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Text Box: October 2011 - A Coaching Milestone The Pirates Week 6 game against the Sydney University Lions marked a milestone in the coaching career of Head Coach, Ian Taylor. Coach Taylor became the first person in NSW League history to have coached 200 Division 1 games, but the occasion and the pre-game ceremony came as a complete surprise as he explains - I was totally unaware that I was about to reach 200 games as a coach so the guard of honour by both teams and the ceremony before the game to mark the occasion was a shock. To be honoured in such a way was really appreciated and for the 200th to be a game against an opponent who I greatly respect made it even more special. My thanks go to Coach Stephen Dunne of the Sydney University Lions who initiated the proceedings, League President (and long-time friend) Darrin Mitchell for his kind words, and from the Pirates David Ward, Mike Sea, and Kim King, amongst others, for going to the effort of bringing the whole thing together. My first coach at the Pirates, Dan Cole, always said that if you are good to football then football will be good to you, and how right he was. I have been very fortunate to have been with a Club and a sport that has enabled me to have so much fun over a long period of time. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it. April 2011 - NSW Wolverines Win National Championship The New South Wales Wolverines have won the 2011 National Championship after a crazy Championship Game against the powerful West Australian Raiders. The Wolverines won a heart-stopper 50-48 after West Australia scored as time expired but were unable to convert to take the game into extra time. Four members of the 2011 Trojans squad took part in all the action. John Carty (Offensive Line), Ben Fleming (Linebacker), and David New (Defensive Line) were selected as members of the Wolverines, while Antonio Piscioneri from the Trojan Coaching Staff served as the Wolverine Defensive Coordinator. Our congratulations go to the Wolverines Head Coach, Rocco Bosco, his Staff, and the entire Wolverines team for achieving this fantastic result. Mission accomplished!! March 2011 - Recognition for a Veteran The 2010 Division 1 season marked an incredible milestone in Pirate history when veteran player, Craig Russell, celebrated his 20th Anniversary season with the Club. In recognition of that fact, and to celebrate the milestone, a profile on Craig and his exploits has been added as a part of the Clubs History pages. Congratulations to Craig for his efforts, contribution and enthusiasm over a long and distinguished playing career! December 2010 - Ten Year Tenures Two more Pirate alumni have reached the ten year milestone with the Club. Aaron Goth and Sean White join a select group of people who have served the Pirates for a minimum of ten years. Both Aaron and Sean have been stalwarts on the field and both have contributed off the field as well by taking up administrative roles over the years. Our congratulations and thanks go to both Aaron and Sean. To see the complete rundown of people who have been long-time contributors at the Pirates select the History link from the menu above. August 2010 - A Lions Perspective on 25 Years of Pirate Football Stephen Dunne is the Head Coach of the Sydney University Lions and during his time at the helm he has guided his team to ten consecutive Waratah Bowl games, winning the last seven in a row. He is a well credentialed and highly respected adversary and here gives his thoughts on 25 years of Pirate football. Congratulations on making 25 years. An incredible achievement. The Pirates! I have an enormous respect for what the Pirates have done: being competitive year in year out is a very difficult thing to do. I have been in the league for 15 years and it seems like every year its the Pirates who are ready and competitive. But more than that its the character you show every year. I find myself saying the same thing before every game: that you will never quit. A game against you demands effort for the full 4 quarters, because I know your effort will be relentless. There have been rare occasions when the Lions have been able to dominate the men in Black and Silver, but if you look at the record the next game is always tighter. You will know your history, but I will mention one guy that I have enormous respect for. Ian Taylor has been coaching longer than anyone else in this league. I am only at 10 years and Ian - is it 15 or nearly 20? Head coaching for that long and that well is worth a tremendous amount - to your club and to the game. Ian has done a wonderful job. I often say that its not the trophies or the medals or the yardage and stats that count, its what you share with your team mates and the respect you earn from your opponents. On a personal note I will tell you that in 1998 I quarterbacked the Lions to a big win over the Pirates in a semi final. As we shook hands in the line QB Marcus Kringas - a guy I admired immensely - said, Thanks for the lesson. I felt 10 feet tall. Ive never forgotten it. So I will say that now: thanks for the lesson, Pirates, on how to play the game - always tough and always with character. July 2010 - Pirates Silver Anniversary Season The Pirates are the third oldest Club in the State (behind the Bondi Raiders and Sydney University Lions) and 2010 marked the 25th Anniversary of Pirate football in New South Wales. There was plenty packed into the year with one of the changes being the addition of a series of 25th Anniversary logos. The logos were designed by Pirate Player, Sean White, and there were variations of the logo on the website and merchandise throughout the year. Another thing that was highly anticipated was the announcement of the Pirates 25th Anniversary Team. A panel of judges worked through all of the players who have worn the silver and black to come up with the absolute best Pirate team and you can see who made the cut by going to our History page. The most noticeable and enduring reflection of the 25th Anniversary season was the launch of a new logo and uniform design. The new logos were created by London-based graphic artist, Fraser Davidson, and you check out more of his amazing work by clicking on his logo which appears on our Links page. April 2010 - Wolfpack Win the National Title for the Fifth Consecutive Time! The Gridiron NSW State team, the Wolfpack, won their fifth consecutive title in the 2010 Senior National Championships tournament that was held in Melbourne in April. It is a remarkable achievement and one which is unlikely to be equalled. The Wolfpack began their campaign with a convincing 46-0 drubbing of the South Australian Swarm. Pirate player and Wolfpack team Captain, Shannon Lynch, was named Game MVP after recoding 5 QB Sacks in the game. The second qualifying game was a controversial and sometimes spiteful game against a very tough West Australian Raiders team. In a game that seemed more like a heavyweight fight than a game of football the Wolfpack held off a spirited Raider comeback to win 31-27. Meanwhile on the other side of the tournament draw the Victorian Eagles demolished the A.C.T. Monarchs and the Queensland Sun Devils to cruise into the Championship decider and another matchup with the Wolfpack. The Wolfpack and the Eagles met in the Championship decider, and unlike previous tournaments where the scores were close until the end, the Wolfpack jumped out to a 21-0 lead by halftime and held on for a 28-7 win. The score is probably not a true indication of the game as the Eagles only managed their score with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. So after defeating Queensland in 2003, and Victoria in 2005, 2006, and 2008, the Wolfpack are the reigning National Champions once again, and like other Wolfpack squads the Pirates played their part. The Pirates were represented in the Wolfpack by Nathan DCunha, Brad Golledge, Damian Kennedy, Leon Latulipe, Shannon Lynch, Todd Russell, Sim Tooala, Dean Toskoski, Dean Valesini, Sean White, and Coach Ian Taylor. Congratulations to the entire Wolfpack squad...mission accomplished!

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