MOE has pulled off a coup on the eve of the 2011 GFL season, luring tough utility Tom Johnson from WARRAGUL. Johnson, a former best and fairest at GIPPSLAND POWER and also at his original club, ELLINBANK, missed all of last season because of serious injuries suffered in a car accident. He is now up and running and fit again judging by his performance against HASTINGS on Saturday. Johnson’s efforts were one of the few salient signs to emerge for the Lions, who went down by nine goals. Moe was also well served by new assistant coach Ben Collins, his ex-BEACONSFIELD teammate Kaine Aidrie, ruckman Chris Hancock, half-back Tom Long and Gippsland Power squad member Luke Thompson. The Lions are still on the scent for one or two more players to bolster their list and hope to snare a handy recruit or two this week and possibly in time to front up for their first-round clash this Sunday at DROUIN.
KOOWEERUP looks to have picked up a more-than-handy recruit in Matt Dunham and the Demons didn’t have to chase him. He walked into the club after moving into the township recently. Before Saturday he hadn’t played football for five years but he was a former state junior representative, who also had VFL experience at COBURG. While a little rusty, he showed his football nous with a clever left-foot snapped goal in heavy traffic in the first quarter against BUNYIP. When he returns to full match fitness the Demons hope to have picked up a lucky gem.
FEISTY football journeyman Peter Davenport has returned to the EDFL football after signing with LONGWARRY last week. The rugged 27-year-old is well known to local footy supporters, having previously played with NILMA DARNUM and BUNYIP. Since his last stint in the EDFL, four seasons ago, he spent two seasons at GROVEDALE where he was an assistant coach under former GEELONG strong man David Mensch and over the past two years he coached Football Geelong team, St ALBANS. More recently he spent time honing his coaching skills at NORTH BALLARAT under the tutelage of VFL master coach Gerald Fitzgerald. Davenport was going to sit out from football this season but was talked into playing again by Tye Holland, who returned to Longwarry over summer and played under Davenport at St Albans last year. Davenport played with the usual fire in his belly and showed he would be a major component of the Crows midfield. He has also not ruled out coaching again in our local area in coming years.
NAR NAR GOON stalwart Greg Cunningham took the opportunity to share a few anecdotes and have a thinly veiled dig at the present-day players while presenting the Cunningham Cup on behalf of his family to CORA LYNN on Saturday evening. He told a yarn about how the Goon’s resources a few decades back were so thin the rub-down ointment bottle doubled as the cordial container and said that when the pub exploded and burnt down in 1972, for five seasons, players had to use the hotel woodshed for their after-match drinks, a far cry from the plush social premises now available to the players at the Goon ground. He finished with a interesting tale about the Goon coach (Ray Poole) who in 1975 won his first five games in a row only to be sacked, which must have pricked the ears of present coach Clint Williams who, after securing the club’s first flag in three decades last season, has opened the 2011 with successive loses. Not that we are putting any pressure on you, Clint.
