ANU Meningans' News

THE 2011 GEOFF CALDWELL VOCATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT HAS BEEN AWARDED TO JEFF LYNCH [08.09.11]

Our 2011 Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award was presented to Jeffrey Lynch to recognise his efforts in combining an apprenticeship in greenkeeping with playing for the Raiders U18s and a debut in the U20s.

Jeff told Andrew Voss, the Raiders Gala Night MC, the his day starts between 4.45 am and 5.15 am to allow him to get to Canberra from Yass for training, then work, then training again. 

Jeff in an enthusiastic and hard working young man who is a very worthy winner of the Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award and we look forward to following his career with the Raiders.

We wished Jeff success with his studies and with his football and he assured us that his award will come in very handy.

A GREAT FAREWELL TO ALAN TONGUE [27.08.11]

The Meningans were delighted to have a chance to personally say farewell to a "Great Player and a First Class Human Being" and to wish him well for his future.

We welcomed Alan, together with his wife Katie, his baby son Gem and his parents Janelle and Kevin to our last lunch for 2011.  It was a wonderful chance to farewell a favourite son and a player who was the winner of the Meningans 2000 "Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award".  We were also pleased to welcome the Raiders General Manager, Don Furner.

It was suggested that there was only one person in Canberra who was more hounded by the press this week - and he could bring down a government; this after the Canberra Times turned up to our lunch for a quick word with Alan and a chance to get a photo of him with his parents. 

Asked about his decision to retire Alan repeated his retirement speech quote that "the game owes me nothing, I owe the game everything", and said that after working really hard during the pre-season it was disappointing to get injured in the first game of the season.  "It was a hard decision with a year to go on my contract, but injury was affecting my performance and I didn't want to let down my team mates".  He said that he is really excited by the young boys coming through - so excited - which made the decision to retire harder to make.  The decision means not to play with those boys in the future.

Reminded that he has been called "the most unfashionable player in the most unfashionable club in the League" he was asked what the club meant to him.  He said that he understood that he was not blessed with height, weight or speed "I just had to do the best I could.  As a Tamworth boy Canberra was a place that suited us.  We like the low profile; even if the last two weeks have not been low profile;  Canberra has been a perfect fit for me."

Regarding most memorable matches Alan said that "twelve years ago I came own here - came down after Christmas after helping out on the farm.  It was really good and I was probably as fit as if I had done a full pre-season."  "I had a reasonable game in reserve grade in Newcastle, and Mal asked me to come up to the game against the Broncos - I had to ask my boss for time off".  "We were beaten - but it was memorable playing with some of the greats of our team".  Leading the team our for the first time as Captain - that was memorable as was the 200th game.  Deciding on the most memorable will probably something to do after the next couple of weeks.

Asked about favourite players and players who had influenced his game Alan said he had three favourites:  Rubin Wiki for his commitment to family and the team, Clinton Schifcofske for his passion and the passionate way he spoke to the team and Josh Miller "my old mate" who brought fun to training.

Alan spoke about his enthusiasm for the team and said that the young boys would benefit from the tough year the Club has had.  Players like Sam Williams, Josh Papalii and Sam Mataora have been blooded this year and players like Josh Dugan are exciting. 

In reply to a question about his future Alan said he had been in talks with the Raiders about coaching/training oppotunities and the NRL had been in touch about involvement with the One Community project.  He had also been approached by Leeds but said that if he was fit enough to play another year it would be with the Raiders.  He spoke about his ongoing education, his apprenticeship, teacher training, short courses with the Raiders and the experience that comes with playing and captaining the Raiders which means he has a number of options for his future. 

We thanked Alan for joining us and wished him all the best for his final home game and for his future.  He has promised to come to a lunch next year so we are looking forward to that.

GLEN BUTTRISS, THE MENINGANS AWARD WINNER IN 2006, JOINED US FOR OUR JULY LUNCH [23.07.11]

We were very pleased to welcome Glen Buttriss to our July lunch and to hear him talk about his sporting career and his hopes for the future.

In 2006 Glen was the "Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award winner" in recognition of his effort in combining an apprenticeship in Green Keeping with his football commitments.

