Joining the 100 club

By DAVID NAGEL
IN every sport there are players with a certain type of magic, a mystique, players that draw a crowd and get the spectators buzzing with anticipation.
A lightning-quick fast bowler or a spinner who can grip it and rip it can leave a cricket crowd in awe, while a big booming serve at just the right time can send tennis supporters into a frenzy. A 300-metre drive can leave golf fans heads shaking, while a clutch basket or a crucial home-run fills us all with admiration.
In football, the full-forward is our Olympic 100-metre champion, the player who can turn a game with a big mark, then drill the goal with unerring accuracy from any angle or distance. They don’t just do it once, but over and over again at a level that very few will ever get to experience.
Every coach wants one and this season the Casey Cardinia league is spoilt for choice, with powerhouse full-forwards, Cranbourne’s Marc Holt and Narre Warren’s Kerem Baskaya setting a cracking pace.
Baskaya’s 21-goal-salute against Hampton Park last week broke the league record of 19, set by another Magpie, Brett “Birdman” Evans against Keysborough in 2005. His team’s score of 51.18 (324) and its winning margin of 316-points are also league records.
The burly Magpie sits on 89-goals from 11 matches and could quite easily notch triple figures against Pakenham this weekend.
Holt is an absolute gun; in full-flight he is unstoppable with his sure grip and accurate kicking an absolute nightmare for opponents. The Eagles’ heart and soul achieved team success last year but on 94-goals and playing bottom side Hampton Park this week, now is the time for a well deserved individual milestone.
“He’s been a great team player for a long time and he really deserves this type of accolade,” Holt’s coach Doug Koop said.
“It’s the premiership for full-forwards if you like. Whenever the great full-forwards are spoken about the first question is always, Did you ever kick 100-goals?”
“He’s just been phenomenal for a very long time and deserves to kick the ton.”
Both players will look to join Hampton Park pair Con Gorozidis (114) and Danny Casset (108), Seaford’s Anthony Agius (108) and Narre Warren’s Lee Clark (101) as players to blast into three figures in recent years.
When it does happen it will be a magical occasion.