● ● ● ● THE LAND | Thursday, July 9, 2015 NEWS 9 Wool part of the Ross Wells soars to take a specky over Justin Koschitzke, Luke Breust, Jim fabric of football Prentice and Tom Hawkins. By CARA Prentice played 58 games for paign co-creator Marius JEFFERY South Melbourne as centre Cuming said the Ultimate half forward from 1971 to Wool Team highlighted the VER since a young Tom 1974 and kicked 44 goals. important role of woolgrowers Wills dreamt of a new Brothers Ricky, Mike and and the greater farming indus- Egame on his father’s sheep Tom Quade, from Ariah Park - try to Australian life. station in western Victoria in whose football careers “AWI wanted to help secure 1857, the wool industry and spanned the 1970s and 1980s - our social licence with the Australian football have been were also named in the Australian population and interwoven. Riverina squad. to remind Australians of It was natural for Australian Former St Kilda big man the importance of the wool Wool Innovation (AWI) and Justin Koschitzke, from a industry to our country via Footy Almanac to team up and mixed farm at Brockelsby, has football,” he said. scour the country for the been named as a follower with Mr Cuming said the Fibre of greatest football players (past Ross Wells, Willandra Merino Football campaign had proven and present) to be involved stud, Jerilderie, at interchange. a success with woollen with the wool industry in The initiative is part of AWI’s garments sold via the AFL for naming the national Ultimate Fibre of Football campaign the first time in decades, Wool Team of all time. and John Harms, from Footy which had proven extremely Riverina, West Australian, Almanac, was commissioned popular with strong sales of South Australian and by AWI to find the best shear- supporters gear, including Victorian wool team squads ers, wool classers, brokers, football jumpers, scarves, have created a wave of discus- woolgrowers and studmasters beanies and gloves. sion on the Footy Almanac who have played VFL/AFL. Local football clubs are wear- website, with more nomina- “It’s been wonderful to bring ing wool blend jumpers as a tions requested before state together all these great players trial and AWI planned to teams are announced ahead of who have wool as a common expand this in 2016. a final national team launch thread, such as wool classer Ultimately, the marketing later this year. Anthony Daniher, woolgrow- goal for AWI from its Fibre of Initial state squads have been ers such as John Mossop and Football Campaign was to announced with players across David Grenvold and even promote wool growing and the Riverina representing NSW. Jimmy Jess, who was once farming in general, Mr The dream draft has so far offered a mob of sheep to Cuming said. included a crop of sheep farm- coach a team in the Riverina,” “With the help of current ers from the Temora and Ariah Mr Harms said. champion players such as Nat Park districts with the late Jim “Being a Geelong supporter, Fyfe, Tom Hawkins, Luke Prentice, Kurralea Poll Dorset there might be an over-bal- Breust and Bernie Vincent I and White Suffolk studs, Ariah ance of players from that club, believe we are achieving this.” Park, positioned at half for- but Corey Enright really did ■ Visit ward, alongside Hawthorn star go yabbying at a mate’s sheep www.footyalmanac.com.au Luke Breust, who hails from property near Kimba once.” to nominate other players for Bectric. AWI Fibre of Football cam- the Ultimate Wool Team. Making News Wool slips again: The new cent or more, criteria which the “The trend lower did slow as the wool selling season started where EMI has now met. sale progressed with Thursday 2014-15 ended – with a softer In fact, the EMI has plunged recording more moderate losses market trend. more than 11pc from its peak in of 5c/kg to 10c/kg.” There was red right across the early June. The Schute Bell Badgery Lumby trend column as all categories at But, Mr Plunkett said while the weekly market report suggested northern sales slipped at least 15 auction results recorded a sharp like last week the market showed cents a kilogram and as much as reversal the past month, last week signs of firming on the last day of 60 cents a kilogram for Merino did show some favourable signs. sales and with this week being skirtings. “The finer microns are the last before a three-week The average drop in the Merino increasingly finding good recess there was hope prices skirtings was the largest weekly competition for stylish or 40 might level out. fall in four years. Newton per kilotex types and are After crunching the numbers for The Eastern Market Indicator being rewarded with more stable the Landmark weekly report, wool (EMI) was down 32c/kg at the end and consistent prices,” he said. risk manager Anthony Boatman of trading last Thursday and “At the other end of the scale, said the EMI was still 289c/kg settled at 1231c/kg. the broader microns (22/23) are higher than the 10-year average Likewise, the Northern Indicator also building support and were and 213c/kg higher than this time dropped 40c/kg to 1250c/kg. unchanged last Thursday, and only last year. Australian Wool Exchange marginally cheaper for the week. After this week’s auctions the market information manager “Elsewhere, and for the bulk industry starts a three-week Lionel Plunkett, Sydney, said a of the offering, prices were recess with sales starting again in technical correction was typically generally 20c/kg to 40c/kg the first week of August. defined as movement of 10 per lower for Merino types. – KAREN BAILEY.