Zebras lead the way in 2023

17/03/2023

The Sandringham Football Club is pleased to announce the appointments of a four-man leadership group lead by Anthony Seaton in his second year as Captain. Tyson Milne, Darby Hipwell and Jake Lohmann join him in the group as Vice-Captains.

Meet the 2023 Zebras Leaders

Anthony Seaton

In his second year as Captain and fifth year at Sandy, Seaton has developed his own leadership style working out what works best for him and what works best for the team. He has had a big focus on his on-field communication and has also put a lot of effort into his fitness so he is able to talk all game. For the 2023 season he is looking to push for a run into finals hoping that the group can learn each week to better one-another. 

Seaton is looking to build a space where everyone is comfortable, "I try to be a very approachable person so that everyone feels comfortable opening up and being themselves. New clubs can be daunting, especially for such a young group, so for me it’s just about making people feel welcome. On field I use my voice well to get us set up and to allow us to be predictable to each other". 

When asked what the culture at the Club looks like, Seaton explained, "Off-field we want to keep building an enjoyable culture at the Club, we’ve got a really young group this year so the culture has been a lot of fun to work on. Everyone’s been eager to learn the game plan together and the buy in for events has been great".

Head Coach, Jake Batchelor, spoke on the re-appointment, "Over this pre-season we've really seen Seato progress into a really strong natural leader for our playing group. He has the full support of every player and coaching staff at the Club and when he has 22 other players run out behind him each week, we really trust he is the right person to be leading us out."

Tyson Milne

In his second year in the Leadership Group, Milne is excited to lead the fresh young talent coming through the Club. He calls himself an approachable and outgoing leader, stating that his main asset is being able to use his voice, 

"When I'm using my voice lots on field, I know I'm leading when doing so," says Milne. 

He is looking to help the playing group improve from last year and is excited to see what fresh ideas the new look group has to offer and how they can learn to handle situations together to become a better team each week and hopes to make a push towards a finals campaign. 

"The culture we are looking to build on here is having a group that wants to win no matter what but have fun while doing it. We spend a lot of time at the Club so if we can get as close as possible, that goes along way on the field." he says. 

Fellow teammate and Vice-Captain Jake Lohmann says "I'm looking forward to working closely with Milney to bring the fun in footy and find that balance".

Jake Lohmann

In his first year in the Leadership Group, Lohmann is looking to demonstrate the Club's values, professionalism, ruthlessness and connection. He believes that demonstrating those values at all times on and off the field ensures the group will go a long way.

"The closer we are as a team and a football club, no matter the results, will always speak louder in my opinion," he has stated proudly.

Personality wise, he is excited to bring his energy and competitiveness, 

"I hate losing. So, I'm hoping people can look up to me in two ways - me being my true authentic self and making people feel like they belong and are good enough and lifting the blokes around me by setting the standards of how we want to play and to be hard to play against".

Lohmann is also hoping that fellow teammates look to him to create a safe space for everyone to feel like they can be themselves. He says he gets a huge kick out of seeing everyone around him happy.

"I've always been a natural leader from a young age where people gravitate towards me. I've always spoken up and been loud and selfless and I'm always drawing back to what's best for the team". 

Captain, Anthony Seaton, spoke on working alongside Lohmann, "I love the way that Jake is able to bring people together on and off the track."

Darby Hipwell

Another appointed to the Leadership Group for the first time is Darby Hipwell.

When asked what aspect of leadership he was excited about, he said, "Supporting and helping educate the new players about the club's values and game plan, and then putting these things into practice really excites me and makes me look forward to our future as a club."

Hipwell is able to connect with his teammates on a personal level which enables him to engage in constructive conversations with them both on and off the field. 

"In my opinion, the culture is the best it's been since my time at Sandy. Everyone is buying into what the coaches and leaders are trying to implement." he explained, when asked about the Club's culture. 

Written By Darcy Allen - Sandringham Football Club Media