BEST story of the year this one. PAKENHAM was presented with the 2009 premiership cup after its grand final win on Saturday and that vessel was filled and refilled throughout the night and used to toast the Lions’ magnificent success over DOVETON as tradition demands. About midnight the cup was taken home by president Brian Jagoe who brought it up to Purves pub the next day, where the celebrations continued. That lasted until about 5pm when there was a panicked phone call asking someone to read the inscription on the cup. It turns out that the mug that had been so cherished for the previous 24 hours was actually the Peninsula League premiership cup and the actual Casey Cardinia League cup had been presented to SEAFORD after it triumphed over EDITHVALE-ASPENDALE on Sunday afternoon. A swap at the Berwick Springs Hotel was quickly arranged and within a couple of hours the Lions were quaffing from the genuine article, while a somewhat used Peninsula League cup was delivered quietly through the back door to the Tigers’ rooms later that night.
GARFIELD has been accepted into the Ellinbank and District Football League after a vote of all club delegates last Wednesday. The vote was split at seven-all and the deciding vote was cast by league president Roger Gwynne, who is believed to have voted against the members of his own executive. Gwynne was adamant his “yes” vote was the right thing for the league. “If Garfield was to go into recess we can’t have that. We don’t want to see clubs fold,” he said. He said that it was now up to Garfield to stick to the league’s guidelines and adhere to all its qualifications that demand each club field a senior and reserves side, an under-18s, under-15s and 13-and-a-half side, along with a full complement of six netball teams. Gwynne also hinted Garfield’s entry could be a watershed moment for the league, which he said was going to take a more progressive stance from now on. “We are looking towards the future and I think for the stability of the league I would not rule out accepting more clubs with a view to a two-tiered competition. We intend to go from strength to strength.” The EDFL season will consist of 18 rounds and two clubs will have a bye each week. The vote was a turnaround from two weeks earlier when club delegates voted 11-3 against an expansion.
KEYSBOROUGH parted company with its coach of three years, Greg Siwes, last week after Siwes was told that his services were no longer required at the Rowley Allen Reserve. The experienced mentor said he was not that surprised after feeling that enthusiasm around the Burra for him was not that high after a disappointing 2009. But he added that he still wanted to coach and would be actively seeking another position in the area. Siwes is a candidate for the vacant NOBLE PARK position, while he will no doubt be high on the list of candidates at several Southern Football League clubs whose jobs are also up for grabs. Other names that have emerged from a rumoured 18-strong list as possible Noble Park mentors include EDITHVALE-ASPENDALE coach John Hynes and FRANKSTON VFL coach Shannon Grant.
GREAT gesture by PAKENHAM defender Tom O’Loughlin to present Lions mascot Brett “Bomber” Templeton with his premiership medallion during the presentation ceremony on Saturday. Bomber is there every week through thick and thin, win, lose or draw and never ever has a bad word to say about anyone involved in the club. As a matter of fact, Bomber has probably put in more training nights than a few players …
MELBOURNE Football Club has recognised the local “gold mine” of talent and has offered a day’s training with the AFL big boys to the 2009 MPNFL Young Guns from each league. Originally it was just the three winners who were to be invited to the pre-season session but the Demons have decided to extend the offer to all 18 nominees (six from each league), not just the top three. Now that is smart thinking because you only need to have a look at the Casey Cardinia league lads to see the future of football. On form, all six would have been welcome additions to the Demons list this year … but then again we’re a little biased.
DOVETON play maker Matt Miller was relegated to the seconds after returning from injury late in the season but made the most of it by adding yet another premiership medal to his trophy cabinet. Not only that but he kicked the first goal of the game to spark the Doves, a feat he said was never in doubt. “I was always going to do that. I looked up the Sportsbet odds and saw I was 12-1 so I had $20 on myself!”
ONE that slipped through to the keeper on league presentation night was the effort of the NARRE WARREN boys to get up for the Monday night gig after exiting the finals two days before. Sure they were a bit fluffy, but two tables full of Magpies made it to the event and their behaviour was exemplary except maybe for Daniel Borninkhof who had a slight problem with flatulence throughout the evening (must have been something he ate) and Brett “Birdman” Evans whose clothes did not seem to fit that well. It turns out that Evans had not been home for two days and had to borrow his kit from captain Glenn Hamilton. It consisted of a pair of slacks that Hammo wore while working at Sizzler in 1995, together with a Narre Warren top that he fished out of the rag-bag but did not tell the very happy full-forward.
