Berwick’s committee and hierarchy has copped its share of criticism, but nobody can say it does not work hard to better its club and facilities. The latest improvement is the installation of seating tiers replacing the slippery hill in front of its clubrooms. It will soon be fitted with a seating deck, making the area one of the best places in the league to watch local football.NAR NAR GOON has not ruled out hope that its dynamic utility and 2005 GIPPSLAND POWER premiership player Brett Dore will return to play before the season is out.
Dore crossed to VFL side FRANKSTON this season, but struggled with chronic leg pain during his games.
Last week Dore sought another medical opinion and it revealed that the powerful forward in fact has a broken leg and will miss six to eight weeks.
Despite the pain, Dore carried the injury through the entire roundthree game against NYORA, which is the only time he has donned the Goon jumper this season.
ALL clubs will be after the new wonder remedy for serious knee injuries that KEYSBOROUGH has obviously found.
Last week Burra coach Paul Jefferies lamented that gun fullforward Luke McGuinness had done a knee and could be out for anything from two weeks to who knows how long.
However, the veteran goalkicker was in action against HAMPTON PARK on Saturday, kicking six goals and leading fast and with as much agility as anyone on the field.
It begs the question: Was it a miracle cure or maybe a windup for the press?
CORA LYNN recruit Ben McKay played his first senior game on Saturday, since injuring his knee in round two of the 2003 season when playing for GARFIELD. McKay, who kept fit during his recovery with a stint of amateur boxing, is a former WGFL representative and BEACONSFIELD premiership player who can play a variety of roles. With Ty Esler out of action, McKay went straight into the ruck and did well with the tapwork and marking around the ground.
McKay’s effort was the shining light in an otherwise poor day for the Cobras and received praise from coach Chris Toner at the end of the match.
DINGLEY is still believed to be angling to get out of the MPNFL and a source very close to those at the top of the battling club say that if it is not out by round nine, the doors could well be shut.
The Southern Football League is believed to be willing to accept the Dingoes in its divisionthree competition until that time so the club would remain a viable entity.
After Saturday’s 40goal belting by NARRE WARREN maybe the mercy rule should be considered.
NARRE WARREN had an easy time of it on the field during Saturday’s debacle against DINGLEY and a few of its number were hoping that their luck would hold out the following day.
Magpies including coach Aussie Jones, Jack McTaggart, Cameron Stewart, Steve Kidd and Shane Dwyer have an interest in a young racehorse called Denn Carol that ran at Mornington on Sunday.
Unfortunately for the lads, their noble steed compounded in the straight and finished among the alsorans after travelling near the lead and looking a chance at the turn.
DROUIN officials must squirm every time they read the name Blair Weller.
The 21yearold, who was cleared from the Hawks to LONGWARRY last season, has been thrilling crowds with his speed, running capacity and ability to score goals on the run. Nicknamed ‘Crazy’ by his teammates, Weller played in Drouin’s 2003 thirds premiership team alongside some handy performers including current senior Hawks Sean Proctor, Trevor Gardiner, Mat Derrick, Brenton Lockhart, Ben Thompson, Bob McCallum and David Olsen.
For the record, Collingwood AFL draftee Dale Thomas, Williamstown’s Adam Cook and Springvale’s Chris Dunne all played in the Hawks thirds that season.
Another player from that Drouin team, who also appears to have matured late, is NILMADARNUM’s Ren Wyatt, who is also in careerbest form.LOVE him or not, DOVETON’S Matt Miller is one of those players that makes football interesting, for want of a better word.
On the weekend Miller found himself in need of a pair of shorts and rather than find someone of his own (small) size, he decided to borrow former teammate Scott Branden’s shorts.
Now Scott is rather more portly than Miller and the new shorts looked ridiculous on him.
Why, you ask, would he wear shorts like that?
“Just thought I’d let the boys have a bit of freedom this week,” he laughed as he ran off.
BUNYIP has bolstered its midfield with the arrival of Peter Davenport.
The nuggetty midfieldforward was granted a clearance from both NILMADARNUM, for whom he played last season and DOVETON where he played two senior games at the start of this season.
Davenport made an impressive debut, popping through three goals and joined another former Dove, Aaron Henwood, who made his way to the Bulldogs in recent weeks.
Another Bulldog who is making waves is 17yearold prospect Leigh Carmody.
The youngster has found plenty of the ball across half forward since making his debut three weeks ago and has played a major part in Bunyip’s recent improved form.
ON THE downside for BUNYIP, its marking machine Daniel Hagen returned to the senior line after a threeweek absence with a knee injury, only to fall victim to a similar complaint, this time on his opposite leg.
Hagen is one of the premier players in the EDFL and the Doggies will sorely miss his presence.
DOVETON has signed up Cameron Leehane, a ruckmankey position type from the LEXTON PLAINS Football League.
The big bloke was not cleared in time to play on the weekend, but will debut against CRANBOURNE in two weeks.
Meanwhile former Doves Rob Norris and Brett Williamson played their first games for KEYSBOROUGH on Saturday after transferring from MULGRAVE.
ONE TOORADIN follower who loves listening to opposition coaches address their teams at quarter and threequarter time, but feels disloyal to his own boys if he doesn’t attend their own huddles, was a happy chap at DOVETON on Saturday.
“No dramas here,” he said while leaving the field at quarter time.
“I listened to Dan (O’Loughlin) talk to our boys and didn’t miss a thing (Steve) Henwood said to Doveton. I reckon they would have heard him in the next suburb, it was a fair bake he gave them!”
ONE player on the GIPPSLAND POWER radar is NAR NAR GOON 16yearold Andrew Oldmeadow.
Oldmeadow has become a vital cog in the Goon senior side this year, regularly setting up attacks from his wing. His ballreading and clever skills will not have escaped the eye of GP recruiters.
TRARALGON will suffer a major blow if captain Shayne Simpson parts company with the club as rumoured.
Struggling with injuries, the Maroons can ill afford to lose Simpson, last season’s premiership captain and a regular PakenhamBerwick Gazette Team of the Year and interleague member.
Simpson made himself unavailable for last week’s clash against MOE, but club officials would not reveal the reasons why.
BEANPOLE MORWELL ruckman Ben Webb collapsed in the third quarter against GARFIELD last Saturday and was carried from the field on a stretcher.
Remarkably, a few minutes later, Webb got the okay to return to the field in the final term after being checked by medicos.
According to the big bloke, he could not recall taking a knock, nor had he ever blacked out before.
GUN POOWONG recruits Rohan Best and Luke James joined each other on field for the first time in an entire game last weekend and what an impact the two forwards made, kicking eight and five goals respectively in Poowong’s upset win over 2005 premiers CATANI.
According to Magpies president Peter Notman it was the side’s best victory since it upset the Blues by eight points in the 2003 grand final.
