**One of the great players in our region celebrated his 200th senior game on Saturday with CRANBOURNE defender Brandon Osborne reaching the magical milestone. While full-forwards and midfielders get all the glory, it’s fair to say that ‘Yoz’ has probably saved as many goals as what Cranbourne’s great full-forward Marc Holt has kicked at the other end of the ground…that’s how good he has been. He has the closing speed of a cheetah, the strength of an Ox, and is one of the nicest people you would ever meet in local football. If FOOTY SHORTS was selecting a team of the best players in the former SOUTH EAST FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE (SEFNL)…Yoz would be top-five picked. An absolute superstar…well done Yoz on your great achievement!
**While on durable defenders, it was great to see BEACONSFIELD captain Jake Bowd celebrate his 100th game on Saturday. Bowd has been a star player for the Eagles over the years, with his dashing play off half back and raking left-foot a key feature of the Eagles game style. Bowd has spent time forward in recent times, but it’s his courage and commitment across half back where he does his best work. He did sneak forward on the weekend however, and kicked a goal in the Eagles massive win over UPPER FERNTREE GULLY. Osborne and Bowd…sign us up to have those two in our starting backline.
**Some great work was done by BUNYIP and KILCUNDA-BASS on the weekend, raising awareness and funds for Breast Cancer Network Australia. The Pink Day raised over $800, with all proceeds going straight to the BCNA. Well done to everyone involved.
**On breast cancer awareness, the CASEY DEMONS hosted the Northern Bullants on Saturday in what was the club’s pink-ribbon round, with players donning pink socks. The giant pink-lady blow-up on the outer wing was a victim to typically strong Casey winds, but the occasion was marked with a resounding victory for the Dees.
**One of the great stalwarts of community sport, CORA LYNN’s Allan Douglas, has ended his nine-year reign as president of the Cobras’ netball club. Coach, mentor, and member of various committees, Douglas has been a tireless worker at Cora Lynn and has helped build the netball club into the thriving hub that it is today. A message on the club’s Facebook page says it all… “You will go down as a legend of the netball club and we cannot thank you enough for the sacrifice you have made for this club.”
Well said and absolutely spot on!
**While on valuable assets to clubs, KOOWEERUP FOOTBALL CLUB has acknowledged two of its finest contributors by bestowing the honour of Life Membership on Daniel Crowley and Daniel Pirotta. Both men have been fantastic stalwarts of the club, and will no doubt be getting their hands dirty when Kooweerup hosts this year’s West Gippsland grand final on Saturday 10 September. If ever there’s a day when it’s all hands-on deck…it’ll be that one.
**It’s been a tough week for the PAKENHAM FOOTBALL CLUB with two esteemed members of the club passing away last week. Life Member Val Parker was a very passionate Lions supporter and great worker for the club, spending many hours together with her husband Tom working in the canteen. The club is also mourning the loss of Clem Kelsey, a timekeeper at Pakenham for many years. Kelsey received a Member for Life Certificate for his contribution to the club. Val Parker was the mother of NAR NAR GOON Vice-President Chris Parker.
**The facilities at PHILLIP ISLAND are getting better and better by the day, with the Bulldogs now the proud owners of two huge nets that stand behind the goals at both ends of the Cowes Recreation Reserve. The Bulldogs got new lights throughout the year as well, so there’s no excuse for losing footballs, or at least losing sight of them anymore.
**Heavy rains have played havoc with our local sporting surfaces in recent times, but it’s amazing what a couple of sunny, windy days can do to improve the grounds. In racing parlance, sections of the Cowes Recreation Reserve were a Heavy 10 for the earlier contests in the day, but a strong drying wind and improved the ground significantly as the day unfolded. Let’s hope for more of the same over the coming weeks so our grounds are in tip-top shape for finals.
**TOORADIN-DALMORE will be sick of the sight of PHILLIP ISLAND jumpers after the weekend’s round of matches. Not only did the Bulldogs end the undefeated run of the Seagulls’ seniors on the weekend, but they also recorded a thrilling two-point victory in the Veteran’s final at Tooradin on Sunday. And just to rub things in, the Gulls had more scoring shots, losing 5.12.42 to 6.8.44.
**BEACONSFIELD president Troy Robinson may be the holder of a very unique record…because how many presidents have done this in the one year? Robinson coaches the Eagles’ women’s team and is also runner for senior coach Mick Fogarty on gameday. And just to top things off, on Saturday he played in the winning reserves team against UPPER FERNTREE GULLY…and kicked a goal. Watch out people behind the canteen, next he’ll be grabbing the spatula and flipping burgers!
**While on BEACONSFIELD, one of the Eagles’ great stalwarts celebrated his 90th
birthday last week. Life Member and Past President Gerald Treasure is the unofficial mayor of Beaconsfield, casting a large shadow and being a major influence on the town and its football club. These are called FOOTY SHORTS, so we need to keep things brief, but we could fill this page and more on Gerald’s amazing contribution to the junior and senior football clubs and the community as a whole. Congratulations Gerald on your magnificent contribution to your local community and we hope you had a fantastic birthday celebration.
**Simon Goosey, one of the great full-forwards of all time, will stand down as senior coach of the MORNINGTON FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB at the end of the season. A legendary full-forward, with almost 2000 goals to his name, Goosey is a life member, premiership player, premiership coach and Living Legend at the Bulldogs. Those in the South East will also remember Goosey as coach of CRANBOURNE, who he led to premiership glory over BERWICK in 2016. Hopefully he’s just having a rest, because football is better and more exciting with Simon Goosey involved.
**OUTER EAST finals venues set to be announced this week, with a Division One club set to host the Premier Division big dance….
**The AFL clearly doesn’t care about the Pakenham Gazette! The 2022 NAB AFL draft will be held across Monday 28 November and Tuesday 29 November, with the rookie and preseason drafts to follow on Wednesday. That does not bode well for this newspaper’s deadline!
**PHILLIP ISLAND’s Mitch Moschetti continues producing for Carlton in the VFL. For the second time in his three games, the 19-year-old laid a game-high number of tackles. Moschetti is now averaging 14 disposals, six tackles and a goal per game after three weeks in the VFL. Moschetti has said he wants to be there when his top-placed GIPPSLAND POWER give the premiership a shake in the NAB League, but with Carlton VFL also on track for finals, he likely stays there if he maintains current form.
