By David Nagel
Warragul Industrials will look to celebrate one of the all-time greats of the club when the Dusties welcome Inverloch-Kongwak to Western Park on Saturday.
Former coach, eight time best and fairest winner, and current day captain Shane Brewster will lead his side into battle, playing the 350th game of an amazing career built on gritty determination and a fierce desire to win each and every contest.
Brewster believes that fierce desire was instilled in him during his early playing days, alongside the likes of his former Narre Warren premiership teammates and current-day opponents, Michael Collins (Bunyip) and Brendan Kimber (Phillip Island), who both play a similar style.
So what is it that sets the absolute elite apart?
Aussie Jones, who coached Brewster to the 2006 and 2007 flags at Narre, believes he has the answer.
“The regulation good player has courage, but players like ‘Punky’ just have that extra appetite for the football that you can’t teach and takes the really good player to the next level,” Jones said.
“Those blokes you mentioned, Collo and Kimber, they’ve got it, and a bloke like Ricky Clark, he had it as well.
“Those blokes are just unwavering and unflinching with their resolve, and they’re happy to have the ball in their hands and they don’t fear the consequences of failure.
“Punky has been a champion of community football for a very long time.”
Jones remembers the impact that Brewster had during Narre Warren’s run of success.
“He was just a star with absolute character,” Jones recalled.
“We won the premiership in 2006 and Punky was in a three-way tie in the best and fairest.
“It was incredible at his age to have the impact that he did. He proved as a kid he was good enough and he’s just got better and more consistent as the years have gone by.
“He’s always ahead of the game and always thinking how he can be involved even when he doesn’t have the ball.
“It’s the first piece of advice that I give kids and Punky is the absolute role model in that regard. He’s fit, he thinks and he’s an absolute workhorse…I wish him well for the weekend.”
Brewster himself, rates players like Collins and Kimber with the highest regard.
“If you’re saying I’ve got the same traits as them, I’ll take that any day of the week,” Brewster told the Gazette.
“Those blokes have a strong drive not to be beaten, they don’t like to lose.
“It’s a trait that we all learnt at Narre and playing in the same team, it was instilled in us not to lose and it wouldn’t be accepted. You just go harder and go faster to win the ball and to ultimately beat your opponent.
“You play footy because you love it, but I love the competitive nature of it.
“They’ve won flags and been champions, they hate to lose and that hatred of losing is exactly what sets them apart.”
Brewster will lead his team out for not only his own personal milestone, but to build on the momentum gained from an upset win over Nar Nar Goon last week.
The Dusties conceded two early goals but played with a passion that brought them roaring back into the contest.
Brewster led the way, but the classy left foot of Travis Ogden, the bullocking work of Darren Granger, and the clean hands of Anthony Bruhn all played key roles in the victory.
Can the Dusties upset another apple-cart this week and remain in finals contention?
It will be a tough assignment with the Sea Eagles the main beneficiary of the Dusties win over the Goon last week, now sitting a game clear in the all-important second place on the ladder.
Finish second and you’re guaranteed a preliminary final berth…it is a massive prize.
Co-captains Shem Hawking and Toby Mahoney have led the way beautifully for the Sea Eagles this year and they’ll be bracing for an emotion-charged first 15 minutes of play.
Weather the expected early storm and the Sea Eagles should be too strong…they’ll win by 21 points.
Bunyip is out of finals contention and doesn’t have a lot to play for – but wouldn’t the Doggies love to play a part in ruining the finals aspirations of Garfield.
The arch-rivals meet at Bunyip this week in a game that really could go down to the wire.
Bunyip is mixing its form, while the usually consistent Stars have shown signs in recent times that they might be starting to slip off their previous hot pace.
The Bulldogs have been led superbly by Jeb McLeod this year, while Jye Keath, Ryan Quirk and Matty O’Halloran will take some good form into this contest.
The Stars relied heavily on their one-two sucker-punch up forward – Rennie and Helmore – to get them across the line against Kilcunda-Bass last week, and if the Doggies can hold those two they will be a realistic chance.
We’ll go for an upset here…it’s the Doggies by two points.
In the remaining games this week, four of the top five teams take on the bottom four teams on the ladder, which should be a recipe for wide margins.
Cora Lynn will need to be ruthless when the Cobras take on the dwindling Dalyston at the Cobradome.
Percentage is going to be huge in the make-up of this year’s finals series and the Cobras could jump one or two places if they can crush the Magpies spirit early.
Nathan Gardiner will be licking his lips for this one, with the in-form forward in the competition set for a massive haul if the Brigg’s boys and Chris Johnson can strut their stuff through the midfield.
Expect Gardiner to go deep…maybe into the teens…and the Cobras to win by plenty.
Tooradin-Dalmore will need to be switched on from the outset when the Seagulls hit the road to take on an improving Kilcunda-Bass.
The Seagulls had their biggest win of the season against Cora Lynn last week, but it’s almost impossible to expect them to replicate their intensity at the contest.
If they bring it, they win easily, but if the Gulls are little off their game they’re going to find themselves in a dog-fight of epic proportions.
If there’s going to be a surprise, this is it, but the Seagulls will have too much class and win by 26 points.
In other games, Nar Nar Goon will escape with a hard-fought 32-point victory Korumburra-Bena, while Phillip Island will be far too strong for Kooweerup.
The Demons will be hoping for a much better representation of themselves after going down to the Bulldogs by 170 points the last time they met in round four.
The Demons have improved considerably since then…the margin could be double figures this time around if the Demons stick the game out.
