair Rugby League is to the running game – the similarities are very obvious, and the best thing is everyone can participate,” Mr Lawira said.

The Raiders were runners up in last year’s NSW competition and are currently second on this year’s ladder.

WHEN: Saturday 18 January 2014, Match Kick off at 1pm followed by Come and Try at 2pm

WHERE: Australian Institute of Sport

Wheelchair Rugby League - COMES TO CANBERRA

Ryley Batt taking it to the Canucks Wheelaroos V France


Raider’s keys to success in 2014

The Canberra Raiders will waste no time in working off the Christmas kilos when they return to team

training in January.

Amidst a season that featured nothing but The Bold and The Beautiful style drama, the team began their pre-season in November for six weeks, before breaking for Christmas and the new year.

But what transpires in the second stage of the pre-season is set to mark significant changes within the playing group, as new coach Ricky Stuart continues his quest to ensure what happened in 2013 is not repeated.

moves to Brisbane next season.

Milford was a hero at times last year, making crucial efforts to get his men over the line or to narrow the margin.

With Josh McCrone training primarily at hooker recently, it is highly likely Milford will feature in the halves along side skipper Terry Campese at some stage in 2014.

he scored nine tries in 18 appearances, but his defensive efforts were flawless and play making options perfectly executed.

This in-turn leads to another man crucial to a successful Raiders campaign: the ever-reliable fullback Reece Robinson.

Similarly to Milford, at times he stood head and shoulders above the rest in lackluster team efforts.

he played all but one game last season, scoring seven tries, but created scoring chanced with 10 line-breaks and 89 tackle breaks.

Along with a solid pre-season training regime and better team unity, these men hold the key to success in rebuilding the Raiders in 2014.

Anthony Milford in action at the RLWC

The Feature

Sally ShipardLife away from the bright lights. By Antony Perry @antonyperry.

Sally Shipard is sipping a decaffeinated flat white coffee in Lonsdale Street Roasters, one of many so-called

“hipster” hangouts along Braddon’s bustling Lonsdale Street. It’s a Friday morning in the summer of 2013 and Shipard fits the scene perfectly: she’s dressed in overalls and is wearing a haircut most would consider to be totally individualistic. She has been undergoing rehab for some time on her right knee and enjoying time away from the football pitch.

Shipard is one of the most recognisable faces in women’s football in this country. For the Matildas, the women’s national side, she has played 57 times. For Canberra United, the club she represents in the W-League, she has amassed 28 appearances since 2009. If the sport was professional in Australia, Shipard would be one of the game’s highest earners – such is the icon she is. her love for football has taken her on a breathtaking and rather revelatory journey.

But as she sits comfortably on a pile of cushions with her back against the wall, there is only one thing on her mind. Getting back on the field. Chasing the round ball around again. The fans want to see her on the field, as do her teammates. Most importantly, Shipard, if her body allows her to, wants to be a part of United’s revival under new head coach Liesbeth Migchelsen.

“I’m not under the impression at all that I need to step away from the game – my injury isn’t debilitating enough,” Shipard says. “Although the condition I have is degenerative, degenerative is too drastic a word to use because I can still run around pain-free. It’s just about getting over these little problems that I’m incurring at the moment, which is just based on the fact that I’ve had almost a year and a half off from playing.”

tidy that up and the doctors said, ‘While we’re in there, we’ll give your knee a good clean out’. I guess it’s just something that had to happen after having run around on it for 10 years.

“The doctors have identified it as a degenerative condition, but I’d never had anything wrong with my knees until I needed that operation. I remember they looked at my 16-year-old self and the doctor and the physio said to me, ‘You’re put together in a very interesting way, biomechanically, and we’re going to have problems with you when we open you up’. I guess that’s come to fruition.”

Once Shipard starts talking, she takes some stopping. It makes spending an hour in her company highly enjoyable, but it almost seems as if an hour isn’t long enough. She’s welcoming, pleasant, open and, despite her status in football and everything she has achieved, she is modest. What’s most surprising, though, is how in touch with reality she is. It’s been close to 18 months since she has played football in a competitive environment and she is aware things may not go according to plan once, or if, she is able to return to the pitch.

“A part of me is a bit hesitant about whether my knee will hold up or not,” she says. “I know there’s still a lot I can do in terms of flexibility and strength work. The thought of retirement has crossed my mind a lot and I’m not opposed to life without football, which I don’t think is such a bad way to look at things because football isn’t forever and I know and accept that.”

Shipard’s right: football isn’t forever and there’s life to be lived away from the game. She has spent the last 18 months becoming somewhat accustomed to life without the sport – even if her absence from it has been forced. She currently holds a job at Community Connections,

Shipard hasn’t played football since the middle of 2012. After helping United to its first W-League title in 2011-12, she left Canberra for a brief stint in Germany with professional club Bayer 04 Leverkusen. She was brought in by Leverkusen part way through the 2011-12 German season to assist it in its battle for survival in the Bundesliga. Shipard made 10 appearances. Leverkusen avoided relegation. The opportunity to play professionally was one Shipard relished, but the intensity of turning out for the German club after playing a full W-League season inevitably took its toll on her body.

“I left [for Germany] a week after winning the W-League title [with Canberra United],” she says. “I then played another six months of football, which was a lot for my body to take and then I had my knees [operated on] after that. I had a meniscus tear on my right knee and they wanted to



a work place she describes as a “fantastic not for profit community organisation”. Shipard is a coordinator and manages six – soon to be 10 – mentally ill or disabled clients, assisting them with everyday living and engaging with society. It’s “out-of-the-box kind of work”, Shipard says, as all of her previous work has been media-related within the realm of the sport she took to at age five. Football, until now, has been her life.

