The Brunswick Football Club has now officially finished the 2019 year with both the Renegades and the NOBS/U19’s finishing their pre-Christmas preseason training this week, with good numbers on the track for all. We are excited to have new senior men’s coach Tim O’Dwyer taking charge in what has been a seamless transition from Peter Carter and Adam Wright, which we thank them for. Recruits for the Renegades, the under 19’s and the NOBS has been good, stay tuned for regular updates when the VAFA transfer period opens again in the new year!
Applications are still open for the senior Renegades coaching position and we are also looking for a senior assistant for the senior men as well as the all-important reserves coach! If you or anyone you know might be interested please get in contact with us!
We are also excited to announce that club stalwart Trevor Ludeman has accepted the role of under 19’s coach for the 2020 season after John Ross decided to follow son Angus over to the UK for their summer of cricket. We know John will still be around to help when he can and hope to see him back in some coaching capacity in future years.
From a committee level we welcome our 2020 committee, especially those new to the role. We thank those stepping down this year for their service to the club, led by our first ever female co-president in Kim Hennessy who is stepping down to raise her small family with Leonie. We wish them all the best and thank them for their countless hours of assistance to the club.
Congratulations to the executive committee led by Jarryd Browne as President, Kelly Dungate and Peter Hevey as Vice-President’s, Tim Purdey as Secretary and newcomer Vu Nguyen (Taxstore Brunswick!) as Treasurer.
The 2019 AFL Draft ‘Smokey’ – Francis Evans
The club is extremely proud and excited to see Francis Evans drafted to the Geelong Football Club at pick 41 in the 2019 national draft. What a story Francis is; the meteoric rise from playing division 2 VAFA football with Brunswick to heading down the highway to rub shoulders with the likes of Ablett, Dangerfield and Selwood!
Francis is a wonderful product of the Brunswick Junior Football Club and is a great example of the pathway programs available to the juniors into the senior ranks. After dominating the colts last year, Francis played half a game for the under 19’s mid-year and kicked 7 in a half. The position the seniors found themselves in late in the year last year meant it was the perfect opportunity to give him his senior debut, aged 16. Francis kicked 3 goals on debut and was encouraged to train with the seniors for the preseason, which he did.
For a few years the club has been putting his name forward to the Calder Cannons to get him into their programs but they let him slide for their 2019 programs initially. Francis then proceeded to play fantastic football in our seniors for the first 5 games of the year, kicking 21 goals in those games including a haul of 8 against eventual preliminary final opponent Melbourne High. This included the round nomination for VAFA rising star in round 4. During those games some correspondence between the coach/president and some recruiters resulted in a junior recruiter coming to watch one of our games. Francis was best on ground. The week later Geelong head recruiter Stephen Wells came and watched our game against Ivanhoe where Francis was again best on ground with 27 touches and four goals. Suddenly the Cannons were keen and Francis played the next game for Calder, making his debut with fellow Brunswick alumni Daniel Mott, kicking 3 goals on debut. From there an injury derailed his seasons but obviously the Cats had seen enough and we are lucky to have a Brunswick Football Club player on an AFL list.
President Jarryd Browne visited Francis earlier this week in his new surroundings and is happy to report that his feet remain firmly grounded and ready to get stuck into the hard work of an AFL preseason. It was also great to see Francis at the senior men’s final training session this year to celebrate what is a fantastic reward for his effort of which we are glad to have played a part! He is a humble person who has made great friendships with a lot of people during his time at Brunswick and we hope to see him make his debut in the hoops of Geelong in the future.
We must also mention the unlucky Daniel Mott who unfortunately missed out on being drafted this year. Dan has also been a mainstay of the Brunswick junior program and over the years has been part of academies all through his junior career. Although Dan is in our opinion very unlucky to miss out there is a sense of optimism from the second eldest Mott and a VFL list confirmation with Williamstown Football Club gives him a fantastic opportunity for 2020. Plenty of high quality VFL players have made the leap to AFL levels and with Dan’s skills we can certainly see him playing at the higher level in years to come. With some of the byes in the VFL program there is a chance to see Dan in the mighty purple and white again next year also.
Melbourne Centre for Athletic Performance signs on!
We are excited to announce the club’s partnership with Adam and his team from Melbourne Centre of Athletic Performance (MCAP).
Adam and his team are world class. They offer services to both elite athletes and the wider community and are located only a few hundred metres from Gillon Oval at 455 Victoria Street, in the same building as our great sponsor and friends at Max Results personal training studio. They also have a handy Podiatrist on their staff list – Reigning men’s B&F winner Nick Burgin!
MCAP will be providing physiotherapist Yana Dellavedova for every home played at Gillon oval this year across both NOB’s and Renegades as well as the opportunity to work closely with Yana in the clinic with a BFC member’s discount. Yana specialises in return to sport rehab programs having worked at the North Melbourne FC, clinical pilates as well as strength and conditioning programs to add to her elite sport background in basketball. Before you ask, yes the name is familiar for those who follow the NBA!
Certainly more to come with sponsors re-signing for the 2020 season which we are super pumped about but it is great to have Adam and his team on board for 2020!
Merry Christmas!
From our family to yours, we wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Year’s period as we head into 2020. Stay safe, be merry and enjoy the company of those you love!
