THERE will be a strong south-west flavour to the AFL grand final tomorrow at the MCG.
Colac's Luke Hodge and Warrnambool's Jordan Lewis will line up with Hawthorn against a Geelong team which features the talents of Casterton lad Max Rooke.
One of Camperdown's favourite football sons, Ken Hinkley, will make his input from the coaches' box as assistant to Mark Thompson.
Then there are the match officials who will include field umpire Shaun Ryan (Warrnambool) and boundary umpire Adam Coote (Camperdown).
The match will also contain a mini-reunion of sorts for 2001 Geelong Falcons teammates Luke Hodge, Jimmy Bartel and Gary Ablett. All were drafted at the end of that year: Hodge at number one, Bartel at eight and Ablett at 40.
FORGET home-ground advantage, try home rooms.
All the winning teams in last Saturday's HFNL grand finals came from the host club's rooms. They were Terang Mortlake in seniors and under 18s and South Warrnambool in the reserves.
League protocol stipulates the first team to qualify for a final is entitled to use the home rooms, with the exception that reserves and under 18 sides use the same accommodation as their senior team.
A week earlier at Reid Oval the trend was reversed, with the winning teams all coming from the visitors' rooms. They were Warrnambool (seniors), South Warrnambool (reserves) and Camperdown (under 18).
TERANG Mortlake playing coach Matthew Irving and his selectors were rewarded for their tough selection decisions leading into the grand final.
Calling up Geelong Falcons Luke Rounds and Jordie McKenzie left the match committee open to criticism, especially with Rounds making his senior debut in the biggest game of the season. For Irving, the risk was mitigated by a lucky trend that only he was aware of.
``He (Rounds) was the 11th bloke we've debuted this year and every one played in a winning game,'' he revealed. ``I wanted to keep that to myself.''
With all the focus on team outcomes, Irving deserves praise for his rapid development as a coach. In his two years as playing coach, the Bloods have finished third and first after being minor premier both years.
TERANG Mortlake runner Craig ``Bickies'' Kenna was well rewarded for his voluntary role on HFNL grand final day.
Kenna pocketed two premiership medals, running for the Bloods' under 18 and senior sides.
THE half-time football entertainment was memorable not just for the amazing leg speed of Ebony Place, who combined with Gary Rohan to give Cobden victory in a sprint relay on the ground.
There was a touch of drag to the hot shots shootout during the half-time interval at the netball, with contestants required to don their club's netball uniform.
Leigh Billington, representing Warrnambool, defeated opponents from six other clubs by netting his first shot from the edge of the goal circle.
COLAC had some high-profile support for its first GFL grand final last Saturday at Kardinia Park.
Among the large number of Tigers' fans was Sydney Swans onballer Amon Buchanan, who played his junior football in Colac before being drafted.
The match against St Mary's attracted one of the GFL's biggest grand final crowds, estimated at 10,000, with the majority supporting Colac. There was no fairytale finish for the Tigers, with hot favourite St Mary's triumphing 21.15 (141) to 5.12 (42).
SOME far-flung talent took to the field in the AFL Cairns Football League grand final last weekend.
Former Cobden player Adam Couch and Terang Mortlake's Stephen Lee lined up for Cairns Saints and, despite inaccurate conversion, overwhelmed South Cairns 14.19 (103) to 5.16 (46).
Couch regularly played at centre half-back for the Saints, with Lee on a wing.
Cairns Saints also won the reserves flag with a team which included former Warrnambool lad Luke Parsons, who was also runner-up in the league best and fairest. Another Warrnambool football export, Jeremy Lumsden, missed the game with injury.
IT was a mixed night for south-west football exports at the Brownlow Medal count.
Proven votegetter Jonathan Brown, of Brisbane Lions, was our leading performer with 10 votes, closely pressed by Hawthorn midfielder Jordan Lewis and Richmond rover Nathan Foley on nine.
Lewis' teammate Luke Hodge, one of the pre-count fancies, was left languishing on two votes, the same number as Sydney Swans rover Amon Buchanan.
Casterton's favourite football son, Max Rooke, was overshadowed by the Geelong stars but got on the board with one vote.
Among those who failed to register were Scott Lucas (Essendon), Steven Baker (St Kilda), Matthew Maguire (St Kilda) and Shannon Watt (North Melbourne).
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