Photos (Top to Bottom): Josh Fielding has signed with Olympia after recent games with South Hobart; Michael McKenna has returned to his first Tasmanian club; Brady Cronk (in blue) will train with South Melbourne; Alex Nandan (left) and Ben Phillips will also train with South Melbourne; Olympia fullback Jayden Hey (left) is in the party of four to train with South Melbourne [PlessPix]
Goalkeeper Michael McKenna and midfielder Josh Fielding today signed for Olympia Warriors.
Both played for South Hobart last Sunday in the match against South Melbourne Hellas.
McKenna has not played for three seasons, but before that, he played for Olympia, Taroona and Metro.
Fielding, who has won the past two Vic Tuting Silver Medals as the Southern Premier League’s best-and-fairest player, was captain of Glenorchy Knights.
“It’s a good coup for us,” said Olympia’s senior coach, Chris Hey.
“McKenna certainly showed against South Melbourne Hellas that fitness may be an issue, but technically, there are no issues.
“It’s a fantastic coup for the club to secure two players who will bring to the club tremendous experience and leadership, which are needed to assist in guiding our young group of players on the park.”
Meanwhile, Olympia will send young senior Premier League players Jayden Hey,17, Ben Phillips 17, Brady Cronk, 16, and Alex Nandan, 16, to train with South Melbourne Hellas.
The players, accompanied by senior coach Chris Hey, will leave for Melbourne on 31 January and return on 4 February.
More young players will be sent to train with South Melbourne during the next school holidays at Easter.
Olympia’s new ground at Warrane will be completed tomorrow evening.
The club will hold a working bee at the ground on Saturday just to tidy up and a training session will be held on the new artificial pitch on Saturday afternoon.
Fishy will be a huge boost for olympic who needs some quality and experience in the middle to balance the young guys in the team. Unsure why Hey would require another quality keeper as Dimitri has been one of their best players for the past 3 years, unless one has agreed to be a reserve or they will be used interchangeably I wouldve prefered a younger keeper in their as a second preference rather than 2 keepers with so much experience. Great to see Mike back tho!
ReplyDeleteGood to see some follow up on the trip, with these boys coming over to train with South Melbourne and Komora getting a shot with Melbourne Knights. Hopefully a few more can follow in the footsteps of Matty Sanders and the other kids giving it a go in Victoria.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see more concrete initiatives with our Melbourne counterparts. One fairly simple way of improving the youth of Tasmania and at least make them aware of a gateway to play at a higher level.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to the olympia boys going over.
Interested to know Walter if this is a club sponsored initiative or are the players paying to go over?
ReplyDeleteFirstly I would like to thank South Hobart for giving me the opportunity to train and experience such a well organised and professinal club. To Ken, support staff and all the players thank you for making me feel welcome from day one, u r a great bunch of guys and i can see why the club has been so successful and will continue to be in the near future.
ReplyDeleteBefore all you anon get on here and start saying crap and making up rumours.
I would just like to say i'm really excited about signing for Olympia and look forward to all the hard challengers ahead.
It's a great time for the club with it being it's 50th anv, a new ground and some great young players coming through the ranks.
It's a new challenge for myself helping out a team which has been struggling abit over the last few years, considering I have played in finals for most of my time at knights. The club will suit my life style with my work in Bellerive and my house in Howrah, Warrane is just to good to be true considering i have been driving out to Cadbury for the past 12 years. The other big reason is to play with my brother who is at Olympia at the momment and last but not least half my family is of greek heritage including my daughter.
So there it is my reason's
Josh Fielding
Dang! thought Fish was southbound for sure - has cost me a stubbie!
ReplyDeleteoh deary me fish
ReplyDeleteI'll grab that stubbie soon my friend.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see these signings. I'm rapt that Fish is joining the Club as I believe he will be a great help for the young lads and I reckon playing with upcoming technically gifted players will be a buzz for him also.
Hats of to Olympia for sending the boys to Melbourne, which is a Club sponsored intiative.
