LIKE many people The Standard's journalists are adapting to a period with minimal regional sport amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Brian Allen, Justine McCullagh-Beasy and Nick Ansell are eager to talk sport via The Commentary Box.
NICK: It was good to see Warrnambool's Leon Cameron ink a contract extension with Greater Western Sydney on Wednesday. It made me think about the south-west's service to Australian rules football as there have been several top-line players and coaches come from our patch. Ken Hinkley is another Hampden league export plying his trade as a coach in the AFL. How do you rate how the south-west's elite coaches are tracking in 2020?
JUSTINE: It's remarkable to think that of the 18 current AFL coaches, two are from the Hampden league. Both Leon and Ken have had their highs and lows in the hot seat. Leon etched his name in the history books as the first coach to lead GWS Giants to a grand final last year but the club has found the going a bit tougher in 2020. The Giants struggled to score for a stretch before returning to form - sadly against my team Fremantle - last week. They are part of the log-jam of teams vying for the top eight. They have winnable games on the run home - Carlton and Adelaide before finishing with finals contenders Melbourne and St Kilda. If they can replicate the form they displayed against the Dockers then I think they should win all four and secure their spot. They need Jeremy Cameron, who has had a poor year by his high standards, to build on his four-goal return-to-form. If Jake Riccardi, a shrewd recruit out of the VFL, can complement him in attack then it will make goals easier to come by. As for Port, Ken has gone from under the pump to ladder-leader. The Power is playing an exciting brand and if they get a home preliminary final then look out.
BRIAN: Leon did something really decent when I reported on the AFL grand final last year and I'll forever admire him for it. It had been an incredibly tough day for him and I was hoping to ask for a comment about what it meant to have the Warrnambool support behind him during grand final week. I didn't attend the press conference given I thought it would be weird to ask about Warrnambool there so I waited until just after and found him in the change rooms. I mustered up all my courage and called his name and explained who I was. He asked me if I'd been to the presser and I said no. So he basically gave me a summary of what I figured he had said in the presser and then expressed his thanks to the south-west community. He even said "Good on you, lad" at the end. To do what he did, on what would have been one of the hardest days for him, just shows how decent-hearted he is.
NICK: Both are shrewd coaches and have shown as much over the past couple of seasons. It's good to see Hinkley having some success as Justine just alluded to and I reckon it's a matter of time before his contract extension is announced as well. What he's been able to do under pressure this season has been phenomenal. Would be fantastic - albeit a bit of a long shot - if both could somehow secure a grand final berth. Imagine that - two Hampden league exports coaching head-to-head in a decider.
BRIAN: That would create plenty of buzz in the community and our newsroom, Nick! Something I want to ask you two about is the AFL night grand final? I'm pumped. I want to see what entertainment value it can add to the big game. It's the perfect year to test it.
JUSTINE: Wow, imagine that. It would be incredible. Leon is very generous with his time, Brian. In grand final week he would have been inundated with media requests but he took half-an-hour out of his day to speak to me for a feature in The Standard about his rise from a young kid getting a kick at Caramut to the AFL's biggest stage. I think those who remember where they started - golfer Marc Leishman is a prime example - are recognised for doing just that within the community. I am a traditionalist and prefer the afternoon grand final time-slot but think this is the perfect opportunity to test out a night-time decider. Optus Stadium, with its fancy light show, would've been amazing for entertainment value. The Gabba, let's be honest, is not the ideal venue for a grand final. Hopefully the AFL can attract some talented Australian musicians to feature at half-time.
