Beaconsfield in the race

BEACONSFIELD has gone all out with an innovative fund-raiser that will put it on the local map this year. The club has bought the rights to an entire race day at Cranbourne on Sunday 13 June (Queen’s Birthday weekend) and has offered its sponsors the opportunity to buy naming rights to one of the eight races proposed for the afternoon. But anyone interested in grabbing a race had better be quick because, although the proposal has been developed for only a matter of days, only one race remains to be sponsored. That is a terrific result for the club, which took on the risk involved in the new idea. The race day will precede the club’s biggest celebration of the year when it plays CRANBOURNE at home the following Sunday, 20 June, in a day dedicated to its 120th year anniversary.

LANG LANG has added some youth to its midfield with BERWICK’s Jarrod Tonks joining his brother, former BEACONSFIELD on-baller Bryce, at the Tigers this season. Another midfield acquisition to Clint Evans’ team is Ben Dwyer, who has rejoined Lang Lang after a long stint with Nepean League club ROSEBUD. Evans will be assisted again this season by Rhys Nisbett. The Tigers will play practice matches against DALYSTON at home on 20 March and on 27 March play TARWIN LOWER away.
CORA LYNN has had some high-flying (and high-priced) recruits in recent seasons, but none will hold a candle to the Cobras’ latest import if word around the traps this week is correct. It is believed that Darwin-based star Lincoln Withers has chosen the 2008 EDFL premiers as his winter home in 2010 and will become a fly-in, fly-out Cobra after he finishes his NTFL coaching duties with the WARRATAHS soon. BEACONSFIELD was tipped to be a player in the chase for Withers, as was GARFIELD, but apparently the costs involved were just too high for both.

PAKENHAM players put the plans in place for this year’s premiership defence at the YMCA camp in Mount Evelyn last weekend. A crew of 35 made the trip into the hills and, although it was kept fairly low-key, our spies were there and suggested that the award for “best-on-camp” would have to go to 2009’s unluckiest player, John Atwell. Nicknamed “Smooth”, Atwell was overlooked for a spot in the flag-winning senior side after returning from injury late in the season. Looks like the talented midfielder is out to make amends and that could spell trouble for his opponents.

ALTHOUGH he has been officially cleared to CRANBOURNE, young goal-kicking sensation Kael Bergles is no certainty to line up in an Eagles strip, with FRANKSTON DOLPHINS making a late bid to lure him to the VFL in 2010. Bergles has been spotted training at Kars Street under MPNFL legend Simon Goosey but Eagles officials are still confident that the ex-EDFL gun will play at Casey Fields this year. They firmly believe it will be a win-win with the senior side benefiting from Bergles’ prodigious talent and Bergles himself given freedom and the opportunity to impress as a key player with a view to moving up again in 2011.
NYORA has signed CATANI strongman Paul Youle as an assistant coach under Corrie Wilson, who has rejoined the Saints after a season at DOVETON. Former league best and fairest Dean Hislop has returned to the club but will be available only for the first eight weeks because of a mid-year overseas trip. The good news is that the dual club best and fairest is expected to be available for the finals should the Saints return to the form that saw them participate at the pointy end of the season from 2005 to 2008, with flags in 2006-07. Nyora has three practice matches – 14 March against RED HILL at home, 21 March against KILCUNDA-BASS away and 28 March against MEENIYAN at home.

FOOTBALL looks set to be played on the picturesque Pakenham Upper cricket ground for the first time with CORA LYNN likely to field its new junior teams at the ground. Talks between the Cobras and the Yabbies are said to be progressing well.

WORK ethic has always been a priority at NARRE WARREN but one of the Magpies’ favourite sons is apparently taking the football club motto a little too far in his work life. Premiership defender Steven Kidd recently employed several local mates as labourers on one of his building sites and, from all accounts, forgot any and all rights relating to working conditions. “He was a complete slave-driver,” grumbled one of Kidd’s utterly spent men. “You get a 15-minute lunch break if you’re lucky and there’s no such thing as ‘smoko’ on his worksites. You clock on and that’s it – you’re his servant.”

NEERIM NEERIM SOUTH has picked up WARRAGUL utility Nick Humphrey and his former Gull teammate Brent Kimm, a 19-year-old goalsneak who was the leading goal kicker in the reserves last season. Another newcomer to join Dean Hendrickse’s Cats is BULN BULN on-baller Luke Nobelius. David Burns will oversee the reserves and Richard Christian is once again in charge of the thirds. The Cats will play a practice match against THORPDALE away from home on 27 March and are keen to hear from any clubs interested in a practice match on Saturday 20 March.

FORMER Pakenham Gazette Young Gun winner Stef Baumgartner has decided to play 2010 with his home club DEVON MEADOWS with a view to getting a full season of senior football under his belt before pursuing a spot on a VFL list in 2011. Baumgartner was a star with the DANDENONG STINGRAYS last season after winning the Young Gun award in 2008 as a 16-year-old. He has been training with the CASEY SCORPIONS who were keen for him to stay but has decided a year with the Panthers is his best option. Baumgartner’s inclusion will help Devon Meadows offset the losses of two other emerging youngsters in Dale Alanis (EDFL) and Aaron Laing (MT ELIZA).

FOLLOWING on from their successful “Pink Jumper” day promotion for breast cancer awareness that raised more than $12,000 last season, CATANI will again support the Cancer Council, hosting a day to promote both prostate and ovarian cancer. The day will coincide with the Blues’ home game against LONGWARRY on 8 May. As it did last year, Catani will keep its traditional navy blue jumpers in the cupboard for the day and don a new top, this time a light blue jumper with a silver CFC monogram.

BERWICK has added several new faces to its list as described in Footy Shorts last week but, on the downside, has lost two key players as well. Injury-prone swingman Brad Miles has bowed to the rigours of the game and retired, while lanky young ruckman Andrew Morozoff has lost his desire and decided not to play at all this year. The player leakage at DOVETON is also continuing with news that two more senior grand final players in Jason McCloy and Ben Hoskin have departed the Robinson Reserve along with strong-marking reserves forward Peter Dye.

THE EDFL season will start officially with a full round of matches on Saturday 10 April, but on Sunday 28 March WARRAGUL INDUSTRIALS will host BULN BULN for match points in what is the first of four “catch-up rounds” planned for the season. This unusual start is because of the introduction of GARFIELD to the competition, taking the number of teams in the league to 15, which has caused many fixturing issues. The 2010 season will comprise 19 home-and-away rounds, the final round on 21 August with the finals series on 28-29 August, 4-5, 11 and 18 September. In a nutshell, 11 sides will have a bye during the season and four sides will have two byes, with these sides, Warragul Industrials, Buln Buln, NYORA and KOOWEERUP needing to organise catch-up rounds. The latter two will meet at Nyora on Saturday 12 June when the league goes into recess for the Queen’s Birthday weekend.