Australia’s Favourite Football Fanzine ? www.goalweekly.com $4 Season 5: Issue 6 Monday 30th March 2009 AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST CURRENT PLAYER PART 2 ? WORLD CUP PREVIEWS ? AND REVIEWS LOCAL LEAGUESPhoto: John Punshon KICK OFF! GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL GETS UNDERWAY ACROSS VICTORIA SL SE3 FIXTURES / BLIGHTY BATTLES / VPL Round 5 FOOTBALL FEATURE Sunshine Georgie’s Wayne Wallace WAYNE’S WORLD Captain Wallace Content At Cross WAYNE Wallace and Sunshine George Oakleigh, Georgies hadn’t lost three games in Cross were part of a miracle on Ed- a row under O’Dell and most pundits consid- ward Street last Friday night and it had ered the side unlucky not to take more out of nothing to do with Georgies winning its opening four games. 1–0 away from home against Oakleigh “It’s not like we weren’t playing well. If it Cannons. was you could go home and say to yourself No the miracle I’m referring to was the fact we were beaten by better sides but we’ve been that George Cross coach Andy O’Dell didn’t really unlucky so far and we just haven’t been get sent off the bench! getting the breaks.” And when the fi nal whistle went and Wallace O’Dell didn’t care much about not getting and his teammates embraced, O’Dell, ever the the breaks when he locked his men into their showman, made a beeline for the large travel- dressing rooms after losing 1–0 to Richmond ling contingent of George Cross fans next to at Kevin Bartlett Reserve a fortnight back. the players’ race and raised both clenched fi sts You didn’t need to gain access to the rooms to into the night air in an unabashed display of hear O’Dell’s tirade after a game that Georgies triumphalism and sheer joy. deserved to get something out of. But there’s also a miraculous element to 24- “Andy’s a winner and he’s very passionate year-old Wallace’s story because he didn’t about football. When you lose by a daft goal start playing football until he was 17, prefer- (against Richmond) that really riles him a ring to put his talents to use as a rugby league lot. When we got nothing out of that game he player. couldn’t hold himself back. “I was a bit small when I was younger and “The club’s been up and down for years and it wasn’t really till I shot up a fair bit that I we’ve really set ourselves to stay in Premier started to think about playing football,” said League this year and I think the committee Wallace. and supporters will be pleased if we can do Trials were arranged for the Hull-born teen- that. ager with Unibond League outfi t Bridlington “It’s a great club to play for, it really is. I’m Town (currently playing in the Northern just happy playing here and it’s an honour to Counties East League Premier Division) and captain a club like this. the Seasiders liked what they saw. “I’m not interested in chasing the money Wallace didn’t take long to become a fi rst because I’m comfortable over here and happy team regular and in only his third full football at George Cross. Our supporters have been season won the club’s young player of the year fantastic and we’d like to reward them.” award. “Football’s a bit more technical over here in ber and later that month after an operation to But despite how contented the big man is at But after the next season he broke a bone in a way. It’s a lot more physical back home and insert pins in the injured hand he went back to George Cross it’s his personal life that may his foot, returned to action too soon and broke given that I’m a fairly physical type of player England for eight weeks. have a telling infl uence on the length of his it again. His second comeback ended just as I took some time to adjust. I kept getting “It was great to see everyone again but to be tenure here. abruptly when he broke a bone in the other booked for going into tackles that would have honest I couldn’t wait to get back here. Every- It’s diffi cult for Wallace and girlfriend Dan- foot. been fi ne back home but eventually I got used one back home is doing the same things they ielle to continue to nurture a long-distance He hardly played for three seasons and was to things and was able to change the way I were doing when you left. Nothing’s changed. relationship. Danielle spent six months here forced to endure lengthy periods of phys- played.” “I love the laidback lifestyle over here. Ev- last year and a second trip to Melbourne ended iotherapy but combined with strengthening Wallace proved his versatility last season by eryone here is pretty much chilled out and it yesterday when she fl ew back to England. exercises he fi nally overcame what threatened fi lling in for 10 games as a central defender to makes a big difference to you when you can “I’ll go home at the end of the season and to be a career-ending complaint. cover for an injured teammate and the 2008 fi nish work and go to the beach. Back home I we’ll have to make a decision as to whether When O’Dell brought out midfi elder Anthony season proved spectacularly successful as went to work when it was dark and came back or not she moves out here. I want to live out Bowsley during the 2007–08 off-season he’d George Cross clinched the Division One title from work when it was dark.” here for ever but at this stage all I can say (to inadvertently found the link that would unite returning to its traditional place among Victo- Wallace arrived back at Chaplin Reserve in George Cross fans) is that I’ll defi nitely be Wallace with the Chaplin Reserve outfi t. rian football’s elite. early January and is reaping the benefi t of a here next season anyway.” Bowsley texted his pal back in England and One of the motivational keys to the club’s two-month pre-season. Season 1977 was the club’s last championship told him what it was like playing here and success was the clever manipulation of the us “I just got my head down and went for it like success at the highest level in this state and when O’Dell offered to bring out the tall and them syndrome effected by O’Dell. The the other lads did. I’ve always done a hard George Cross has many fans that can remem- central midfi elder it didn’t take Wallace long canny coach kept reminding his charges that pre-season so it was nothing new to me.” ber that triumph and long for it to be repeated. to make up his mind. “everyone has written us off” and emphasised What is new though is the number of new They can rest easy that one of the linchpins in He quit his job and headed for Melbourne. He the point that they’d been given a wonderful faces in the squad, due primarily to the need their side will be wearing their famous colours was a fully qualifi ed electrician back home opportunity to silence their critics. to revamp it given the tougher standard of for at least another season and a half. and he soon arranged gaining an A-grade “It was a great season for us all round. We had competition in Premier League and partly due And who knows what can be achieved in that electrical licence here. He works for Easy Liv- a great start to the season despite people say- to some retirements. time? Maybe, just maybe, they’ll relive former ing Home Elevators and his employment has ing that we’d go straight down again. When “We’ve got a lot younger side this year and a glories with another championship to their enabled him to gain a three-year sponsored we got beaten 3–1 by Westgate we got written lot more depth. Last year we were limited and name thanks to a team led into battle by their visa. off again and Andy used that a lot to get the we only had about 17 players in the fi rst team very own braveheart. “When I fi rst came out I only had two or three lads fi red up.” squad. This year we’ve got around 23 or 24 weeks for pre-season before playing in the Georgies won the 2008 championship by three and at this level of competition you probably By Craig Mackenzie league and to be honest I didn’t really know points from Dandenong Thunder. Wallace need somewhere around that number.” Photo by Peter Kakalias what to expect,” said Wallace. broke his hand in a work accident in Novem- Going into last Friday night’s clash with Womens Coach Wanted South Yarra SC are seeking an enthusiastic coach for its senior womens reserves team. - Great opportunity to coach a senior team - Excellent club culture and support - Will work closely with senior coaches - Costs only provided Contact efi [email protected] or call 0439974490 p2 Monday 30th March 2009 Issue #6 [email protected] SOCCER HOTLINES THIS WEEK’S LINE UP LIGHTS OUT FOR SOCCEROOS! The Qantas Socceroos pledged their Buckley.