Growing up in Wagga Wagga, she was introduced to many sporting pursuits from a young age, but it was football that truly took her fancy. Up until the age of 15, she played predominantly in boys’ teams. It was an important part of her development in the game, and in a bid to play at a higher level than what was available in Wagga, she moved to Sydney to pursue her dream of playing for the Matildas.

With the talent and the skills she possesses, the elusive qualities of a rare butterfly, Shipard was destined to reach the sport’s upper stage. At 16 years of age, she realised her dream of wearing green and gold. She blasted onto the international scene on the back of some sparkling performances for the Matildas at the Athens Olympics in 2004. In 2007, she participated at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Everything was calm on the surface. Shipard was a star. But internally she was fighting to remain afloat. She was battling an eating disorder and it was unknown to those she was closest to. The pressure of maintaining an athletic image, the feeling of needing to be the best ultimately took its toll. “It’s uncomfortable, it’s confronting, you feel exposed and vulnerable,” she recalls. “From the outside I looked happy and stable. But I had this battle I felt I couldn’t share with anyone and that was hard.”

Shipard gave football away in 2008 and went abroad. She travelled Europe and the United Kingdom, working in pubs and living in hostels along the way. She was 21. She needed a break from the sport that had transformed her life in a way she could have never predicted. But running to a place where she didn’t have to live up to the pressure and high expectations she set as a teenager, she soon realised, was the easy way out, not the right one.

“I was 21 and I quit football. It was claimed that I had retired but I just needed a break. It was a time when I was all about football.

26 years of age, she harbours ambitions of returning to the field with Canberra United and representing her country again on the international stage. It’s the type of person she is: she is driven and hungry to succeed. Shipard is gifted and talented and she wants to get as much from her talent as she possibly can. “There are still things I want to achieve,” she says. But after 18 months away from the game and the ongoing problems with her knee, stepping away from the sport is a “reality I’m willing to face.”

It’s because of her injury and the time away from the sport that she feels capable of leaving football behind. It isn’t everything to Shipard anymore. her occupation isn’t related to it and she has been living a life, for the last 18 months, that doesn’t revolve entirely around the game. She is healthy and happy and that is because of the break she has been forced to have. “When I’m not so healthy in my mind, I would say that’s when I’m engulfed with football,” she says. “When I’m healthiest I’ve got a few different things going on – life’s not just about football.”

“I’m not devastated anymore about not being able to play. It’s frustrating and annoying, but I’m not miserable about it. I feel like I’ve matured in that sense. I don’t get jealous of my teammates anymore when they’re playing and I’m not, I want them to do well. I want what’s best for the team, whether I’m playing or not. I don’t know if I held that at the bottom of my heart in previous years, but now I want that for everyone at United and the Matildas. I don’t know if I would have realised that if I wasn’t forced to have a break from the game because of my injury. It’s a powerful lesson that I’ve learnt, and I’m certainly better off as a person because of it.”

It would be a shame to see Shipard leave the game she loves so early. her achievements within the sport are to be marveled at and there’s no doubt she could achieve more. her battle to overcome adversity is inspiring. The journey she has embarked on through football has been revelatory and enjoyable. Shipard has given Australian football an incredible tale and it won’t soon be forgotten if she is to hang up her boots sooner rather than later. If she does, though, you get the feeling Sally Shipard will be just fine.

I was sick and unhealthy and I thought football was the reason why I was that way, so I took a sabbatical. But at that time of my life I was certainly running away from my problems, my eating disorder and I needed to address them. I realised I really needed to come home and address the problem otherwise my life was going to continue spiralling out of control.”

Shipard returned to Canberra – her family had relocated to the nation’s capital when she was 18 so she could train at the Australian Institute of Sport – and signed for Canberra United in 2009. She re-established herself in the Matilda’s set-up and she went on to represent Australia at the 2011 World Cup. As for her eating disorder, she sought help and her recovery remains a work in progress. “Over the last few years I’ve become more aware of what my disorder is and I’ve implemented certain strategies which have aided me and helped me with it,” she says. “It’s been ongoing, but I know I’m now on the right path. [The disorder] has certainly been a big part of my life and once I actually acknowledged that, I realised how damaged I was by it.”

Shipard, despite her lengthy absence, hopes she isn’t done with football yet. At

“There are still things I want to achieve”


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Cross-Triathlon & Multisport Festival

Australian Cross-Triathlon Championships & Multisport festival The 2014 Australian Cross-Triathlon Championships & Multisport festival kicks off in one of the most spectacular event locations of the series on Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 february 2014. Images: Element Photo & Video Productions

Based at Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa, this extreme event showcases the beautiful Snowy Mountains as

its backdrop and promises to be the most memorable race venue of the series.

Contenders for the Australian National Championship will take on a 1,500-metre Swim, 30-kilometre XC MTB and 10-kilometre Trail Run. The Australian National Championships are sanctioned by Triathlon Australia and will be the qualifying round for the ITU World Cross-Triathlon Championship in Zittau Germany 2014.

The Australian Cross-Triathlon weekend also includes a Sprint, Junior and Dirt Kids Cross-Triathlon, and a free Mud Rats event for the little ones.

The Multisport Festival includes a Cross Country Mountain Bike event featuring a Marathon: 75km (5 x 15km laps. 18yrs+), half Marathon: 45km (3 x 15km laps. 16yrs+) and Sprint: 15km (1 x 15km lap. 10yrs+). The Multisport Festival Trail Run events include a half Marathon: 21.1km, Trail Run: 10km (2 x 5km laps), and Fun Run: 5km (1 x 5km lap).

