Week 2 - Eastern Football League

BUllS lOOK TO MaKe HISTOrY
By Peter Baird
What does Pete Sampras, Dawn Fraser, Brisbane Lions,
Makybe Diva and Chicago Bulls all have in common?
Sure, they were all champions and dominated their sports
for their respective periods. But what sets them apart from
their opposition and confirms their place in history?
In American sports they have dubbed it a ‘three-peat’.
Here in Australia, we like to refer to it as a hat-trick. In
ten-pin bowling, it is called a ‘turkey’. Some simply
say they went ‘back to back to back’.
Three in a row is the magic number for these sports stars
or teams, gaining them legendary status and proving
their domination over a sustained period of time.
In 2012, Noble Park will attempt to make its own history
as it embarks upon a mission to win its third consecutive
Eastern Football League Division 1 premiership.
It won’t be an easy task and no one at the Bullring is
taking the challenge lightly.
‘Every year the EFL competition improves five to 10
per cent and we have to have to be on top of our game
and rise to meet that challenge’, Noble Park coach
Mick Fogarty said.
Fogarty conceded the Bulls may have lost some
experience from last year’s premiership team, with
Peter O’Brien retiring, Lachy Delahunty, Beau Dowler,
Luke Bull, and Kyle Martin all moving to the VFL and
Jackson Barclay returning to his old club Cheltenham.
‘There’s a great opportunity for some of last year’s
senior group to stand up. Guys like Trent Robertson,
Luke Mann and Shayne Allen all have improvement in
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them and have had a big pre-season’, he said.
‘We have recruited well without having signed any big
name players and are really looking to bring on some
our Under 18’s from last year.’
Of the group joining the Bulls in 2012, Fogarty
identified Luke McLean (Norwood, SA), Sean
Goedheer (Broadbeach, QLD), Steve Tolongs
(Myrtleford), Matt Pearce (Port Melbourne), and
Cohen Howell (Mulgrave) as the players to watch.
The hunger and desire is still there for Noble Park and
the senior coach explained the group’s motivation is high.
‘That feeling you get straight after winning a
premiership is stronger than any drug, and the guys
having experienced it again last year continues to drive
them,’ Fogarty said.
‘It’s the experienced players that have led the way on
the track over the summer. Craig Anderson is just a
natural, while Stuart Kemperman, Ziggy Alwan and
Georgie Angelopoulos, who has been added to our
leadership group this year, have all set an example’.
The Bulls looked primed for a big season, with the
chance of creating their own piece of EFL history
clearly on their minds.
Club President Kevin Wright said: ‘It means a lot to the
club to keep setting the pace. We know that all things
will eventually come to an end, but we are ready to take
on the year.’
‘Whilst we are confident, we are not getting complacent.
But three in a row would be fantastic.’