Glen Buttriss spoke about playing Soccer, Cricket and Basketball before turning to Rugby League.  In his home town of Cootamundra he was coached by the legendary Les Boyd before coming to Canberra at the age of 17 to play in the Raiders under 18s team.  He was one of the players who relocated to South Logan in 2008, but was there for only 4 months before he was recalled to Canberra to play 1st Grade.   His first game was against the Storm, and much to his surprise, he found himself coming on to start the game.  He also had one game in the halves against the Sharks - an experience he did not seem keen to have again.

Asked about coming off the bench behind Alan Tongue he said that the Coach wanted him doing that at the moment and he is happy in that role at the moment.  On the "year from hell" he said that the team is holding up and has acknowledged that they cannot afford to drop as much ball against the Dragons as they did last weekend against the Storm.  "It will be a tough game but if we can control the forwards we can do it".

On the issue of his contract, Glen said that he is still waiting to see what happens.  He hopes to stay in Canberra and his management is in talks with the Raiders - but his manager is also looking at other clubs.  He said he tries not to think about the contract  - but as the season goes on it does play on his mind.

Asked about his plans for life after football Glen said that he does have his green-keeping, but he would also like to run a pub.  It was suggested from the floor that he could look at running a country golf course where he could combine his green keeping with managing the Bar - not a bad idea.

After we let Glen go off to training we were joined by Sarah Gilbert who is the Raiders Membership Manager who spoke about the current membership package, membership for 2012 and ideas about members packs, TV deals, scheduling, etc.  As usual it is really interesting to hear about the management side of the Raiders operations.

We wished the team well for Monday night's game against the Dragons.

BLAKE FERGUSON AT THE MENINGANS LUNCH [25.06.11]

Blake Ferguson, the exciting Raiders Centre, was welcomed as our June speaker - and particularly when he confirmed that he had recently taken up his option for a second year and is looking to extend his contract with the Raiders until 2014.

Blake delighted the crowd when he dismissed any rumours that he would be leaving the Raiders, and confirmed that he is looking to extend his contract.  He said that he likes the Club and is happy here.  He joked that he was brought down to Canberra on a nice sunny day - so didn't notice the cold.   He did admit that his first game in Canberra was on a freezing cold night when he was in the Sharks U20 team that played the 2008 Raiders team.  He had trouble keeping warm on the sideline.  He pointed out that he is a contemporary with the likes of Josh Dugan, Jarrod Croker and Joel Thomson.

Blake said that he began playing Rugby League when he was 4 - and apart from some time out when he was 14 he has played League and loved it.  He had played in the country before moving to Cronulla and now to the Raiders.  In reply to a question about the highlight of his career he joked "moving to Canberra".

Asked about training Blake said that at the Sharks they had concentrated more on cardio work - rowing machines and bike riding - here there is more running and he enjoys running.  He does not particularly like doing weights.

It was mentioned that Daniel Vidot had said it was difficult to change sides, in reply Blake said that it is difficult to adjust 'you have to look out of a different eye, and tackle with a different shoulder'.  He pointed out that he had had to adjust when he came to the Raiders to play on the right side.  At the Sharks he played on the left.

Regarding his great goal kicking against the Broncos, he said that he had been training as back-up to Jarrod Croker and was really happy to have been able to put the four kicks over the posts.   It will be interesting to see who takes the kicks this week - but it was pointed out that Blake has a 100% record.

Blake also spoke about attending a rugby league clinic for indigenous children at Alfred Deakin school.  He said he encourages the kids to stick with school - this from someone who admitted to wagging school for 3 months at one time.  He said that he now sees how important it is to stick to school and he encourages the kids to keep up their education.

The newly appointed Commercial Marketing Manager, Spiro Tsiros, then filled us in on his role at the Raiders.  He said that it takes 60 hours plus to negotiate contract updates with players and spoke about the difficulties of getting sponsorships in the Canberra market.  He proved a very informative and entertaining speaker (and we may well get him along another time to fill us in on some of the background work at the Raiders).

Blake assured us the boys would do well this weekend - so fingers crossed.

MATT ORFORD IMPRESSES THE MENINGANS [30.04.11]

"What an impressive person" - that was the general response from people at the Meningans lunch who heard Matt Orford speak about Canberra, football and the Raiders.

Matt confirmed that he would be playing this week and that he is over his injuries. He is looking forward to getting on the field and playing good football. He was disappointed that his season has been so disrupted by injuries.

