Current player Mitch Cricelli with 2008 premiership coach Daniel Schmidt and 2008 president Darren Gledhill.
More than 150 people gathered at the Royal Melbourne Hotel on Friday, May 22, for the 10th annual Rochester Football Netball Club Supporters Day.
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The event brings together club legends from the past and the modern-day playing group for an afternoon of celebration and reminiscing.
Netballers Ava Nihill, Morgan Dingwall and Payton Tiller.
Former club president Rob Aitken, who has been an organiser of the event since its inception, is incredibly pleased with how the event has grown since the idea was formed among a small group of Melbourne-based Rochester alumni.
“When we first started I thought it’d be more likely to expand a little bit, then maybe even go backwards and just be back to a small group of people having lunch, but it really has taken off with people and the players,” he said.
“The younger players enjoy catching up and mixing with the older players and older people around the club that have been supporters for a long time.”
Mitch Cricelli and 1962 premiership Tiger Trevor Randall compare ruck techniques, with organiser Rob Aitken looking on.
The focus of this year’s event was on the 2008 premiership team, with several important members of the club’s most recent footballing triumph on hand to share stories from the famous season.
Then-coach Damien Schmidt was joined by current coach and player in the side Ash Watson, as well as 2008 captain Dean Moon and player Elliott Bowen, the quartet looking back on a golden year that culminated in a three-point grand final win over Seymour.
New Tigers Riley Ferguson (left) and Felix Fogarty (right) alongside 1992 premiership player Adam Edwards.
Aitken also sat down with club president Justin Cleary to discuss the current state of the club, with a focus on Rochester’s role within the community on and off-field and the challenges facing country clubs.
Taking advantage of that week’s general bye for the celebrations, a rested Rochester bounced back this weekend with a big win over Benalla, Aitken wryly taking a little credit for the performance.
Peter Howell, Barry Riordan, James McInerney and Dr Peter Fuller.
“It's about getting together and enjoying it, and having good social time together, which is really a bonding thing,” he said.
“I don't know, maybe they beat Benalla because of that Friday.
“I think it does play a very important part in everybody's calendar now, which is good.”
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