Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 15

G'd a y F e llo w U n ico rn s,

I had a big day out on Saturday with a visit to Moorabbin to watch the juniors, followed by a coffee in Albert Park with our good Secretary and a cold afternoon atPowerhouse. I think I jinxed the juniors as they all lost, so I am not sure that I will be welcome again at their games. I thoughtwe were going to have a great afternoon at Powerhouse, but we stumbled in the Ones. However, the Seconds, Thirds andColts all had good wins.

The after game function was bloody fantastic and I think I fell in love with Yakka for his cooking (apart from the factthat he is a prop!). A big thanks to Yakka, George, Kimani,Lyndon and Mark for organising an excellent night. Big thanks also to Citywide(Yakka) who sponsored the night. It was also great to see so many families at the club.

Saturday night sees the first test against South Africa and I hope we perform better than last week against the Kiwis.This week we are at Eel Race Rd to try to give Southern Districts a touch up. I know it is a long way to go, but lets try and get the Unicorn juggernaut mobile and support the lads.

D o n ‟t fo rg e t th a t th e A u stra lia A versus Fiji game is on Saturday 22ng July from 7.30pm at Olympic Park. The club haspurchases a block of 80 tickets. Tickets (Gold) $30 ea. To book your spot contact Robert Gash - 0419955200

Also regarding the Australia A game our m ig h ty U n d e r 1 0 ‟s a re playing in one of the half – time games!

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'Lamb on Orrong' spit BBQ night

New Zealanders love lambs, and Aussies love to eat lamb, so the lamb on orrong spit BBQ on 8th July for the Tri Nation test match from Christchurch was a natural.

Yakka and Aussie George put a lamb on the spit as the huge crowd we watched the game on the big screen. It was a brilliant night, well done to all.

Here are some photos from the night.

Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 14

G ’d a y F e llo w U n ico rn s,

The second half of the season is upon us and we have started well with a good win to the Colts. We had a good lunch with theFirst XV Jersey winners last week and the Firsts players had a well-earned rest with a little relaxation as they met the jerseyowners and contemplated Powerhouse this weekend.

Thanks again to those lucky people who invested in the Jerseys and to Gashy, Jilly and Mylo for putting on the lunch. A greatday was had by all and the photos are on the website.
Powerhouse are at home and will be keen to knock us so we need to have plenty of noise on the sidelines.

Saturday night sees the first Bledisloe game and we will have the big screen ready to go at 5:30pm. D o n ’t fo rg e t th a tafter we see the Wallabies win, Yakka and Aussie George will have the spit going for huge Greek feast. This will be a greatnight and certainly one not to be missed.

I look forward to seeing you all at Powerhouse and then afterwards at the club to celebrate some good wins for themighty Unicorns and the Wallabies.

Go Unicorns.

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Inaugural 1st XV Jersey Club Lunch

A big thank you to everyone who attended and helped organise the inaugural 1st XV Jersey Club that there is a BBQ lunch last weekend.

The day was a great success, and all looks good for this becoming a nice little tradition within the club.

As you will see from the photo link below it started out as a nice quiet, leisurely day.

Some of the boys decided to have a few drinks after the lunch had finished.

And well it went on for a short while, to find out how the day ended follow the link below to view the photos.

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 13

Howdy fellow unicorns,

As most of you are probably aware I have spent the last couple of weeks recovering from a bout of Malaria, which was asouvenir of a trip to the Kokoda track. This has given me some spare time to reflect.

The first thing that struck me was just how much the words that are inscribed on the Kokoda memorial at Isurava are applicableto our great game.

Courage, Sacrifice, Selflessness and Mateship all relate as much to Rugby as to the spirit of Kokoda. The next thing Ireflected on was how lucky I am to be able to lead the Melbourne Rugby club and to be able to enjoy my Rugby in the companyof so many fellow enthusiasts. I felt humbled and proud reflecting on just what a great club we are all fortunate enough tobe involved in. With that thought in mind, as we reach mid season, I thought it appropriate to give you an update onwhat’s been happening around the club.
First to the ladders! All of our teams are sitting within the top four in their respective grades: 1st Grade are third, 2nd Grade arethird, 3rd Grade are fourth, Colts are second, Under 12’s are fourth, and our pathways teams (Under 10’s and Under8’s) are also doing well. All bodes well for a long finals season! Well done Greg and the coaching staff.

Financially we are doing well, apart from being slightly behind budget on subscriptions, largely due to player numbers being less than we estimated.Our bar income is quite respectively ahead of budget – thank you to everyone for your patronage and Mark for his efforts inkeeping the bar ship shape.

Sponsorship and fundraising activities are all looking good, with initiatives such as the 1st XV Jersey Club and our seasonend Mega Raffle being well supported to name a few. Speaking of the Mega Raffle it is gaining good momentum with thenumber of prizes on offer; however there is always room for more.
It is quite evident when you look around the crowd at both home and away games and see a sea of blue, our merchandiseactivities and sales are going well.
The sense of community and camaraderie that has developed both on and off the field to date this season is great to see,and is due in no small part to the efforts of our social committee, the President’s Club organisers and junior co-ordinator. So farthis season we have had no less than half a dozen social functions, with more to come, so check checking the ’what’shappening’ section of the newsletter for more information.

