A DECISION will be made by the end of the week on the venues for this year’s Casey Cardinia finals series. Six clubs have put forward an expression of interest to host the biggest and best games of the season with the grand final on Saturday 22 September, once again the most cherished prize of all. With CRANBOURNE and NARRE WARREN looking the teams most likely to participate, this year’s big dance could attract a crowd of mammoth proportions and be a huge windfall for the successful club.
VOTING on a two-Division EDFL proposal for 2013 will take place at Wednesday’s monthly delegates meeting. The initial plan will be based on data sourced by the VCFL over a four-year-period (2009 – 2012) and will take into account the respective performances of all clubs over all five grades. Each club will be asked to provide their feedback with regards to the strengths and weaknesses of the draft proposal. Issues surrounding umpiring, sponsors, player payments and of course, the effects on the netball arm of all the clubs will no doubt be just some of the topics to be debated.
“We need to go forward with this concept for the betterment of all clubs,” said league secretary Mick Keane over the weekend. Mick is very eager to see a two tiered competition come to fruition sooner rather than later.
TOORADIN’s start to the season has been spectacular and the third placed Seagulls celebrated with a night at the footy last Friday. Our spies tell us the CARLTON v HAWTHORN match, which was originally the main focus for the evening, drifted to the back of players minds as events unfolded. A late night turned into an early morning turned into a late morning for some, as the Seagulls let their hair down before they refocus on gaining a finals position at season’s end.
ROUND nine clash between NARRE WARREN and ROC which was postponed on Saturday 23 June has been rescheduled to the second week of the split-round-13 on Saturday 4 August. The NARRE WARREN v PAKENHAM match originally scheduled for 4 August has been brought forward a week to Saturday 28 July. The Magpies will now play every week until the end of the home away season while its main rival for this year’s title, CRANBOURNE, will get a nice freshen up a month out from its finals campaign. It’ll be interesting to see how the man-management skills of coach Chris Toner unfold over the next eight weeks.
INTERESTED onlooker at PAKENHAM on Saturday was top-jockey Vlad Duric, who is enjoying a small break before the Spring Carnival of Racing kicks in. The Nar Nar Goon resident hasn’t been to the local footy for years but looked very relaxed, tucking into a bucket of chips as he watched from his prime position on the outer wing. Toomuc Reserve looked in magnificent condition and would surely have been rated a good-3 if the gallopers had hit the track.
MARK-DOWN the name Tyson Bale. The 15-year-old BULN BULN midfielder has made a big impression with a second best on ground effort against NYORA which was followed by a best on ground performance against LONGWARRY on Saturday in only his second senior game. Bale, a under-16 GIPPSLAND POWER player, is a hard –at-the-ball in-and-under the pack type and prolific ball-winner. He has built up an impressive resume in recent years winning two under 13½ league best and fairest prior to repeating the dose in the under 15½ age group level last year. While the Lyrebirds have endured a lean season it is going about things the right way progressively blooding a number of its under 18 shining lights this season led by Bale along with Deen Allen, Carlton Helliwell, Todd Hall and Jack Symes who have all made an impact at various stages and will provide a good platform for the future.
CONGRATULATIONS to Elizabeth Whitfield from ST JOHN’S on playing her 100th VWFL match on the weekend against CRANBOURNE. Whitfield was among the best as the JOCs defeated the Eagles by 43 points on Sunday.
Whitfield has played for nine seasons at Parkdale, winning their 2008 best and fairest, and St John’s, but had her career halted on a number of occasions due to a spate of injuries.
With St John’s sitting in second place in the VWFL’s South East Division, perhaps Whitfield will add a premiership medallion to cap off a fantastic season.
PICK 23 of the 1999 rookie draft paid itself off in spades for ST KILDA with Stephen Milne set to play his 250th game this week against ESSENDON. Milne, who plied his craft at the DANDENONG STINGRAYS, HAMPTON PARK and NOBLE PARK before getting onto the Saints list, debuted in round four of the 2001 season against PORT ADELAIDE and kicked the first two of his 517 goals in his career to date.
DESPITE reports BAIRNSDALE sacked its coach Alister Ford last week, Redleg President Bernie Eastman insists his departure was a “mutual and amicable agreement to part company” on Sunday. Despite three victories, BAIRNSDALE have played poorly over the last month and with the pick of East Gippsland league players in its team it has under achieved after having aspirations to play final footballs since it finished sixth in their return to the Gippsland year in 2011. Ford, who played senior football at FOOTSCRAY and ST KILDA was in his first year at the helm and was replaced by assistant coach Mel George, who has had a long-time involvement with the Redleg under-18’s and junior teams. However on Saturday in his senior coaching debut, George couldn’t take a trick, having lost the toss; the Redlegs had to kick against the wind against WONTHAGGI only for the wind to turnaround at quarter time which saw the visitors kick against it for three consecutive terms. Sometimes your lucks out! Suffice to say it was outscored in each of the first three-quarters but did save face by winning the last quarter before still going down by 61 points.
WONTHAGGI playing coach Leigh McDonald will take off his boots for the rest of the season on medical advice. The hard working rover-forward has been feeling the effects of a number of knocks to the head this season. “Back in 2004 when I played in the VFL for COBURG I received a bad knock which gave me a slight bleed on the brain,” explained McDonald. “I’ve now got a young family and we have an alignment with AFL club COLLINGWOOD and their neuropsychologist recommends it is best I stand aside,” added McDonald. After a sluggish start to the season WONTHAGGI have moved into sixth spot and in the box seat to edge out one of MORWELL and TRARALGON should they falter in upcoming weeks.
LONG-TIME BERWICK midfield gun Nathan Page finally reaped some reward from his hard toil at Casey Fields, getting his first senior VFL run for the CASEY SCORPIONS in their 78-point loss to the WERRIBEE TIGERS. Page claimed a number of tackles through the midfield and stood out as one of a very scant amount of decent performers for the afternoon. Given he was listed in the best on debut, it’s safe to say he’s earned a second opportunity this week as CASEY faces-off against the big dogs of the competition PORT MELBOURNE at home on Sunday at 2pm.
A search for newcomers has borne little reward for most clubs on the eve of the transfer deadline which closed on 30th June. Perhaps the most significant move was that of BUNYIP’s Michael Hannigan. After seven games with the Bulldogs the hard running half back was just starting to find his feet in BUNYIP’s tight back-six but was last week cleared back to BERWICK. Also former Bulldog junior star Rickie Crockett, who has yet to play a game this year, was recently cleared to HAMPTON PARK while early in the month strong bodied forward Mitch Goodwin returned to DROUIN after only three games with BUNYIP. DROUIN has also regained the services of Matt Barrand, who has returned to the Hawks nest after only six games at ELLINBANK this season. Another interesting name on the clearance list was George Gorozidis, who was cleared by LONGWARRY back to his former club BONBEACH. Gorozidis was hailed as the Crows boom recruit in 2011 but succumbed to a knee reconstruction early in the season and has not put foot on the football field since.
WITH a number of GIPPSLAND POWER players on state duty for VIC COUNTRY, it opened the door for Brenton Hillard, from ROC, to make his TAC Cup debut against the MURRAY BUSHRANGERS. While the Power didn’t switch on in the loss, Hillard picked up a goal and was listed in the best for the team.
RUMOUR doing the pub rounds last week was that flamboyant forward Danny Cassett would make an appearance with CATANI, one of his many former clubs on Saturday. While the 39-year-old goal-scoring machine was in touch with Blues officials early on in the season his presence did not materialise on Saturday.
