Gippsland comes up for Ayres

By Peter Sweeney
ONE of the greatest footballers Gippsland has produced, Gary Ayres will have a large local following when he coaches the unbeaten Port Melbourne in Sunday’s VFL grand final at Etihad Stadium.
This part of the world, Warragul in particular, is close to his heart.
“Only one win last year and one this year, it’s a bit sad,” Ayres said of his old club.
“I only played about 20 games at Warragul but I still follow them.
“And I see where Drouin is in the grand final. My late dad and a mate of his had a lot to do with the juniors at Drouin and I started there.
“I was down at a Warragul Industrials game not long ago. My brother and some of his mates are involved and they had a function. It’s great to get back to grass-roots footy.”
A five-time premiership player and dual Norm Smith medallist with Hawthorn, Ayres has his eyes fixed on only one day – Sunday – when the Borough plays Williamstown.
“Yeah, we’re unbeaten, but we still have to win,” he said.
“We get an extra day’s break but we will have an extra session. It’s more the mental stuff, because you can’t get them fitter at this time of year.
“No, I don’t feel any extra pressure being unbeaten. And I think we will handle the ground, as we’ve played on some big grounds this season.”