Looking forward, the Romanis lights project is progressing well. Council is currently working on the project plan tohave the lights available for pre-season next season. Our relationship with the Council continues to improve and hasallowed us for the first time to utilise our home grounds from 9.00am so that our juniors (under 12’s so far) can play realhome games this season, and in addition we will actually be hosting some pathways games during the second half of theseason, culminating is a club gala day at Romanis on 19th August. This day will also feature our first Lady’s lunch, whichwill run in a similar format to the President’s Club.

Rugby in Victoria is bigger than any one club, in recognising this we have offered our support and assistance to help in anyway we can to the VRU, to ensure that our great game continues to thrive and grow within Victoria and that Melbourne is at theforefront of this growth. Further to this, in a couple of weeks we will host a briefing to Presidents from the VRU on the new National competition. I will of course pass on any news in the newsletter. In all, we are progressing well this seasonand will continue to improve in all areas.

Thank you all for your support to date this season, it is far from over but things are looking good and I look forward to chattingwith you all at the club or the games!

Go Unicorns.

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 12

Welcome to another jam packed week of rugby, all you unicorn fans! Ok well it is not as jam packed as last week, however there is never a dull moment during our rugby season.

Our juniors are on holidays having a rugby free weekend, so it’s up to our seniors to keep the flag flying high. Most grades are at home this weekend, so come on down and support the club.

Below you will see our new coat of arms for the 1st XV Jersey Club. All bidding has ended and the winners have been notified, a complete list will be published next week. The response to this new tradition within MRUFC was nothing short of amazing, congratulations to the inaugural
members, whom I am looking forward to seeing at our first 1st XV Jersey Club lunch on 1st July. We are taking bids for next season, so if you are interested get in early!

Speaking of congratulations, well done to the VRU for a job well done on their inaugural ‘father and son’ dinner held last Friday night, from all reports it was a great success.

One final plug, Yakka and Aussie George are hosting a lamb Spit Night at the clubhouse on Saturday 8th July from 5.30pm. This is a great opportunity for everyone, senior players, junior players, parents, brothers, sister, wife’s, girlfriends – you get the point, within the club to get
together and have some great food and drink. Details at the back of this newsletter. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Go unicorns!

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 11

I foresee another big weekend of Rugby coming up!, and a early one for our juniors with the Under 12’s playing at Geelong and the Under 8’s and 10’s playing at Whyndam City, and of course the test match on Saturday night.

Speaking of the big game on Saturday night, if you are off to see it, why not take advantage of the buses being organised from the clubhouse. For more details and to book your spot give Luke Daley (0404030794) a call.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following Colts players: Ed Pullen, Sai Vacale, and James Smith, for their time and help coaching on Tuesday 13th June at the schools ten-a-side Under 14 and under 16 gala day co-hosted by ourselves, Boorandara and the VRU. From all the reports and feedback I have received it was an extremely successful day. Well done and my sincere thanks to all those behind the scenes who organise these events both within the clubs and at the VRU.

Just a reminder that this Friday is your last chance to place a bid for the 1st Fifteen Jersey Club. If you are interested there are more details on page 4.

Now that the really cold weather has set it at training and on game days, it is even more important than ever to stretch properly before hand, so this week we have included some simple stretches beginning on page 5. I encourage you all to have a look!

As you all know 2006 marks the foundation year for FRATUST (Front Rower Association – The Un-Sung Three). We are uniting all front row players past and current, for not only world domination, but to develop communication and skill between the age levels. This association is ONLY open to front row players, of any level or age. Well memberships close this week! So if you have not put in your form or want more information either e-mail or call: FRATUST President: Simon Doherty – 0418 122 355 or s-r-d@bigpond.net.au
OR Vice President David Eccles on
davideccles@ozemail.com.au

Go unicorns! Oh yeah go Wallabies!

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 10

Wow, we had it all this past week, games under lights on Friday night, a really successful presidents club lunch, controversy and uproar at the games, however the most pleasing thing was despite all of this or perhaps because of it, we played some damn fine rugby!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gary Gray, President of the VRU and Ted Beileu, Leader of the State Liberal Party for their attendance at our second president’s club lunch last weekend. As you would all know this presidents club lunch was a sell out weeks in advance and was an extremely successful day. Well done and my sincere thanks to all those behind the scenes who organise these lunches.

We have had an overwhelming response to the 1st Fifteen Jersey Club so much so that we have extended the bidding deadline to give everyone who may not have yet put in a bid the chance to do so.

We have bids on all the 1st fifteen jerseys expect numbers 2, 12, 13 and 14. If you are interested there are more details on page 4.

There are no games this weekend.

Go unicorns!

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 9

Well, last week’s round could described in many and various ways, however it is probable best just to say Rugby was the winner, and leave it at that.

Not all of the teams won, but they all played as a team, with great heart, intensity and did the club proud – especially in light of some of the controversy as you will read in the match reports.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the St Kevin’s College Rugby Association for a fine curry lunch at their president’s club lunch last weekend and a fine speaker in Tim Horan. Events like that are always great opportunities to further foster our ties with other rugby organisations.