Competitors come from all over Australia for the Cross-Triathlon Championships & Multisport Festival. Athletes participating in the adrenalin-packed weekend of off-road action include Erin Densham –

activities; the finest local produce with a choice of two restaurants; a variety of 4.5 star accommodation including stunning Lake View Apartments and Mountain View Chalets and an array of pampering treatments at the Spa & Wellness Centre.

Sign up for the 2014 Australian Cross-Triathlon Championships & Multisport Festival if your New Year’s resolution was to shake up your fitness regime. Participate in this weekend of off-road runs and triathlons for the entire family.

http://www.lakecrackenback.com.au/whats-on/2014-national-off-road-triathlon-championships

Triathlete and bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Brendan Davies - 2012 Australian Ultra Runner of the Year and winner of the The North Face 100 for 2013 with a record time of 9 hours 16 minutes 12 seconds along with Andy Blair & Jenny Fay - cross country mountain bikers for the Swell-Specialized team.

Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa is nestled on 150 acres, bordering Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains within easy reach of both Thredbo and Perisher.

A year round destination, the Resort offers a wide range of soft adventure experiences; numerous FREE onsite


Figure skating

The ACT team has returned home from the 2013 Australian Figure Skating Championships with a

champion in their midst.

Dilli Kenyon took out the Novice Ladies championship title in an impressive field, winning by 6.02 points. She took a 1.29 point lead after the short program and never looked back, delivering a near-perfect long program as she skated to her first National title, earning herself not just the gold but a personal best performance mark in the process. It capped a superb year for Dilli which included selection as an Australian representative at the Skate DownUnder International in August. her impressive performance also earned her selection in the Australian National Training Squad for 2014.

Karuna henderson finished the Senior Ladies competition in an impressive fifth place, after skating two confident programs. In a tight and competitive field which included contenders for Australia’s Olympic team, Karuna rose

Charli Kesteven was hot on the heels of her teammate, however, finishing in a solid 10th place and setting another personal best score. Charli finished less than two points behind Lauren in a very close field.

Emily Leong faced a very strong Primary Ladies field, and was yet another ACT skater to record a personal best as she made her way to 21st place. In a sign of the field’s depth, only 6 points covered the skaters between 10th and 21st!

Callum Bradshaw made his National debut in the Primary Men division, and yes, you guessed it – another personal best as he skated his way to a superb 4th place. The ACT’s first male Primary champion in a decade was less than 6 points behind the eventual champion, a great result.

The ACT also sent six judges to officiate at the Championships, with the highest judge-to-skater ratio of any state in Australia.

Sadly, Brianna Steggall (Novice Ladies, illness) had to withdraw before the event. Eiland Kenyon (Junior Ladies, injury) was also unable to attend.

to the occasion, achieving a personal best score that was 10 points higher than last year. Karuna has also had an excellent year, including a gold medal performance at the WinterSun competition in July.

Lauren Ashman made her National championship debut in Intermediate Ladies with a strong 8th place. In a competitive field of 22 skaters, she also achieved a personal best score for the season, eclipsing her previous score set when she won the ACT Championship title in September.

Dilli Kenyon in action

What a difference...

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Dickson 2 Badham St Woden Launceston St/Furzer Stthetradies.com.auFor the information of members and their invited guests.

Our legendary schnitzels aren’t for the fainthearted. They’re massive and come with a huge range of toppings. So what are you waiting for? Get down to The Tradies and see if you can get through it. Or, are you chicken?

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GUNGAHLIN GETS SET TO MAKE A SPLASH IN 2014!The $28 million Gungahlin Leisure Centre (GLC) project will include multiple pools providing for lap swimming, learn-to-swim programs and hydrotherapy, which will meet the diverse range of community needs in the area. The project is on track for completion in April 2014. Take a sneak peek and a behind the scenes look at its construction below.


ABOVE: THE NEW 50M POOL.

ABOVE RIGHT: fRONT ENTRY Of THE NEW GLC.

RIGHT: CONSTRUCTION ON THE LEISURE POOL IS WELL UNdERWAY

Play by the Rules

GIRLS IN BOYS TEAMS Supporting girls to ‘play up’ against boys!

Australian women’s cricket captain Jodie Fields and BMX world champion, ACT’s Caroline

Buchanan are among many elite female athletes who had to “mix it up with the boys” in their formative years because there was no girls’ competition in their respective sports.

Would they still have reached elite levels if clubs had turned them away?

The debate doesn’t just hinge on whether the next crop of female “stars” has access to appropriate competition. Many sports advocates believe that even at a grassroots level, mixed training and competition can foster mutual respect; improve both boys’ and girls’ social skills; enhance resilience; and provide experiences that will help them in their broader lives.

Administrators need to be open-minded. A good point to start from is to explore ways to support a girl’s participation before making any decision. Administrators must also understand that preventing a girl playing in a boys’ team may be discriminatory. however there is no definitive answer with courts making different rulings over the years.

To explore some of the issues associated with having girls playing with boys, read and listen to the interactive scenario [http://www.playbytherules.net.au/interactive-scenarios/girls-playing-in-boys-teams/] on the Play by the Rules website. The scenario also includes links to interviews with an Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association lawyer discussing clubs’ duty of care and what clubs should consider when deciding whether to allow a girl to play on a boys’ team.

Additional tips and information for administrators, parents and coaches can also be found on the Play by the Rules website [http://www.playbytherules.net.au], under the team selection tab.

