WHO needs scales at BERWICK? If anyone wants to know how much huge full forward Grant Noonan weighs they can just ask his teammate Brad Miles. Miles is still recovering after being squashed by Noonan when the big bloke landed on top of him after a marking contest late in the weekend game against DOVETON. While Noonan picked himself up and kicked an important goal, trainers assisted a battered and bleeding Miles from the field safe in the knowledge that he would never again be caught in the hole when Noonan is on a lead.
BEACONSFIELD coach Robbie Taylor and his team took their loss to CRANBOURNE very well . Not! The Eagles were summoned to a compulsory 4am training session at the Perc Alison Oval last Thursday morning, with almost 40 players attending. The reason for the early exercise session was that the traditional afternoon get-together was scheduled as a “bonding session” at which the lads watched a DVD and had a general love-in.
DROUIN’S clash with GARFIELD this Saturday is sure to be full of emotion and you can bet your bottom dollar it will be a torrid affair. After former Stars’ premiership coach Ben Soumilas accepted the senior coaching position at the Hawks last October and then enticed his brother Andy, a five-time Garfield best and fairest winner to follow along with the McFarlane brothers, Brent and Dean, both clubs have been at each other’s throats. The teams may be sixth and ninth respectively but there will be more riding on the result than just the four points. After three-quarters of Garfield’s senior list departed over summer, the club was staring down a big hole but it has answered the sceptics with a win over SALE and a few handy efforts since. The Hawks are pressing for a spot in the top five and will enter the game as overwhelming favourites. Be interesting to see where WGLFL general manager Chris Soumilas positions himself to watch the game, too, given he is Ben and Andy’s father but also a Garfield life member.
WHILE on GARFIELD, the odds of the Stars joining the Ellinbank league lengthened last Wednesday night, when EDFL club delegates voted not to accept any extra clubs next season. It had been suggested up to four clubs might join the league in 2010, including Garfield, to eventually lead to a 20-team two-tiered competition. At this stage though, the EDFL is happy to stay with the current 14-team format, even though there still appears to be a little discontent from among the eastern clubs at the strength of the western division. It was interesting that one successful “western” club abstained from voting. A lot of discussion on Wednesday night apparently centred on the prospect of a points system salary cap, which some suggest could be in place next season.
KEYSBOROUGH and gun recruit Vic Currie have parted company for the time being, after Currie’s form lapsed and he was on the verge of being dropped to the reserves. Apparently Currie can only train once a week because of work commitments and that also became an issue, prompting the former CLAYTON and NOBLE PARK rover to step out of football for a few weeks and assess his situation before deciding whether to return and see out the season with the Burra.
TO further honour NEERIM NEERIM SOUTH stalwart Bill Cumming, who tragically passed away during the Cats’ round six clash against KOOWEERUP, the club asked CATANI if it would transfer last Saturday’s clash as a midweek fixture to their home ground. Catani took a vote on the matter across all 10 grades of football and netball with the result split. Many Catani footballers, including coach Paul Alger and fellow veteran, Brad McDonald, who both played interleague under Cummings, were prepared to make the move but that would have created a dilemma for Blues officials, as the club had organised celebrations to mark McDonald’s 300th game this weekend. In the end the game was not moved but as a mark of respect, both club flags were lowered to half mast and Neerim stalwart Ian Cooper made a touching speech praising Cumming before the game. In a break from tradition, despite winning the game, Catani opted not to sing their club song, while the Cats belted out theirs.
CRANBOURNE has had its under-18 Colts side booted off Casey Fields and back to the racecourse in a move that has angered club officials. The Eagles wanted to play all their four home games on a Saturday at Casey Fields after striving hard to field a second junior team, but Casey council will allow only three games to be played at their pristine venue and told Cranbourne officials that was the rule after the recent clash with PAKENHAM. Another fine example of the local authorities failing to support their local football club and local youth sport.
