Matthew Bernasconi will be running out at hid home ground this weekend to play his 100th game for the Tuggeranong Hawks against the Belconnen Magpies. Matt has been a loyal Hawk and his love and devotion to the club is evident.
By Cameron Longfield
Bernasconi has had numerous achievements over the course of his 100 games, like being selected as part of the squad for the AFL Canberra rep weekend a couple of weeks ago. It will be an exciting day at Greenway Oval for Matt and all in the valley as they celebrate with the team at 2:15pm this Saturday.
We spoke to Matt about how he feels about this milestone, his brief time at Queanbeyan, his favourite memories and other achievements.
Congratulations on your 100th game for the Tuggeranong Hawks this weekend, how does it feel?
It’s a great honour to be playing my 100th senior game for the Hawks. The Tuggeranong Football Club has been a huge part of my life for a long time and to reach this milestone means a lot.
What has kept you at the Hawks for such a long period in an era of players moving between clubs?
The Hawks are a family, a great club to be involved with. Tuggeranong has never been a club rich in resources, but what it lacks in facilities or money, it more than makes up for with the people involved. No money in the world can buy you quality people.
When did you start playing AFL and for what club did you play for?
I started playing for Tuggeranong in 1999 when I was nine years old. Many of the people that were involved with footy in the valley back then are still involved today. There is a lot of pride that comes with pulling on the jumper every week.
You spent one year at Queanbeyan in the NEAFL team. How was that experience?
When Tuggeranong dropped out of the NEAFL at the end of 2013, I made the very tough decision to leave, to continue playing at the higher level. The hunger was still there. I am extremely grateful to Kade and Queanbeyan for giving me the opportunity to continuing playing NEAFL football. I really enjoyed the year spent with great people.
What are some of your most memorable matches in your career so far?
There are a couple that really stand out for me. I think it was in 2010, we hadn’t beaten Belco in a number of years; in fact it was only Jim Rice and Ash Pocock who were playing that day that had played in a win against Belconnen. Our coach Glen Gorman introduced a radical new game plan mid-week that we executed to a T.
The other was up at ANZ Stadium against the Swans in 2009. We didn’t win, but we were done by about 8 goals at quarter time, 10-11 goals at half time, and ended up losing by a less than two goals. It was a great fight, and one that made me proud to play for the Hawks.
You played in the Rep team for Canberra against Sydney at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval a couple of weeks ago with Canberra winning. How was the whole experience for you? And how was it working with players you usually play against in the First Grade competition?
I really enjoyed the rep program this year. I was lucky enough to have Pete McGrath as a coach at Tuggeranong a few years ago, and couldn’t wait to play under him again. It is a funny experience training with the blokes you are normally battling fiercely with on the weekend. But by the time it came to pulling on the ACT jumper, there was a real sense of solidarity and camaraderie. Looking around the room, you could tell that every bloke there was ready to give his all. It was a really important win for AFL Canberra. Our competition has gone through a lot of changes over the last few years, and it was important to show the AFL community in Canberra, and across the region, that AFL Canberra is the premier competition.
What are your personal goals for this year’s competition?
We probably haven’t had the results we would’ve liked in the first half of the year, but I am confident we have the team to really shake it up come finals time.
Last Modified on 24/06/2016 10:03