PAKENHAM will host the 2009 Casey Cardinia League grand final on Saturday 19 September, ending BERWICK’s five-year monopoly on the league’s showcase game. Finals venues were announced on Friday with the other two Saturday finals on 29 August and 5 September also going to Pakenham and the three Sunday games on 30 August, 6 September and 13 September being scheduled for Berwick’s Edwin Flack Reserve. The move will be welcomed by media and officials after two years of alcohol-fuelled turmoil at Berwick on grand final day, thanks largely to badly organised policing.
WHAT has happened to the rough, tough country football reputation of players at GARFIELD? Judging by the example set by one of the Stars’ favourite sons, Tom Marsh, it is out the window. Word has reached Footy Shorts that the Beswick Street “hard man” recently bought four “snuggies” and got his free book light with them. Apparently he and his girlfriend Holly Collins sit on the couch together and knit while wearing the garments. (For those who don’t know, a snuggie is a blanket type wrap with sleeves, promoted on TV shopping shows.) We believe that the seriously new age footballer also recently knitted a scarf for Holly, which she wears to the footy with pride to watch him play each weekend.
THE latest news on the possibility of WONTHAGGI POWER joining the Casey Cardinia League is that the club president and an associate met MPNFL officials last Wednesday to discuss the process. The feeling was that the Alberton League club was only lukewarm about a move to the CCL and that attitude could see them rejected by the league’s presidents. The Power is refusing to make any official application until the future of its under-15 side is dealt with by the VCFL, and that means that it is likely to miss the boat and end up in WGLFL after all. Stay tuned.
JUST to put the record straight once and for all, the AFL standard goal posts at PAKENHAM are 15 metres high. The Toomuc Rerserve is one of only four grounds in the state to have the extra long sticks.
THE EDFL will introduce a player points system next year with the final touches now being put to the policy. The document proposes that two be awarded for any VCFL player from another league, regardless of the grade the player plays in. That would mean any Casey Cardinia League reserves player transferring and playing in the EDFL seniors would attract two points. If adopted, that would go a long way to dealing with the prickly issue of alleged player poaching by the District league.
UMPIRES in three Casey Cardinia League senior matches had bad days for one reason or another on the weekend, according to ground reports. While most of the criticism was directed at the standard of umpiring on the day, the behaviour of one umpire had the phone ringing off the hook on Sunday. Three separate reports suggest that the chap’s on-field performance was more about himself than the football and one senior club official said he wanted to put in an official complaint but had been told not to by the club for fear of retribution.
WITNESSES said that you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife at CORA LYNN after the loss to WARRAGUL INDUSTRIALS on Saturday. A report from inside the club suggested that there was more action in the Cobras rooms than on the field after the game, with two senior clubmen having to be physically restrained from confronting each other. And the word is that one of the lads involved is still not a happy camper either.
THE after-match drinks between CORA LYNN and WARRAGUL INDUSTRIALS was more like a NARRE WARREN reunion on Saturday. Incredibly one in every three players on the field during the senior game had pulled on a Magpie jumper at some stage recently. The Dusties’ former Magpies included Shane and Danny Brewster, Manny Peresso, Adam Neal, Jamie West, Brett Wadleton, Ariki and Jake Matwijkiw and Chris and Dom Larosa. The Cobras had Shane Dwyer, Brendan Kimber, James Bradshaw, Luke Hughes, Jesse Edmond and Darren Sheen while Luke Christopher was sidelined with injury. Furthermore, opposing coaches Chris Toner and Wade McGill also herald from Fox Road.
ROBBIE Taylor’s coaching seat is still warm at BEACONSFIELD but already the district is rife with rumours of a replacement. The strongest word is that NARRE WARREN premiership mentor Aussie Jones may make a return to the league with his old junior club and take the reins. Jones indicated that he would likely coach locally again in 2010 during a recent SEN interview with RICHMOND great Kevin Bartlett. Other possible candidates include ex-Eagle Ben Collins and former ROC coach Haydn Stanton, both of whom are guiding Eastern Football League club MULGRAVE this year.
AFTER LONGWARRY coach Graeme Jose was stood down for one week courtesy of the tribunal after round 12, Crows assistant coach Glen Pask stepped up and faced a baptism of fire on Saturday, having to guide his charges against all-conquering ladder leaders NILMA-DARNUM. Pask handled himself with aplomb and fired his team up to lead at quarter-time before the Bombers did what they have done to all other comers this season. Pask oversaw the Crows under-15s for four seasons and has coached both LONGWARRY and BULN BULN to A-grade cricket premierships. “It was a great experience. The boys played well but we let ourselves down in the second quarter when we took our foot off the pedal,” he said after the game. Pask also spoke glowingly about Jose, saying his knowledge of the game and experience was unbelievable and there was no better person to work under.
“WE will not win another game,” declared clearly agitated BUNYIP coach Steve Henwood after his team dropped the points against lowly ELLINBANK on the weekend. Henwood was left seething after his team’s loss to the Bankers, their first win of the season. As a result the Bulldogs are now hanging on to sixth position by the skin of their teeth. “I’ve been involved in 35 years of senior football and it was the most insipid performance I’ve ever seen,” said Henwood.
THE entertainment started early at KEYSBOROUGH last weekend when a well-established BEACONSFIELD life member decided to erect a canvas shelter to keep the rain off his head while he watched the afternoon’s football. Our hero fought the strong wind early in the thirds game to bang in pegs and erect the frame work as his club mates watched on with a smile. Those smiles turned into laughter when the whole thing collapsed on top of him before the seconds. Mother nature one – humanity zero.
WARRAGUL INDUSTRIALS had a welcome inclusion in Scott Francis on the weekend. In only his fourth game this season Francis starred at centre-half-back and curbed the brilliance of CORA LYNN forward Shane Dwyer. Francis is the son of former AFL star Peter, who was a premiership player at CARLTON and is the GIPPSLAND POWER TAC Cup regional manager. He was available this week because he was on leave from the army in Darwin. After starting his senior career at DROUIN and also playing with BLACKBURN, Francis returned to the Dusties and, all going well, he will fly in from Darwin for finals if he is granted permission from his superiors. Scott’s younger brother, James, has been a regular senior player with DROUIN this season.
WESTERN BULLDOGS star Robert Murphy made an appearance on behalf of WARRAGUL during last Sunday’s clash with DROUIN. Murphy, a former Gulls player whose brother-in-law, Ben Soumilas, is the Hawks coach, was guest speaker at the pre-game luncheon and won rave reviews for his eloquent and amusing stories. “He was absolutely wonderful and a truly entertaining speaker,” said Warragul president Peter Corstorphin. WARRAGUL will host a past players function on Saturday 25 July. For details contact president Peter Corstorphin on 0419 319 449.
