VAFA RNd 17 06.qxd 17/8/06 8:28 AM Page 1 On the Record by Cameron Noakes The first VAFA final under lights was celebrated at In C Section, Ormond is headquarters last week in a Friday night Club XVIII game third and the Fitzroy between the Fitzroy Reds and Old Essendon. Reds are knocking on the In the next few weeks will we see more night finals, with door, keeping their hopes the U19 Blue section also set to play its finals under alive with a win against lights. the Monash Blues last week. Finals are exciting times and I think we all enjoy the atmosphere, the conditions and the intrigue that spring And in D1 Section, Old Geelong and Rupertswood have football brings. also had splendid years, with Old Geelong likely to play In my opinion, football is at its best this time of year on finals and Rupertswood just outside on percentage and the slightly firmer grounds and with the drier ball. an outside chance. The game is faster, the marks stick, the skills improve In D3, Elsternwick should also play its part in the spring, and you can almost smell the intensity in the spring air. climbing its way to third after a big win last week against I also enjoy watching great teams time their run for second-placed Bentleigh. finals action. So there is plenty to cheer about with the current state Isn’t amazing that on the cusp of the finals the Old of play of the VAFA and - unlike certain football callers Xaverians have clawed their way to the top to set from other leagues - our scribes and commentators themselves up for another spring campaign? Maybe it’s not amazing. Maybe it’s just the way a great seem to love the game they follow and love the VAFA football club operates and hence all its silverware. Xavs brand. expect to win cups and success is their culture. I recommend to everyone to have a listen to the boys Love them or hate them, all clubs should take a leaf out from 96.5 Inner FM on game day and their call of A of their book. Section football. In B-section, Collegians have and that is why the Lions, It is brilliant stuff, better than most of the professional under the guidance of former Xavs U19 coach Pat stations with guys who are passionate about the football Hawkins, are lining up for another tilt at A-section. they are watching. Incredibly, despite Hawkins taking the Lions from C They are certainly more informative and enthusiastic Section to A Section, they are yet to win a grand final so than the bunch of washed-up footballers currently one expects they will be hungrier than ever. Relegation battles are on everywhere but it is pleasing to calling AFL who are seemingly more interested in see most of the promoted teams this year not featuring themselves than the game. in those battles. The real strength of 2006 has been the impression the promoted clubs have made in their new sections. INDEX Coaches Clipboard..........................................................................12 In A Section, Old Ivanhoe and De La Salle have played a VAFA Media.....................................................................................24 big part in shaping this year’s final four with the Hoers FTLOTG......................................................................................32-33 spending a large chunk of the season in the top group Retrospective.............................................................................34-35 and De La proving to be one of the trickiest opponents Umpires Corner ..............................................................................41 in the competition. Sportscover Arena Draw ................................................................61 In B Section, the University Blacks are set to play in Tribunal & Investigations................................................................61 finals and Beaumaris has also had a memorable year, Sportscover Spot the Ball ..............................................................62 including a draw with Old Brighton that has prevented 2006 Ladders ............................................................................63-64 the latter from claiming top spot. THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER THE JOURNAL OF THE VICTORIAN AMATEUR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION August 19th, 2006 Price: $2.00 Vol. 06 No. 17 V THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2005 1 VAFA RNd 17 06.qxd 17/8/06 8:28 AM Page 2 A SECTION by Jonathan Horn Can I Borrow A Feeling? rise for and Bernards Why, of course you can Kirk Van Houten. Feeling around play Haileybury) town is that we’re headed for the salivating prospect of a Grand Final replay. Barry Richardson will hate me Today saying it, but