ONE of country football's great mysteries remains unsolved after Harrow-Balmoral's 1999 premiership reunion.
The Kangaroos held activities across three days last weekend, coinciding with the Horsham and District Football League encounter with Kalkee at Balmoral.
The match and a reunion dinner which followed attracted most of the '99 team, including match hero Ross Andrews - who had played earlier in the day for Nyah - and coach Jamie Templeton.
But as joint organiser Tim Leeming revealed this week, no one came forward to accept responsibility for the great premiership cup incident.
On the third day of celebrations after Andrews kicked it to a one-point victory against Kalkee, the cup was transformed from its circular shape to a flattened piece of metal when it was placed under the wheels of the team bus.
Leeming said the league was unimpressed and club officials hastily purchased a replacement cup, which was closely guarded last weekend.
He said the '99 premiership came in the third year of the Harrow-Balmoral merger and was a turning point for the football union.
Balmoral crossed from the neighbouring South West league, while Harrow was previously involved in a three-way HDFL merger with Douglas and Mija Lake. Harrow-Balmoral went on to win flags in 2002, '04 and '07.
Trivia buffs at the club still relish the remarkable scoring coincidence from grand final day in '99.
The senior football team kicked 46 points to Kalkee's 45, while the senior netball team won its grand final with a score of 46 goals to 45.
The crowd at last Saturday's match was swelled by a 1959 Balmoral premiership reunion.
DEAKIN University joint playing coaches Luke Jackson and David Atkinson will finish the season in contrasting circumstances tomorrow at the Pond.
Jackson lines up against South Rovers for his 200th club game with the Sharks, only the fifth person to achieve the milestone.
Atkinson has been relegated to the sidelines in the role of non-playing coach. He fractured his left eye socket and cheekbone at Panmure in round 16, which required surgery the following day to repair.
Atkinson revealed the injury was caused by a head clash in the second quarter.
"I wasn't real well for a couple of days,'' he said.
"I went out to training the following week and half the boys didn't recognise me.''
Atkinson has been advised not to play football for three months but is relishing the challenge of making a contribution to the Sharks from the bench.
After suffering bleeding on the brain in 2005 from a knee to the head, Atkinson is foreshadowing a protective helmet will be in his sports bag for the 2010 season.
FAR-FLUNG footballers Darren Ewing, Shaun Mugavin and Korey Fulton are making their mark in the top grade of QAFL competition.
Ewing, formerly of Penshurst, North Ballarat Rebels and Warrnambool, leads the QAFL goalkicking with 71 after snaring seven goals for the Northern Territory in a narrow loss to Redland last weekend in Alice Springs.
The NT is making a strong impact in its QAFL debut season, sitting third on the ladder (10-5) with three rounds to play.
Former South Warrnambool footballers Shaun Mugavin (Morningside) and Korey Fulton (Broadbeach) also figure on the goalkicking list.
Mugavin kicked four on the weekend for a season tally of 53, while Fulton kicked two for 46.
THE clock is ticking for Cobden key position player Brett Taylor. His likely return from a broken arm in time for finals has been heightened by appearances at training and a match-day role as runner.
But coach Wayne Walsh revealed the break had been slow to heal and Taylor was no certainty to play again this season.
"I think if he doesn't come up in the next week he won't play,'' Walsh said.
"Probably this week or next week we'd want him playing to get some touch before finals.''
Email a friend