BEACONSFIELD held a meet—the-coach afternoon at the Perc Allison Oval on Sunday and announced triple-premiership wingman Ben Collins as its on-field assistant coach to incoming mentor Austinn Jones, along with Peter Sherer as an off-field assistant coach. Collins captained CORA LYNN to the 2008 EDFL premiership before leaving and becoming assistant coach to Hayden Stanton at Eastern Football League division two runners up MULGRAVE this year. Sherer brings enormous football experience to the club having been involved with football as a player and coach for more than 30 years. Most recently he has been involved with NOBLE PARK as reserves and assistant senior coach and match-day runner. He has also coached Beaconsfield junior sides for the past two years. Chairman of selectors will be Ben Airdrie, also a three-time premiership player with the club.
CARLTON football manager Shane O’Sullivan, who has been responsible for many a recruiting coup in his time, was spotted at Pakenham on Saturday. He had his recruiting cap on… but on the netball court. He explained that he does a bit of talent spotting for his daughter’s netball side and was sent out to spy one of the local players.
GOT to love the pettiness of football sometimes. After PAKENHAM was allocated the away rooms at its home ground on grand final day, the signs above each door were mysteriously changed so that the old home rooms read “visitors” on the weekend.
LOVE him or hate him, DOVETON spearhead Danny Casset has one of the most enviable finals records going around. While the journeyman missed the premiership on Saturday, his 20-year senior career boasts five premiership medallions and he has missed playing in the finals only once in that time.
NAR NAR GOON’s best and fairest was won by hard-running ruck-rover Matt Wade who prevailed by a comfortable margin from wingman Dean Kelly and coach Clint Williams. The Goon reserves award was won by Steve Hobson with Tim Manning runner-up. The Goon also had some great news with favourite son Brett Dore set to return from VFL club FRANKSTON and former league best and fairest and GIPPSLAND POWER midfielder Andrew Oldmeadow making his way back from CASEY SCORPIONS. The Goon also hopes to pick up former ROC wingman Kevin Quinn, who played with MULGRAVE this season.
AFTER reading the footy record, there was one very peeved Lion at PAKENHAM on Saturday. At the back of the publication was a list of league best-and-fairest winners and there, in black and white, was the name “Seb Paynter” as the 2005 Bill Williamson Medallist in the reserves. Unfortunately Seb played the entire season in the seniors that year and it was his younger brother Sam who won the award. “It’s always about bloody Seb isn’t it?” Sam said. “I’m filthy on it. Mum probably wanted to keep that for her scrapbook and now she can’t. And to top it off he’s not even in the country. He’s somewhere in Europe trying to charm himself a Scandinavian wife or something. It’s just typical,” he snorted as he wandered off shaking his head.
NILMA DARNUM premiership coach Brad Sinclair has departed the club to take up a coaching role with COOLANGATTA on the Queensland Gold Coast next year. Bombers president Andrew Patterson, who was largely responsible for the club’s extensive recruiting drive over last summer, has also stepped down. But Patterson has not severed his ties with the club and intends to oversee their sponsorship portfolio. Despite reports that many Bombers may leave, officials hope they will retain the majority of their 2009 premiership team. Star AFL recruit Mal Michael is moving to Brisbane and is yet to commit to a club but word has it that he enjoyed his season at Nilma-Darnum so much that he has not discounted making a few “fly-in” appearances next year. Former SALE utility David Ivey is expected to apply for the Bombers’ coaching job and if he is successful his former Magpie teammates, Brenton and Kane Martin, Chris Aurisch and Phil Harris should also stay, which would ensure the Bombers would again be a power in 2010.
WGLFL premiership winners MAFFRA celebrated hard and long right into Sunday when they held their best and fairest count, won by 21-year-old wingman Michael Coleman, the younger brother of star midfielder and dual Eagles best-and-fairest winner Ben. Meanwhile GARFIELD’s best-and-fairest award was won by its coach Brent Eastwell. Much-improved utility Ned Marsh finished in second place ahead of ruck-rover Ben Marsh and Brett Reid.
