East West Club Event

[Eastdog]

Thanks for the report GVGjr.

Sounds like it was a good night.

[bornadog]

Not if you live in the East.

Wut?

Wheelers is pretty central to a lot of people in the east.
Good spot.

Central, are you joking. It is 25k from the city. I am talking somewhere like Oakleigh, or Burwood

[Grantysghost]

Central, are you joking. It is 25k from the city. I am talking somewhere like Oakleigh, or Burwood

Ive worked out there for 25 years.

Lots of people come from the other side of Wheeler's now. Berwick those places.

[hujsh]

Central, are you joking. It is 25k from the city. I am talking somewhere like Oakleigh, or Burwood

But I think the point is that for a lot of Dogs fans who live out East (oh god that's me now), it'd be further to travel if the event if closer to the CBD, rather than being easier to get to. Unless you're monied up or renting or living in a townhouse you're probably way out in Pakenham or Frankston

[EasternWest]

Central, are you joking. It is 25k from the city. I am talking somewhere like Oakleigh, or Burwood

Oakleigh and Burwood are basically neighbouring suburbs to Wheeler's Hill.

I don't see the point you're making at all.

[GVGjr]

They apparently get a good deal from the Mulgrave Country Club and the catering, stage and dedicated facilities with plenty of parking that help make for a good night. There are also a couple of highways near by so not that hard to get to for so many people.

[GVGjr]

Oakleigh and Burwood are basically neighbouring suburbs to Wheeler's Hill.

I don't see the point you're making at all.

It took me 15 minutes from Burwood so anyone coming via one of the freeways would easily halve that time

[jazzadogs]

Thanks for the update, sounds like a good night.

The East/West club should consider having the venue a bit closer to CBD than Wheelers Hill, which is a bit of a trek.

I would have thought the whole point is that it's accessible to supporters in the east....

I attended last year and was disappointed at the late withdrawal of Bevo, and from memory the current players as well. Life is busier this year, but I probably wouldn't have attended anyway based on my experience last year.

The function last night sounds like an excellent evening and I will definitely consider attending next year.

[bornadog]

I would have thought the whole point is that it's accessible to supporters in the east....

I attended last year and was disappointed at the late withdrawal of Bevo, and from memory the current players as well. Life is busier this year, but I probably wouldn't have attended anyway based on my experience last year.

The function last night sounds like an excellent evening and I will definitely consider attending next year.

I am sure it is a great function. I am not starting a debate on it, I was just suggesting to get more people, maybe they find the venue a bit far. 100 people is very low.

[EasternWest]

I am sure it is a great function. I am not starting a debate on it

Disappointing. Nets.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

But I think the point is that for a lot of Dogs fans who live out East (oh god that's me now), it'd be further to travel if the event if closer to the CBD, rather than being easier to get to. Unless you're monied up or renting or living in a townhouse you're probably way out in Pakenham or Frankston

Yeah you have to be monied up to live in wheelers hill these days. 25km from the city is a dream for people 50km+ away on the city's fringes in berwick and Frankston. Plus the country club is directly off the Wellington road exit of the Monash. Very convenient for a lot of ppl.

Any time I hear ppl mention wheelers hill is ages away from the city I just have to laugh.....the inner city elite are out of touch.

[GVGjr]

Part 2

The Players

First up was Khamis and Sanders.
- Khamis was full of praise with the assistance and guidance he has been getting from Pratt and mentioned him a few times.
He talked about the need to being stronger in a contest and more aggressive with his marking especially when under fatigue. You have to push through.
- Needs to keep working hard at Footscray but gets constant feedback on what he needs to focus on.
- Talked about his journey as footballer and how he arrived on the playing list. Talked about how Dale Morris would pick him up for training and some of the things he learned from Dale and finally talked about some extra work he does with the Community foundation.

- Sanders talked about the communication he receives what he needs to work on when at Footscray. Mentioned the clarity he receives from Lade, Bevo and Maddocks plus the work the development coaches do with him.
- In his draft year he had trained with both North and Collingwood so had a good understanding of what the professional environment would be like.
- Said that he struggled a bit with the work load prior to Xmas and was constantly tiered but freshened up over the break and with more match sim type training through January and February started managing it better.
- Was sharing a place with Darcy and Cleary when he arrived but Prismall presented him an opportunity to move in with Mitch Hannan and that was working out very well. You could tell he was was very appreciative of the guidance he receives from Hannan and it's now only a 10 minute drive to the Whitten Oval.
- In the junior football it was often the case of see ball get ball but it's so much more technical with a greater emphasis of running patterns and staying relevant even when you don't have the footy.
- Plays a bit of golf in his time away from the club but isn't that much of a Golf head. Khamis chipped in and shared that he (Khamis) is poor at golf and even does the occasional swing and miss.

