Instead, the All Blacks will be ‘Doing It For Tait’, with the club dedicating its Round 1 clash to B-reserve player and coach Taitum Hemming, who is currently fighting a breast cancer diagnosis.
The ‘Doing It For Tait’ day will see the Panthers raise funds and awareness of the disease in support of Hemming, president Phil Spencer said, as she and her family navigate what is an extremely difficult period.
“Tait played in our B-reserve netball team last year, which was a story on its own with them winning the premiership last year, and then she's actually taken over the coaching role of that team this year,” Spencer said.
“A couple of months ago she let me know that she may not be around very often, because she was diagnosed with breast cancer and she wasn't real well.
“She's undergoing treatment now in Albury, and she's doing very well. She's actually been around the club a bit more than she thought she would have been, taking some training with her team.
“But she’s doing it tough, mate, she has a young family, I think her little fella's one year old, if not very close to it, and we just thought, as we do with our club quite a bit when people are in a bit of strife, we would try and get together and raise a bit of money to help them out.
“So, yeah, it's just trying to help a young family that’s going through a crappy time. The whole family is very positive and she's looking very well and, yeah, we just thought we'd get behind them and kick the season off with a bit of a fundraiser.”
That the club has rallied together to get behind Hemming and her family is no surprise, with Spencer confirming she is a very special part of what makes the All Blacks the club it is.
Along with her talents on the netball court, which saw her named best-on-court in the B-reserve flag last season, and the leadership qualities that then saw her appointed to the coaching role this year, Spencer described Hemming, and her husband Matt, as “ripping people”, with the club pitching in to help out wherever possible.
“Taitum is one of those young women that's very likeable, very positive with the netball stuff and also life in general,” he said.
“And her husband (Matt) is a great bloke, too, they’re just a really, really nice family that you would do anything for.
“We've already been helping them out, cooking them meals and stuff like that, but they're just people that would do anything for anyone else and they're just (going through) one of those difficult times in their life where, if we can do a little bit to help them out, we want to do it.
“Touch wood, but I think we'll raise a few bucks for them.”
The fundraising element will see plenty happening on the day, with all money raised to be donated to the Hemming family.
Raffles will be conducted and hampers auctioned off, while players from the All Blacks and Goorambat will wear pink and white socks in celebration of the cause, with Spencer commending the Bats for their support in the fundraising efforts.
It is also fitting that the B-reserve side will be unfurling its premiership flag from last season, a contest that Hemming played a pivotal role in as best-on-court, while the All Blacks will be playing their first game on their newly-resurfaced pink court, which proves quite apt given breast cancer is represented by a pink ribbon.
“We’ll have raffles throughout the day, donated hampers and stuff like that, and all players be it football or netball, All Blacks or Goorambat, have come on board too,” Spencer said.
“I think All Blacks will be wearing pink socks and Goorambat are wearing white socks for the cause, and all money is being donated to Tait and the family, which is great on behalf of Goorambat, too, and says a lot about country footy and netball.
“I was going to say we hate each other on the field, but we are very, very fierce rivals because we're so close, and just to have them come on board and support this, it just shows that there's more to life than winning and losing footy and netball.
“It’s going to be a really huge day.”
Alongside the raffles and coloured socks, those in attendance will hear a presentation from a Breast Cancer Nurse, who is scheduled to speak following the senior football contest, while a number of footballers will be shaving their heads as part of the fundraising efforts.
The Benalla All Blacks are encouraging anyone in the Benalla or Goorambat communities to show their support on the day by getting down to Friendlies Oval and wearing pink.