When they are of primary school age it is not uncommon for girls to play in boys’ teams. Yet when girls enter their secondary years, questions are often asked about their physiological make up compared with male participants.

When weighing up the situation, there can be no “one size fits all” solution. Age and gender are not always the best indicators of ability. Each case needs to be considered on its merits.

In deliberating whether a girl should play in a boys’ team, parents, administrators and coaches all need to assess a number of factors.

Parents need to weigh up not only their child’s physiological capabilities, but her motivation for playing, skill level, competitiveness, and whether there is support from within the club. They also need to know how to support their child’s confidence and resilience in the face of any direct or indirect criticism.

Coaches need to foster and encourage the skills that girls need to play and ensure they get as many opportunities as boys. This includes managing safety issues for all participants and making fair decisions on selection.


sport played a prominent role that will continue to grow in 2014 and beyond.

The sport and recreation sector plays an increasingly important role in the ACT community not only providing

Canberra has a rich sporting history which has played a major role in shaping the national capital’s place in Australia’s sporting landscape. In our Centenary year, it was only fitting that

physical activity opportunities, but providing employment and economic returns. The sector supports more than 3000 jobs and embraces some 30,000 volunteers.

Like any industry, professional development is central to improving service delivery and capacity.

The ACT Government through Sport & Recreation Services (SRS) helps support the industry by providing free education and training with workshops throughout the year on specific issues relevant to community level coaches, officials, committee and board members.

A new series of Community Workshops will be delivered in 2014. For course delivery dates visit the Education and Training Calendar: http://www.economicdevelopment.act.gov.au/sport_and_recreation/learn

Information is also available on our Facebook site www.facebook.com/ACTSRS or Twitter page @ACTSRS

SPORT BUILdS Off THE BACK Of A BIG CENTENARY YEAR

Basketball

CARLY WILSON TO RECEIVE WNBL LIfETIME MEMBERSHIP. By wnbl.com.au

Canberra Capitals star Carly Wilson will become the latest big name to receive Women’s National

Basketball League Lifetime Membership at a special presentation prior to the Round 14 clash against the Adelaide Lightning at the AIS Arena.

The 31-year-old veteran of 286 WNBL games has enjoyed a brilliant career that has brought her success for club and country.

A three-time WNBL Champion (2004, 2005 and 2010) and two-time WNBL All-Star Five selection (2003 and 2007), Wilson enters her 17th year in the league as one of the most gifted all-round players to step on to the court.

Thrilled to be recognised with this honour, a humbled Wilson said to be a WNBL Lifetime Member is a dream come true.

“I’ve given a huge amount of my life to the WNBL and I love this league,” Wilson said.

“I love playing here in Australia and love playing in the WNBL, so to be recognised in this way is a humbling honour.

“WNBL Lifetime Membership is something that I have wanted since I was a teenager and realised what it means to be a part of the WNBL. It really does mean everything.”

Wilson emerged on the WNBL scene as a 16-year-old for her hometown Dandenong Rangers during the 1998/99 season before taking an invitation to relocate to Canberra and the AIS program.

It was here that Wilson thrived under the tutelage of AIS Women’s head Coach Phil Brown, believing her time in Canberra set the foundations for her career.

“The biggest thing about the AIS for me was having Phil Brown as my coach,” Wilson said.

journey – all there to celebrate with us in the city that I grew up in.”

A move to the Perth Lynx followed, bringing a second WNBL All-Star Five honour (2007) before joining the highly-successful Canberra Capitals team, winning her third WNBL title in 2010.

Wilson has made Canberra her home since the move in 2009, playing 111 games for the club in this, her fifth season with the Capitals.

On track to reach the 300 game milestone early next season, Wilson said she has no intention of calling an end to her career anytime soon.

“I’ve always been blessed – touch wood – with have a body that has been able to handle the load of the WNBL and the day-in-day-out grind, so when I hang them up it won’t be because of injury at this stage,” Wilson said.

“It’s going to be when I’m ready to move on and enter the next phase of my life. I don’t feel like this season is the end of me. I really want to hang around for a couple more seasons.”

“I was lucky enough to have him for the three years I was there, pushing me to get better. To be able to tap into his amazing basketball knowledge each day really helped me develop as a player.”

A return to Dandenong in 2002 brought out the best in Wilson, earning WNBL All-Star Five selection in 2003 as a 21-year-old before winning back-to-back WNBL Championships in 2004 and 2005.

This rise saw Wilson earn her first Opals call-up in 2005, going on to be part of the gold medal-winning team from the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

It was this experience that has stayed with Wilson and brought her much joy.

“There are no words that I the can give to describe how fantastic that experience was,” Wilson said.

“To be out there, wearing the green and gold in front of packed stadiums was something I will never forget.

“At the gold medal game I had family, friends, old coaches and trainers – everyone that had helped me on my


Carly Wilson with fellow Caps Isabelle Strunc and Jess Bibby

Rugby UnionBRUMBIES SIGN fIRST JAPANESE RECRUITThe University of Canberra Brumbies have recruited their first Japanese player with harumichi Tatekawa set to join the franchise by the end of January.

highly endorsed by coaches like Eddie Jones, Toutai Kefu and George Gregan, the inside back has been a star for the Japanese national team, earning 20 caps for the Cherry Blossoms since his debut in 2012.

A big playmaker who looks equally as comfortable at either 10 or 12, Tatekawa will add extra depth to an already impressive UC Brumbies backline.