Next up were Poulter and Coffield
- Poulter talked about his aim of getting 1% better every time he gets to training and how he is focused on improving his contested marking and strength in ground ball contests.
- Explained a bit of the role of a winger and how you need to help out in other ways when the ball is stuck on the other side of the ground.

- Coffield was of course asked about his injuries and shared that he has a bit of a calf injury to work though now after injuring it up in Sydney. He talked a bit about how he and his father drove up in 2016 for the game against GWS and then the GF experience as a Doggies supporter.
- Talked about how hard it's been over the last couple of years with injuries but with the work done on his shoulder there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Seems to love being at the club.

Hudson and Mansfield were up next.
- Hudson talked about his playing days at the Hawks and Dogs and how he done a lot of coaching since.
- Talked about what it was like growing up as the some of one of the greatest forwards and as a side not he really does look like his father. Over the years he had his father attended some training sessions at some of the clubs he coached at.
Hudson is a really funny and charismatic bloke and nailed about 3 Tassie jokes off at the start of interview and dared anyone to shock him as he's heard them all. Said that people were either from Slowbart or Inceston.
- The big thing he focused on was Tasmania's journey to the AFL and the pride that he had wearing their jumper when they knocked over Vics in a game.

- Mansfield talked about all the injuries he had and to be honest it was a lot more than I ever knew. He's a real character and seems to be doing really well with a business in Tas and a farm here in Victoria.
- He talked about all his coaching and how in one coaching stint he would have to go to the local TAB to find the president and hopefully get his money providing it wasn't gambled away.
- While he never said it outright he mentioned that perhaps having Steve MacPherson as his manager might have cost him a return to the AFL. I think it was Adelaide who indicated they were going to draft him at pick 8 but then overlooked him at the last minute.
- Mansfield is an impressive guy with good stories to tell. He couldn't believe that it's taken the AFL so long to put a team in stating that GWS and GC where just preferred because the AFL was in a who's got the bigger one contest with the NRL.

Some other notes:
Bevo worked the room and must have connected with half of the audience. Especially pleasing was the way he went over and spent a good 5 to 10 minutes with a Doggies supporter in one of those big wheelchair/bed combinations before the function started. Had his arm around her and really connected with her. He's a good bloke.

Sanders at the table was fantastic, we talked about training, his parents and how they attended the games etc. He's loving the journey of being an AFL footballer and seems ready to learn. Tuesday was a day off but he would go in early for a massage and try and catch-up with some friends for lunch although he would be waiting on a delivery from Harvey Norman.

The East West club ran some raffles and announced that once again they were making a donation to the club.

All in all it was a good night.

[GVGjr]

I am sure it is a great function. I am not starting a debate on it, I was just suggesting to get more people, maybe they find the venue a bit far. 100 people is very low.

It's certainly well down in previous years and I seem to recall something like 22 or 25 tables of 8 at it's peak.

There appears to be some challenges that have impacted attendances:
When Bevo arrived they basically lost the East meets West training day at Wesley college and getting access to players was harder
The would get around 200 people there just at the training let alone a couple of other functions.
They tried having a function at the club once but that didn't work that well.
They used to have massive auctions of club memorabilia that would raise a lot of money
Covid hit and slowed it down. Access to the players might be significantly harder now.
The draw being released in two phases means it's being push into the middle of the season which probably isn't ideal for getting people to attend.

There are a few other things as well but I don't think moving venues will sharpen attendance because it might also push up the cost of hosting the night.

[Grantysghost]

Part 2

The Players

First up was Khamis and Sanders.
- Khamis was full of praise with the assistance and guidance he has been getting from Pratt and mentioned him a few times.
He talked about the need to being stronger in a contest and more aggressive with his marking especially when under fatigue. You have to push through.
- Needs to keep working hard at Footscray but gets constant feedback on what he needs to focus on.
- Talked about his journey as footballer and how he arrived on the playing list. Talked about how Dale Morris would pick him up for training and some of the things he learned from Dale and finally talked about some extra work he does with the Community foundation.

