SAM PLEMING ROWAN ANDREWS MYLES SEWELL VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE RECORD TRIPLE TREAT Berry, Gallagher and Summers reach 100 games ROUND 16 AUGUST 2-3, 2008 $ INC EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE 3 GST Congratulations to NEIL WINTERTON (Frankston) This week’s winner of the Ford “Best on Ground” Ute Visit theoval.com.au for more information. theoval.com.au EDITORIAL One of the unique aspects of the VFL is it allows for genuine Superstars AFL stars to play at any time during a season. add lustre In recent years, we have seen Brownlow medallist and VFL welcomes its AFL Cousins Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley play for Williamstown and Richmond’s Matthew Richardson In this issue (pages 22-23), Meanwhile, the AFL Second- run out with the Coburg Tigers. experienced coaches Gary Ayres, Tier Review Recommendations This season, we have seen St Greg Hutchison and Brad Gotch report, under the guidance of Kilda stars Fraser Gehrig, Nick all say the involvement of AFL Grant Williams, continues its Dal Santo and Stephen Milne stars at VFL clubs is a positive for consultation process. play with the Casey Scorpions, everyone concerned. Already, TAC Cup region while North Melbourne’s Nathan The impact of AFL stars managers and VFL clubs have Thompson recently pulled on the playing in the VFL is far reaching. been consulted on the proposed Werribee Tigers’ guernsey. They boost crowd attendances regional changes and we are As the 2008 finals race and gatetakings, spark media currently reviewing submissions. intensifies it’s also likely Western attention and greater interest in The report is close to finalising Bulldog star Scott West will return the competition. the talent region boundaries, from injury via Williamstown. While the VFL provides an while all VFL club presidents Speculation also continues increasingly high standard of and general managers and TAC that former West Coast captain football and a defined pathway for Cup region managers are being and Brownlow medallist Ben all aspiring players, appearances canvassed on the best model for Cousins will train with Port by the likes of Buckley, Richardson integrated VFL-TAC Cup teams. Melbourne, and Geelong and Dal Santo add an intangible Throughout this process, premiership player Nathan Ablett quality to the competition. Williams and AFL Victoria CEO will resume playing with the Cats It allows VFL players an Peter Schwab have regularly in the VFL. opportunity to witness these presented development reports It’s been suggested the greats of the game up close, to the AFL. presence of such superstars can offering an insight into what has be an unwarranted distraction for taken them to the top. John Hook their aligned VFL club but that is Surely, this is something to Football Operations Manager, a particularly negative view. be savoured. AFL Victoria AFL Victoria Chief Executive Officer: ROUND 16 Peter Schwab CONTENTS august 2-3, 2008 Football Operations Manager: John Hook Young Gun: Sam Pleming 5 COVER: Frankston’s Justin Statistics: Sam Coen Manager Director, Geoff Slattery Publishing: Rowan Andrews 6 Berry and Sandringham’s David Geoff Slattery Editor: Nick Bowen Myles Sewell 7 Gallagher and Peter Summers Designer: Karl Chandler all celebrate their 100th VFL Photo Manager: Natalie Boccassini Round 16 preview 8 Photography: Getty Images (02) 9004 2250 games this round. Advertising: Jennifer Pryor (03) 8663 3007 AFL stars in the VFL 22-23 Printed by: Condor Printing Address correspondence: The Editor, GPO Ryan Breese 26 Box 4337, Melbourne, 3001. Phone: (03) 8663 3000 Dean Limbach 27 VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE RECORD 3 COMMUNITY RADIO Come rain, hail or shine, a committed band of volunteer Voices of the VFL community radio broadcasters trek around the state to bring Community callers’ love of the game. VFL action live to the fans, whether at the ground, in their By Travis Parnaby living rooms or on the other side of the globe. Double X’ s Casey 3SER has been a VFL commentary team broadcast partner since 1993, call the action at a Double X joined the fold last year recent VFL game. to give the competition a boost in exposure and Whitehorse-based 3WBC calls Box Hill home games. Casey 3SER football director Kain Pollard’s Saturday starts bright and early as he presents the VFL Footy Show. From the show’s finish at 10.30am, Pollard and technician Jim Hines jump in the car for the mad dash from Casey 3SER’s Cranbourne studios to a VFL ground for the first bounce. Getting the broadcast to air presents a real challenge. and being