January 20, 2011 4:55 PM
ReplyDeletere keepers - competition for all spots is important and will hopefully ensure more regular training attendances
Paul
ReplyDeleteThe South blog is excellent. It's great that you and Walter caught up.
The 4 lads we're sending over are keen as mustard and really greatful for the opportunity. They've all played at Nationals and the two older ones have tasted victory over the big V. :)
goodluck at your new club fishy you gave the knights plenty of good years and titles and the change will be good for you and olympic ms
ReplyDeletefish and mckenna were never going to play at south. If you had looked closely at the south v hellas game on sat you may have realised that they both are not athleats compared to all other players on the park..maybe in six months but really..and thats what Ken looks for! all good to have the talk but the walk is just as important and both can hardly do that!
ReplyDeleteWell done to Olympic and well written Fish. You have served Knights and Tassie Football well. Enjoy the challenges of a new club see you on the pitch
ReplyDeleteBP
Quality signings , welcome boys.
ReplyDeleteWell done Olympia . A few more kids to come
Watch this space
Mcmamacas pulling a few rabbits out of the hat !
ReplyDeleteGood luck Fish and well written but my only question is why did you spend so much time with South this pre season? Waiting for a higher bid? Did you tell South you had no intention of signing with them? Doesnt sound like the right thing to do to me. And dont tell me you hadnt made a decision because we both know you had.
ReplyDeleteGood luck anyway mate.
Knights or South v Olympic will be a CRACKER!!
so how fake were mcmacca's comments on this blog that he was only showing concern for an injured family member? how burnt must nester feel right now after coming out of retirement to help his old club...bravo olympia
ReplyDeleteWell done josh you have handle yourself with class over the last few months which must of been a tuff time for you .All the best with your new club and ihope you make it 3 medals in a row
ReplyDeleteMckenna i am going to message chris and tell him to send you on some 12 runs tha ones you use to love when i coach you before . Best of luck mate and to your club for the season.
An interesting scenario for South Hobart now with Beecroft, Scott, M. Brown, Heerey, Upton all gone from last year's senior squad with Cooper and the big Korean moving on as well this year.
ReplyDeleteOnly new signing looks to be the leftback. Plenty enough quality there to win silverware but maybe a year for renewal at South?
Knights V Olympia matches always involved bad blood. Dont think the Knights boys will hold anything back on Fish.
ReplyDeleteMatty Rhodes?
ReplyDeleteWell done josh you have handle yourself with class over the last few months which must of been a tuff time for you .All the best with your new club and ihope you make it 3 medals in a row
What do you mean? Fish left his club and played for another and then signed for another, don't see much class in that and don't know how that is a tough time?
That bet is looking a lot safer George
ReplyDeleteDont worry about SH, they have lots of great youngsters ready to go.
ReplyDeleteso how fake were mcmacca's comments on this blog that he was only showing concern for an injured family member? how burnt must nester feel right now after coming out of retirement to help his old club...bravo olympia
ReplyDeleteJanuary 21, 2011 9:12 AM
It is obvious to any neutral observer that GM did not recruit JF at/during that game. JF had been traiinng with Olympia before that time and was always a good chance of signing. I thought maybe some of your wounds would have healed by now but maybe we need to wait a little longer before you can move on??? You must be devasated that Olympia is indeed moving on.
Good luck Fish and well written but my only question is why did you spend so much time with South this pre season? Waiting for a higher bid? Did you tell South you had no intention of signing with them? Doesnt sound like the right thing to do to me. And dont tell me you hadnt made a decision because we both know you had.
ReplyDeleteGood luck anyway mate.
Knights or South v Olympic will be a CRACKER!!
January 21, 2011 9:01 AM
firstly I don't appreciate this comment, put your name up against it if u think u no me so well.I trained with both clubs up until xmas. I continued at South because they trained over the xmas period while i though Olympia were not giving hellas enough respect by not training for those 10 days. So Ken and the South players new i was undecided and put no pressure on me to sign, just to let him know when i had made a descion. It was a very hard one to make, play with south and win everything or TRY and help a team off the bottom of the ladder. I talked it over with my close mates and realised i'm at a different stage in my life compared to all the South player ie married, daughter and owning a business. So commiting to South would be the wrong thing for the club and myself because there would be times where i was on night shift and couldn't train for up to 3 weeks at a time, so how could i compete for a spot in the team. I will be more helpful at Olympia with my expericence helping the young ones out and showing them leadership plus i'm extremly excited to be playing with my brother for the first time.
