Teen champ's unlucky break

PORT Fairy teenager Xavier McCartney is coming to terms with the second bad break in a promising football and golfing career. The latest setback to his sporting pursuits came from a seemingly innocuous tackle during the HFNL under 18 encounter with Cobden in round one. In his first game back from a badly broken left arm sustained midway through last season, Xavier felt soreness in the same area but played on for five minutes before being forced from the field. He waited until Wednesday before seeking scans, which revealed a crack in the same bone. Xavier told The Standard he was likely to miss the remainder of the season and may face further surgery. His first break required the surgical insertion of pins, which were removed in the lead-up to the 2009 season. "I was looking forward to a big season too,'' he said. Xavier, a goalkicking midfielder, played two senior games with the Seagulls last season and was named an emergency for round one. Senior coach Shane Threlfall said Xavier would have played more senior football this season without the injury setback. "That's unfortunate for someone so young,'' Threlfall said. Port Fairy Golf Club will also be missing Xavier's talents on the fairways. The four-handicapper is Port Fairy's reigning senior and junior champion.WEATHER can be a relative force. Footballers and netballers who thought they had difficult playing conditions on Anzac Day only had to step outside the following day, wet a finger tip and raise it to the heavens to realise they dodged a bullet. With split rounds in some leagues and a full fixture of Sunday matches in the WDFNL, the discomfort meter was pushing into the red zone. As well as the rain squalls which accompanied Saturday's action, gale-force south-west winds entered the equation on Sunday. Illustrations of its strength came from neighbouring grounds in Albert Park. Early in the third quarter of the HFNL contest between Warrnambool and Port Fairy at Reid Oval, Blues' onballer Josh Walters won possession from a centre bounce, ran forward and kicked powerfully towards the southern end of the ground. The ball left his foot on a low trajectory, was blown upwards and then back from where it came. By the time it came to ground Walters registered a net loss with his possession. Across the park at Mack Oval, footballers in the WDFNL round four fixture between Russells Creek and Allansford had to contend with regular ground invasions by netballs blown from the adjacent court. One of the many escapees made it to the eastern side of the ground.TEAMMATES last season at Gardens Oval, Josh Walters and Brad McCosh were jostling for position as opponents on Sunday at Reid Oval in the match between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. Walters' return to his home club after a decorated stint with Port Fairy set up the intriguing match-up, which must have felt a little strange for the pair.WHILE on the subject of Warrnambool Football Club, there have been some high-level changes in the wake of Jason Fitzgibbon's resignation as football operations manager. The board successfully approached club chairman Ray Phillips to fill the vacant position, then appointed Mark O'Keeffe as his replacement. Phillips says the changes better utilise both men's talents, as he has an extensive background in sporting administration and O'Keeffe has greater football knowledge. O'Keeffe's football background is well documented, while Phillips came through the club's junior football structure after roles with Ballarat Tennis Advancement Council, Noradjuha Football Club and Waubra Tennis Association. He also umpired more than 200 games of football through the Ballarat Football Umpires' Association. Phillips, a primary school principal, is busy juggling both roles. "It's very time consuming, very demanding but I just love it,'' he said.WELL-READ football followers will have picked up on a familiar name appearing in the best players for VFL side Northern Bullants in the first three rounds. Jarrod McCorkell, Warrnambool's 2008 best and fairest winner and brother of former coach Dustin, signed with the Bullants during the off-season and is making a favourable impression with his new club. Northern marketing manager Quentin Aisbett said McCorkell was among the best in each of the Bullants' first three matches. "He's very polished,'' he said. "We're ecstatic about picking him up.''