MAGPIE COMMUNITY
Nick's Sponsored Player


Dinner with Luke Shackleton


Dinner with Luke Shackleton
18 Oct 2004
Report By Tess
Photo's by Dale61

Thursday the 22nd of July was a momentous night for Nicks Collingwood Bulletin Board. As most of you would know some 20 or so members of NBB decided we would sponsor a player this year, after much discussion on who we should target we settled on Luke Shackleton. A young player from Tasmania who up until this season had only played at Williamstown our VFL affiliate Club. Unfortunately young Luke hasn't been able to break into the Collingwood team yet in 2004 but we all wish that he will get his chance soon.

We asked the Club if it was possible for NicksBB to have a dinner with Luke early in the season and the Club granted us the chance to have both Luke and David King another young up and coming player from Western Australia. This dinner took place at Marks place in Carlton the restuarant Anthony and Sav Rocca co-own, as per usual the food was great and service is a very strong point at Marks. Adorning the walls was much sporting memorbillia suck as a Teeshirt sign by some cricketer ... Sashin someone, as well as pictures of many great players not all Pies that have eaten at Marks Place. These items kept the boys ammused as they looked like little kids as their heads went looking around at all the various stuff.

I arrived late after being at the opening of an exhibition of CFC cheer Squad photos at a gallery in Collingwood you can read about that on the board here is the link.... Click Here. My first meeting with Eddie and I had to run out on him early to have dinner with two Pies players, how can I complain about life hey? Seriously how much better can it get. Don't answer that in public!

The boys were sitting in the far corner of our table when I arrived, but we soon remedied that situation by asking if they mided sitting in the middle so everyone could have a chat with them. Sipping water like good Footballers when the food arrived I was less than impressed with their choice.... but I should have known better after all when at a Pizza place eat a pizza right! They shared a rather large vegie (yuk!) Pizza and finished it in record time even using knife and forks to eat it, I was impressed by the use of cuttlery much more than the fact that they ordered a Pizza! They wont do that again in front of me.

David King is a rather quiet bloke until you get him going, as this was the second dinner at Marks in a few weeks I have had with David we shared a joke about him stalking me. That seemed to create a lighter atmosphere and the boys opened up a bit more. I asked who Chucking was from the midseason break and they swore neither of them knew (would they lie to me?) We talked about Luke not getting a game yet with Collingwood and he was understanding but still a little disapointed, David was trying to score points at one stage but when we said how many members Nicks has at over 1600 behind Luke he was impressed. I also informed Luke of David's poster boy status with some of the male members of the PM's, David went a bright tomatoe shade of red with that comment and stopped trying to pick on our Luke, mission completed.

MagpieMel had a great idea of doing a collage up for Luke of all the photos over the past 18 months of Lukes carreer so far, with Dale61's permission I set out getting Mel's great idea into something that would be OK. Luke didn't stop looking at it for what seemed like ages as he tried to remember each game each picture was from. The centre piece of his collage was last years VFL Grand Final win, with the Scoreboard and some great shots of the boys going crazy after the siren. BTW he is giving the Collage to his Mum!

With only a handful of Sponsors at the Dinner we were able to have a close up chat with the guys and really get to see them up close, not something many Collingwood supporters get to do very often. I believe it is also another first for Nicks as the first CFC fansite to ever have a dinner exclusively with players in a one on one atmosphere.This night was something outside the ordinary for player sponsors that the Club granted us because after all we are Nicks the biggest and best Collingwood fansite and the Club is happy to reward our dedication. Things like this are the benefits of being part of Nicks player sponsorship group think about that next year when we decide who to sponsor next.

Luke is so chuffed about being sponsored by Nicks after all being a Tasmanian and Nicks being Tassie based he is proud to have us behind him, he hopes to break into the Collingwood side to give us something to boast about. Both guys stayed until we all left something I have never seen before, as I have attended many dinners with players thanks to the Pink Magpies they normally stay for a while then rush off home. I wont say how late we left Marks as the boys were meant to be out and heading home by 8.30...not that we left much after that of course, shhhhhhh!

We must thank Bree Hinches at the Club for all her help arranging this dinner and not forgetting Peta for stopping this little pink duck when she started panicing Thursday morning after realising I didn't get confirmation about the dinner from Bree and Bree was having a day off. Peta stepped in and helped, she is an angel.

Nick's Collingwood Page would Like thank Luke, David, and the Collingwood Football Club for the opportunity to meet and mingle with the players, we would also Like to thank Tess, Magpiemel and Dale61 for organizing and sharing this night with us.
Steve.


<<<-BACK