And for the comment about high bidding all i wll say is u wank!! if that means i get a few extra fruit and veg from my father inlaw for making him happy well i can retire lol.
Cheers
Josh Fielding
Oh gee. We only got fish when we might have got garthy
ReplyDeleteM.Brown, Heerey and Upton were hardly 1st team regulars last year and Cooper definately wasn't. Beecroft is a big loss but the new frenchman looks a better player than Scott anyway. Not too much to change at South i reckon. D.Brown an interesting choice as captain...?
ReplyDeleteApologies if I'm reading too much into Fish's second post but does this mean Chris Hey has dumped his 'no train, no play' policy?
ReplyDeleteOr will Fish miss weeks when he's on nightshift?
I can imagine why some guys on here use anons. LOL worried about their coaches perusing the site for reckless comments on their coaching. One had the cheek to say I wasn't very good when I played down there. Hurt my feelings LOL truth hurts
ReplyDeleteDont forget to add Downes to that list of quality departures from South.
ReplyDeleteDon't know why this guy has to make excuses on where he wants to play. Good on him for giving valid reasons. Sometimes changing clubs gives one a new beginning, and the challenge brings the best out in a player. Anyone who wins the medal is generally a good player with good attitude so it's good for olympia. Sounds like they need a player of capability to marshall the troops. good luck to olympia and Josh.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of South Hobart Football Club, I would like to congratulate Josh Fielding for the manner in which he has conducted himself over the past couple of months. His honesty is refreshing. We are sorry you didn't stay at South Josh but wish you all the best at Olympia. All at South envy Olympia's new facilities and look forward to competing against you.
ReplyDeleteYours sincerely,
Victoria Woods
President SHFC
if fish doesn't train for 3 weeks but still gets a game there will be alot of pissed off people at Olympia - new and old.
ReplyDelete"I continued at South because they trained over the xmas period while i though Olympia were not giving hellas enough respect by not training for those 10 days ...
ReplyDelete"So commiting to South would be the wrong thing for the club and myself because there would be times where i was on night shift and couldn't train for up to 3 weeks at a time, so how could i compete for a spot in the team. I will be more helpful at Olympia "
These 2 comments from fielding show a complete lack of respect for olympia and what they are trying to achieve. Is he really that good that the club would step back to accommodate those views?
"These 2 comments from fielding show a complete lack of respect for olympia and what they are trying to achieve. Is he really that good that the club would step back to accommodate those views?"
ReplyDeleteI would say these comments are pretty true tho January 21, 2011 4:15 PM
olympia will be rubbish and they will go down to div 1 for 2012. can fish please stop making posts on here about why he has signed for olympia. its cringe-worthy
I don't know any coach that has stuck to 'no train no play' in a specific sense. It sounds like the player has come to an agreement with Hey regarding this issue. If you're looking for egalitarianism in the spheres of a football club you won't get it. There is always percieved nepotism and 'coaches pets'you'll drive yourself crazy looking for unfairness with coaches because you'll find it, and it won't do you any good because it won't change the way things are. If you're a player it's best to keep quiet about these things and just get on with it. You yourself may be in the position mr fielding is in one day and understand a bit more of what's going on,
ReplyDeleteJust readings all these comments u guys make me laugh, there must be 7 jealous team out there. Anyteam would be delighted to have a player of Fielding status at their club, great player and more importantly a great guy. He is just what Olympia needs and a few years down the track he could lead them to great heights in Hobart.
ReplyDeleteJB
Fielding to do a hat-trick of vic tuting medals!!
ReplyDeleteWell done Josh,
ReplyDeleteAll of your logic makes perfect sense to me.
Can't put a value on playing alongside your little brother and I'm sure all at Olympia will be well pleased with your decision.
