Whispers on the wind

AT: I hear that a high-profile Warrnambool and District league forward is helping police with their investigations into a taxi driver being bashed outside the Shamrock Hotel early Sunday morning. More developments are expected in the not too distant future. TA: Anything else going on?AT: Looks like Merrivale is going to regain the services of key position player Scott Kelly, who has been trotting around with Port Fairy. But whispers tells me that former Merrivale playing coach Jason Porter has a touch of glandular fever and could miss the rest of the season. Panmure may have trouble attracting the services of Allansford ruckman Tim Ward. That clearance is now listed as rejected on the league website.TA: I happened to catch up with the Racing Victoria chairman of stewards Des Gleeson and wife Helen in Warrnambool this week for a coffee.AT: Did Des give you a scoop as to what he's going to do when he stands down from his stewards role at RV on July 31?TA: I never got a scoop but he did tell me that while in Warrnambool he would be heading to Kermonds to order a couple of hamburgers to take home.AT: They take them home? All the way back to Melbourne?TA: Yes, the man who has worn a pork pie hat for more than 30 years told me that he asks the staff to cook the hamburgers and then put it all in a cold roll. Apparently, Des and Helen then drive to their Mont Albert home and put the hamburgers into the microwave at their leisure. Within a few seconds they reckon they have a lovely hot delicious Warrnambool Kermonds hamburger ready to eat at home. They have been taking home Kermonds like that for 30 years.AT: Did Des give you any other news?TA: Well, you know he's a one-eyed Western Bulldogs fan. His cousin Ray Murrihy, who is in charge of the stewards in New South Wales, has a son Glen getting married in Sydney on Saturday, September 27 - AFL grand final day. Des has already informed the Murrihys he will not be able to attend the wedding because he will be watching the Bullies play in the grand final.AT: It sounds like Des is pretty confident about the Bulldogs making it, although there is a long time between now and then. TA: The chief stipe said he and Helen would be flying to Sydney on Sunday, September 28, to have a few quite drinks with the Murrihys. Talking of celebrations, you would have had a big night last Sunday night.AT: Very quiet, Tim. Handy galloper Bombay Express, which is part-owned by the Bride, won at Warrnambool. TA: I've only got one little question to ask about the win. Veteran jockey `Nifty' Wilson has now won two races on the new Phar Lap. Have you dug into your pocket and given a sling to the little bloke on top? Whispers around the track are that Craig Newitt received a token of gratitude after he won at Pakenham. Surely, you could have shouted Nifty a slab of frothies after he kept the race for the connections in the stewards room.AT: As I mentioned I'm not even an owner. I'm pretty sure the Pakenham race was worth $50,000. Sunday's race was a bit further back down the scale. Nifty did a good job surviving the protest. Anyway, the Bride is still recovering from Sunday's win. She went over to the stables to see her horse and Bombay Express bite her on the arm. Nearly all her right arm went black and she had to go and get a tetanus shot. She couldn't sleep for three days. The bruising and the reaction to the tetanus shot was that bad.TA: Anything else going on?AT: We mentioned that Ros Cust who works at Barry Chicken Products had bought a new electric scooter/moped from Mount Gambier for about $1500 a couple of weeks ago. I understand the same scooter might be going fairly cheap and it's no longer in brand-new condition. Seems that the day I saw Ros was the first and only time she rode it to work. She took it for a spin and almost came off. Ros tried to sneak home but things went badly. She fell off, bent up the handle bars and she's now decided she needs to do a bit more practise before getting back in among the traffic. I think it might be a good time to make an offer for the untamed beast. TA: There's also going to be another jumps review at the end of this racing season. Jumps will have to be made bigger because the horses are just going too fast through them. Jumps racing should still be about jumping. Bigger jumps will slow down the racing.AT: See Tom McGeechan is leading the Callaghans Motors footy tipping on 79, just one ahead of Erin Kavanagh, Barry Day, Michael McMahon and Sam Lewis. McGeechan has nominated Deakin University so he and the Sharks could be in line to pick up $1000 each.TA: Interesting to note there might be a new funeral service starting in Warrnambool, going by what was said in a recent article. Expect more developments in the near future. Until next week, hooroo.