The date for the premier event of 2008 has been set, with Ladies Day to take place on Saturday the 5th of April at Peel Park from 1pm. Champagne, cheese and biscuits and other goodies will be available for the ladies (free of charge of course) whilst they watch some sublime football, hopefully to be played by the Ravens. The ladies will go into the draw to win a date with the dashing Dave Gallo, who also doubles as a gardener on weekends. So tell your wives girlfriends, mothers and sisters that Saturday the 5th of April is the day we try to make it up to them for being focused only on football during the winter months!!
With only 5 weeks until season 2008 kicks off, it is time for a pre-season update to let the supporters and detractors know where the Ravens are at. The first month of pre-season training has seen us split our time between Glades Gym and Monash Park. The gym sessions have been quite intense for some people, and some have discovered muscles they never thought they had. Brad was seen being supported by a wall on more than one occasion during his only gym session last week, whilst others have been spotted bench pressing nothing but the bar, but we won't mention names Phil. The Thursday sessions have seen a gradual increase in fitness work, with some ball work thrown in to ease the pain momentarily. Coach Chris has brought in the beep test, a 30 metre sprint trial, a weigh in and also some parachute work to keep people guessing as to what might be next. Further fitness work was undertaken at Drummoyne Bowling Club on Saturday where about half the team gathered for some lawn bowling and beer drinking. James Koussas didn't last too long inside the club, before being asked for some ID which he could not produce. Hopefully he had his Valentines Day date 'Floppy' organised as a back up plan. Congratulations to Nick and Brooke Zorbas on the birth of their baby boy Evan. He conveniently arrived on Thursday evening, which Nick used as an excuse to get out of training. Mother, Father and baby are doing well. Pete 'Texas' Smith has confirmed he will be retiring to the O/35s this year, which is devastating news for players and supporters alike who enjoyed his attacking and expansive style of midfield play as well as reading his entertaining and witty match reports. We wish Tex all the best for the coming season and guess that a lot of the current PL squad will probably join him next year in O/35s!! The retirement of the two-time Walkley Award winner, opens the door for any budding young journalist keen to follow in Tex's footsteps and write reserve grade match reports. This type of writing is usually a combination of fiction and fantasy, with the odd truth thrown in here and there. A 2 hour journalism course will be provided for the successful applicant at Macleay College, where SBS producers such as Nick Zorbas have graduated from. Please email expressions of interest to joelh@ozonline.com.au Sunday sees us kick off the pre-season friendly with games against Enfield at Gladesville Reserve. 2pm and 4pm are the kick off times.
Like a flock of Moorhens or fabled Marsh Tits yearning to fly south as the cooler weather of Autumn draws near, so have I felt the urge to dust the cobwebs off the keyboard and begin the search for the passwords required to update the website which was voted 3rd least visited of 2007, just in front of http://www.sewing.com/ and http://www.peter-andre.net/ . So after 5 blissful months of inactivity on the website, I return to you all with wishes of good fortune for the coming year, whilst also trusting that Santa was good to all of you. Much has happened since our return to form in June/July 07, where relegation was once again avoided. Stuart Jackson relinquished his role as 1st grade coach upon delivering the Ravens to safety from the jaws of second division and since then an exhaustive search for a new coach has been underway. After interviewing Torsten Frings' brother in law Domink Helde, and fielding several other expressions of interest, the Ravens are delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Giometti as the coach for 2008. Chris brings a wealth of experience with him, having played in Italy and Belgium, as well as Marconi, Hills Utd and Ryde City. Those who attended our pre-xmas training session will have met him, and already be slightly suspicious of him after he enforced some sprint work after our game had finished. That aside I'd like to welcome Chris and thank Stuey for his efforts last season. Stuey will continue to manage 2nd grade in 2008. Training is likely to begin on Tuesday, January the 29th at Glades Gym in College Street, Gladesville. We will spend the first 4 Tuesdays in the gym, working on leg strength and core muscle strength, whilst Thursdays will be spent at a ground yet to be determined. The Ravens production line has not stopped over the summer months, with future premier league players arriving and being conceived. Henry Hardaker arrived on December the 20th, weighing in at 3.27kgs and measuring a whopping 49cms, just over half his Dad's height already. Nick and Brooke are now only a couple of months away from the birth of their first child, with Brad and Lorraine having to wait just a little longer. Rob and Lou's daughter Sienna has already received a phone call from Jeff Saul as he looks to bolster the Ravens WSL and Nathan and Sam's baby boy Ethan looks set to follow in his Dad's footsteps as a putter impersonator. And finally former Ravens favourite David Atkin is set to add to his growing brood, with news that his wife Anna is expecting their second child. Congratulations to everyone mentioned above. Look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks at the first pre-season training session.
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