Hope your year ahead is as good for you as it will be for the club.
Also well done to the organisers of the youngsters trip over to the Hellas and to the administration/players at South Melbourne for sharing their knowledge.
so how fake were mcmacca's comments on this blog that he was only showing concern for an injured family member? how burnt must nester feel right now after coming out of retirement to help his old club...bravo olympia
ReplyDeleteJanuary 21, 2011 9:12 AM
Obviously you didn't see Nester play the other night? He was Olympia's worst player.
Fish is a good bloke and a quality player. He doesn't have to justify anything to anyone, its his choice what he chooses to do. He has more than done his time for Knights so anyone from our club who is spraying Fish needs to pull their head in because they obviously have no idea about his History or achievements. I for one will not enjoy seeing him play for the Greeks, but if it sets him a new challenge and keeps him and his family happy, then its the right move. Good luck mate, look forward to a beer with you after we wipe the floor with you lot! Chalk
ReplyDeleteFishy, Get off the blog mate your turning into corey. Just Zip it and let you football do all the talking... Really you've won vic tut you don't need to explain to anybody on here your reasons. Just bloody get on with it yeah... The next human headline... really thought this would get under you skin as much as it has. people who know you know your reasons...
ReplyDeleteWhos fish's brother
ReplyDeleteAnon 2.42pm 21 Jan
ReplyDeleteOh yeah Ladic was another to leave South through 2010.
My point is a lot of mature seniors have turned over in the past 12 months but only the frenchman has arrived.
Who is chalk?
ReplyDeleteBlah blah blah.Knowing Tasmanian football the truth is probably stranger than fiction.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get over all this in fighting you might want to look up the page where a young man who as far as I know has not been connected with the TIS or the South Hobart circus, is about to play in the A league.
IS I MAJOR ANON 1 CJ FROM MELB?
ReplyDeleteJosh's brother is Jono Griffiths, a huge talent just out of the state program.
ReplyDeleteStay tuned, he's got a big future
Fish is a good bloke and a quality player. He doesn't have to justify anything to anyone, its his choice what he chooses to do. He has more than done his time for Knights so anyone from our club who is spraying Fish needs to pull their head in because they obviously have no idea about his History or achievements. I for one will not enjoy seeing him play for the Greeks, but if it sets him a new challenge and keeps him and his family happy, then its the right move. Good luck mate, look forward to a beer with you after we wipe the floor with you lot! Chalk
ReplyDeletewhich greeks????
olympia dont have any playing
In regards to the keepers now at Olympia, I think that having plenty of completion for all positions not only makes you train harder to retain your spot but is also healthy for the club as it makes players competative. Olympia not only have Dmitri & Mckenna who on their day are probably the best 2 keepers but also have one of the promising & up & coming keepers in the league in Rob Kay. Nothing like keeping everyone on their toes & just like other teams, you need to understand that playing for the team isn't given, it is earned. Good luck with the season to the boys & Olympia.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Greek based club with supporters of Greek backgrounds. This does not entail that the players that play for the club need to be Greek. These players know however what the history of the club is & who they also represent in the past history as well as the current Australian ties.
ReplyDeletehere here. there are some greek boys there (kosta, dmitri, nekta and lots of the younger boys) but I agree what is impt is the awareness of the Club's background and the boys of other backgrounds (anglo, african, middle east ...) appreciate that just as I'm sure the same exists at other clubs.
ReplyDeleteOne thing for sure tho is that theres plenty of passion around olympia we have the best supporters without a doubt and theres always plenty of comment (good and bad) on this blog when olympia is mentioned.
Who is about to play in the A-League? do you mean Vic Prem League?
ReplyDeleteAfter watching Fish for SOuth the other day I doubt he would get a game there anyway.
didn't look too fit.
Will fit in well at Olympic though
Astroturf pitches are a nightmare, constructed in the eighties to withstand northern hemisphere winters. QPR had theirs dug up because it was crap to play on. Slide tack;es are out unless you are up for a skin graft. Is the playing pitch astroturf or is it just the training ground? You need specific boots as well those things with the suckers on them.
