TA: Heard a whisper during the week that Mark “Bunsen” Atchison from Warrnambool’s Boolbet came into a few extra dollars.
AT: I noticed while I was away that Fasilenko, a horse Bunsen part-owns, won a maiden hurdle at Warrnambool last Sunday. I suppose that is where he picked up the cash.
TA: He would have got a few dollars out of the win as the horse was a well-fancied $3.60 chance. I hope he put his hand in his pocket to pay the $300 winning jockey Tommy Logan was fined by stewards for his excessive use of the whip over the concluding stages in the hurdle to get the jumper over the line. However, Fasilenko’s win at Warrnambool was not where Bunsen had an earn. He also part-owned another horse Broken, which was sold to Hong Kong.
AT: Broken was a handy galloper scratched from Flemington last Saturday.
TA: The horse won four of his 12 starts but also managed six minor placings. Broken won more than $160,000 for his connections. Some sources will tell you that he was sold for close to $500,000 but I believe the figure might be a bit closer to $300,000. Surely it’s time for the big fella to shout a round of drinks for his mates.
AT: Talking of trying to get an earn I see you got in plenty of trouble this week. You put Warrnambool netball coach Lorraine English Under The Auld Pump and you got her talking about paying netball players. I’m tipping the subject caused some heartburn for club officials.
TA: What do you mean heartburn? What Lorraine said is right. The netballers deserve to be paid. They have generated a lot of interest and money for the Hampden league clubs. Netball has been the salvation of country footy, it’s made Saturdays a real family day. It’s time that the clubs put netball payments into their budgets. I reckon the Warrnambool and District Football Netball League should also pay senior netballers. You’re on the WDFNL executive, what’s your opinion?
AT: Just take a breath Tim, settle down. I think you’ll find the coaches and elite players are already well compensated. I’m sure that as the netball develops more players will be paid. Clubs have started recruiting couples because that way they can get a good footballer and netballer. Talking of getting excited, while I was in Queensland I went to a junior girls’ soccer match and rugby league games. Don’t worry about the Aussie rules parents — the rugby parents are in a league of their own. Hundreds of kids with games on three fields between 10am and 4pm on a Saturday and there’s just a little bit of feral in the ranks of rugby league parents. The AFL doesn’t realise how fanatical Queenslanders are about rugby league. Trying to establish teams at the Gold Coast and particularly West Sydney is going to be a long haul and only time will tell how successful the poaching of NRL stars for cash is going to be.
TA: How was the big trip after a few rough days early on?
AT: Had a great time, despite the Bride being a shocking, repeat, shocking navigator. The only thing she had no trouble finding during 10 days away were ATMs. We went up to Australia Zoo and I suffered through a Bindi concert. Lovely girl but can’t sing. It might be a good idea for her to concentrate on animal documentaries. It is the cleanest zoo in Australia. I was impressed. The most striking difference between here and Queensland, other than the weather, is the roads. We drove back from Avalon on Thursday evening and after driving around south-east Queensland I can only rate the Princes Highway as a death trap. Surely the days of single-lane highways are well behind us. Much going on locally?
TA: Your old mate Matty Monk has hung up the microphone at 3YB/Coast FM. I wonder what he is going to do with his spare time?
AT: Monky has been on and off the radio since 2002, firstly with 3YB and then Coast FM. Monky’s sensational on radio. I think you’ll find he might devote a bit more time to his family and his work in the hospitality industry. On to the subject of footy, any news?
TA: The only snippet of information which I’ve picked up is one Hampden league club might be looking for a new coach for next year, with him stepping into another position. The gossip sweeping Koroit relates to a pensioner who was seeing her daughter and grand-daughter off on the train to Melbourne at 5.30am but was a bit slow to exit and still on the train when it left the station. I hear the train had to stop at Deakin University to let her out. Until next week, hooroo.
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