UC Brumbies head Coach Stephen Larkham made undertones on Tuesday that his new recruit would play a big part in the 2014 Super Rugby season.

the opportunity to bring him into our program. “

Currently representing Kubota in the Japanese Top League, Tatekawa will arrive in Canberra by the end of January and is likely to travel with the team to Queenstown for its first trial against the highlanders on January 31.

The UC Brumbies have previously fielded players from Ireland, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe, but Tatekawa is the club’s first Asian born and raised squad member.

“haru is a big, strong flyhalf who we see fitting into our program seamlessly,” Larkham said.

“he is a bit like Matt Toomua in that he has excellent skills with the ball but also makes solid contributions in defence. Physically he’ll be right up to the challenge of Super Rugby.

“his kick and pass are real assets of his game and nicely round off an impressive skill set. haru has a good rugby mind and a solid understanding of the game so we are really excited by


The State of Play - Football.

TALENTEd INdIVIdUALS HAVE IMMEASURABLE IMPACTSAntony Perry - @antonyperry

Luis Suarez is a special talent. The Liverpool talisman is currently the Premier League’s leading

scorer. he finished 2013 having scored 19 goals since the beginning of the current campaign. Of course Suarez isn’t flawless. But, with all his technique, poise and vision, he continually allays the doubts raised by his enigmatic behaviour. his performances are of total brilliance, dominance and artistry. No player at Liverpool has a greater impact than him.

It is players of his pedigree that shine brightest in the Champions League, a competition Suarez has not featured in since his £22.8 million move from Ajax to Liverpool in January, 2011. The fabric of Europe’s elite club competition is made up of gilded and garlanded individuals like him. It is a problem that lies at Liverpool’s door, as the club, despite formerly being a formidable presence in Europe, has failed to qualify for the competition since 2009-10.

Make no mistake: if Suarez had his way, he wouldn’t be at Liverpool. he would be at Arsenal, or at Real Madrid. The 26-year-old harbours ambitions of reaching football’s upper stage of achievement and there are lingering fears on Merseyside that he will seek to leave the Premier League club in search of the sort of glory it is yet to provide him. Liverpool’s form this season, though, suggests there is a realistic chance it will finish in the top four of the Premier League and seal a place in the Champions League. Indeed, that ought to remain a reality if the club wants to hold onto its star man, who is, undeniably, the timber of Brendan Rodgers’s side.

That’s not to say Liverpool is a one man team. It is far from it. Each member performs a role equally as pivotal

of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, has, undeniably, allowed those clubs to enjoy sustained periods of success. Both players are capable of doing what few others are. Their individual displays border on the cosmic.

These players, like Suarez, aren’t the sole reason for their team’s successes. The men around them are equally important cogs in the machine. But managers rely on players these kinds of perhaps more than any of their teammates. They rarely wilt under pressure and the heights they reach and the level of their contribution are matched by few others. They have established themselves as glorious comets of the game.

The nature of the professional era only makes them more special. The advent of professionalism has seen huge amounts of money injected into football. Clubs are now privately owned and obscene sums of money are thrown about to acquire the best talent as the pursuit of success continues to intensify. Europe’s top leagues are now littered with clubs whose rosters include only players considered to be world-class.

The fact that the likes of Suarez, Ozil, van Persie, Messi and Ronaldo have been able to carve themselves a unique place in football’s annals, despite the elite company that surrounds them, is beyond measure. Were they to seek pastures new, there’s little evidence to suggest their current clubs would instantly collapse. The financial backing and the stability of the clubs would ensure their survival. The remainder of the squad, too, would carry on with the job; football, after all, is a team game. But it’s widely accepted that their absence would have a profound impact and, indeed, success may be more difficult to secure.

to the one Suarez acts out in front of goal. Suarez is the protagonist in Rodgers’s show, though, and without him, Liverpool’s season would not be as superb as it has been. his impact, the effect he has, is immeasurable.

he’s not the only individual to, by way of virtuoso performances, have an immense impact on his club. Take, for instance, Mesut Ozil’s arrival at Arsenal last summer and the subsequent transformation of Arsene Wenger’s side. Arsenal will go close to winning the Premier League this season and, if they are triumphant, the signing of Ozil will be regarded as a significant moment in the club’s journey back to the summit.

Manchester United, too, recently bore witness to the impact one player is able to have through the acquisition of Robin van Persie in the summer of 2012. The Dutchman scored 26 goals in his debut season to propel United to its 20th league title. In Spain, the presence


Luis Suarez

UNITEDWE STAND

UP

COMING

GAMESVs Adelaide united19 January3.00pm McKellar Park

VS Perth Glory26 January3.00pm McKellar Park

VS sydney FC29 January7.00pm McKellar Park

VS Newcastle Jets1 February4.00pm McKellar Park

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT www.canberraunited.com.au

Good Sports

CANBERRA ROYALS WIN GOOd SPORTS ACT CLUB Of THE YEAR

The Canberra Royals Rugby Union Football Club has been named ‘Canberra Good Sports Club of the

Year’, accepting their award at the annual ACT Sport & Recreation Thanks Awards.

The 2013 Thanks Awards were held on Wednesday 16 October at the National Press Club. This year 36 individuals were recognised for their continued dedication to their chosen sporting clubs and organisation.

The Good Sports Award celebrates the Royals for promoting the values of the Australian Drug Foundation’s Good Sports program. The Good Sports program works with clubs to help them provide safe and healthy environments through the responsible management of alcohol.

More than 6,200 clubs across 72 different sporting codes are signed-up to the program around Australia, with over 80 clubs currently involved in and around the ACT.

