By sports editor Russell Bennett
After the Covid-19 pandemic dashed any hopes Phillip Island had of going back-to-back-to-back in the WGFNC seniors in 2020, no side is more eagerly awaiting the 2021 campaign – and that spells trouble for the other West Gippsland sides.
Already the proven benchmark of the competition in recent years, Beau Vernon’s Bulldogs have been bolstered by the inclusion of 27-year-old former Western Bulldogs AFL player Daniel Pearce for next season.
Now living nearby at Cape Woolamai, the former Templestowe skipper will add even more firepower to the Kennel as the Island looks to stave off its challengers, headed by the likes of Cora Lynn and Tooradin-Dalmore.
But the Bulldogs, led by the inspirational Vernon, know that community sport is about so much more than wins and losses. It has to be more than that.
“Those who’ve led the way before me, and those at the club currently, have created a great culture,” Vernon – one of the most respected figures anywhere in community footy – explained.
“I think 2021, if everything goes to plan, should be really exciting – even when it comes to just having that social connection again. That applies to every footy and netball club when it just comes to getting around one another.
“When you think about community sport, everyone wants to win premierships or grand finals and we’ve been fortunate the past couple of years, but at the end of the day it’s community sport and it should be about people feeling a part of something – above all else.”
And what, exactly, is success defined as?
“When you’re trying to define success, only one team experiences the ultimate each year,” Vernon explained.
“If you define success purely on that, you’re going to have a lot of unhappy teams out there. It’s about the enjoyment – people feeling valued and cared for, and being a part of something bigger than themselves.
“If you get all that right, then hopefully premiership success can come on top of that.”
Therefore it’s no secret just why Phillip Island has become the community sporting powerhouse it is today. The Bulldogs have all the ingredients.
After their incredible success of 2018 and 2019, Vernon and his men will continue to develop the young talent rising through their ranks, while also competing for a third senior flag on the trot.
“They’re going to be another couple of years older from 2019, so that excites us and we want to create an environment where they want to stick around and continue to play at Phillip Island,” Vernon said.
“We’ve picked up Daniel Pearce, who’s come from Templestowe. He was captain there and from all reports he’s been great for their culture and their young blokes, and he lives at Cape Woolamai now.
“If people have an association with Phillip Island, have a holiday house there, or live there, and – most importantly – are good people, we’ll welcome them with open arms, and he ticks all the boxes.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate in the past few years to have quality people move to the area who just so happen to go alright at footy too – Cam Pedersen, and now Daniel Pearce.
“That has to be our model, because we’re off in our own little corner down here.
“We need to make sure we build up our home-grown talent and look after the people close to us.”
And through the likes of Pedersen and Pearce, as well as champion local players Brendan Kimber, Jaymie Youle, Zak Vernon, and Hayden Bruce, the young players rising through the ranks couldn’t have better role models to emulate.
“But it’s not just great players, alone, who often make sides better,” Vernon said.
“It’s great people who have the talent and work ethic, and can buy-in to the way a team plays. You so often see great players go to clubs and they end up worse off because they can disrupt the culture and don’t necessarily make other players better. Those guys aren’t just great players – they’re great people.”
The Island will be without recent premiership stars Joel Piera (2018) and Jack Taylor (2018 and 2019) for next season as they relocate to Cairns for a new adventure with fellow Island product Jack Keating.
But they’re set to return for 2022, which – again – only looms large over the competition. Taylor, at just 23, is one of the most impressive young players in the WGFNC of recent seasons, and has future captain stamped all over him.
Taylor heads up to Queensland with Vernon’s and the club’s blessing, but Vernon was quick to add cheekily: “We won’t clear him until he pays up for the slab he owes the coach!”.
Another significant inclusion at ‘The Kennel’ for 2021 will be one of the architects of the club’s incredible current era of success, assistant coach Brent Clinnick.
Keep an eye on the Gazette in coming weeks for updates from other clubs across the competition.
