Pakenham’s under-18 side reacts jubilantly to the flag waving of goal umpire Phil Kerford, signalling correct scores and the Lions as one-point winners at Officer on Saturday.
WHEN the “unofficial” scoreboard attendant went for a stroll on Saturday in the under-18 clash between host club ROC and Pakenham, confusion reigned. The board showed ROC 13 points in front when the final siren went – but everybody knew that wasn’t the correct score. The Lions charged home and kicked a goal in the last 10 seconds to win by a point. The attendant returned to the board and amended the score before goal umpire Phil Kerford waved his flags to signal the correct numbers, much to the delight of the Pakenham players and supporters.
CRANBOURNE has secured the services of senior coach Doug Koop for another two seasons. “I’m pretty happy with how it’s going on and off the field and hopefully it’s going to continue and get stronger, so we agreed to go on for at least another two years,” Koop said of his contract extension. CRANBOURNE general manager Paul Garrett said the club decided to sound Koop out in the middle of the year, “because it’s always nice to know your future”. “The club has shown continuous on-field improvement since Doug took over four years ago. He was quite happy to go again. He’s still got that passion and commitment,” Garrett said.
KEYSBOROUGH coach Brad Canavan was back in the coaching box last weekend. Canavan missed the Burras’ round 11 loss to HAMPTON PARK. “I was on painkillers and under a little bit of duress, but we got the job done,” Canavan said. Ryan Goodes, the senior skipper and Canavan’s assistant, stood in during Canavan’s absence.
THE venues for this year’s Casey Cardinia finals have been announced by the league. It will follow last year’s format, with BERWICK hosting three finals, including the grand final and PAKENHAM taking the other three finals. Like last year, the reserves will play first, followed by the under 18s and seniors.
KEYSBOROUGH’S favourite son Luke “Spook” McGuiness will play his 300th senior game for the Burras against ROC on Saturday. The champion forward led Keysborough’s goalkicking from 2000 to 2009, including kicking a ton on three occasions. The 2003 best and fairest has kicked nearly 800 goals, and kicked 10 in a game on 14 occasions. “It’s a huge week for us,” coach Brad Canavan said. “We’ve built it up and we’re ready for Saturday. It’s great for ‘Spook’, he’s an absolute marvel at the game. He’s smart and he knows where the footy is going.”
NARRE WARREN’s Lachlan Moss was rushed to hospital after a collision during his side’s under-18s clash with BERWICK. The promising youngster, who has kicked 18 goals this year, suffered internal damage and was placed in intensive care. The latest report is that he has no serious injuries.
A HANDFUL of Pakenham players were laughing among themselves when Steve O’Loughlin picked up a ball at the end of training last Thursday. O’Loughlin, the father of retired great Dan and evergreen Lion Tom O’Loughlin, lined up a green-coloured rubbish bin from 20 metres. Much to the disbelief of the watching youngsters, his kick went straight in. It wasn’t a surprise to older folk, as the Pakenham real estate agent was a “dead-eye Dick” in his playing days at full-forward for NARRE WARREN.
FIRST-YEAR WARRAGUL coach George Morgan engineered one of the biggest turnarounds of the season on Saturday. Sitting bottom of the ladder, winless and coming into the clash against LEONGATHA after a humiliating 123-point loss to SALE, nobody wanted to tip the Gulls. Last Wednesday Morgan called a meeting of his players where he vented his spleen and told his young charges a few home truths. His words touched a bone and hit home because the Gulls put together their best performance of the season and upset finals aspirant LEONGATHA. Cannily, Morgan waited until after the transfer deadline before he delivered his stern words. “Our performance against Sale was a complete debacle and embarrassing and something had to be done,” Morgan said. All’s well that ends well though and the club song was sung with real gusto. “I must admit I struggled with the words, because it was the first time I had to sing it,” a relieved Morgan said on Sunday.
MORWELL’s Ryan Tatterson is forging a reputation as a miracle worker … and if the Tigers make the finals it will in no small way be because of his cameos. Extraordinarily, for the second time this season, the Tiger half-forward kicked the winning goal for his team with the last kick of the game. On Saturday he steered through a goal from 45 metres on a difficult angle a split second before the final siren against the ladder leaders SALE. It follows an opportunist kick off the ground to steal the match points against LEONGATHA in round five. And who say’s lightning doesn’t strike twice?
THERE were some astonishingly lopsided matches in the EDFL on Saturday … and we’ve heard it raised a few rumblings from at least two club presidents, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the disparity between the top sides and the strugglers. One went as far to say that his club “will fold within five years if the league stays the same”. Expect this issue to grow more legs at the end of the season.
“I MIGHT have to barrack for GARFIELD where my grandson plays, but I hope you get to be the runners-up,” triple Brownlow medallist and football legend Bob Skilton cheekily said in concluding his guest speaker appearance at BUNYIP’S sponsors lunch on Saturday. Skilton entertained an attentive audience of about 100 guests with his insights on football from his playing career through to the modern day. Despite rubbing shoulders with some of greatest players in the league in a career from 1956 to 1971, he surprisingly named former SYDNEY SWANS ruck-rover Paul Kelly as the most inspirational player he had seen. Skilton also said he would have traded one of his Brownlows for a premiership – and said one of the biggest disappointments of his career was playing in only one finals match … a loss to ST KILDA in 1970. A big afternoon in the Bunyip social club rooms concluded with club member Rosa Evans bidding for, and winning, a personalised caricature by renowned Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight, who also made a guest appearance.
IN THE BUNYIP newsletter The Barks, the Bulldogs reveal it has started a project to gather, collate and record its long and proud history. Following the work by Leigh Greening for the 2003 centenary celebrations, the committee wants to hear from anyone who can provide old photographs, newspaper clippings, etc. Some interesting pieces have been unearthed so far, including a letter from superstar Gary Ablett asking to be cleared to play for BUNYIP – the same year GEELONG recruited him. The club also has sourced in-depth details reported in local papers on “that” grand final – the 1939 game when GARFIELD didn’t show up.
CONGRATULATIONS to two of GARFIELD’s rising stars, Eddie Morris and Dylan Collis. Morris won the under-16 player of carnival award at the interleague competition between the GIPPSLAND, ALBERTON, MID GIPPSLAND and ELLINBANK leagues, while Stars team-mate Collis won the under-18 award.
LOOKING for a lethal lunch? Then ring PAKENHAM president Greg Marshall as the Lions are hosting a sports lunch at their home ground on Friday. Special guests are footy legend Leigh “Lethal” Matthews and leading thoroughbred trainer, Tony Vasil. Tickets for the lunch are $70. Holler for a Marshall on 0438 885 256 – but be quick.
