The 2012 Australian Country Football Carnival was a tremendous success by any account for the WorkSafe VCFL.
Our Vic1 team returned to Victoria as the reigning title holder of the ACFC Cup after being the dominant team all carnival. The team assembled by Peter Knights and his group of selectors and coaches was a powerful unit that won every position on the ground in every match they competed in.
It was a team with the ideal mix of experience and youth, and a pleasure to watch come together and play as the ‘best of the best’ from across the VCFL.
Even better for the VCFL, was the fact that Vic2 was the opponent in the 2012 Grand Final.
The Vic2 squad had beaten all comers in the preliminary rounds to achieve their best ever result against general classifications at the ACFC. John Cossar and the experienced leadership group had the boys humming from the first morning of competition. They caught many at the Carnival by surprise as a very tough, skillful and damaging opponent.
Again, it is a testament to the strength of football in country Victoria that these boys were able to compete and beat all other states from around Australia.
A more committed bunch of players you would not hope to see than our guys in Wagga.
It was an arduous carnival format for the players. Every player played nearly 5 hours of matches across two ovals in Wagga over three days of play.
Not only were they prepared to do the hard things on the field for their mates in the ‘Big V’ jumpers, but they were meticulous in their preparation and recovery. Players were jumping into ice baths at the team motel, and keeping the massage and physios busy late into the nights to try and extract that last 1% from sore and aching bodies.
Both teams left nothing to chance in their single minded focus to be the best they could possibly be at the National Championships. The results proved the effort, and again set the benchmark for the other states to follow.
A large thank you must go to the trainers and recovery crew in getting the boys ‘up and about’ for the entire Carnival.
With this dedication and ultimate success came a number of individual awards that proved to be the icing on the cake for the WorkSafe VCFL.
Matt Dyer from Boolarra in the Mid Gippsland League took the prestigious J.J. Lussick Medal as best player of the 2012 Carnival. This medal was tallied on votes across all the games.
Dyer was, without doubt, one of the hardest competitors throughout the Carnival, and his work rate, attitude and enthusiasm across all the games endeared him to the local fans as well as the umpires.
Brent MacLeod from Thompson in the Geelong & District League was awarded the best Under 21 of the Carnival. MacLeod had an impact in every match for Vic2, and will have raised the eyebrows of the large number of recruiters who made the journey to Wagga.
Grant Weeks was again the Golden Boot winner of the Carnival as the highest goal scorer at the 2012 Carnival.
The WorkSafe VCFL was also represented by an incredible 15 players to make the All Australian team at the conclusion of the Carnival.
The VCFL would like to congratulate these players on their personal achievement – the green and gold jumper is a rare one to now have in your collection.
2012 ALL AUSTRALIANS
FULL BACK – Tyson Hartwig (Wangaratta Rovers)
BACK POCKET – Josh Taylor (Vic2) – (Emerald FNC)
CENTRE HALF BACK - Guy Campbell – (Rochester FNC)
HALF BACK FLANK – Nick Scanlon – (Narre Warren FNC)
WING – Jarrod Bayliss (Vic2) – (Wandin FNC)
HALF FORWARD FLANK – Travis Baird – (Golden Square FNC)
CENTRE HALF FORWARD – Dan Leslie – (North Albury FNC)
HALF FORWARD FLANK – Brent MacLeod (Vic2) – (Thomson FNC)
FORWARD POCKET – Justin Van Unen – (Rye FNC)
FULL FORWARD – Grant Weeks – (Golden Square FNC)
FORWARD POCKET – Xavier Moloney – (Swan Hill FNC)
ROVER – Matt Dyer (Vic2) – (Boolarra FNC)
INTERCHANGE – Christopher Moreland (Vic2) – (Bell Post Hill)
VCFL players Joel Mackie and Josh Mahar from the Albury Tigers were named in the All Australian team representing NSW-ACT.
Congratulations to all of the players, coaches and support staff for an outstanding ACFC Carnival.
Your efforts ensure that Victoria continues to be seen as the powerhouse of community country football in the nation.
Last Modified on 24/07/2012 14:27