Everyone’s favourite time of year!

Hope you all had a good Christmas and New Years

Remember training starts back next Monday 16th Jan. Arrive at 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start.

Training will be every Monday and Thursday until further notice.

There will be no training Australia day.

It’s important we all make an effort to bring down any potential new recruits so we can hit the ground running Round 1.

Venue details here

Its that time of year again!

Preseason training will start Monday Dec 5th.
We will have 4 sessions pre christmas.
Monday and Wednesdays. Arrive at 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start.
Meet at the BBQ area at East Caulfield Reserve.

The Craig Robinson Cup was an initiative that Steve Pearson (MUGCC) and Matt Healy came up with about five years back to honour the founding member of both the Universities’ Football and Cricket Clubs.

We held a T20 match between the Footballers and Cricketers with the intention of making it an annual event. Alas, we have only had the pleasure of beating the Cricketers once where Jono Healy (of all people!) was the Glenn Wadley medalist for best on ground.

Wait no more folks. The MUGCC want another crack at us and what better way than to culminate 20 years of the respective clubs by holding another T20 Cricket match on a pleasant Sunday Afternoon. No better way than to catch with mates before XMAS.

Date: Sunday 11th December

Time: 2pm-5pm

Venue: East Caulfield Reserve

Drinks: Essential

Dress: Gryphons Polo Tops for players

All players, wives, girlfriends and families welcome

Matt Healy has the responsibility of finding a team of 11 players (plus subs) to represent the Football Club. Hopefully gun cricketers such as Chuck Munro, Alex Ross and Dingo can make themselves available. If you wish to play, please let me know otherwise washed up hacks like Graydon, Grady, Roche, Warren and yours truly will have to dust off the cobwebs…

If you are interested in playing please contact Matt Healy on 0417 419 293.

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice relax after such a successful 2011 season. Congratulations to the new committee and our new president Jim Rose.

Presentations are a little different this year. Instead of the traditional presentation night, we are changing it to a more relaxed Sunday afternoon to be held at the Flying Duck hotel in Prahran. Come down for a relaxing afternoon, catch up with your mates and celebrate another successful year. Bring down your partners and your mates, enjoy a Sunday sip.

You can come down and have some lunch from the kitchen, or if you prefer your lunch liquid you can come down and have some beers. There is no fixed cost involved, just what you order yourself.

Please RSVP to Andrew Grady by the 01/11/11 so he can finalise numbers at appliedlabour@bigpond.com

The link for the venue is:

http://www.flyingduckhotel.com.au/

Kick off will be 1.30pm on Sunday the 6th of November.
Presentations of trophies will be at 3pm.
Dress code is relaxed, thongs are optional.

Let me know who will be there, lets celebrate another bloody good year.

Sign up at Facebook.

As part of a combined effort with Monash University, we are asking all our members and players to join up to this year’s TeamMONASH event in support of Movember. As you all know the main purpose of Movember is to create awareness and raise funds for men’s health, especially for Beyond Blue and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

In celebration of the moustache we’re looking to help raise donations for men’s health. We would like you to participate with us and TeamMONASH to seek sponsorship from your friends, family and colleagues to support the Movember initiative.

To be part of the TeamMONASH Movember team, simply go to http://mobro.co/TeamMONASH to sign up and start getting involved. There is no cost in participating and you can even win some great prizes just for getting involved!

We hope to see your mo’s in full swing for Movember!

Twitter & Facebook Feed:
Join up to this year’s TeamMONASH #Movember team in support of men’s health awareness! Get your #Movember on! http://bit.ly/pyJtuH

The Monash Gryphons Annual General Meeting will be held at the Racecourse Hotel at 7.30pm on Wednesday 12th October.

This was another amazing year in the history of the Gryphons. We have jumped two divisions in two years and its important we back it up in 2012. Part of the success of any football club is the off field support to keep everything running.
The future success of our club depends on growing and maintaining a strong committee and the people to support it. I would like to thank the 2011 committee for their ongoing support.

We have always been a club run by our players. I invite everyone to attend who are interested in not just playing for the Gryphons but being a part of shaping our future. As it is every year, all the positions are up for election. If you feel that you want to be a part of it then make sure your there. I know many of this years committee will be applying for the same position next year, but there are a few that we do need to get filled.

2012 Committee Positions
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Social coordinator
Sponsorship coordinator
Recruitment/New player registration manager
Facility Manager
Merchandise and Subs Manager
Canteen Manager
Social Committee
Committee Members
Past Players Committee Manager

Congratulations to Kye Cherian and Philip Gomizel for winning the respective B&F’s. For those that aren’t aware the final results were.

