GIPPSLAND POWER
MEDIA RELEASE
The 2008 TAC Cup season cant come quickly enough for the Gippsland Power club after a solid pre-season under new coach Aussie Jones. 2007 saw the Power finish the home and away season on top of the ladder but they ran out of steam in the finals and it means that there is a sense of unfinished business for the players and officials. This is especially true for the 14 remaining top age players who form the nucleus of the 2008 team as they attempt to finish the new season off with a bang rather than a whimper. Based on what they have shown already it's not out of the question that they will be able to be part of something really special as the group in the new season.
Forming the senior group are Jaryd Blair, Jack Brown, Sam Cole, Jed Costigan, Nick Heyne, Sam Nickless, Jared Risol, Nathan Rogers, Michael Stockdale, Darren White and Dean Woodhead. Adding extra potency and brilliant skills to this impressive list are Haelen Kay, Tristan Francis and Sale youngster Daniel McLinden who stay on the list as 19 year-olds under the same rule that gave Tyson Goldsack another season from which he was drafted and then made a sensational AFL debut in 2007.
If the senior group has excited the Power with their potential then the bottom-agers are the icing on an already impressive cake. Leading the way are AIS/AFL academy member John Butcher and Koby Stephens who played in 2007 as 16 year-olds and showed that they had the poise and skills to be highly competitive in this elite level. Joining this trio will be Edward Carr, Jordan Dessent, David Donchi, Mitch Golby, Campbell Heath, Dale Hoghton, Russell Lehman, Mannon Johnston, Daniel McLinden, Jake Nash, Michael Ross, Tim Ryan, Nick Sing, Nathan Vardy, Jack Weston, Chris Wylie, Kainen Schrape, Daniel Kilpatrick, Jaryd Raun, Alexander Simpson and Mitchell Davis all of whom will make their debuts this season. Despite their TAC Cup rookie status most of these newcomers have been in the under 15 and 16 development programs and are well versed in applying themselves to the challenge of elite level football.
Rounding off the squad will be Joseph Black, Josh Helliwell, Nick Pincott, Jack Carson, Todd Mackie, Alister Moles and Jesse Poulton who will form an under 17 development squad that will train with the main group all year. Aussie Jones is delighted with the groups progress on the track and their practice match form has confirmed the optimism around the club with some impressive efforts against the Sandringham Dragons. As if further reason for a positive outlook was necessary, the Power group undertook a strenuous set of physical tests recently and their results had the other TAC Cup teams who were tested on the day, coming away impressed and somewhat intimidated. The dreaded beep test, agility run, 20m sprint and vertical leap are standard measures of fitness and pleasingly the Power were highly placed in each measure.
Off the field there has been some change as well with Travis Marsham joining the club as an assistant to Aussie. He is not new to the region having played with Morwell but has been Aussie's assistant at Narre Warren over the past two years. Ross Kinsella comes on board as a physio bringing with him experience at the prestigious Olympic Park Sports medical centre and the Collingwood football club. Maria Clemens will be the clubs dietician, an invaluable role in assisting the boys to raise the ante in terms of off-field preparation. The final newcomer is Margaret Barrett-Poole who joins the training staff from Thorpdale Football Club.
Unfortunately there has been one negative factor impeding for the club as they go through their pre-season program. Their home ground at Morwell is going through a long overdue upgrade but it's becoming increasingly likely that the oval redevelopment wont be completed in 2008. This means that not only wont the club have its usual home base for games but the club will have to find a new training centre for much of the season. It's a great pity as it applies a lot of pressure on the players and officials and limits the efficiency of the staff trying to operate a professional organisation. The last stage in the pre-season program will be a camp for the final squad at Phillip Island over the Easter weekend. Here the final elements of team bonding will take place as well as the finishing touches being applied to the game plan that Aussie wants the team to follow in 2008. The Power's first TAC Cup game will be at Traralgon on March 29th against the Dandenong Stingrays at 1.00 pm.