Speaking of a nice curry lunch, our second president’s club lunch is on this weekend, and I look forward to see you all there, for what should be a great day.

With everything going on around the club it is probably appropriate to update you all on the Romanis Reserve lighting and re-development project, which is still on the go and we expect the lights to be available for use next season. It is probably also appropriate to remind everyone that we have an ASF (Australian Sports Foundation) fund setup – which is tax-deductible, to help fund this project, and I would urge you all to consider donating towards this worthy cause, no donation is too small. An ASF donation form is at the back of this newsletter.

One last thing before I go, our great game of rugby is built on tradition and history. The club is offering members the opportunity to become part of a new tradition in the making with the inaugural 1st Fifteen Jersey Club auction.

The 1st Fifteen Jersey Club offers you the opportunity to have your name embroidered on the sleeve of your favourite 1st Grade jersey. At seasons end, your jersey will be signed by the coaching staff and all 1st grade players and presented to you at the inaugural 1st Fifteen Jersey Club presentation ceremony. More details are on page 4.

OK just one last reminder that the clubhouse is open on Thursday nights with a great food and drink deal for $8 ($5 for juniors) so come down and have a chat to your fellow supporters, it saves cooking dinner for the troops when you get home!

Most grades are at home this weekend, so come on down and support the club.

Go unicorns!

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 8

This week’s round of rugby was a real humdinger!

Not all of the teams on the weekend won, but they all played as a team, with great heart and intensity. As the last line in our club song says ‘Melbourne is the greatest rugby team’.

I know some of you might not believe this but we do want your feedback. It is hard to know what we can do better don’t share your concerns or ideas. The best way to give us feedback is through email that is not anonymous. That way we can send it to the other committee members for comments and actions.

Quite frankly, unless you are willing to stand behind your concerns, it is really hard for us to do anything. Unfortunately, I often get comments second hand from people. Usually these comments are very sarcastic, ill-informed, downright wrong, sometimes unintentionally funny, and many believe that the committee had made specific decisions to ruin their future (or the clubs, or their child’s or the coaches, or the team’s).

I wish we had the power (and I guess the time) to specifically influence things at that level where we could make all issues go away!

Finally, by far the best feedback, is when it is accompanied by someone who is willing to work with the appropriate people to make things better.

Upcoming events, our next Presidents Club Lunch on 3rd June, is quickly approaching, and I can tell you our guest speaker is none other than Mr Gary Gray – President of the VRU and long time Melbourne Rugby member, and he will be discussing a topic very dear to all our
hearts, the future of rugby in Victoria. If you have not secured your ticket (come on all you junior parents) I urge you to do so asap.

At the rear of this issue you will find a copy of a letter from Gary Gray to all Victorian Rugby Clubs, I urge you to take the time to read what the VRU has planned for the future.
This Saturday night 27th May – Australian Rugby Shield Semi Final. Victorian Axemen versus NSW Country at Harlequins from 7.30pm. Why not go down and support the Axemen.

As you would be aware we are holding a MEGA Raffle this season as part of our fundraising activities, and having seen the growing list of prizes it is going to be huge.

Having said that we are still after more prizes, so if you or organisation are in a position to donate or provide at a reasonable cost a prize, we would like to hear from you.

Quickly I will remind you all, especially all junior families that the clubhouse is open on Thursday nights with a great food and drink deal for $8 ($5 for juniors) it saves cooking dinner for the troops when you get home!

Go unicorns! See you at the games!

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Unicorn Tales Newsletter No 7

This week’s round of rugby is bestsummed up with a quote from CliveWoodward – former England rugby unioncoach:

“it’s not always about winning. It’s aboutattitude and working together as a team.”

Not all of the teams on the weekend won,but they all played as a team, with greatheart and intensity. As the last line in ourclub song says ‘Melbourne is the greatestrugby team’.

I would like to take this opportunity towelcome on board Cadbury-Schweppesas our new major junior sponsor. Theirsupport of our club, and in particular ourjunior program is much appreciated.

There are a couple of events coming upwhich I would like to draw your attentionto, first is the inaugural VRU “Father andSon” Youth Rugby Dinner on 16th Juneat St. Kevin’s College. The Other event isthe Weary Dunlop Club Pre Test MatchLunch on Thursday 15th June 2006, at theCrown Palladium Ballroom.The club is looking to organise a table atboth these events, so if you are interestedread the details on pages 10 and 11 andlet David Kennedy know asap.

It has also come to my attention over thelast few weeks (particularly amongst thejuniors) that mouthguards are being left athome, etc. It is important thatmouthguards are worn at all levels of oursport. If you are not convinced I urge youto read the article entitled “Why wear amouthguard?” on page 10.

Just reminding you all, especially alljunior families that the clubhouse isopen on Thursday nights with a greatfood and drink deal for $8 ($5 forjuniors) so come down and have a chatto your fellow supporters, it savescooking dinner for the troops when youget home!

Go unicorns!

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