A WELL-KNOWN PAKENHAM yapper apparently overstepped the mark during the Lions recent win over BEACONSFIELD and the family of one of his targets is believed to be more than a little miffed. The story (confirmed by three separate sources) suggests that the mouthy lad gave an Eagles player an unkind on-field critique of his partner, which was unfortunately overheard by a number of people near the fence, including members of the lady’s family. It is fair to say that the return match with the Lions is firmly circled on the Eagles’ calendar.
UNFORTUNATELY we were unable to get a picture of the presentation of the Victoria Police MPNFL Spirit of Football Award winner from DOVETON on Saturday, because our star, Mitchell Peckett, had been knocked out in the weekend clash with BERWICK and been taken to seek medical attention. Congratulations go to Mitchell, together with the other Casey Cardinia league winner Matthew Duggan from Devon Meadows, announced last weekend.
HOW do you reckon injured NARRE WARREN premiership defender Clay Peresso is travelling? For those who have been in a cave recently, Peresso suffered a severely broken ankle in the 16 May game against PAKENHAM and is on crutches after having the joint pinned with metal plates. While that is bad, it was made worse by the scenario leading up to the injury. Our spies tell us that Peresso’s fiancee Kristen had put her foot down and told him that, because they were to celebrate their engagement last Saturday night, he was not to play in last weekend’s game against KEYSBOROUGH in case he got injured. Apparently, to keep the domestic peace, our hero had reluctantly agreed to the ultimatum and then promptly went out and smashed his ankle the week before. It’s fair to say things are a little icy in young Clay’s wonderland at present.
NILMA-DARNUM whiz kid Kael Bergles is a late inclusion in the Victorian Country District Football League team. Bergles, a fleet-footed forward, scored 90 goals last year despite missing a game or two. This season, with the Bombers now riding high, he leads the competition’s goal kicking with 40 and, with 11 rounds to go and at least two finals, is well on target to break triple figures. He joins NEERIM NEERIM SOUTH’s Chris Urie and LANG LANG’s Kurt Batt as the EDFL’s only representatives. The Victorian Country District Football League will play the strong Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) in the New South Wales border town of Barooga over the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
MPNFL chairman Tony Vagg confirmed that the league had broken with 100 years of tradition and appointed its first female director last week. League netball promoter Alison Neil was unanimously voted on to the league board in a move that Vagg said was a progressive step in line with the league’s commitment to developing its relationship with female involvement in both football and netball in years to come. He added that there was no reason why more ladies should become directors in the future, and Alison’s appointment was far from a token gesture.
THERE have been many reasons why footballers miss a game but this is certain to be a first. Star MORWELL recruit and former ST KILDA utility Brett Knowles, who also happens to double as an assistant coach with SANFL team NORTH ADELAIDE, is a school teacher in Adelaide where one of the pupils was diagnosed with the swine flu last week. Under government regulations all those in contact with anybody with the potentially deadly flu are put into what is called “lockdown” and not permitted to travel from their abode for seven working days. Thus Knowles had to stay in South Australia and missed Saturday’s big clash against MAFFRA.
AND while on MORWELL, the Tigers appear to have unearthed a star in the making by the name of Thys Stanistreet. The 20-year-old was long regarded as real talent and the equal of many of his teammates who went on to play for GIPPSLAND POWER a few seasons ago. However, injuries over a number of years had stopped his career from blossoming. Finally he made his long awaited debut on Saturday against MAFFRA, scored four goals and thrilled the crowd with a number of big grabs. He is the nephew of club legend Brett Stanistreet after whom the club’s best and fairest award is named.
IT WAS hard to get hold of any POOWONG contacts on Saturday night. Unusually the entire social club was empty with all the regulars outside supporting the club’s netball girls strutting their football talent. In what has been an institution for a decade now, the girls took centre stage under lights on Saturday night in a game that featured a Poowong team line-up against a combined ELLINBANK team at the conclusion of the seniors. For the record Caitlin Miller, Jemima Page, Janice Mackay, Jess-Henri Hancock and Brooke Dorothy were all busy around the packs and, according to our source, a number of the girls showed a lot better form than there male counterparts, who are having an ordinary season.
