Sunshine Star

HILLSIDE coach Steve Kolyniuk believes his Sharks have caught some of the Essendon District Football League’s Division One contenders off guard so far this season.
Many pundits had written Hillside off prior to the 2014 season after a summer marred by key departures following the heavy investment that landed the 2013 Division Two flag.
So strong were the Sharks in Division Two, it was thought their 2013 squad would have been good enough to win Division One – a view Kolyniuk shares.
Though Hillside’s 2014 list may be watered down, it has started the new season well, pushing pre-season flag favourite Tullamarine all the way in round one before finally overcoming its local nemesis, Taylors Lakes, on Good Friday.
Despite showing promising early signs it is far from the danger of relegation, Kolyniuk has played down Hillside’s early season form.
“We just need to be competitive in every game we play,” Kolyniuk said.
“That’s our goal and we have been in the first two games. We lost the first one and had bad discipline cost us a little bit there but I certainly think we were probably lucky (against Taylors Lakes).
“I think they had a few injuries but look, I’m pleased with the start anyway. But the goal is to be competitive in every game and so far, so good.”
As the Taylors Lakes game was the only one played in Division One on Good Friday, Kolyniuk is fully aware the rest of the competition would have stood up and taken notice of his side.
“With us the advantage we’ve got is we’ve caught a few teams off-guard, but obviously there would have been pretty much everyone there watching last Friday,” he said.
“They would have had a look at some things so it’s not going to be as easy for us over the next five or six weeks.
“We were coming up against Tulla who are a good side and they didn’t really pay much attention to us.
“All of a sudden we nearly beat them so it’s like ‘next time we play Hillside we’ve got to pay them a bit more respect’ and the same with Taylors Lakes, because they hadn’t got to see us yet, either.”
Kolyniuk said he was pleased his Sharks have managed to gain some respect within the division.
“There’s a lot of pride down there,” he said.
“But we’re not getting carried away with it. We’ve got a pretty level-headed group.”

FOLLOWING two successful Once Upon a Time in Sunshine promotions within the past year, Taylors Hill promoter and undefeated professional fighter Jake Ellis is at it again.
Ellis has gathered some of the best fighters from across Melbourne’s West for the 30 May show at Sunshine’s Italia Club, where three titles will be put on the line.
The main events will include Altona’s Anthony Buttigieg’s battle with Franco Valenzuela for the light middleweight Victorian belt.
Footscray’s Sylvia Scharper will also be in action against Queenslander Kori Farr for the Australian bantamweight title, while Werribee’s Marc Pante will vie for the light heavyweight Victorian title against Joe D’Angelo.
“The card speaks for itself,” Ellis said.
“I went from basically not having any titles on any of my shows to having three on the same show and an Australian title being one of them.
“With my main events both boys are undefeated and the vibe in the crowd is going to be electric.
“Pante versus D’Angelo is a fight I’ve been trying to get for about two years now. I just could never seem to get it together.”
Pante, 33, is undefeated with three knockouts since going professional and is feeling good a month out from his upcoming bout with D’Angelo.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I’m going at the moment,” Pante said.
“Training’s going well, so hopefully I can get another victory under my belt and stay undefeated.
“I’m confident going into every fight. I do all the hard yards and it’s the one per cent things I do in the gym that I think will get me over the line against anyone, really.”
Ellis talked up the bout as Pante’s toughest yet.
“I think undeniably it will be Marc’s hardest fight,” Ellis said.
“On paper and in reality it is his hardest fight. It’s a fight for the championship of the state so it goes without saying.
“Size-wise and even overall frame-wise (D’Angelo’s) very similar to Marc, short and broad and he has a very extensive kickboxing career and Marc’s also got a kickboxing background as well.
“It’s the longest fight he’s ever had. He’s in for an eight-rounder.”
Many of the fighters that will take the ring at the Italia Club train under Dave Hegarty out of the Tarneit Boxing Gym, including Dwight ‘The Cowboy’ Ritchie.

