DEVON Meadows could be the next Casey Cardinia League club to snare an exAFL player with former ESSENDON defender Aaron Henneman a good chance to line up with the Panthers this season.
Henneman works with Meadows player Matt Davey as members of the Victoria Police and club sources are keen to get the former Bomber down to the Glover Reserve.
Confidence of a better season is high at Devon Meadows with news that a good crop of homegrown players will be joined by recruits including EDITHVALEASPENDALE midfielder Chris Maroney, KEYSBOROUGH small man Kane Tucker, KOOWEERUP running player Luke Hamilton and Queenslander Ryan Talbot.
Talbot, an athletic centre halfforward, who played junior football at Devon Meadows and also had a stint with the SYDNEY SWANS reserves, is currently playing with LABRADOR in the QAFL and will fly down from the Gold Coast each Friday to play with the Panthers in 2007.
DOVETON coach Steve Henwood has led his players on their annual preseason training sojourns to Lysterfield Lake and reports suggest that the turnups have been excellent.
The Doves’ list will be markedly younger this year and among the experienced players to depart will be rugged defender/onballer Robert Hughes.
Hughes has returned to his former club BUNYIP after two seasons in the green and black.
Another star who has told the club he intends to have the season off is Justin Hill. However officials and supporters are hoping the lure of success and another year in the spotlight will sway his decision.
ONE player on the move is former POOWONG and DEVON MEADOWS goalkicker Rohan Best.
After a severe injuryinterrupted season at the Magpies last year, Best is apparently fit and looking around for a good deal.
SFL side MORDIALLOC has the front running, according to sources.
ROC has been quietly going about its preseason business, but one player who may be tossing around a change of scenery is youngster Brenton Cowell, according to training watchers.
Apparently Cowell has had a run with NAR NAR GOON under former Kangaroo teammate and captain Clint Williams and is believed to be high on the Goon’s shopping list.
TALENTED ballwinner Marcus Gehling is tipped to play with MULGRAVE under exROC coach Hayden Stanton in 2007, rather than return to his home club BERWICK, where he won a senior bestandfairest award.
A source said that Gehling has been in Bendigo for the past two years, but has recently moved back to the area and was looking to continue his football career.
GREAT news for BEACONSFIELD is the successful recuperation from lifethreatening surgery of champion junior player Sam Benbow.
The 17yearold had a growth removed from his brain late last year and was warned that he may suffer permanent damage from the delicate operation.
However Sam was spotted in good shape at the Glover Reserve watching Beaconsfield play in Sunday’s Twenty20 cricket semifinals and a spy told us that he may even make it back onto the training track this year.
INTERESTING developments at MPNFL level with a review of the current threedivision structure to get under way in March.
One priority is to get rid of the bye in the Casey Cardinia League, but the question is how?
No clubs appear to be putting their hands up to leave and, at present, none are knocking the door down to join.
BERWICK will continue its Darwin experiment with the successstarved club to again fly players down to try their luck in the Casey Cardinia League this year.
Returning to the Wickers will be aboriginal trio Chris Kickett and brothers Mark and Gavan McLean, while a Berwick source said one or two others are on the cards as well.
The news that Gavan McLean will line up again is a bonus after the talented wingman aggravated an old foot injury last season, sparking fears that his career could have been over.
ONE player who will not run out with BERWICK in 2007 is lanky ruckman Dale Robinson.
The injuryprone tall man has been cleared to EDFL club LANG LANG and will join former teammates Clint ‘Boofa’ Evans (coach) and Rhys Nisbet (assistant coach) at the Swamp Tigers this season.
THE advertisement for a chief executive officer to oversee the MPNFL has attracted 21 applicants from all corners of the sporting world.
The list will be narrowed to about six and interviews will be conducted, with the successful applicant expected to be appointed before the start of the season.
FORMER BEACONSFIELD assistant coach Daniel Charles has been appointed coach of the BERWICK Women’s Football side that will compete in the VWFL Premier League this year.
Charles, who is an MPNFL bestandfairest winner, will coach his wife Cherie who is among the Wickers’ stars.
COLLINGWOOD wingman Rhys Shaw, whose girlfriend Bree Hitches is also a leading Berwick player, was set to be appointed to the coaching position, but his commitments to the Magpies were too great.
NAR NAR GOON was keen to regain the services of its 2005 cocoach Ben Scanlon, but has missed out, with him choosing to stay at TOORADIN for a second season.
POOWONG has picked up a handy recruit in former LANG LANG utility Shannon Logan.
Logan played in the Swamp Tigers 2001 and 2002 grandfinal teams that went down to BULN BULN and should go some way to replacing the services of classy ruckrover Luke James. James finished third in the Magpies’ bestandfairest last season, but has departed to join BUNYIP.
The Magpies will be coached by football journeyman and prolific ball winner Brett Anthony, who has replaced Gus James.
Anthony’s former and KILCUNDABASS teammate Mitchell Grant has been given the assistant’s role, while Poowong officials hold high hopes that several Alberton League recruits, currently training with the club, will sign up in the coming weeks.
FORMER MORWELL premiership player Brett Sheriff has been appointed as assistant coach at the Tigers, supporting his brother Jason.
Morwell will miss utility Michael Higgins, who is travelling overseas in 2007, and ruckman Don Webb who has moved to MIRBOO NORTH.
The club has however gained the services of YINNAR’s highly rated onballer Liam Visser, who won the 2006 Mid Gippsland League bestandfairest award.
