PAUL SHELTON BRAD GOTCH STEFAN GARRUBBA VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE RECORD BEARD’s 200-GAME GROWTH Dan Beard joins umpiring elite with milestone ROUND 14 JULY 12-13, 2008 $ INC EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE 3 GST Congratulations to JOHN BAIRD (Port Melbourne) This week’s winner of the Ford “Best on Ground” Ute Visit theoval.com.au for more information. theoval.com.au D07820.FordOval-RecordAd-Baird.indd 1 7/7/08 10:20:46 AM EDITORIAL Many questions have been raised in recent weeks about Ben Cousins Ben Cousins playing in the VFL before the season is over. coup for VFL Several points need to be made about how Cousins Superstar’s presence a positive for comp was registered, his status, his availability to play with Port Melbourne and, if he plays, the in the remainder of the home and coverage in the print and criteria he needs to meet to be away season to qualify to play with electronic media and the players eligible to play fi nals. Port Melbourne in the fi nals. who played alongside Buckley First, AFL Victoria received Certainly, AFL Victoria wishes and Richardson benefi ted greatly. offi cial documentation from Port Cousins well in his comeback. It was great for the competition Melbourne to register Cousins Selfi shly, AFL Victoria and, and, likewise, AFL Victoria before the June 30 deadline. for that matter, all football fans believes Cousins would only bring Once Cousins’ application would love to see the former AFL positives to the VFL. was received it was treated like superstar running around in the Just by training with Port that of any other aspiring VFL VFL. But that is his decision alone. Melbourne, its young players footballer. It was approved and he Obviously, Cousins, a winner would benefi t considerably. is now eligible to play with Port of the Brownlow Medal and a Our great game is built on Melbourne, but he received no premiership player with West admiring the talents of champions special dispensation. Coast, is one of the game’s greats. and there’s no denying that VFL clubs, except stand-alone AFL Victoria views his signing Cousins is a champion. No one AFL clubs Collingwood and with Port Melbourne as a ringing likes to see great players lost to Geelong, can make a maximum endorsement of the competition. the game before their time. of six changes before the June Already, we have seen an If playing in the VFL can help 30 deadline. Collingwood and enormous interest generated by Cousins’ recovery and serve as Geelong can make a maximum of Cousins’ signing and, in recent a stepping stone in his return to four changes to their VFL lists. years, unprecedented interest was the AFL, AFL Victoria is only too Now he is registered, Cousins generated when AFL champions happy to play whatever role it can. can begin training and playing Nathan Buckley and Matthew with Port Melbourne. Richardson played in the VFL. John Hook If he decides to play, Cousins Attendances spiralled, the Football Operations Manager, would need to play just one game competition received extended AFL Victoria AFL Victoria Chief Executive Officer: ROUND 14 Peter Schwab CONTENTS JULY 12-13, 2008 Football Operations Manager: John Hook Victorian schoolboys reunion 4 COVER: Dan Beard achieves Statistics: Sam Coen Manager Director, Geoff Slattery Publishing: Paul Shelton 5 a rare umpiring milestone this Geoff Slattery Editor: Nick Bowen Dan Beard’s 200th game 6 week when he takes charge of Designer: Karl Chandler his 200th VFL match. Photo Manager: Natalie Boccassini Bendigo’s 10 years in the VFL 9 Photography: Getty Images (02) 9004 2250 Advertising: Jennifer Pryor (03) 8663 3007 Brad Gotch’s 200th game 10-11 Printed by: Condor Printing Address correspondence: The Editor, GPO Round 14 preview 12 Box 4337, Melbourne, 3001. Phone: (03) 8663 3000 Young Gun: Stefan Garrubba 21 VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE RECORD 3 SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS This year’s School Sport Vic Country celebrate victory in the 2006 Australia Australian Football School Sport Australia Championships are being held Australian Football in Melbourne from July 19-26. Championships. State teams at both 12-and- under and 15-and-under level will play at various VFL grounds throughout metropolitan Melbourne. This is the 78th year of the championships, which were first won by Victoria in the inaugural year of 1923. The primary teams joined the competition in 1972. Players such as Garry Lyon, Tim and Jobe Watson, Chris Judd, Luke Ball, Luke Hodge, Josh Fraser, Brett Deledio, Travis Cloke, Jonathan Brown, Marc Murphy, Bachar Houli, Joel Selwood and Matthew Kreuzer are just a few of the approximately 350 players to have represented Victoria at the championships and gone on to play in the VFL/AFL. To find out where the stars of tomorrow are playing this year go to the School Sport Australia website at www.schoolsport.edu.au to view the draw. To coincide with the Australian Football 150 Years celebration, Future stars School Sport Victoria is hosting a reunion dinner at Studio 3 at Crown Casino on Wednesday, come to town July 23 for all past players, Past schoolboy stars to reunite at dinner umpires and officials who have represented Victoria at either primary or secondary Dinner please contact Swoop Schoolboys Football Carnival level or both. Events on 8412 0014 or please contact School Sport To book for the Victorian [email protected]. Victoria project officer Mike Grant Schoolboys Football Reunion For information on the on 0438 846 679. 