The sun has begun to shine in Toronto and the Broadview Hawks are keen to get the 2012 season underway. With the Hawks having already started pre-season training, there is no doubt they will be a strong contender for the 2012 Conacher Cup.

As usual, recruiting is essential during the pre-season and this year is no exception. Whether you’ve played before or are interested in learning about Aussie Rules Football, the Hawks welcome you to take part. Contact coach@broadviewhawks.com if you have any questions.

• Presidient
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Director of Social
• Director of Recruiting

Doors open at 8:00 pm with a $5 cover charge going toward the club. The cover charge gets you cheap pitchers and half price spirits. Be sure to check out the Facebook event.

See you there!

The 2011 OAFL Grand Final will take place on Saturday, September 24th at Humber College South (Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, Toronto, Ontario). The Broadview Hawks Division 2 team has qualified and will play either the Etobicoke Kangaroos or the Rebel Dogs at 12:00 pm. The Women’s Grand Final will begin at 11:00 am with the Division 1 Grand Final starting at 2:10 pm.

Admission is free, so head on down and support the Hawks.

Dale “I Wear Boxers Under My Footy Shorts” Beesley was moved from his normal post in the backline to play in the ruck on Andrew Hogan - the best ruckman in the league this year. Stinger was outstanding given his new role and stopped the Roos from getting first use of the ball all day. Paul “Diddy Dirty Money” Price was dangerous early and getting plenty of service from the midfield of Nick “Top Deck” Shuttleworth, Mario “The Slayer” Pareja and Conor “DULLARD!” Dullard. A free-flowing first quarter ended Hawks 3.3 to Roos 3.4.
The second quarter is where the Hawks established their dominance, with Cody “Return Of The Yellow Boots” Royle, Fausto “The Proposal” Iannialice and Shane “Angry” Walsh mopping up everything across half-back. Fresh off the back of failing to establish the first Chexican Aussie Rules team for the International Cup, Chenry was creating problems with his speed and gathering plenty of the ball down forward. Iain “Sleeves” Crozier’s opponent wisely went no where near him with the threat of being struck down with poison ivy proving too much and Kevin “Jamie Mahy” Bacon was proving a handful on the other flank. Five goals to one for the quarter put the Hawks in a dominant position, yet the Hawks had been in this position many times this season only to see sizeable leads slip. At the half Hawks 8.5 to Roos 4.5.

Seemingly within a matter of minutes that four goal lead was whittled away and the Hawks were having an all-too-familiar bout of de ja vu. As the Roos drew level, the Hawks steadied the ship thanks to some great defensive efforts from Rhys “Fresh From The Shire” Harris. Just as the tide was turning back in the Hawks favour, Sean “Header” Dutton went down with a hamstring injury. Despite this setback, hard work from the whole squad had the Hawks re-establishing a three goal lead by the end of the quarter, a super effort considering heads could have dropped after the initial onslaught. Hawks 12.6 to Roos 9.6.

Down a man, Taylor “3 Hours Sleep” Matthew stepped up with the big defensive job on Bobby Sears, who was plucking marks from everywhere. Rather than using excuses, the Hawks completely buried the Roos in first five minutes of the fourth. Shawn “Kreeper” Keeper was literally everywhere in the last quarter with his trademark tackling and bumping proving annoying for the Roos defenders. Dutton returned heavily bandaged and stood almost motionless in the goal-square, somehow managing to kick a goal and have an assist off his face in the process. Ian “The Sich-uation” Radisich’s kick off the ground smashed into Dutt’s face and ricochet back onto Radish’s boot and through the goals. As Dutt’s bled from the face Radish gave one of the biggest goal celebrations you’ve ever seen. Nonetheless, the Hawks were up and aboot and and capped the game with five goals in the last quarter, ruining the Roos bid for an unbeaten season. Hawks 17.7 to Roos 11.7.

Best Players: D. Beesley, F. Iannialice, M. Pareja, P. Price, S. Walsh, C. Dullard

The Canada Day Football Carnival on Friday, July 1st is gearing up to be a blast. The day will kick-off at 11:20 AM when the Canada B team takes on the Aussie B team in what should be a great match. Shortly after kick-off, the food tents and beer garden will open for lunch and drinks.

The international game will see Team Canada’s OAFL players in a clash against the OAFL’s Aussie All-Star team. This game is set to start at 2:00 PM.