Seniors Votes
37. Cherian
34. Wells
34. Fletcher
28. C.Mackie
24. Madden
22. Harrak
21. Baxter
19. Flowerday
16. T.Mackie
13. Welsh
13 McConville
12. Munro
12. Loricco
10. Hawker
8. Wills
5. Sheehan
5. Ivan
3. Cartwright
2. Savas
2. Ross
1. Tapscott
1. Rose
1. Malloy
1. Allan

Reserves Votes
39. Gomizel
32. Stelios
30. Ross
22. Vesey
19. Tapscott
18. Coffey
15. Davies
13. Murphy
13. Hough 1
12. Petsinis
12. Kooperman
11. Hawker
10. Kent
5. Savas
4. Rutherford
4. Hickey
4. Fisher
9. Shahan
9. Whitey
9. Loricco
8. R.Fletcher
7. Love
6. Hector
3. Rose
3. Pocock
2. Abel
2. Giliam
1. McConville
1. Hough 2

Senior B&F Winner Kye Cherian

Seniors
25.9-159 PRAHRAN ASSUMPTION def
12.14-86 MONASH GRYPHONS
Goal Kickers: S. Sheehan 3, D. Baxter 2, G. Munro, M. Loricco, M. Tapscott, T. Madden, D. McConville, A. Flowerday, D. Wills.
Best Players: S. Sheehan, G. Munro, M. Welsh, K. Cherian, M. Fletcher, B. Rose.

Review:
Labora Ut Requiescas is the Motto of Caulfield Grammar School (apologies to Leets and Ratty for any repressed memories flooding back), the English translation being “work hard that you may rest content”. No doubt those at Grammar are resting content after such a successful campaign culminating in the Premier B Flag, however, I feel we can be doing the same.

I recall almost thinking farcical the enthusiasm and bold predictions of Phil Warren at the beginning of the year. He was keeping us very short in Premiership markets and asked many what odds you would you wager the Gryphons at. I recollect stating 15/1 and he was all over it. I probably would’ve given 5/1 or better on promotion, so the fact we achieved this is no mean feat in our first season back in D3.

The Grand Final effort was the best we could give. It took three and a half quarters for Prahran to break us, but they are an excellent side and we were outclassed in the end. I never thought I’d see a better D3 team than Fitzroy back in 2001, but Prahran are unquestionably the equal of the Roys and arguably superior as they went through the season undefeated.

The game itself was hotly contested for three quarters. We had first use of the breeze and quickly got out to a two goal lead. However, we squandered key chances (as we would all day) midway through the term that could’ve seen us with a substantial quarter time lead. Alas, PA’s settled and we only held on by the barest of margins at the first break. The second term as a bit of an arm wrestle until late on where it was evident that a skill gap was present between the two sides. Prahran’s ability to hit targets inside 45 with precision from long range was a key to their success all day. Added to this, they took their chances and converted in the relatively benign conditions. Six goals to two and a four goal lead to the Four Blues at the main break.

To add to our woes, our most productive forward, Tim Madden went down with a hamstring strain midway through the term, inhibiting his output for the remainder of the match.

We were matching them for endeavour and hardness at the footy, but as the game wore on, we could not keep up with their superior skill level. Once again we had many chances to make significant in roads into their lead in the third term, but we simply couldn’t close to within three goals. They broke the deadlock late in the quarter, getting out to a seven goal lead at the final change by booting six straight. Game over, they were simply too polished for us.

There is no doubt we could’ve contained Prahran more in the last had we not moved Kye Cherian and Lee Wells forward, but that was a chance we had to take. It didn’t work and they ran out winners to the tune of 12 goals which was a grossly unfair reflection of how the game was played.

Players to shine for us on Sunday day were Sam ‘Shifter’ Sheehan, Kye Cherian, Ben Rose, Mitchell Welsh and Chuck Munro. However, I cannot think of one Gryphon who did not give his best or take a backward step. Benny Rose running down Jimmy Musster in the third term typified the collective effort of the team. Well done boys, you have made everyone at the club proud and we can’t wait to do it all again next year.

See you in 2012!

Coming from 5th spot the Gryphons have had a fantastic finals series so far and have earned the right to play Prahran Assumption this week in the Grand Final. This is the second Grand Final for the Gryphs in as many years. We have now jumped two grades in two years. Well done to everyone involved.

So this Sunday invite all your friends and family to come down and help cheer the boys over the line. We want to see maroon and gold all over the ground.

When: Sunday 18th September 2011
Time: The game commences at 2pm.
Where: Trevor Barker Oval – Beach Road, Sandringham.