Island Bay United AFC

Kia ora everyone, welcome back to Shark Park. It feels like only a year ago since I last wrote that, which actually was the case.

Football matters are swimmingly Sharktastic this year, be an understatement. The signs are there for a bumper year for the bay, and as per usual 'A word from Gunez' or AWFUG (the U makes the acronym better!) to some, will bring you all the action. It is with sadness my biggest critic and fan Alan Ware will no longer regularly grace the halls of our clubrooms this year, I will however send him a copy. For those who may be new readers, this column has a few semi serious points to make, and a fair bit of tongue in cheek. We make a quiet effort to poke fun at Paul Muollo (who is set to make his 2318th appearance for the 1st team this weekend) myself and a few club personalities every now and then. Names with (Gunez) in brackets after them are the nicknames for some of these people for references sake.

To matters at hand, again, and may I add at no surprise to those in the know either, the committee and volunteer base has done an outstanding job preparing the clubrooms,
organising the various game and weekly based duties. Thank you to Miguel Gaeta and 'the family' for again being on fire with the pre-season preparations, organisations, fluctuations of the initiations and all sorts of machinations that are the myriad of tasks needing completion in order to run this, our fine community football club. In addition, the IBUAFC Junior Club has gone through its registrations and trials. With strong numbers across the range of grades with increasing female participation, the season ahead looks bright for the kids. The Oosterbaan family have done wonders again; the junior system is now flourishing and provides an impressive start to those young and new to the game.

Junior grade co-ordinators are all set up to go, and it's cool to hear Edward Oosterbaan (Goosterbaan) has taken up the co-ordination and facilitation of the PDP programme in 2008. Also, other senior team players are coaching and assisting at Junior Level, their experience and volunteer efforts are what will help us to keep lifting the playing and enjoyment levels for junior footballers from the southern suburbs. Dave Graham will be facilitating afternoon training sessions for junior teams in what I feel is a positive, proactive move forward for the junior club program. At senior level, the club was greeted this year by an explosion of players at pre-season, it was great to see. Dean Holmes (Deano) and Steve Davey (Milky) have a strong squad assembled, importantly with attacking and goal-scoring firepower. Combine this with the youth coming through, sprinkle in the experience of the worlds greatest ex-mulleted warrior, and editor in chief of the match day rag Paul Muollo alongside stalwarts Rodney (Rodknee) Varga and Lee Westlake (Westlife), add National League experience in the form of Nate Winkel, as well as Ish, Zachary Lancaster (Bomber) and the 1st team have a highly competitive team. Let's hope the lads can maintain a high standard throughout the season and really challenge for the league title, as with it comes the chance at qualifying for the Central League.

The 2nd team this year will be trained by George and Tony (T.V.). For the uninitiated this stands for television, as Tony loves watching the box. His favourite show, I don’t know. The combined 2nd and 3rd squads have trained hard and well. For me it is great to see the benefits of the U19 system filtering through to senior level, with a significant number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd team players having come through the system in the last 5 years. It is now up to these lads to really work hard technically, tactically and physically to lift the senior club teams to new heights. All the best to everyone involved here.

Russell Cotton has been assisting in pre season training, and will run the 3rd team squad in 2008. Under Russell’s guidance the 3rd team have a big chance of gaining a league victory if they keep up the quality I saw last Saturday in their first league game vs. Marist. Whilst a 1-1 draw, the team will improve its finishing and quality in the final 3rd, it will be a great learning opportunity for the younger lads and everyone involved, good luck.

We have some experience this year, with the evergreens Paul Muollo, Dave Wiggins, Thurl Gibbs and Eddie Tom (who was 17 when I was born, legend) bringing leadership and plenty game to the party. In a fairytale story, Dave’s stepson Cameron Lidstone (an Island Bay junior and NZ age grade rep, originally trained by none other than Paul Muollo) was in the Wellington College 1st XI squad that lined up in the Hilton Petone final. Neither team really deserved to lose the Hilton Final I feel and kudos to all the players who played a roll in bringing the team all that way. I’m telling people I tried to miss mine, the ball wobbled and bobbled, hit the post and decided to pop in the goal, much to my ACTUAL relief!

We have plenty of pages to fill in the programme this year, so if you can help find material, footy jokes, pictures, poems (ok not poems) etc, please emerge from your shell like a Galapagos Tortoise and join the show! The more content the better!

Good luck to all Island Bay teams in 2008, the Bay is again healthily represented across a number of senior men’s and women’s teams', let the old onion bag bulge on frequent Shark Attack goal scoring feeding frenzy occasions for you. Stay injury free and don’t forget to make the effort to patronage the clubrooms, with its fine food and flowing range of beverages.

Finally, a warm welcome back to Wakefield Park to Lower Hutt AFC, a club whom impress
me with their dedication to building and developing the sport in their region from Junior level upwards. Both teams will be looking for a maximum point start to the season in what will be a highly competitive league.

Shark Attack!

Labels: april