Admission is free, so head on down to enjoy the footy sessions for kids, live music and prizes. The Canada Day Football Carnival is taking place at Humber College South (Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, Toronto, Ontario).

For the third game in a row, we ventured up the 401 to Guelph after finding out at 3pm on Friday that Hamilton’s ground was washed out. Nonetheless, it was great that footy was being played and Guelph’s ground was in fantastic condition. We knew we were in for a good day when Lovey showed up on time.

It seemed like a different team took to the park after quarter time, with Nick “First to bust out the Jorts” Shuttleworth and Afjal “I have a 4pm tee-time” Mohammed giving us first use of the ball out of the centre. “Vote For” Pablo and Dale “Sting-a” Beesley combined to keep Eagles gun forward Azza in check while the intensity from experienced Rhys “Elijah Wood” Harris, Mario “The Colombian Elbow” Pareja and Shawn “Aubs and I are starting our own non-profit” Keeper lifted. A bomb from Conor “Relaxing weekend at the cottage” Dullard put us on the scoreboard and two more from Cody “Relaxing weekend at the cottage” Royle got us to our goal of 3 goals for the quarter. We were within 14 points but unfortunately two late ones from the Eagles allowed them to pull to a comfortable 26 point lead at the half.

The third was another up-hill (or up-wind) battle for the Hawks and has all but slipped the Squawker’s memory. The fourth quarter, on the other hand, was what we’ve come to expect from this Hawks lineup. Led by Adam “I’m the Captain, Double…” Verdurmen and Iain “There’s no J in Crozier” Crozier, the Hawks threw caution to the wind and came out with all guns blazing in an effort to peg back the sizable lead. The highlight of the game was from Te’Jour “Number 18” Riley who, in his first game of footy chased down an Eagles defender (in about 3 bounds), tackled and won a free kick - a super effort from our newest Hawk. Dullard, Royle and “Money Bags” McMonnies all added goals as we tried, in vein, to get within striking distance of the Eagles; all to no avail as they ran out 38 point winners.

Overall it was a strong effort, particularly after quarter time. We are not far off and it is only early in the season. The team we play this week (Dingos) are proof that if you get your things together in the back half of the season, you can ride it all the way to the Grand Final.

Go Hawks!

Wiz Khalifa’s timeless ballad has inspired it’s own Hawks Social Event (HSE). Saturday, June 11th after we play the Demons is the Black & Yellow Party. Come in your best gangsta swag and make sure to include one item that is black and yellow.

The event is taking place at the Skal Rock Bar starting at 7:00 pm. Checkout the Facebook event.

Saturday’s tilt versus the now 0-2 Toronto Rebels was cold, wet, and sloppy; just the way the 2011 Hawks like it. Back in the mix for round two were some familiar faces missing from Round 1. Forbes “I walk slowly, and I don’t do defense” Gemmell, Paul “it’s Diddy” Price, and Richard “my wife’s going to kill me if I break my leg again” Mintz all suited up for the game and all kicked goals during the affair.

You never know how the wet weather footy games are going to play out. Will goals be at a premium because nobody can pick up the ball? Will the players wilt and complain that they’re cold and wet? Will Metro’s eye makeup run down his face making him look like a crying woman? For the Hawks, only the final question was answered with a yes.

Saturday’s tilt versus the now 0-2 Toronto Rebels was cold, wet, and sloppy; just the way the 2011 Hawks like it. Back in the mix for round two were some familiar faces missing from Round 1. Forbes “I walk slowly, and I don’t do defense” Gemmell, Paul “it’s Diddy” Price, and Richard “my wife’s going to kill me if I break my leg again” Mintz all suited up for the game and all kicked goals during the affair.

You never know how the wet weather footy games are going to play out. Will goals be at a premium because nobody can pick up the ball? Will the players wilt and complain that they’re cold and wet? Will Metro’s eye makeup run down his face making him look like a crying woman? For the Hawks, only the final question was answered with a yes.