Xavs surely couldn’t miss after wiping Like all great sporting Scotch off the map at Toorak Park on Saturday. Sam sides, when they are Johnston, having his best ever year as an amateur seemingly at their peak, the Xavs can often inexplicably footballer, was again dominant and Justin Arnold and go to sleep and drop a few games. Haileybury have Scott Mollard returned to form in style. everything to play for, are pretty well treated injury-wise For Scotch, Adam Routledge did a handy job on Matt and snuffed out their opponents at the Badlands earlier Handley, whose five goals all came in the 2nd half. in the year. But sorry Nicho, this looks like it could be Scotch are not cactus yet; their run home is pretty cosy one of the great Xavier sides. Home side by 25 points. and they always seem to pinch the close ones. But the Don’t get me started on Ivanhoe’s ground. Maybe the Xaverians just find another leg when the red jumpers recent fine weather will have smartened things up a come out to play…. little. Maybe someone might even find my shoe, which As awesome as that Xavier midfield looks, the Uni Blues got stuck in the mud several weeks ago, forcing me to boast a contingent that isn’t far behind. The Grammar walk around town like a one-shoe hobo. Whatever the showed a bit of spunk early but fizzled out in the last case, sending a De La side to Ivanhoe is a bit like quarter with Paterson running riot (again) and Heinz sending the Light Horse into Passchendale. Ivanhoe are (still can’t think of that look-alike) plugging holes nicely. proud, play their ground well and have a great record Jason Cordy, who kicked six, has only played seven against De La in big games. But they’re running out of games this year and will be a real wildcard comes finals stars and De La are smoking. Visitors by a goal. time. Will Harvey was the best OM. In the others, Scotch to beat Trinity, Bernards to beat While I babble on and on about Grand Final replays, Melburnians and Uni Blues to run all over Marcellin. there lurks a side who have gone about things with a minimum of fuss thus far. A team that was smarting just as much as the Blues over the events of last September. Haileybury. The Bloods have lost O’Farrell to injury, McKINNON Bourke to headquarters and Waite and Barker to other SPORTS MEDICINE leagues (“thanks for the trip to Ireland gents, we’re off SHARPSHOOTERS – A to the MPFL!”) but Hopwood, Brewer and some very NAME CLUB LST WK TOTAL handy kids out of school footy have offset the losses nicely. On Saturday, they doggedly saw off Ivanhoe, with A SECTION Paul Corrigan and Kynan Ford back to their best. Cultrera, Andy OLD TRINITY GR 3 54 Speaking of explosive midfielders, could Damien Handley, Matthew OLD XAVERIANS 5 50 Rayson be the best of the bunch? In Saturday’s 45-goal Gerstman, James OLD SCOTCH 1 40 shootout against Marcellin, the former Hampton Rovers Potter, Callan ST BERNARDS 2 38 player kicked an even five for the fifth time this season. Rayson, Damien DE LA SALLE 5 37 He’s an in-your-face type player who loves to stamp Clarke, Tim OLD XAVERIANS 0 29 himself on a game and with De La still a red-hot chance Lowcock, Andrew UNIVERSITY BLUES 0 27 for finals, Rayson is the one they’ll be looking to. Matt A SECTION RESERVE Bortolotto kicked seven for the Eagles, who lost no Smith, Daniel OLD XAVERIANS 0 39 admirers with their all out attack. Harris, Patrick ST BERNARDS 5 26 In the final game on Sunday, Bernards always had the Ts Morwood, Sam DE LA SALLE 7 24 under control, after a five goal to zip first stanza. Mick Widmer, Timothy OLD SCOTCH 1 22 Kavanagh did an admirable job on the lethal Cultrera and Handley, Matthew OLD XAVERIANS - 20 Tait Wilkinson had his best game of the year to date. Girdwood, Thomas UNIVERSITY BLUES 7 19 While both sides are stuck in no man’s land, they’re still Beaurepaire, James OLD SCOTCH 3 18 deadly on their day and could well shape the four come “-” results weren’t received. Any discrepancies may be due to non- Round 18 (Trinity play Xavs, who they always seem to submission of results by clubs. 2 V THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2006 VAFA RNd 17 06.qxd 17/8/06 8:28 AM Page 3 Peter Nicholson’s Best Ever Calls My Faves… LAST ROUND RESULTS – A 1/ Elsternwick Park, some baffling umpiring decisions. A SECTION OLD XAVERIANS 7.1 13.5 21.8 28.12 (180) Nicho turns around to league headquarters and OLD SCOTCH 4.2 9.4 11.4 16.7 (103) bellows to the powers that be... “WHERE’S BENNY Old Xav: Goals: J. Arnold 5, M. Handley 5, S. Mollard 5, A. Bowen 3, T. Clarke 3, S. Johnston 3, T. Ockleshaw, J. Pasceri, J. Scanlan, B. Hackett. Best: J. Arnold, D. GOODMAN? GET BENNY GOODMAN DOWN HERE Lynch, S. Mollard, S.