4 visit: victorianfootballleague.com.au PAUL SHELTON “It’s probably the best season Shelton’s football I have played since I played (in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships),” Shelton says. world aligns “When you go through football trying to get to the highest Skipper happy with Tigers’ partnership level sometimes you can think about it too much and you think Randomly select a VFL player, evidenced by Sandringham’s about your results instead of any VFL player, and ask him ‘three-peat’ from 2004-06. where you are. about playing for an aligned Shelton says an aligned side’s “Last year I went back and club and it is a guaranteed results vary markedly depending just started playing football again conversation starter. on the mix of AFL players and I started playing All will have a tale to tell, available each week. good football. It’s some favourable, particularly “It is the most radical type amazing how Sandringham players who were of competition in the country,” it works.” part of the Zebras’ halcyon days. Shelton says. Others won’t speak as positively “You never know what’s Paul Shelton assumed the about their experiences. going to happen from Coburg Tigers But Coburg Tigers captain one week to the next captaincy after Paul Shelton can provide a and that’s why VFL a break-out 2007 season. balanced view. Shelton played players are so for the Box Hill Hawks when he important. was on Hawthorn’s rookie list “And I think in 2004 and admits during that we have a really season he received a “leg up” good group of to play VFL senior football. seasoned VFL But in the four seasons since, players who really with Williamstown and now work hard and do the with the Coburg Tigers, Shelton team things.” has experienced the lot of the When Travis VFL-listed player. Ronaldson decided to “You just deal with (the move on at the end of the selection dilemmas aligned 2007 season, new coach teams face) and move on,” Jade Rawlings approached Shelton says. “All you worry about Shelton about taking over is what you can control, which is the captaincy. training hard and making sure The 24-year-old, who played you play good football.” in the same Queensland team While aligned clubs must field in the NAB AFL Under-18 teams in line with the 12 AFL Championships as Brad Miller, players-10 VFL players rule in the David Hale and Josh Drummond, finals, Shelton notes the club with was coming off a breakthrough the best core group of VFL players 2007 season when he won usually wins the premiership, as Coburg’s best and fairest. VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE RECORD 55 DAN BEARD Umpiring’s ‘Iron Man’ Beard defies odds to reach 200 games When Dan Beard first fantastic. He would be one of ventured down to VFL training, our fittest umpires.” Victorian umpiring state “He’s still umpiring director Kevin Mitchell clearly competitively and the young spelt out an umpire’s career blokes can learn from him.” window of opportunity. Beard, who was “stoked” to Umpires could spend reach VFL life membership last three years on a development year after umpiring his 175th squad and three years on the match, says making it to 200 senior squad, Mitchell said. games is another career highlight. But if they had not advanced He says competing in mini to the AFL by that stage, their Iron Man triathlons in the off- prospects of staying in the VFL season has enabled him to were practically zero. maintain his fitness level. Beard didn’t make it to the “Like footballers the older you AFL and his six-year window of get the harder it gets to come up opportunity has long since closed, each week,” Beard said. but this round’s Sandringham- “I don’t see out 8.30pm most Williamstown match marks his nights after a game. I normally fall 200th VFL game. asleep reading the kids a book.” It puts the 32-year-old teacher Beard umpired the in rarefied territory. Mitchell Sandringham-Williamstown cannot recall any umpire in qualifying final last year and the past 20 years reaching the hopes he is in the mix to officiate 200-game milestone, saying he in the finals again this season.