The 1st quarter was a see-saw battle with the teams exchanging goals and seeing almost equal possession of the footy. The likes of Andrew “I love BJ’s shirt” Love, Conor “I kick points exclusively” Dullard, Afjal “I go high pitched when I yell” Mohammed, and Nick “Nipples” Shuttleworth worked hard in the middle to move the ball forward with some success. As one would expect on a rainy day in the OAFL, the ball spent a great deal of time on ground and the play wasn’t very clean. As a result the Rebels were able to get the ball kicked forward a few times and put some points up on the board. The end of the first quarter saw the Hawks up by a goal which wasn’t the outcome they were looking for. Coach Cody “Golden Nipples” Royle brought the group in and posed a question, “did everybody on the field give 100% that quarter?” The collective answer was no, they had more to give. Coach Golden Nipples followed up by saying that “the great thing about footy is that there are 4 quarters, and we can make up for the first.” Inspired and fired up to get back on the field the Hawks put their hands in, got loud and took their positions.

The 2nd quarter was a different story. You could see the lift in the Hawks. Pablo “Canadian Domination” Willis completely shut down the Rebels most notable player from the 1st quarter causing him to go off halfway through the 2nd to get a much needed break. The backline tightened up and started bruising the opposition. Dale “Steve Irwin Stingray” Beesley and Erik “Pink Shirt” Juhasz began throwing their opponents around like rag dolls whenever the ball was near. There to scoop it up and clear it out were the likes of Aubrey “saving the world one person at a time” Harris, Taylor “sneaks out with chicks” Matthew and Adam “Hot Balls” Verdurmen. When the ball got moved out, it flippin’ stayed out. The Hawks forward pressure on the ball was sustained as good as I have ever seen for 2 straight quarters in the 2nd and 3rd. Iain “Mean Streak” Crozier took his first ever mark in his first ever game as a Hawk in the forward pocket. His defensive opponent had been pissing him off some much earlier in the game that instead of kicking for goal he looked to kick the ball into his opponent’s face, barely missing and kicking it into his hands. Lee “Newly Shaved” Pope, Jamie “Cupcakes” Mahy, Rhys “Finances” Harris, and Ian “Eye Makeup” Graham worked tirelessly to keep the ball in the forward area while the likes of Shutts and Royle kicked goals, and Cogs went for points. The 3rd quarter also saw Popey lay one of the best Hawks sheppards I have ever seen which allowed “Hip Hop Mix” Mohammed to slot a big goal and entertain the crowd with his spirit fingers.

By the end of the 3rd quarter the game was out of reach. The 4th quarter was played hard by the Hawks and they pushed the score upward by another 4 goals, breaking the 100 point barrier and giving everyone in attendance free pizza the next day at Pizza Pizza (if they retained their ticket stub). Hard to pick the best for the Hawks this week as it was a collective team effort that won the game. The Hawks now see a week off for the Victoria Day long weekend where they will rest up and heal some injuries. Next up for the Hawks, the Eagles in a Friday night match up at Humber South, 6:30pm, May 27. The Hawks have not beaten the Eagles in a few years and will definitely want to be well prepared for what will be their biggest test of 2011 by far.

Go B & Y.

The Broadview team said goodbye to many club stalwarts at the end of 2010, which left the door wide open for a heavy recruitment drive for the 2011 season. The Hawks welcomed 6 new players into their side for the round one clash and they didn’t disappoint.

The Hawks started on fire in the first quarter with Andrew “The Love Machine” Love getting his hand on almost every tap out which pleased the new Hawks midfield. Afjal “The Igniter” Mohammed picked up where he left off last year dominating the clearances in the middle of the ground while Pablo “Concrete Eater” Willis thrived in his new role in the guts, steamrolling over opponents with a smile on his face. Conor “Straight Shooter” Dullard was a smooth addition to the Brown and Yellow as he sidestepped the stone-carved water conveyors with ease, banging the ball in long to the Broadview forwards.

The Broadview team said goodbye to many club stalwarts at the end of 2010, which left the door wide open for a heavy recruitment drive for the 2011 season. The Hawks welcomed 6 new players into their side for the round one clash and they didn’t disappoint.

The Hawks started on fire in the first quarter with Andrew “The Love Machine” Love getting his hand on almost every tap out which pleased the new Hawks midfield. Afjal “The Igniter” Mohammed picked up where he left off last year dominating the clearances in the middle of the ground while Pablo “Concrete Eater” Willis thrived in his new role in the guts, steamrolling over opponents with a smile on his face. Conor “Straight Shooter” Dullard was a smooth addition to the Brown and Yellow as he sidestepped the stone-carved water conveyors with ease, banging the ball in long to the Broadview forwards.

