THE INTERLEAGUE EXPERIENCE: V/LINE CUP
At the time of writing, we are in the thick of the V/Line Cup Under 15 Carnival at various venues in and around Melbourne including, for the first time, 5 games played regionally on Saturday and Sunday to kick off the 2011 Cup in Ballarat and Bendigo.
Nearly 550 of the best Under 15 footballers from across the VCFL have represented their region and have now returned to their home clubs for matches this weekend.
Some 272 WorkSafe VCFL clubs have been represented by players across the carnival.
A few of the fortunate (and deserving) ones would have returned home as Divisional champions after holding the trophy aloft after the Final day’s play. It is a trophy steeped in history. The engraving on the Divisional 1 Cup goes back to 1949, where it is engraved that the Goulburn Valley won the inaugural carnival.
From then until now, every football region of the state is represented on it. The mind boggles at 62 years of tradition and football pedigree engraved on that cup, of the bush legends and those that went on to great heights in the VFL/AFL that have played in those teams.
History shows that nearly 60% of the players in the 2011 V/Line Cup will get a chance to join with TAC teams over the next few years, and from there, to the national Under 18 teams and a chance to be drafted through the National Draft Camp into the AFL.
This year we have seen Gippsland V/Line Cup representative Dyson Heppell stamp himself on the AFL at Essendon as a first year player. Bulldog Andrew Hooper is a two time V/Line Cup representative. Current captains Luke Hodge and Jonathan Brown were V/Line Cup players. Joel Selwood, Steele Sidebottom, Shaun Higgins and Patrick Dangerfield are AFL stars that got their first chance to impress at the V/Line Cup.
We have no doubt that all the young players in the 2011 V/line Cup will return home with football memories and valuable experiences that they can both cherish and pass onto their team mates and clubs.
For many footballers, the experience of interleague football may rank as the highest achievement in their playing memories. The chance to join the best players in the competition to take on a common opponent is a special experience as a sportsman. The experience – whether you are an Under 15 V/Line Cup player or a Senior State player has a similar impact.
Every representative player could describe the nerves as they wandered into the change rooms for the first time and meet those guys that have been opponents up to that point; the feeling as you come together in a huddle before a new coach as a group for the first time; the sense you get as the ball flicks around at training and you notice the rise in the tempo and intensity.
It may be hard to quantify the value in watching how other guys prepare themselves for the matches and how they go the extra mile to get the best out of themselves, but it is a common thought we hear from players after their representative campaigns.
The next time you meet your ‘teammates’ it is likely to be as opponents again on your home ground. You can’t help it, but win, lose or draw you have a connection with these guys – and you will have this for the rest of your playing days.
We congratulate all the players, coaches and support staff that has made the 2011 V/Line Cup Carnival such a success; we wish you all the best for the rest of your football seasons. We hope that we will see you progress through the interleague program of the WorkSafe VCFL in the years to come. We also say the same for all the WorkSafe VCFL umpires that have had the honour of officiating at the 2011 V/Line Cup.
The next WorkSafe VCFL representative feature will be the WorkSafe Country Championships which will be played across the VCFL on Saturday May 28th. Go to www.vcfl.comau to see the fixtures.
Shayne Ward
Planning, Facilities & Junior Football Manager
WorkSafe Victorian country Football League
Last Modified on 11/04/2011 16:49