The Good Sports ACT Regional Manager, Debbie Simms, said with alcohol a leading cause of preventable illness and death in Australia, breaking the link between alcohol and sport has never been more important.

“Research has shown that community sports club members drink more than the average Australian, which is a big concern.

“Around 45 per cent of men and 41 per cent of women admit to drinking at their club at levels known to harm long-term health, and 27 per cent said they regularly drive home from the club after five of more drinks,” Debbie said.

“Good Sports is about helping clubs to turn this around. As the Good Sports Regional Club of the Year, the Canberra Royals are showing the wider community that they place the utmost importance on

field and hopefully the beginning of a new successful era for our proud club.”

Since taking on Good Sports, the club says that there has been a steady change in the way people celebrate at the clubhouse – with more people feeling welcome due to less boozy behavior of a small few.

The club has attracted more members as a result and incidents of poor drinking behavior has dropped. Most significantly for the club, sponsorship has increased as local businesses see them as a great club to be associated with.

As ACT winners, the Canberra Royals went into the running for the National Good Sports Club of the Year award. The 2013 National Good Sports Awards were held in November at the State Library of Victoria as part of the Australian Drug Foundation’s annual Dame Elizabeth Murdoch Oration.

While the Royals missed out, South Australia’s hectorville Sports and Community Club were named ‘National Good Sports Club of the Year’.

Debbie Simms said that she hopes to see a Canberra club being celebrated at the next National Awards.

“We now have over 80 clubs in the ACT and surrounding Capital region doing great things as part of the Good Sports program.

“We celebrated our first club to reach our highest level of accreditation, Level 3, in May last year – which just goes to show the commitment our clubs are putting in. I hope to see one of them up on the stage accepting the National Award in 2014.”

For more information about the Good Sports program visit goodsports.com.au or find us on Facebook.com/GoodSportsClubs. Good Sports is supported by the ACT Government under the ACT Health Promotion Grants Program.

the health and wellbeing of their players, members and spectators.”

Like a lot of community sports clubs across the country, prior to their involvement with Good Sports, the Canberra Royals recognised that they needed help to better manage alcohol.

Since joining the program, the Canberra Royals have worked to make their club safer and healthier by training more staff in Responsible Service of Alcohol, providing ways for members to get home safely including taxi and bus services, educating players about alcohol harms, introducing disciplinary measures for breaches of the new protocols and constantly reinforcing the Good Sports message.

Bill Swain, Canberra Royals Club Manager said that they were thrilled to be recognised for the impact they’ve made since joining the program.

“Our involvement with the Good Sports program in 2013 has given us the ability to match our on-field performances - in which we made the ACT First Grade Grand Final for the first time in 12 years - with the same level of high performance and management with our off-field and social events.

“It has truly been a memorable season for the Canberra Royals both on and off the


Bill Swain, Brian Paule and Debbie Simms

More reasons to follow us.As Principal Partner of the Centenary of Canberra, we will be able to offer access to upcoming major events. Keep up with what’s happening locally, win tickets and access exclusive events on our Facebook page.

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ACTEWAGL JANUARY EVENTS CALENDAR

Week 1: 1-5 JANUARY

Sunday 5th

SBU17 Boys National Softball Championship hawker Oval - 5 to 11 January

Week 2: 6-12 JANUARY

Saturday 11th

CRIC

Weston Creek Molonglo V Eastlake 11am Stirling Oval Tuggeranong Valley V ANU 11am Chisholm Oval Queanbeyan V Western District UC 11am Freebody Oval North Canberra Gungalin V Ginninderra 11am harrison Oval

WNBL Canberra Capitals V Adelaide Lighting 3pm AIS Arena


Tuesday 14th

CRIC PM’s XI V ENGLAND 2pm Manuka Oval

Thursday 16th

SBU19 Men National Softball Championship hawker Oval - 16 to 22 January

Thursday 16th

SBU19 Women National Softball Championship hawker Oval - 16 to 22 January

Friday 17th

ABL Canberra Cavarly V Perth Heat 7pm Narrabundah

Saturday 18th


Sunday 19th


Saturday 18th

CRIC

Eastlake V ANU 11am Kingston Oval Weston Creek Molonglo V Tuggeranong Valley 11am Stirling Ginninderra V Western District UC 11am Kippax Oval Queanbeyan V North Canberra Gungahlin 11am Freebody

WNBL Canberra Capitals V West Coast Waves 6pm Tuggeranong

Sunday 19th

BASEVikings V Bandits 3pm Aranda Oval Eagles V Indians 3pm Stirling oval Rebels V Bears 3pm Majura Oval

W-L Canberra United V Adelaide United 3pm McKellar Park


Tuesday 21st

BASE Bandits V Indians 7pm Narrabundah Oval

Wednesday 22nd

BASE Eagles V ACTAS 7pm Narrabundah Oval

Thursday 23rd

BASE Bears V Vikings 7pm Narrabundah Oval

Saturday 25th

CRIC

ANU V North Canberra Gungahlin 11am ANU North Oval Ginninderra V Eastlake 11am Kippax Oval Queanbeyan V Tuggeranong Valley 11am Freebody Oval Weston Creek Molonglo V Western District UC 11am Stirling

SB Softball Australia Day Carnival - hawker

WNBL Canberra Capitals V Melbourne 6pm AIS Arena

Sunday 26th

BASEBandits V Eagles 3pm Kambah Oval Indians V Bears 3pm Majura Oval Rebels V Vikings 3pm Viking Park

W-L Canberra United V Perth Glory 3pm McKellar Park


Wednesday 29th

W-L Canberra United V Sydney FC 7pm McKellar Park

All details correct at time of printing

Canberra Cavarly

V

Perth Heat

17th, 18th & 19th

January

“It really has been a remarkable turnaround” is a phrase I’ve written, and particularly said a lot over the last few months, as the Australian cricket team redeemed their Ashes Series defeat in England in July and August last year in the most resounding, if unbelievable fashion.