- Sanders talked about the communication he receives what he needs to work on when at Footscray. Mentioned the clarity he receives from Lade, Bevo and Maddocks plus the work the development coaches do with him.
- In his draft year he had trained with both North and Collingwood so had a good understanding of what the professional environment would be like.
- Said that he struggled a bit with the work load prior to Xmas and was constantly tiered but freshened up over the break and with more match sim type training through January and February started managing it better.
- Was sharing a place with Darcy and Cleary when he arrived but Prismall presented him an opportunity to move in with Mitch Hannan and that was working out very well. You could tell he was was very appreciative of the guidance he receives from Hannan and it's now only a 10 minute drive to the Whitten Oval.
- In the junior football it was often the case of see ball get ball but it's so much more technical with a greater emphasis of running patterns and staying relevant even when you don't have the footy.
- Plays a bit of golf in his time away from the club but isn't that much of a Golf head. Khamis chipped in and shared that he (Khamis) is poor at golf and even does the occasional swing and miss.

Next up were Poulter and Coffield
- Poulter talked about his aim of getting 1% better every time he gets to training and how he is focused on improving his contested marking and strength in ground ball contests.
- Explained a bit of the role of a winger and how you need to help out in other ways when the ball is stuck on the other side of the ground.

- Coffield was of course asked about his injuries and shared that he has a bit of a calf injury to work though now after injuring it up in Sydney. He talked a bit about how he and his father drove up in 2016 for the game against GWS and then the GF experience as a Doggies supporter.
- Talked about how hard it's been over the last couple of years with injuries but with the work done on his shoulder there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Seems to love being at the club.

Hudson and Mansfield were up next.
- Hudson talked about his playing days at the Hawks and Dogs and how he done a lot of coaching since.
- Talked about what it was like growing up as the some of one of the greatest forwards and as a side not he really does look like his father. Over the years he had his father attended some training sessions at some of the clubs he coached at.
Hudson is a really funny and charismatic bloke and nailed about 3 Tassie jokes off at the start of interview and dared anyone to shock him as he's heard them all. Said that people were either from Slowbart or Inceston.
- The big thing he focused on was Tasmania's journey to the AFL and the pride that he had wearing their jumper when they knocked over Vics in a game.

- Mansfield talked about all the injuries he had and to be honest it was a lot more than I ever knew. He's a real character and seems to be doing really well with a business in Tas and a farm here in Victoria.
- He talked about all his coaching and how in one coaching stint he would have to go to the local TAB to find the president and hopefully get his money providing it wasn't gambled away.
- While he never said it outright he mentioned that perhaps having Steve MacPherson as his manager might have coast him a return to the AFL. I think it was Adelaide who indicated they were going to draft him at pick 8 but then overlooked him at the last minute.
- Mansfield is an impressive guy with good stories to tell. He couldn't believe that it's taken the AFL so long to put a team in stating that GWS and GC where just preferred because the AFL was in a who's got the bigger one contest with the NRL.

Some other notes:
Bevo worked the room and must have connected with half of the audience. Especially pleasing was the way he went over and spent a good 5 to 10 minutes with a Doggies supporter in one of those big wheelchair/bed combinations before the function started. Had his arm around her and really connected with her. He's a good bloke.

Sanders at the table was fantastic, we talked about training, his parents and how they attended the games etc. He's loving the journey of being an AFL footballer and seems ready to learn. Tuesday was a day off but he would go in early for a massage and try and catch-up with some friends for lunch although he would be waiting on a delivery from Harvey Norman.

The East West club ran some raffles and announced that once again they were making a donation to the club.

All in all it was a good night.

Thanks G!

Bevo is a great fella.

Was he wearing Sandals?

[Grantysghost]

Yeah you have to be monied up to live in wheelers hill these days. 25km from the city is a dream for people 50km+ away on the city's fringes in berwick and Frankston. Plus the country club is directly off the Wellington road exit of the Monash. Very convenient for a lot of ppl.

Any time I hear ppl mention wheelers hill is ages away from the city I just have to laugh.....the inner city elite are out of touch.

Most of the younger people I work with from the East (we are based next to Monash Uni) are Berwick, Lilydale, Rowville, Narre Warren etc.
Not many on the city side of work, those that are got in to the property market in the mid 90s so later gen x.