I love hearing stories about Laurie Nash, the champion’s champion of the ‘30s and ‘40s. He’d take a mark 50 out and ask the bloke on the mark which foot he’d like him to kick it with… his left or his right? Invariably they’d soar through. Post-high. Laurie was a hero even for the great [Read more]
Waaia break the long drought
May 23, 2010 by 3 Comments
Waaia v Rennie Waaia Under Seventeen’s. 29 games without a win since late 2008. Since then a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Today, we played Rennie, a team from New South Wales. They made the long trip down, prepared for yet another easy win over Waaia. I woke up at 7am, not [Read more]
“This Is Country Footy”
May 14, 2010 by 1 Comment
by Michael Filosi It took just three minutes and one warm up lap before any thoughts of a glowing come back match this Saturday were dashed. Along with the addition of three extra light towers, I could have sworn the council had increased the dimensions of Tamworth’s No. 1 Oval since I had last run [Read more]
Ken Piesse’s favorite 10 footballers from… THE LA TROBE VALLEY
May 13, 2010 by 2 Comments
Throughout season 2010, respected sports writer Ken Piesse is writing of his favourite players from the regions of the VCFL. This week he looks at the Latrobe Valley. In the days before zoning, League clubs had their own spheres of influence. St Kilda’s stronghold was the La Trobe Valley and so many players were recruited [Read more]
Link: Sometimes the good old days are best left behind
May 13, 2010 by 1 Comment
Remember when the first quarter of every grand final featured an all-brawl? As this clip from the 1990 Ovens and Murray league grand final shows, in many ways we should be glad that the good old days have been left behind. The teams are Wodonga in the maroon and white stripes and Lavington in the [Read more]
Bendigo Relections: Two Blues celebrate dual 1980 BFL premierships
May 12, 2010 by 4 Comments
by Richard Jones EAGLEHAWK celebrates its 1980 senior and reserves premierships at Canterbury Park this weekend. Thirty years on with the 2010 top-of-the-table clash between the Two Blues and Golden Square unfolding in front of them, the flag-winning stars of yesteryear will spend a day of reminiscing. Eaglehawk came from 14 points down late in [Read more]
KEN PIESSE’S 10 FAVORITE FOOTBALLERS FROM … BALLARAT
May 2, 2010 by 1 Comment
How can you have 35 goals kicked against you, in one game and yet be a Hall of Famer at both the Redan and the North Melbourne Football Clubs? Fun-loving extrovert Barry Cheatley has never been one to allow the facts to spoil a good story so yes… he did have the misfortune to run [Read more]
BLOODS TAKE ON ST KILDA IN 1904 MIDWEEK CLASH
May 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
SOUTH Bendigo played matches against a number of Melbourne-based teams in the early part of last century achieving more success at home on the Upper Reserve than in the city. At the end of August 1904, the Bloods travelled to Melbourne for a full-scale match against VFL cub St Kilda. The Saints posted 13 goals [Read more]
KEN PIESSE’S 10 FAVORITE FOOTBALLERS FROM … THE OVENS & MURRAY
April 29, 2010 by 6 Comments
Each week prominent football author and commentator Ken Piesse will feature 10 of his personal favorites from the major country Leagues. Buffalo Creek has surely not had a more famous drifter. The tiny Myrtleford township was home for Gary Ablett snr. during his devastating six month assault on Ovens and Murray football, the launching pad [Read more]
LOCAL FOOTY: Superdogs enjoy a big win
April 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
SUPERDOGS START SEASON WITH SIZZLING WIN by Nick Kossatch A new look Riverland Superdogs outfit took to the park at Lyrup Oval and demolished River Murray by 47 points in the masters AFL over 35’s season opening round. From the outset, new recruit and son of West Adelaide 1983 premiership player Ben ‘Ben 10’ Meuret, [Read more]
Bendigo Easter
April 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Wednesday 7 April 2010 There are bats living in Bendigo’s beautiful Rosalind Park. Grey-headed flying foxes, to be precise. Their arrival is the most preposterously unlikely thing to happen in the city since Phil Carman joined the local umpires’ association. Apparently, the heavy rainfall and storms up in Queensland and New South Wales sent the [Read more]
Country Footy: Tough year ahead for Waaia
April 2, 2010 by 1 Comment
by Josh Barnstable It’s that time of the year again. That time of the year when all the hard yards you put in at training pays off on that one day in September, albeit a bit less significant compared to that ‘other’ one day in September. Country football is back, and the Picola League is [Read more]
Local Footy: Broken Hill Lizards bust ‘bench-less’ Riverland Superdogs in trial match
March 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by Nick Kossatch The Riverland Superdogs over 35’s master’s football team lost their trial game against a fit, classy and skilled Broken Hill Shinglebacks side by 31 points at Lyrup Oval on Saturday. It could have been much worse after the boys from the Silver City began sensationally with ‘silver-serviced’ deliveries to their big forwards. [Read more]
Local Footy Flashback: Bendigo FL – Round 1, 1960
March 23, 2010 by 5 Comments
FIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE B.F.L. — ROUND ONE, 1960 by Richard Jones TWO close finishes highlighted the opening round in the BFL half a century ago, a time when life was much simpler and less hectic. Rich
Country Footy: Coaches who stamped their mark on the BFL
March 11, 2010 by 6 Comments
By Richard Jones JOURNALISTS and senior coaches often form prickly relationships, but it doesn’t mean that there’s no dialogue between the two parties. Here in the Bendigo league there’s been some remarkable figures. Clearly success is measured by the number of premierships a senior coach garners for his club yet I have found some mentors, [Read more]
Local Footy: Former AFL stars make impression in Bendigo league
February 20, 2010 by 1 Comment
By Richard Jones THERE’S plenty of stories about former Bendigo and central Victorian footballers who’ve made the transition from local comps to the AFL. For example the four Selwoods, Nick Dal Santo, Greg ‘Diesel’ Williams, Geoff Southby, Rod Ashman, Jimmy Buckley, Peter McConville and Trevor Keogh all made the trip down the highway to the [Read more]
Local footy: Memorable administators in the Bendigo Football League
February 18, 2010 by 23 Comments
By Richard Jones JUST as in football’s playing ranks, there’s never a shortage of memorable characters running affairs at club or league levels. Here in the Bendigo league we’ve had controversial and colourful presidents and chairmen, feisty secretaries and treasurers, but also a sound quota of extremely gentlemanly and thoughtful people. But it doesn’t matter [Read more]
Local Footy: No shortage of characters in Bendigo footy
February 2, 2010 by 3 Comments
By Richard Jones IT SHOULD come as no surprise to footy followers that our unique Australian code draws plenty of ‘characters’ to weekly matches. Here in central Victoria we have attracted, and continue to attract, our fair share. Over a period of three decades I’ve seen quite a few. Rich
Footy: Prato’s journey to Bulldogs not as exotic as Daw but no less remarkable
December 17, 2009 by 7 Comments
By Richard Jones The Majak Daw story makes a nice yarn. But how about Maryborough boy, Eddie Prato, taken by the Western Bulldogs with pick No.58 in the AFL rookie draft? Eddie spent most of 2009 playing basketball with the Ballarat Miners in the South East Australian Basketball League. At 6 ft 8 ins in [Read more]
Footy: Superdogs find plenty to yap about on trip south
November 11, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By Nick Kossatch The Riverland Superdogs ventured to the south east of South Australia over the weekend and by all reports, that region was painted red. Bordertown was the overnight stop on Friday night. The Bordertown Roosters Footy Club were the hosts and provided many beverages and plenty of food for the hungry and thirsty [Read more]
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