And still is unbelievable.

I was at a press conference at Manuka Oval last October where ex-ACT lads, offspinner Nathan Lyon, and wicket-keeper Brad haddin both declared with straight faces, “...we know we can beat England.”

Numerous sideways glances were exchanged between the small band of media types assembled and afterwards, there was more than a few recordings rewound to double check that we had indeed heard what we thought we had.

Because the 3-0 scoreline in England seemed about right; yes, Australia had won a few sessions, or even a day here and there - the Third Test at Old Trafford, and the final Test at The Oval come to mind - but all in all, the generally accepted view was that England had won all the big moments of the series, and that despite some scattered Australian resistance, the better team had not only won, but won well.

Coming into the return series, the train of thought among Australian cricket fans was one of hope, not confidence. We should get them in Perth, and we might get lucky in Brisbane, but England’s class would ultimately shine through in Melbourne and Sydney. And that would be enough to retain the Urn.

Even when we got to Brisbane, and as Australia scraped to 295 in the first innings, we hoped rather than knew it would be enough.

Enter Cyclone Mitch and his mighty mo.

Johnson didn’t so much run through the

as “a once in a generation bowler” was something done only to remind us all that sometimes even the greats get a prediction wrong. Three years ago, Johnson had the home Ashes series from hell, and would soon be out of the Test team with no evident hope of return.

It’s almost laughable even just to write that now, with Johnson a thoroughly deserving Man of the Series.

Of course, Johnson wasn’t alone.

The top six batsmen of the series were all Australians, and all of them topped 300 runs as a minimum. Chris Rogers and Brad haddin topped 450 runs, and David Warner finished with 523 to his name. No England batsman broke 300, and a couple didn’t crack 200 either.

All four Australian bowlers finished in the top five of wicket-takers; Johnson’s 37, Ryan harris’ 22, Nathan Lyon’s 19, and Peter Siddle’s 16 only separated by Stuart Broad’s 21.

For the first time in the history of The Ashes, England lost all 100 wickets in a series. Australia, for those playing along at home, lost only 77 wickets. And declared their innings closed off their own bat four times.

And that’s the tale of the tape. In the end, the series result of 5-0 probably doesn’t tell the full story of just how dominant the Australian team was this summer. English journos and commentators that I’ve spoken to, both here and those covering the series from home have suggested that the defeat feels so much heavier than just the five Tests.

It really has been a remarkable turnaround. But it’s so much more than that, too.

It’s been emphatic. It’s been relentless. Unwavering. Brutal. And wonderful. Absolutely, bloody wonderful.

English batting order, as he mercilessly dissected it down to single elements, ground them down further into a fine powder, and flippantly tossed them away with the wind.

Little did we know that the four first innings wickets Johnson would take in Brisbane would be followed by 33 others by the end of the series. Or that in the course of taking 37 wickets in the series, Johnson would go past some truly iconic names through the history of Australian cricket: Stuart MacGill, Mervyn hughes, Clarrie Grimmett, and Ray Lindwall.

Johnson now sits on 242 Test wickets, and is only seven behind Richie Benaud’s 249, which once upon a time was the Australian record. A good year ahead could see Johnson knocking on the door of 300 wickets, something only four Australians have ever managed.

Another good year after that and ‘MG Johnson’ could overtake both ‘B Lee’ and ‘DK Lillee’ on the record.

And that would be significant. Only three years ago, recalling that Lillee described a 16 year-old left-armer from North Queensland named Mitchell Johnson


The State of Play - Cricket.

A REMARKABLE TURNAROUNd SECURES ASHES WHITEWASHBrett McKay - @BcMsport

Mitchell Johnson

SportswearNEW SPORTSWEAR PROVIdER IN TOWN

DESA Sportswear is Canberra’s newest and most competitive provider of branded apparel and

fully customised sportswear. An up and coming supplier in the sportswear industry, DESA Sportswear have already nabbed the prestigious title of official supplier to Canberra Velocity, Canberra’s Asia-Pacific Tennis League men’s and women’s teams.

Owner Zdravko Rogic created the sportswear company with the aim of having the most competitive prices and best quality garments in Canberra, challenging not only the current local market but proving competitive on a national scale as well.

Canberra born and bred, Rogic is an avid supporter of local sports teams and the local Canberra business community. ‘We have some wonderful

touch makes sure that your team’s uniforms are tailored perfectly to your needs.’

The DESA Sportswear website features a state of the art program which allows you to design your uniform and custom sports gear online, to get a feel for the different styles and colours available and try out different designs and ideas. DESA Sportswear can then bring your ideas to life for you and your team, and will help you to design, enhance and style your very own personalised kit to meet your specific requirements.

‘We pride ourselves in delivering high quality, affordable, multi-sport apparel, with order quantities as low as 10 and quick turnaround times,’ says Zdravko.

Despite being in the middle of a hot Canberra summer, it’s never too early to think about getting your uniforms ready for the winter sports competitions – whether you are an individual, school, university, sports club or team. Support Canberra small businesses and think local when making your next uniform order.

local business in Canberra, and it’s great to see such support from the Canberra community,’ Rogic smiles.

‘Sportswear seems easy to source from interstate or international suppliers, but there’s nothing like being able to drop in, choose the colours and materials you want in person, and be able to try on different uniform styles right here in Canberra. That personal


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Ausport

AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION Leading the way - on and off the field.