ReplyDeletemadmcglone
ReplyDeletewe recently played two games on the astro turf surfaces at the Victorian Institute of Sport.
Fantastic surfaces, with all the guys (both squads) wearing normal football boots, with none of them having to change boots (and as you would be aware the "youngens" these days have boots with various soles including screw-ins or moulded).
Also, whilst the games were played at a pace that was quicker than normal, there was no instances of carpet burns or scrapes from these awesome surfaces - and at times the tackling was quite willing!
Darren Scott
Before you comment Ian why don't you bother to lookup on the Olympia site and see what type of surface they are using then you can google the particular surface and you would find these are completely different surfaces than what you are talking about. It's not 1980 anymore It's 2011
ReplyDeleteRecent Underage world cups have been using these types of surfaces.
I just read harry redknapp's view on astroturf after his side played a swiss team in the champions league. Several of his players endured injuries from running on a surface with not enough give. Aaaron lennon's knee went up like a balloon. Rerdknapp wants them banned from the UK. I can't imagine Olympias turf being superior to the swiss outfit's. I think Olympia may have certain advantage as they will get used to it. Thay\s if they stay injury free.
ReplyDeletemadmcglone = moranic comments!!
ReplyDeleteLike someone has already stated, different period from 1980 to 2011.
I've played on them and actually slide tackled more than on normal grass and no burn at all. Smooth and very excellent surface to play on as the ball travels much truer over the surface.
Raul.
Just came back from a game at Warrior Park. The suface was great. What a terrific facility.
ReplyDeleteAstro turf is what hockey i splayed on you knob heads.
ReplyDeleteIt is not astro turf.If you dont know then dont comment.
Walter,
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in your opinion:
The biggest transfer news (and most obvious) is the loss of Bart Beecroft from South Hobart.
They missed their leader in the middle of the partk Vs South Melb. He was a gun player for the club and gave the space for Roach and Lo to run at the opposition. He will be a huge loss.
South looked out of their depth Vs SM and only Roach, Ludford and Brown matched in physically. They were far harder at the ball. It was like men Vs a devopment squad.
In my opinion, the last central midfielder to play for South who was as good as Beecroft were the Plunkett Brothers.
Keith.
OK we are all knob heads, but the surfaces are still very nice
ReplyDeleteDarren
Tiger turf . Looks great . Needs a couple of months to settle , will be fantastic . try to slide tackle in the middle of Clare street then talk to me
ReplyDeleteBeecroft. Pfffft.
ReplyDeleteWant to know the best defensive midfielder who played in Tasmania. Some you older supporters may remember him. Alan Rankine. Went about his job effortlessly & hardly realised he was even on the park but was an important part to the Olympia midfield. Walter, maybe you can do a follow up on past players. A sort of where are they now compilation. I remember Alan had come from the now defunct NSL team in Canberra. Great player & bloke. Maybe he can be your first interview Walter.
Todd Hingston plays in the northern league woulg be the best midfielder in the state and is still only 22, hes a class above Bart
ReplyDeleteIts Funny to read comments from a player's point of view. I have played against Fish for many years now and never once have I heard him have any good words to say about the "greeks" or "Olympia". He always made it clear to me and others openly how much he DETESTED them and always bagged them out at first opportunity... So his signing is interesting to me to say the least... not to mention how his style of play is going to "fit in" with the proposed structure that Chris Hey demands. He doesn't want players to roam free and do as they please, He wants players who follow instructions and stick to set playing structures. Fishy is talented, YES, he is an intelligent footballer, YES, is he fit or follow's set team structures, NO...
ReplyDeleteAs MadMcglone said earlier, no coach that I have known in 22 years of playing football has ever stuck 100% to their "no train, no play" policies, or team rules etc etc... there are always exceptions at every club, will be interesting to see how many are exploited this year at Olympia, best of luck to them, hope they survive.
If only Pete and Chris had decided to open a business then it'd be ok not to train and still play for olympia. hahaha
ReplyDeleteas an outsider that has had a little peek on the inside it seems that chris will do anything to please gm and keep his job
ReplyDelete