Great Scot September 2018 Gt Scot_154_September_online | Page 54

Sport
ABOVE: PLAYERS FROM BOTH TEAMS PICTURED AFTER THE GAME
Great Adelaide experience
for 23 Year 9 footballers
A packed itinerary of exciting experiences for our boys in Adelaide
Twenty-three excited Year 9 footballers
gathered at Melbourne Airport on 12 July to
begin their journey to Adelaide. The boys were
set for a packed itinerary from the moment they
landed in Adelaide to the moment they were
scheduled to head back to Melbourne.
Activities on the first day included talking
to the Port Adelaide Football Club welfare
manager and two Port Adelaide players — Old
Scotch Boys Darcy Byrne-Jones (‘13) and Aidyn
Johnson (‘15). The day also included a fun
kayaking adventure and, that night, a visit to the
Adelaide Oval, where the Geelong Cats took on
the Adelaide Crows in a thriller.
Friday came, and with it the main purpose of
the trip: it was time for Year 9 Scotch College,
Melbourne, to take on Year 9 and 10, Scotch
College, Adelaide. It was a fair, friendly match
played with great spirit by both sides, but
unfortunately for the Melburnians, the team
from Adelaide won. It was a great experience
playing alongside our mates from Melbourne,
and getting to know some of the Scotch College,
Adelaide, footballers.
After the game the boys returned to the
Adelaide Oval to meet another Old Boy, Jake
Kelly (‘13), who plays for the Adelaide Crows.
Jake showed us around the facilities and
answered questions, giving the boys an honest
insight into what he did to get where he is today.
It was another fun, insightful and interesting day
for the boys and staff.
The staff greeted us with an early wake-up
call on Saturday for a run down to and along the
beach. As expected, the boys were not all as
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ABOVE: THE YEAR 9 BOYS TOURING THE PORT ADELAIDE
FOOTBALL CLUB
excited as the staff about this run, but they took
to it with a good attitude. Later on Saturday the
party took an Adelaide Oval tour, listening and
learning as they soaked it all up.
Then it was time to head to the airport.
But just as the boys checked their bags in
and were preparing to head for the plane, a
crisis occurred: the flight was cancelled. The
staff frantically made calls to different airlines,
but in the end there was to be no flight home
on Saturday for the Scotch Collegians — we
were staying another night in Adelaide. Sunday
morning arrived, and now it was time to get
on a flight back home — for real this time. It
was a great weekend for everyone, with new
experiences and thoughts filling the boys’
minds. Many thanks to our coaching staff:
Scott Montgomery (‘85), Sam Elliott (‘01)
and Mark Williams.
HUGO BROMELL — YEAR 9
Great Scot Number 154 – September 2018