ASC staff members Philo Saunders, Michael Roeger, Andrew McGowan and Gareth Candy teamed up to win the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge event in

Sydney last month.

By winning the Sydney event the team has earned the right to compete in the 31st JP Morgan Corporate Challenge Championship, which will be held in London in July 2014.

The ASC team will compete alongside teams from the 12 other cities where races are held each year, including Shanghai, New York, Singapore and Johannesburg.

The ASC cruised to victory in the 5.6km race around Sydney’s Centennial Park with a combined total time of 1:12:17 seconds, nearly 4 minutes ahead of the second placed team from the Commonwealth Bank. Philo also won the overall race with a time of 16:45, beating home 8124 other runners. Michael was second in 17:24.

The team has third fastest combined time leading into the London race behind the winners from Frankfurt and Johannesburg.

Andrew said he very excited by the opportunity to race in London.

‘It certainly helps when you have guys of Philo and Michael’s calibre in the team. I’m very grateful to them as


I would certainly never win a free overseas trip based on my running abilities alone.’

he expected the team would be competitive in the championship.

‘Our time was three and half minutes slower than the German team and a couple of minutes behind the South Africans. But we’ve got some improvement in us, so if we run well, we will be half a chance of winning.’

Across the world the 2013 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge attracted 262,188 participants from 7,948 companies.

The ASC team members: Philo Saunders (AIS Physiology); Michael Roeger (NSIC); Andrew McGowan (Media and Government Relations) and Gareth Candy (Participation and Sustainability Management).


softball

Those that know Canberra sport, know we are good at softball. Really good.

The open men’s team took out the 2013 team of the year in a strong field, including the Brumbies, who made it to the Super rugby grand final and the Canberra Cavalry, who took out the Asia series and won the Claxton shield.

The strength of Softball in the ACT has seen the men’s open team win the last three National Championships and seven of the last eight - going undefeated in its last two campaigns. Eight members of the ACT Open Men’s Team are members of the Australian Squad.

The problem with dynasties is that one day they come to an end.

Meet two Canberrans that are

Proud mum Kim, herself a former ACT representative, could not be prouder of her children.

“They have both got to where they are because they train hard. I think if you want to get to the next level you have to drive yourself and they both have that drive.”

On the topic of playing in opens Kim believes the experience has been a positive for the teenagers “they have good support from their peers here in Canberra. They watch the opens and learn from them and have excelled this year.”

Softball ACT will be hosting three national championships in January, with the U17 boys being held from 5 – 11 January and the men and women’s U19s taking place from 16 – 22 January.

As well as that, Canberra will also host their annual Australia Day carnival which is the largest junior softball tournament in the southern hemisphere. Last year 64 teams competed and this years numbers are looking very similar.

determined this won’t be the case for Softball Canberra.

Brother and sister Brianna and Josh McGovern. Brianna represented the ACT Diamonds (open women) and will also play in the U19 women’s national championship. While her brother Josh will represent the ACT in the U17 boys and U19 men’s national championships and has also been named in the ACT 89ers (open men) squad.

Brianna and Josh McGovern

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THE LEGACY CONTINUES

Sport Crossword No 25


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COERVER Coaching Master Class Series.Topic: The U-Turn

Jason LancsarCOERVER® Coaching Asia Pacific DirectorWe hope you enjoy our Coerver Coaching Play Magazine homework designed to improve your game but above all have fun while practicing. Coerver Coaching has been a global leader in 1v1, this month we look at the U-Turn.

See next issue for more tips from Coerver Coaching or for further information please visit our website www.coerver.com.au

• You should also practice this move using your right foot.• Use the front part of your sole to pull the ball around.• As you turn your body, make sure you shield the ball from your opponent.• Use this move along the wings or in the middle of the field and when your opponent is in front of you.

Step 1:Fake a kick with your left foot.

Step 2:Using the toe part of the sole of your kicking foot.

Step 3:Pull the ball to the other side of your opponent.

Step 5:Accelerate away from your opponent.

Step 4:Pull the ball to the other side of your opponent.

Across

6 Real Madrid star (7)

7 Wicketkeeper Tim ___ (5)

9 Golf game where each hole is worth cash (5)

10 The Seahawks (7)

12 F1 driver killed in 1994 (6,5)

14 The Greatest (8,3)

18 Cue game (7)

19 Cricketer Nathan ___ (5)

21 Groundbreaking black runner ___ Owens (5)

22 ___ Islands, Oceania soccer side (7)

Down

1 and 17 Down Former Australian Rugby skipper (5,5)

2 Todd ___, five-eighth (6)

3 Unusual (3)

4 Rook (6)

5 Winner of the 1966 FIFA

World Cup (7)

8 Josh ___, Australian striker (7)

11 Cricket dismissal (7)

13 Football League side the Clarets (7)

15 Two-time F1 champion (6)

16 Sporting side (6)

17 See 1 Dn (5)

20 Rowing boat steersman (3)

M A G U S C R O F T

A A K E N Y A A R

R O Y C E A M A R I A

T L E V P C

I N E R T R O E B U C K

N A S

A N D R E T E A G L E

X I L

C R Y S T A L P I S T E

A R O A O V

D E U C E V R A N G E

E R M I A M I J N

L A N C E S L A M S

CROSSWORD No 24

“You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when

you reach your limits, that is real joy.” - Arthur Ashe

TWO GREAT CLUBSwww.canberrastadium.com.au



play canberra issue 31 january 2014

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