Despite the bad start Matt said that the mood of the team is good. He said that at team meetings everyone is honest about their performance and everyone admits that they are not doing their best - "we all want to be accountable each week". "There are some really talented guys in the team and we think we are getting close to a win".

Asked about the upcoming game against the Tigers Matt said that Benji and Robbie play from side to side and if they get off to a good start they are hard to control. He said that the team need to make it a grinding defensive game.

Speaking about the long term future of the team Matt said that the young players are great - but sometimes they push too far and need to learn to play for the team first. That comes with experience. These tough times build character - when things go well you are on a high but when things don't go well you need to lift.

On the question of refereeing - Matt agreed that we are not getting the 50/50 calls - but the team needs to learn to overcome decisions against it. He admitted that the team is making too many mistakes which means that it is not able to take advantage of having the best forward pack in the Comp. Mistakes are putting the team under pressure.

Asked about training, facilities and difference with other teams he has played with Matt said that the extension to the training facilities are very good, as is having access the the AIS. There are less staff on the sports science side. At Manly there was a focus on controlled training sessions and tapering during the week based on GPS technology.

One questioner commented that Matt must have broad sholders to cope with the criticism he had received in Canberra. He said knew that there would be pressure here - Raiders fans are passionate about their team and have high expectations, but he knew that before he signed on. He also knew that it would take time for the team to gell and to develop combinations. The disrupted pre-season and injuries had not helped - but he hopes that things will get better from now on.

Asked about life after football Matt said that he would like to stay involved in the game - possibly as a coach. He made the point that he had 20 years experience in the game and believes he has a lot to offer if he can stay involved in Rugby League.

Matt left us with confidence that the season is not lost and that the team will begin to gell soon. Having the same team on the field regularly will really make a difference.

We thanked Matt for his time and his honest answers to our questions. Matt left the Meningans meeting having made a number of new fans. Fingers crossed the season is about to start for us.

A BIG CROWD WAS THERE TO WELCOME JOE PICKER TO THE APRIL MENINGAN LUNCH [01.04.11]

We were pleased to welcome Joe Picker to our April Meningan Lunch. Joe was willing to answer all our questions and proved a very entertaining guest.

The first thing that surprised us about Joe was his height. He is 6'3" and much bigger than he appears on the field.

Joe said that not only are brother Mick and Ben at the club but that his elder brother also had a go when he was younger. Joe is out with an ankle and young Ben has a medial problem so they are both hobbling around a bit - so tonight they are off to the trots to watch his elder brother take one of his horses around the track.

Asked whether Rugby League was his first choice of a sport Joe said that he always wanted to play but did not get into the game until he was 12. His dad played for Country in the under 18s and the boys liked to put on his old jerseys when they were kids.

Joe said that he had been disappointed in his game last week but David Furner wants to keep him in the side and wants to work with him to develop his game. He mentioned that he comes off contract this year ans is still to deal with the club - he wants to stay but will wait and see.

Asked about competition for positions he said that he enjoyed the competition and was not happy to be injured and is anxious to get back on the field to keep his spot. There will be added competition when Alan Tongue gets back - it will be pressure on Sean Fensom, Trever Thurling and Travis Waddell.

In reply to a question about all three brothers possibly playing together, Joe said that Mick was close to playing in round one and they had been looking forward to that, but Sammy had the drop on him. Ben is only 18, but one day it would be good.

The question of reduced interchanges was raised - and Joe said that there were advantages and disadvantages to that suggestion - but he thought the current number was about right.

In reply to a question about his plans for life after footy Joe said that he hoped to get some land around Crookwell and work the land, stick with sheep and possibly produce stud Merinos. He said that he likes going home and working the land and that is where his future lies.

After a number of questions from the floor we thanked Joe for coming along to our lunch and wished him well once he was back on the field.

THE MENINGANS WELCOME DAVID SHILLINGTON TO THE FIRST LUNCH FOR 2011 [11.03.11]

A bumper crowd welcomed David Shillington to our first lunch for 2011. There is a real buzz about the Raiders in 2011.

The Meningans were delighted to welcome David Shillington to our first lunch for 2011. And began our questions by asking him whether Rugby League was his first choice as a sport. David said that he began playing in the backyard with his 3 brothers - and began playing in a team as a 6 year old.

