Mens Head Coach’s spill

Posted on April 27, 2016 by

2016 Men’s Head Coach

Pre-season 2016 has been a big one for the Austral Men.

We had big numbers to start off training with numerous people from other clubs checking us out, some of whom have stayed on for the 2016 season and we welcome them very warmly. The squads are training well and our player retention from 2015 has been high, a good sign that we are heading in a positive direction.

2016 will be a tough season for all teams, but I’m confident in our group that they will perform. The match-play situations at training have been exceptionally competitive which will have us well-placed for round 1.

All teams are aiming to go at least 1 better than last year. For Div 1, that means being a force in division 1, coming up from div 2 last year. Reserves will be looking to atone for their Preliminary final loss in 2015 and push for a grand final berth this year. League will be looking to backup their first finals appearance in 16 years last year and not just be there to make up the numbers, but be a force to be reckoned with.

Pete Bawhey

Junior League Coaches Report

Posted on July 2, 2015 by

State League Junior Girls: Our highest girls State League Juniors team was always going to be stretched this season with stepping up to the highest U19 division. We set out this year to stretch some of our strongest players through leadership and broadening their roles and they are really stepping up. Our setters continue to understand what they need to do to drive the team offence, we have a couple of very strong servers and our younger players have done a great job in covering absences by stepping into starting six positions about a year before they ideally should be challenged at this level.

With our strongest players all present, fit and firing our team is competitive with the best teams in the division, however playing with consistency AND keeping this team on court has been a challenge. When we can address this, we will get the wins that the girls deserve. At the break we have only one win posted but at least two other games that we really should have won so we need to take this next step over the second half of the season.

Anne-Marie McAinsh – State League Junior Girls Coach

State League Junior Boys: showing a great deal of potential, winning their first and last games so far, and taking sets off and pushing the best of opponents. The team is learning the value of consistent serving to targets, and for a comparatively young side have shown they can play disciplined and intelligent volleyball when focused.

Craig McAinsh – State League Junior Boys Coach

Div 1 Men Captain’s report

Posted on July 2, 2015 by

This season, the Div men have been fighting hard to show what a complete new team can do. With only three returning div players from last year, a complete restructure of the team has occurred. Five juniors have come up to fill in the empty spots, alongside with new players who have decided to return to the competitive sport. The start of the season was a bit scrappy, as not much preseason training occurred with the team. However, after finally dusting off the cobwebs and learning about how to play with each other, a recent successful 3-0 win, followed by a very close 5 setter defeat has occurred. I’m really proud of the team’s effort to play alongside each other for the first time and to always fight until the ball hits the ground. The opposition should not take this team for granted and I for one am proud to be their captain. Since being allocated into Div 2 after selections, the current goal for the team is to continue developing our skills in order to climb up the ladder.

Matt Lamber – Div 1 Men’s Captain 2015

Reserve Men’s Mid-season Captain’s Report

Posted on July 2, 2015 by

2015 started off with a brand new vibe and feel amongst the Men’s Program. The appointment of Pete Bawhey as the new Head Men’s coach sent a positive message across the playing group. Pre-season was hot with large trainings usually consisting of high quality volleyball even after the summer break. The message from the start of the season was to be aggressive and hungry to win and this can be clearly shown in how we’re going as a team in the 2015 State League Season, sitting third after seven rounds. The team is a very young and fresh new side from last year as a lot of us have been given the opportunity to represent the club at this level after coming from the Division 1 team in 2014. While being mentored and supported by club veterans Brandon Rogowski and James McClay who provide endless amounts of experience to our young and developing team. We set goals from the start of the year which were to be aggressive and want to win and we are showing this from our fast offence, pressure serves and amazing scrambling for the ball. This year’s competition is extremely close which means all teams are needing to be on their toes no matter who the opposition is. I believe that with the group of boys we have and a truly determined and passionate coach, we have what it takes to be playing strong, competitive volleyball all the way through finals and take out this year’s championship. Each and every week as we put the hours in at training we’re making a team of champions into a true championship team!

Fabian Garcia-Byrne 2015 Reserve Men’s Captain

League Men’s Mid Season Captain’s Report

Posted on July 2, 2015 by

Austral Volleyball Club’s League Men have enjoyed an excellent start to the season winning four of their first six games. Coming into their bye round the league men were second on the ladder; however, after the bye they have moved to fifth place, highlighting how tight the competition is this year. Under the guidance of new head coach Peter Bawhey, the league men are enjoying playing and training with a team first attitude. Peter has made squad bonding an integral part of the training program, particularly in preseason, to ensure that there is a positive, hard working culture across all teams.

The league men are playing an exciting brand of volleyball after the inclusion of some new faces into the team, in particular the 2014 South Adelaide Volleyball Club MVP and University of South Australia Athlete of the year Elliot King. He, Lewis McDonald and Rhys Wood have all brought a new level of skill and leadership to the team after all debuting for the Adelaide Storm in last year’s Australian Volleyball League. Thomas Rogers has also been influential in his role as libero since his promotion to the league team.

Exciting wins over USC Lion and the Norwood Bears, as well as convincing wins over the Northern Knights and South Adelaide has highlighted the league men’s dominance when at their best. If they can continue their improvement and good form the team is likely to not only make the finals but also have a serious impact on them.

Jahan Emery – 2105 League Men’s Captain

A report from the Austral Men’s Squad Captain

Posted on July 1, 2015 by

The 2015 season for the men started with the appointment of new coaches, Peter Bawhey taking on League and Reserves, and Thomas Rogers with the Div 1 Men, which has resulted in a newfound attitude and renewed enthusiasm. The league men’s team hasn’t changed much from previous season, with the exception of Elliot King coming into the starting line-up, but from the outside they seem like a new team. Perhaps it’s a case of a regimented routine bearing results or maybe the once “young” team has matured into a strong and aggressive beast? Whatever the case may be, our premier men’s team has achieved one of the best starts the season that the team has seen in a number of years – sitting 3rd on the table after round 4.

In contrast to the league team, the reserves team has changed quite significantly but yet boasting a similar result – sitting at 4th spot. A number of players have been elevated from last year’s Div 1 team, and even Greg Darani coming from our junior program, to fill the spots of players whom have move up to the league team or moved on to different clubs. The reserves competition looks to be quite an even competition this year with our lads being right in the mix!

The Div 1 team looks significantly different to last year with a number of new players being added to the roster as well as a returning senior member of the Austral Volleyball club. The lads have only won 1 game out of the 4 played but that’s no reflection of their efforts or attitude and should see them put a few more wins on the board. This year has felt different to last the last few – there seems to be a hunger & positivity amongst the entire squad which we all hope will breed a winning culture.

Brandon Rogowski (aka Father Purple) Men’s Squad Captain