THE strong, athletic, attacking half-back flanker has become an essential cog in just about every footy team in the country, no matter the standard or even age group.
Down at the Western Jets, Connor Menadue has made the position his own.
The 17-year-old has enjoyed a dream start to his top-age year in the TAC Cup, opening the season with back-to-back best-on-ground performances against the Calder Cannons and Sandringham Dragons.
In his first four appearances for the season Menadue averaged more than 24 disposals a game and has consistently drawn praise from coach Torin Baker week in, week out.
“We’ve mainly played him off the half-back line, that’s where we think he plays his best footy but he’ll be given opportunities to play through the midfield and even up forward,” Baker said.
“He’s got some tremendous attributes in that he’s extremely quick, he’s also got very good endurance and the other thing is he’s a very good contested mark so when you add all that in it’s a really nice package that he has.”
Menadue himself is happy with how he’s progressed after playing 15 bottom-age games for the Jets in 2013, and hopes his form will warrant selection for Vic Metro later in the year.
“I think I’ve had a pretty good, consistent year so far,” Menadue told Star.
“I’ve been able to beat my man off the half-back flank every week so far, which has been good and I’ve been able to get the ball which has been good as well.”
As a junior down at the Spotswood Football Club Menadue made a name for himself and was plucked from the Woodsmen as a forward, but has since developed into one of the standout running defenders currently going around in the TAC Cup.
Like his coaching staff, Menadue now believes his talents are best suited in the back half of the ground, but naturally, he still fancies himself as a dangerous forward option, too.
“I think that off the half-back flank so far this year I have been able to show my run and carry and run off half-back, and also I’ve been able to find the ball,” he said.
“But I also think if I did start to play more regularly in the midfield I could start to find the ball even more and then hopefully become a bit more dangerous up forward as well and use my speed there.
“And in the forward line, I played there during my junior career so I sort of know my way around the goal.”

AUSTRALIAN Football Hall of Famer Rowan Sawers has decided to give a little back to the game that’s given him everything and taken him all over the globe.
Sawers was earlier this month appointed the Essendon District Football League’s umpires coach in a bid to help boost the appeal at a time many community leagues are struggling for numbers and forced to appoint club umpires for numerous junior and senior fixtures.
“There’s a lot of experience to be gained and not just in football but life skills as well,” Sawers said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to get into the AFL and get a grand final and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was just a thrill and something I never even thought of, so footy’s been great.
“It’s taken me around the world and coming to the EDFL gives me the opportunity to put back and with the knowledge I’ve learnt, I really want to put back into junior football.
“I’ve got a real passion to see umpiring grow at every level possible and this gives me an opportunity to put back my knowledge and my experience and hopefully help develop this list (of EDFL umpires) into the best metropolitan list.”
Since taking the new gig Sawers has been on-hand to witness the standard of umpiring within the EDFL ranks and is genuinely impressed, telling Star the standard has been raised significantly at community level in recent years.
“I saw Maribyrnong Park and Avondale Heights and it was a terrific game of football that was well-umpired,” he said.
“There’s lots of things that umpires need to take into account and in the two-umpire system they cover about 13km, they make about 3000 decisions and most of those are not to blow the whistle.
“And certainly from what I saw, I’m really excited to be working with this group and I think it’s just a real opportunity to help develop and help grow and hopefully retain umpires on this panel.”
EDFL general manager Marc Turri said the league is always looking for more umpires in the field, boundary and goals, but was also pleased to say EDFL umpires are among the highest paid in community football.
Turri and Sawers have encouraged people interested in taking up umpiring to contact the league.

FOOTSCRAY fighter Sylvia Scharper is busy preparing for her upcoming Australian bantamweight title bout against Queensland’s Kori Farr at a time women’s boxing has taken great strides.
The 31-year-old turned professional two years ago after establishing herself in Thai boxing and has since remained undefeated in three fights, winning two and drawing one.
The proud step-mother has to juggle looking after her two step-kids with six days of training a week and once you’ve thrown in her three dogs, two cats, bird and freelance writing gig – Scharper knows a national title would be worth all the effort.
“It’s pretty hard,” she admitted.
“I started in Thai boxing and then I found Dave Hegarty down at Tarneit Boxing to help with my hand-work.
“I never thought I would get to the stage to actually box, let alone pro box and Dave thought I had what it took to jump into pro boxing so I had a very short amateur career of one fight and then went to pro boxing.
“I’ve had quite a few Thai fights and been in the ring a long time but in terms of boxing, this is just the start.”
Scharper takes on Farr as part of Jake Ellis’ third Once Upon a Time in Sunshine promotion at the Italia Club on 30 May.
“She’s got an extensive amateur career and represented Australia in many countries,” Ellis said of Farr.
“She hasn’t got an extensive professional career because I know for a fact she was just planning to stay in the amateurs and she’s pretty much come out of retirement for this fight due to her national title being on the line.”
Scharper is well aware she’s relatively new to the professional circuit but does feel she has improved enough to contend for the belt.
“In the first fights I think just being in the ring and being tough got me through but in the last fight I wanted to show that I could actually box and put combos together and I think I did that so I look forward to stepping it up another level again,” she said.
“I’m always looking to improve and obviously with that belt on the line it makes you that little bit hungrier.”