Someone forgot to tell Nick “DCC” Shuttleworth and Cody “House Party” Royle which way the Hawks were kicking in the first quarter as Shuttleworth found himself floating across the backline and Royle made sure the Hawks were off to a fast start by kicking two opening quarter goals. Royle’s job was made easier by the hard work of Hawks veteran Ian “Iggy Pop” Graham and debutant Todd “Sprocket” Rogerson.

The Hawks maintained and built on their lead in the second quarter through some great defensive team play. Dale “Stinger” Beesley was outstanding in his first ever game of Aussie Rules, outclassing his more experienced opponent and winning possession with ease. Rob “can build a deck” Hillier and Erik “can take a photo” Juhasz set the example for the back 6 by laying hits that could be heard from the sidelines.

The Hawks came out after half-time looking fresh and fired up. Chris “High Five” Phyland was the standout for the Hawks in round one, laying tackle after tackle and winning plenty of the ball ensuring that the Hawks weren’t going to give up their handy lead. Adam “West Side” Verdurmen played the Captain’s role to perfection while rookie Shawn “The Kreeper” Keeper looked strong coming off the bench. The Hawks would go into the last break with a 40-point lead and a spring in their step.

The Broadview boys took their foot slightly off the gas in the last quarter but the hard work was well and truly done. Taylor “Double” Matthew stood tall in the last taking some important marks to stop the Gargoyles momentum and Jamie “Kevin Bacon” Mahy looks to have taken the next step this year which has the Hawks bench smiling.

The Hawks had this one in the bag running out victors by 29 points.

We entered the mixed class, INTERMEDIATE yoga studio. The place was very still and quiet except for the childish giggles coming from the Hawkers who were invading what was normally a very calming environment for the regular attendees. Leso Rooter went right to work. He went right up to the instructor and, unquestioned, started telling her about the high-end Toronto hotel he is staying in. She looked confused as to why he’d be telling her this, and he finished by asking her if she was straight and inviting her back to his posh room.

Metro did what Metro does. Headstands. Shutts (who is always trying to be like Metro) tried to duplicate. When he fell to the ground it was with the impact of somebody jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Pablo entered the room without a shirt on. When told by the instructor that this wasn’t “that type of class” and that he needed to put a shirt on, he dropped his head and told her he ripped it off like Hulk Hogan before entering. During all this Benny had, of course, set up shop right in front of the instructor so she could see how good he is at yoga. The instructor did take notice, however, it was to ask him if he had just come off a 4 week fast. I, of course, excelled as you would expect any 34 year old who doesn’t ever stretch would.

As shocking as the initial yoga-for-training revelation was, it turned out to be really good. These alternative types of training will likely be mixed in to our regular footy training throughout the year. It’s a good break from the norm, not to mention it highlights other areas we lack, such as flexibility. I am in as much pain this morning as I am after a game but I recognize now how terribly inflexible I am.

As always, no previous experience is required. If you’re interested, contact us at info@broadviewhawks.com.

We’ve already been lucky enough to welcome an ex-Wimbledon Hawk to our ranks for 2011 and any opportunities to continue to strengthen and develop these relationships will be welcomed.

The Hawks have a new honorary #1 ticket holder: Aussie radio, TV and stand up comedian Lehmo. Lehmo is a well known Hawthorn Hawks supporter, co-host of a breakfast radio show on MixFM in Melbourne and panelist on the AFL show “Before The Game”. Follow Lehmo on Twitter (@lehmo23) or go to www.lehmo.com.au for more details about our new biggest fan. We’ll be keeping Lehmo up to date on all things Broadview Hawks, and hope to see him in Toronto one day for a game.

A blockbuster Round 1 matchup versus Guelph at U of T awaits, a game which is certainly the match of the round. Round 6 sees our only Friday night game of the year against the Roos at Humber South, a fixture our President Richie Mintz will more than likely stay away from. Round 9 is our annual trip to Ottawa to face a rejuvenated and dangerous Swans outfit. It is followed by three successive Double Headers: Round 10 vs Guelph in Hamilton, Round 11 vs Dingos at U of T and Round 12 vs Blues at U of T.

Check out the full season fixture here (PDF).