In 2009 David described himself as a "work in progress" - so he was asked how that "work" is progressing? In reply he said that "as a forward you are always learning, tackling, running, backing up, etc'. 'Playing State of Origin with people like Darren Lockyer and Petero Civoniceva is a great opportunity to learn - and it is good to be able to bring that back to the Raiders."

Asked about the competition for places in the forwards David pointed out that not only is there competition from new signings like Brett White, but also from players like Trevor Thurling and Josh Miller.

David said that new signings Brett White and Matt Orford brought a lot to the Raiders. Brett is very clinical and said it was good to have him there.

Matt Orford also brings a lot to the Raiders and everyone is excited about how he will go this year. Matt probably wont play this week - but should be right for the Brisbane game.

In reply to a question about the influence of Mal Meninga in SOO - David said that 'when Mal speaks people listen" but the best thing about him is that he is an inspiration.

David was asked about the prospect of having his head shaved for the Leukaemia Foundation - and said that his only concern was about how quickly and how well it would grow back. If you are interested in sponsoring David you can go to http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/davidshillington or can find information on the Raiders website.

We thanked David for being so generous with his time and for answering our many questions.

REPORT ON THE NRL FORUM IN SYDNEY LAST WEEK [11.03.11]

Sean Ferrari was invited to attend the NRL Forum as one of three Raiders fans representatives.

Sean give us a brief report on the Forum:

The Forum was run by David Gallop together with Stuart Raper and Bill Harrigan.

Topics covered included:

• Scheduling of games (Monday nights are not working in Sydney).
• There is a need to qualify the amount of interest in Monday night football - with regard to TV rights.
• The amount of time between U20s and First Grade. (One argument is that TV crews need a meal break! another is that Foxtel need time for their own programs between the games, and that it allows time for the first graders to warm up before their game.)
• Ticketing for the Grand Final (Available in August). NRL looking to keep corporate ticketing to a minimum.
• Ticketing for State of Origin.
• Salary Cap
• The effect of the AFL in Western Sydney. The NRL have been the AFL's biggest publicist - and perhaps should keep quiet about the competition.
• Working groups are assessing the impact of AFL (including in the Canberra region).
• Referees spoke about enforcing the basics e.g. play the ball, 10 metres, etc.
• Sean spoke to David Gallop about the South Logan situation - and got the impression that David Gallop was not very aware of the situation and not interesed in taking on the NSWRL.
• Full season scheduling (ie the dates and times of all games released at the start of the season. This is something that will be raised in the new TV deal negotiations.

We thanked Sean for providing us with a really interesting report.

GEOFF CALDWELL VOCATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD GOES TO MARK APPLETON [10.09.10]

Our 2010 Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award was presented to Mark Appleton at the Raiders "Mal Meninga Medal Evening. Mark is doing an apprenticeship in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering.

Twenty year old Mark Appleton, who plays Prop for the Raiders U20s, was last night awarded the Meningans' Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award for combining playing with the Raiders with studying to become an aircraft maintenance engineer.

We were pleased that this year Jillian Caldwell, daughter of the late Geoff Caldwell, was able to present our award to Mark. Jill spoke of her parents' love of the Raiders. She mentioned that her father always joked that his wedding day and Jill's birth were the second best days of his life - coming second only to the 1989 Grand Final. She also mentioned that her parents were committed to life long learning and that they would be pleased to see that many of the Raiders are combining study with their football commitments.

We wished Mark success with his studies and with his football and he assured us that he will put his award to good use.

THE GEOFF CALDWELL VOCATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR 2009 GOES TO MARK NICHOLLS [10.09.09]

Mark Nicholls, Lock with the Raiders U20s team, has been awarded this years Geoff Caldwell Vocational Encouragement Award.

Mark is currently combining his U20s duties with studying for a double degree at the University of Canberra in Sports Coaching Science and Sports Management. He is keen to have a career after Rugby League and looks to Quentin Pongia as a role model.

We were pleased to have an opportunity to introduce Mark and his family to our patron Mal Meninga who was at the Raiders Gala Night as part of the celebration of the 1989 Grand Final.

The Meningan table was very busy on the night - not only presenting our own award, but we were joined by Josh Dugan's mum, Jenny, and Monsignor John Woods. Between Josh's awards as Rookie of the year and joint winner of the Meninga Medal and Monsignor Woods' cup as Clubman of the year the table was well loaded with trophies. It really was a great evening.