The Bayside Vipers 2009 VT League campaign commenced with the club holding its trials and selecting the best team to compete in the 2009 competition. The trials attracted over 50 players across both Men’s and Women’s and provided the coaches and selectors with headaches on team selections before the final make up of the two teams would be announced.
Vipers Men’s team will come under the guidance of the Stewart Dracup for a third consecutive year as he and his Men’s team chase that elusive Men’s title in 2009. Stewart will have at his disposal many players from the past 2 campaigns of which the team have fallen close but never been successful. While the Women’s team will once again have Vipers Shauna Hammond as Head coach and having recently lead the Vipers Women’s to the 2008 Championship she will be gunning for back to back success in 2009.
Vipers boast an enviable playing roster in the Men’s – Vipers have always looked to secure junior talent each year as we strive to build a long term goal or successful teams and 2009 with be no exception with the likes of Zac Pain a Vic 15′s rep player and the ever young Gerhard “Chuckles” Brown in his 3 year with the club and also first timer Jordon Donnelly who has also come from Vipers association with Haileybury College to bolster the junior stocks. These three young men will have some most experienced players in the State in which to play each week with Michael Carter, Clinton Burke, Stephen Young and Dallan Kahui. all returning from last years team, added to this the attacking flair of Jason “JK Kaiwai and Callan Donner and Vipers Men’s looks more then capable of success in 2009.
The Viper’s Women’s side always new that the 2009 season would pose some challenges with the points cap in place and would find it difficult to fit all their players under the system. Although with players not returning in 2009 it opened the door for new talent to strengthen the already solid team from 2008. The team which is full of Crusaders and Victorian Open players will have first time players in Sarah Ray and Emma Crawford added to the line up as well as Gold Coast Sharks Mixed Opens player Sharyn Cassell added to this already impressive roster which includes Suzy Barrett, Brooke James, Nicole Doig, Carmen Deane, and Melissa Ashmore – more than enough firepower to prove a force once again in the 2009 VT season.
The Vipers licence is proudly supported by Heinz Australia, Harcourts Real Estate, Tropical Gaze, Promolab, Cyclespeed, Brazilian Butterfly Oakleigh, Underarmour, X Blades and Sandringham Sports Medicine, and the club have also set up a junior link with Haileybury College as it starts building stronger junior links for the future of the club.
