Hampton Park’s Fredericks brothers, from left, Brendan, Hayden, Linden and Sheldon, prepare for their first senior game together last Saturday. 34589 Picture: Nigel Clements
AFTER three years together at Hampton Park, the four Fredericks brothers Brendan 31, Sheldon 26, Hayden 25 and Linden 24 finally ran on to the football field together on Saturday.
The foursome, who hail from South Africa (excluding Linden who was born in Australia), are very close and have harboured a desire to play together for their whole careers.
Until Sheldon joined the other three at the Redbacks for the start of 2007, that chance had never presented itself and soon after the four were registered Hayden suffered a career-threatening knee injury.
The boys had all but given up hope until Hayden decided to give the game one more go halfway through this season and hit some form in the reserves two weeks ago.
The Fredericks’ parents Marcel and Chevron were present, along with other family members who had never heard of Australian Rules football when they migrated from Durbin in 1984.
DEVON MEADOWS officials met with MPNFL directors last week and made it quite clear that the Panthers would not be leaving the Casey Cardinia League.
A Panthers’ source said the directors saw the club as a soft target because they have not won a flag and finished down the bottom half of the ladder over the past few years.
However when it was contended a move to Nepean League would assist the club’s survival, it was like waving a red rag at a bull.
Such a move would, in fact, do the exact opposite because few would travel from deep in the Peninsula to the Glover Reserve and teams in that division would get poor gates from Panthers supporters also.
It would be a no-win situation.
Also, what would happen to the club’s traditional matches including the Ron Mantel Shield (against Tooradin), the McMillan Cup (Beaconsfield), the McAleese/Flanigan Cup (Cranbourne) and the Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Cup (Doveton)?
The Panthers are in favour of waiting until a Narre South senior side develops from the strong junior club that currently operates in the growth corridor, but which ever way it goes, the battle lines have been drawn. Stay tuned.
TOORADIN has parted company with star ruckman Steve Arvanitis who has walked out on the Seagulls with three games to go.
A club source said the big bloke decided to give the season away after he was told of unrest among Seagulls players due to his lack of attendance at training.
It is disappointing for coach Cristian O’Brien as he lines up to take charge of his last two games at the Western Port Oval.
However, discipline has been a big focus across the league this season and, in the long run, another team rule has been set.CORA LYNN sharpshooter Darren Sheen has not ruled out playing football again this season despite what appears to be a season-ending injury.
Sheen confirmed on the weekend that he has two leg fractures and a torn calf muscle.
He attended Saturday’s match against POOWONG on crutches with his leg bandaged and in plaster.
However he confidently said that he still thinks he might be an outside chance to play in the grand final, should the Cobras make it.
Sheen has kicked 88 goals this season and is equal on top of the goalkicking table with NILMA-DARNUM goal predator Kael Bergles, who booted eight against ELLINBANK on Saturday.
Bergles scored 93 goals last season and, barring injury, should crack the ton this year.
YOU would have sworn it was a final at HAMPTON PARK on Saturday.
Coach Josh Taylor sat his side down in front of a DVD containing highlights of Redback triumphs together with a bit of club history before its match against TOORADIN and the ploy worked a treat.
Taylor asked his players for a special effort to lift them off the bottom of the ladder and received it with bells on.
A great game culminating in an eight-goal win was the result.
Might be worth breaking out ‘David and Goliath’ before this weekend’s clash with PAKENHAM.
BULN BULN midfielder Che Jenkin’s season ended last week when he copped an accidental knock to the head against NAR NAR GOON that broke his jaw.
Incredibly, it appears Jenkins must have the equivalent of a boxer’s ‘glass jaw’ for it was the eighth time it had been smashed in his football career.
The knock left Jenkins with a four millimetre break, but with a plate and two screws already in his jaw from his last break, medicos suggested he not have another operation and to let it heal naturally.
That may place him in jeopardy for round one next year.
PERSEVERANCE and the support of coach Steve O’Brien and the DEVON MEADOWS Football Club have assisted super talented youngster Brandon Wapshott earn another crack at TAC Cup level with the DANDENONG STINGRAYS.
The youngster was the last one cut from the Stingrays’ final list in the pre-season, but his work rate and dedication during the year at the Glover Reserve saw him added to the list again and asked to finish the season with the elite under-18 competition. Congratulations are in order here.
THE set penalties rule have come under fire from several Casey Cardinia League clubs in recent weeks and, from observation, must be changed.
Last week a player was offered three-weeks for swearing (using the ‘f’ word) in an exchange with an umpire.
‘Obscene’ it may have been, but there was no threat, no personal abuse and no insult.
The umpire thought it fit to report and the set penalty for that charge is three weeks.
If you go to the tribunal and get found guilty, it is three weeks plus!
Under current rules you are better off whacking someone and copping only two weeks. What a lot of rubbish!
BOY was there some off-field action at one Casey Cardinia League club over the weekend.
There will be plenty more to come from this one for sure.
ROC stalwart Daniel Fisher retired from senior football straight after Saturday’s draw with DOVETON on Saturday, surprising many at Starling Road.
Fisher, who is moving to Queensland soon, decided that he would finish the season in the reserves to allow coach Kris Fletcher to play another of the club’s youngsters in the final two games, with the future in mind.
“That just shows the quality of the bloke and he has been a legend at this club for a long time,” said Fletcher after Fisher told the players of his decision.
CORA LYNN stalwart Kelvin Dalziel, who played more than 500 club games with the Cobras, was a proud dad on Saturday after he watched his son, Sam, chalk up his 100th game in the fourths against POOWONG. Sam is believed to be the first player at the club since Travis Parker, over two decades ago to achieve the century milestone at under-15 level.
LATEST news in the saga of where WONTHAGGI POWER will play next year suggests that the club has only one realistic option.
According to a report in the league football record this week, WGLFL president Brian McKenzie and general manager Chris Soumilas attended a public meeting at the club last Tuesday, called to discuss the future in light of the recent VCFL South Gippsland review recommendations.
The WGLFL officials explained the benefits of rejoining the WGLFL and said the discussions were cordial.
However the meeting resolved, after much debate, that Wonthaggi would continue to pursue the VCFL to allow it to remain in the Alberton Football League against member clubs’ wishes or establish a new locally based league for it to take part in.
The deadline for Wonthaggi to indicate where it will be playing in 2010 is 25 August.
If the VCFL stands firm, then Wonthaggi may well find itself back the WGLFL in 2010.
THERE has been a few reasonable nicknames highlighted in this column recently with ‘Boobs’ and ‘Goat’ coming to mind immediately – but another one from down ELLINBANK way also tickled our fancy.
The story goes that recently turned 21-year-old senior player Ben McLennan was lining up for goal when the man on the mark said: “Hey mate, you look like a Hereford.”
Ben, who has red hair but is apparently in denial about it, let the jibe go because he didn’t know what it meant.
Later that day our hero let the story out and asked his mates what a Hereford was, only to be told, through hales of laughter, that it was a big, red cow!
Anyway his mates, who couldn’t wait to tell Footy Shorts, reckon Ben is trying to keep the new nickname in-house, so we won’t mention it again.
