Highflying former Brisbane Lion star Darryl White is set to join Berwick after being approached by Wickers coach and friend Ronnie Burns in Darwin last week. By Brad Kingsbury
THREE time Brisbane Lions premiership star Darryl White is set to play with Berwick this season in a coup for the Casey Cardinia League club.
Berwick president Peter Jensen confirmed that he and coach Ronnie Burns had spoken to White while in Darwin for the Aboriginal All Stars annual preseason clash with Essendon last week.
Jensen said White had agreed to join the Wickers after he finished the current season with Northern Territory Football League ladder leaders Southern Districts, coached by former Brisbane teammate Michael ‘Magic’ McLean.
White played 268 games and booted 165 goals in a 14season career with the Lions that started in 1991.
He was a key member of the 2001, 2002 and 2003 premiership teams before retiring from AFL football in 2005, but continuing to play district football in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Jensen said the addition of White, who would likely play up to 10 games with the Wickers this season, would be another plus for the growing status of the Casey Cardinia League.
His only concern was fitting White into the side under the current Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League Player Points System (PPS).
“We will have to work it out because, even though he has been retired for a while, he will still attract a high point value,” he said.
Jensen said it was disappointing because the PPS was brought in to stop clubs from ‘raping each others’ players’.
“However we’re trying to recruit from well outside the local area and league,” he said.
“We tried to have the system altered, but some clubs just vote against everything without any foresight. I hope that changes and we can continue to build this league into the absolute best local league around.”
The Wickers president also went onto the front foot with regard to potential criticism about the money White and other recruits would be paid, saying that many local players demanded and were paid much more.
“I laugh when I hear people knock us for paying big money for these players. When I see the money that some players who have done nothing in football ask for and get from clubs around the district, I realise what a good deal we get from out recruits,” he said.
“Darryl will cost us much less than people think and his value to us, together with blokes like Ronnie and ‘Gorra’ (George Gorozidis) will be huge.”
