RESURRECTING East Warrnambool as a football force is at the top of the to-do list for new Bombers president Richard Jaynes. Jaynes, who has taken over the top job after work commitments forced senior police officer Shane Keogh to step down, is driving moves to lift the battling Bombers. He said the club had some “fantastic” people working behind the scenes. “They are going in the right direction,” he said. “Obviously the footy side of things has been languishing but my role is to make it as successful as the netball. We are reconnecting with a lot of past players and trying to get old traditions back to the club. We are taking a different direction and trying to get more people involved with the club.” He said re-establishing the football aspect was a long-term job. “We are going to have to build relationships with organisations and people. We have to get back to the family roots. I think we have lost that over the last decade. We want to make it a really great place for families to be involved.” He said the Bombers were encouraging former players, supporters and volunteers back to the Bombers and hoped their children would become involved, creating a nucleus for the future. It was through his children and wife Deanne that he got involved with the club four years ago. Jaynes said it was his daughters playing netball and his wife having a leading role in last year’s A grade netball premiership that led him to join the committee.
AN initial training squad of 39 players has been selected to represent the Hampden league in its match against Mornington Peninsula at Camperdown next month. Selectors unveiled the squad ahead of next Wednesday’s opening training session at Terang. The squad includes a host of new recruits to the league including Warrnambool’s Brendan Moore, Port Fairy’s Trinity Handley and Cobden returnee, former HFNL representative onballer Stephen Dickinson. Selectors also announced an under 18 training squad which will have its first run together next Wednesday with the seniors following. The squads are —
Seniors: Russell Whiteford, Fraser Lucas, Luke Clarke (Camperdown), Stephen Dickinson, Levi Dare, James Gellie, Ricky Sullivan, Paul Foster, Jackson Merrett (Cobden), Simon O’Keefe, Ben Goodall, Dean Gavin, Todd McLean, Joe McLaren (Koroit), Trinity Handley, Tim Robertson, Peter Jelbart, Sam Fary (Port Fairy), Liam Ryan, Tom Batten, Matthew Wines (North Warrnambool Eagles), Tom Crosby, Danny Finn, Jarrod Thompson, Nick Thompson, James Hussey (South Warrnambool), Josh Baxter, Joel Moloney, Damian O’Connor, Connor Arnott, Stephen Staunton, Tim McKinnon (Terang Mortlake), Jason Rowan, Josh Walters, Ashley McCorkell, Brendan Moore, Travis Graham, Adam McCorkell, Lucas Boyd (Warrnambool).
The under 18 squad is: Jack Hickey, Jacob Meade, Fraser Lucas, Charlie Bradshaw, Alex Place, Tyson Osbourne, Abraham Roberts (Camperdown), Tom Spokes, Jackson Merrett, Tom Watson, Joel Theodore, Tom Hulands, Jacob Ryan (Cobden), Levi Geebung, Brady Purcell, Brandon Everard, Jono Auld, James North, Joe McCosh, Sam Gleeson (Koroit), Robbie Hare, Lauchie Chapman, Sam Lovell, Ashley Rendell, David Kennedy (Port Fairy), Aidan Long, Tom Smith, Darcy Keast, Daniel Threlfall, Devon Healy, Justin Robertson, Andy McMeel North Warrnambool Eagles), Paddy McMahon, Jamie Mugavin, Tom Clancy, Bradyn Hotker, Shane O’Leary, Steven Eccles (South Warrnambool), Connor Arnott,
Jake Meade, Ben McLean, Matt Spencer, Jake Richardson, Justin Wallace (Terang Mortlake), Darcy Graham, Henry Jacobs, Grady Sheppard, Corey McLaren, Tim McPherson, Jordy O’Brien, Tom Wilson (Warrnambool).
IT’S not often a player asks to be demoted to the reserves. But in the case of Koroit’s Chris McLaren, he had a good reason. McLaren opted not to play with the Saints seniors in last Saturday’s grand final rematch against Warrnambool because he needed an early exit from Victoria Park. McLaren, who kicked a goal for the Saints reserves, had to catch a plane to Perth for a close mate’s wedding, which he did, and then returned home on Monday.
ALLANSFORD veteran Gerard Farley (below) enters the club’s record books tomorrow when he clocks up his 250th senior game. The forward becomes just the fourth Cats player to reach the milestone. Farley is still a long way behind the club’s games record holder Neil 'Digger’ Smith (338) and Nathan Dean (313) but at 33 could yet catch one of his former teammates Steve Vickers, who made 269 senior appearances. While the club is excited about the achievement, Farley this week politely declined an opportunity to talk about it with The Standard. “I just want to fly under the radar,” Farley said. Farley’s Cats have a tough round-four assignment tomorrow, an away game against defending premier Kolora-Noorat.
DENNINGTO N has added incentive to knock off Nirranda tomorrow, with Mick Phillips due to rack up his 150th match for the club. The utility, who started his junior footy with the Dogs, has come off the bench for the seniors in the first three opening rounds this season. His club is celebrating its centenary, with 2010 marking 100 years since it first played competitive football. The Dogs will commemorate the milestone with a centenary dinner on May 29.
IMAGINE having arguably the best forward combination in the AFL cheering you on. It’s what former South Warrnambool player Shaun Mugavin got a fortnight ago when he was playing his 100th QAFL game. Offering advice from over the fence was cousin Jonathan Brown and his new partner-in-crime, Brendan Fevola. “They kept on yelling to me ‘push them out of the way Mugsy, push them out of the way’ to get more space. I had it ringing in my ears,” Mugavin told the AFL Queensland website. “It was a bit of a laugh. It’s a pretty good fan base to have, Brown and Fevola. Big Browny’s great. I’ll go over there and have a yarn with him and he’ll give me a few forward line tips. He just tells me to get them all out of the way. ‘Push them out of the way’.” Mugavin kicked 3.5 as his team, Morningside, thrashed Mt Gravatt in the grand final re-match by 88 points.
VETERAN Warrnambool umpire Robert Campbell adds another milestone to his long list of achievements when he officiates in his 650th game tomorrow. Campbell, who
started umpiring in 1977, is a life member of the Warrnambool and District Football Umpires’ Association, having served on the executive and been a stalwart on the ground. He completed 203 games as a central umpire, 64 running the boundary and 379 standing between the goal posts. His highlights include officiating as a goal umpire in the 1999 and 2002 Warrnambool and District Football Netball League senior grand finals.
THE Anzac legend will be honoured by the Hampden league tomorrow. Under the league’s community relations program, Anzac Day will be commemorated at games in conjunction with the RSL. Ex-service members will be selling Anzac Day merchandise and RSL memberships as a fund-raising at Reid and Bushfield ovals. HFNL chief executive Stephen Soulsby said a similar initiative could also take place at the gates of Leura Oval and Terang Recreation Reserve. Soulsby urged players and members to support the RSL’s programs.
THERE may be a new training drill at Kardinia Park after Gary Ablett’s involvement in a schoolyard game at Nullawarre and District Primary School this week. But it seems not everyone is familiar with the childhood game of Duck, Duck, Goose so we’ve consulted some big kids in the office. Our resident expert says participants form a ring, sitting on the ground. One person walks around the outside, tapping the other participants on the head with the refrain “duck, duck”. When the chant changes to “goose” the person chosen must jump up and race them around the ring, back to the vacant spot in the circle. The loser is then responsible for selecting the next “duck” or “goose”.
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