Great Scot September 2018 Gt Scot_154_September_online | Page 33

FUN, LAUGHS —
AND A GREAT TEAM
EXPERIENCE
The five-day football trip to Darwin and the Tiwi Islands (26-29 March)
was a great experience and a lot of fun. It was great to have an even split of
boys from Year 10 and Year 11 as well as the 1st XVIII coaches, as we were
able to train and play with a team that will be similar to the 1st XVIII next year.
Arriving in Darwin we were greeted by a wave of heat reaching 33
degrees and with 90 per cent humidity. Although we had to leave at 5am,
going fishing on a boat offshore from Darwin was a great highlight. Despite
seasickness, just about everyone caught at least one fish — however, Jem
Murchie (Year 11) managed to reel in the biggest fish of all, weighing in at
over 17kg. The trip to see the crocodiles on the Adelaide River was another
highlight, but it wasn’t an ideal place to go swimming!
Playing a night game against NT Thunder at the AFL ground in Darwin,
TIO Stadium, was just magic. The stadium’s surface and facilities were
exceptional, from cool rooms and ice vests on the boundary line to ice
baths after the game. But most of all the game was a great way to mix
the boys from Years 10 and 11, and play together as one team.
The flight on the small planes out to Tiwi island was a bumpy one – but
we survived! One hears about the Indigenous communities but to see them
first hand is something the boys will never forget. Our game against the Tiwi
College students was very special, with all the locals coming out to watch.
The trip was full of fun and laughs, and I would strongly encourage all
boys in the lower years to strive to be a part of it in the future. It is a great
way to further yourself as a player in the training you do leading up to the
trip, and the games you play when in Darwin, and certainly makes us
appreciate the little things we may take for granted here at Scotch.
Many thanks to our coaches — Rayden Tallis, Jason Broadbeer, Stuart
Powell, Scott Montgomery (‘85), Scott Maginness (’84) and Peter Grouse.
FINN MAGINNESS — YEAR 11
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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