Laurie Plunkett was the

THE man described as the power behind the Gippsland Power Football Club died on Saturday.
Laurie Plunkett, 67, the secretary and doer of all jobs, battled a serious illness for much of the year.
Plunkett worked hard in setting the club up during 1992, his wise counsel and incredible attention to detail being critical to the club successfully entering the TAC Cup a year later.
He was described as “the heart and soul of the club”, the first point of contact for players, parents and officials.
Plunkett was relentless in his “breaking in” of new coaches as he terrified them into doing things his way, or the right way, as he would regularly remind them.
Darren Bewick, Lachie Sim, Paul Hudson, Adrian Hickmott, Aussie Jones, Damian Carroll and Adam Dowie are some of the “names” who went through, and survived, his “finishing school”.
Plunkett had amazing input on the football careers and lives of thousands of young men, including current AFL superstars Leigh Brown, Brendon Goddard, Dale Thomas, Jarryd Roughead, Jason Winderlich, Scott Pendlebury, David Wojcinski and rising star Dyson Heppell.
He was renowned for the way the clubs that he devoted his time to operated and his life memberships of the Morwell Youth Club, the La Trobe Valley Junior Football League and the Power, all reflecting the huge impact he had.
“It will take at least two or three people to fill his shoes,” an official said.
Plunkett leaves behind his wife of 47 years, Margaret, and children Laurence and Belinda.