Berwick’s big Nathan Waite, made amends for missing the Cranbourne game by starring against Pakenham last week.
PROMINENT BERWICK forward Nathan Waite raised a few eyebrows with his absence from the club’s recent match against CRANBOURNE. Instead of lining up in the goalsquare for the Wickers, Waite attended the Collingwood-Gold Coast match at Metricon Stadium. “He booked a holiday eight or nine months ago and looked at last year’s draw, not realising it was last year’s draw,” Berwick coach Dean Rice said. “He booked it for the bye, realising it wasn’t the bye. He couldn’t get his money back, but at the end of the day, sometimes you’ve got to decide whether you’re there to play footy or have fun. He knew he let the team down, but he repaid the team by the way he played on the weekend.” Waite resumed his position against PAKENHAM and kicked eight goals in the massive win.
THERE was plenty of interest in the early games around the Casey Cardinia league. CRANBOURNE hard-man Andre Young is working his way back from a six-week absence. “He was pretty solid in the twos. His training is going alright so he comes into calculations for the Paky game. (Laurence) Angwin’s still got his ankle. We’re not sure if he’s going to put time and effort into giving himself a chance (of returning). We’ve got a couple in the reserves, (Troy) Datson and (Damien) Whitnell are playing really well, so we’ve got four or five players who we can draw on,” Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said. The Eagles rested Caleb Tiller, who had a slight knee concern. NARRE WARREN ruckman Luke Tehennepe, who unluckily missed out on playing in the Magpies’ premiership last year, returned after a two-month absence. Jared Goldsack lined-up with the PAKENHAM reserves and could be a chance of promotion to the seniors on Saturday.
VETERAN star forward Brett Evans is facing an uphill battle to rejoin NARRE WARREN before the finals. “He’s had a few problems with his foot and he’s still sore,” coach Chris Toner said. “He hasn’t played for 12 weeks. We’d like to think he’ll make it back, but we’ve structured our forward line around the fact that he won’t be back.” The Magpies will be keeping a close eye on the CASEY SCORPIONS, who are currently in sixth position. The VFL finals begin at the same time as the Casey Cardinia finals and should the Scorpions be eliminated, Brendan Fevola will be a massive chance of returning to the Magpies.
THE recent appearance of DEVON MEADOWS coach Rod Keogh on long-running ABC program ‘Coodabeen Champions’ is up on their website for download. Keogh shared some fascinating insights into his 82-game AFL career, including the 1997 AFL Grand Final, where he played in St Kilda’s losing team. “It haunts you every day,” Keogh told the panel. “It was a great experience … but we let ourselves down badly that day and let a lot of St Kilda supporters down with a bit of a lack of effort across the board.”
Keogh’s team-mate that day was current BEACONSFIELD coach Aussie Jones, who kicked a brilliant goal. Jones gathered the ball on the half-back flank and took five bounces before driving home a long left-foot goal.
ROC coach Greg Tivendale is keen to lead the Kangaroos next year. “We’re starting to talk about it and work out where we are going and it will probably happen in the next few weeks,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it. A lot of people around the comp probably didn’t think we’d win a game all year, so we’ve done well to get four (wins) for the year, which is above where we were last year. Hopefully, we can finish off with a couple more before the year’s out.”
WHILE the media focused on the birth of Chris Judd’s son, Carlton might have another father-son coming through. Ex-Blues premiership player and 234-game veteran Dean Rice welcomed son Xavier into the world last week.
WITH the finals approaching in two weeks time, injury lists are being keenly scrutinised and EDFL pacesetters GARFIELD and NEERIM/NEERIM SOUTH are two sides that rival teams are keeping a close watch on. Both have suffered a few big blows in recent weeks, which have provided their adversaries with renewed hope. GARFIELD looks to have lost key playmaker Ned Marsh to a season-ending knee injury while early in the second quarter on Saturday against BUNYIP, under-rated and hard nut Stars midfielder Phil Burns left the field with what appeared to be a serious leg injury and he did not make an appearance for the rest of the game. NEERIM/NEERIM SOUTH, which has assumed premiership favouritism in many circles, also has concerns with what appeared to be serious hamstring injuries to strong-bodied forward Chris Redl and veteran Jack Halligan against ELLINBANK.
FORMER BUNYIP under-age star Michael Ross made his AFL debut for ESSENDON against COLLINGWOOD on Sunday. A midfielder who was picked at selection number 80 from GIPPSLAND POWER in the 2010 AFL draft, he joins his brother Ben, a midfielder at NORTH MELBOURNE, who has been sidelined for a good deal of the last two seasons with a chronic groin injury, as the latest brotherly combination to make the big league. Off course SYDNEY SWANS star Shane Mumford has put BUNYIP on the map in recent years with his outstanding performances.
The Bombers have recruited a number of players from this sideof town in recent times led by LEONGATHA’s Dyson Heppell and SOMERVILLE, DANDENONG and FRANKSTON DOLPHINS defender Michael Hibberd, who made his AFL debut earlier in the season.
BAIRNSDALE pulled a rabbit from its hat on Sunday with the selection of Adrian Bromage for his first senior game of the season. Bromage had not played a game of football this season and is 40 years of age but with the late withdrawal of star forward Mark Sellings the Redlegs took a punt on Bromage, who has been helping the club with training.
Bromage was a Sandover medallist with EAST FREMANTLE in the WAFL in 1998. Insiders report he played more than a serviceable game and will be hard to displace from the team this week.
MANY a man may have been tempted to give it a miss but not BULN BULN’s Daniel Charles who showed his commitment to the Lyrebirds the previous Saturday by releasing himself from hospital, where he was being treated for pneumonia, to coach his team. Charles has impressed all and sundry over his two years at BULN BULN, both on and off the field. He has not yet been appointed for next season, but one thinks if he puts up his hand it will be a fait accompli. The club has said all coaching appointments will be addressed after the season because the Lyrebirds are still busy over the next month with finals representation in four grades.
EDFL finals venues will be announced this week. Word around the traps suggests NAR NAR GOON has firmed to host the grand final while POOWONG has been touted as a sleeper and from all reports will definitely get a gig and still a chance to host the big one.