boundary rider I’ve Pollard, who invests at least 18 “At Frankston, we used to certainly copped the brunt of that hours every weekend into Casey run (the phone line) up through big gush of wind coming off the 3SER’s VFL coverage, agrees. the back of a church at the beach,” Lee, 28, says. “I actually love the VFL back of the old grandstand,” competition, that’s the thing about Pollard recalls. VFL on air it. I used to be an AFL head. “We once blew the digital Now my passion’s with the VFL,” Casey 3SER 97.7FM equipment up at Windy Hill and Pollard, 26, says. 3ser.org.au then the car broke down. “At Bendigo-Collingwood – “Sometimes it’s all on song and 1611am Double X 90-point margin, eight degrees sometimes something could throw doublex.com.au in the box – yeah, it makes you us off but that’s community radio 3WBC 94.1FM think if it’s all worth it but then at its best.” 3wbc.org.au someone might send you an email Then there is the challenge of saying, ‘Good call, thanks for the elements – rain, heavy winds “You do it because you love it broadcasting it’. and sun in the eyes. Double X and you want to do it, that’s the “You meet the community on boundary rider Matt “Spider” Lee motivating force behind it. a different level, the characters of knows such adversities all too well. “The good thing is that we’re the VFL come out and that’s all “We have had a couple of cold all good mates who do it and we part of it, the people you meet and afternoons down at Williamstown know how each other works.” the relationships you build.” 4 visit: victorianfootballleague.com.au YOUNG GUN: SAM PLEMING “At Port it’s more like the At home country club back home. It’s all your mates and we spend a lot of time together off the field and in the that closeness brings you closer together on the field.” Borough Pleming has witnessed Port Melbourne’s evolution Pleming lauds as a stand-alone club first hand, having joined the camaraderie at Port Borough in its first year going it alone, 2006. In many ways Port Melbourne Then, the club was could not be further removed the whipping boy of the from Maffra, the hometown competition, winning just of Borough defender three games to finish at the Sam Pleming. foot of the ladder. But for all their differences, But Port regrouped to play Pleming says the towns share in a semi-final last season. And one striking similarity and that this year it has recaptured some similarity is a large reason why the of its best form since its halcyon Borough is a strong chance to end days in the mid ’70s-early ’80s, its 26-year premiership drought recently going on an eight-game this year. winning streak. After spending a couple of While Port’s player depth has seasons as a Carlton rookie and gradually improved, Pleming playing for the Northern Bullants, says the confidence and self- Pleming, 22, said the spirit at belief among the playing group TEAC Oval this season reminded this season has been equally him of playing football back home. important in its success. Pleming says for all the Pleming says most of the positives aligned clubs derive from group have now been together for their involvement with AFL players two-three years and are focused they do not match the camaraderie on what they want to achieve. stand-alone clubs enjoy. “When I talk about the belief the Maffra boy “We know we are the ones that players have got in one another, Sam Fleming have to do the job,” Pleming says. there’s no doubt that Gary Ayres is is loving life in the big smoke “We are the ones that are a big part in that,” Pleming says. as he helps there training every night, we are “The belief he has instilled in Port Melbourne the ones that have been there the young boys who were not sure shoot for its first premiership in since November. You have that whether they good enough to play 26 years. continuity all the time. at the level has been great.” “I played a couple of years at And to make Pleming feel even the Bullants and you notice with more at home in the Borough, the alignment it’s very hard. Ayres, like him, is a country boy. VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE RECORD 55 ROWAN ANDREWS pre-season training in an effort to first time in longer than he cares Rowan’s play for the Devils in 2008. to remember. Asked why he rolled the dice Andrews would love Tasmania again, Andrews simply replied: to post some more wins before rotten run “I just love playing football. I just the curtain falls on 2008, but wanted to keep playing football.” already he’s excited about what Tassie ruckman Not that Andrews was ever season 2009 holds. finally rises looking for any sympathy cards.