VAFA ROUND 21_Col.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association

RESERVES
Tom Brain
ED NOTE: Opening paragraph may offend some
readers. Please look away.
I’m back. I hope I was missed as much as I enjoyed a
ten day hiatus in sunny Fiji relaxing, tanning myself,
imbibing in the fine local beers and swimming in the
customary “budgie smugglers”, a sight to behold for
sure.
ED NOTE: It’s safe to look now.
Bit of a culture shock to come back to a freezing cold
wet and windy Melbourne, but the game we play
is a winter sport so we must adapt and play to the
prevailing conditions.
Rounds 16, 17 and 18 came and went in my absence as
finals positions were settled with all the clubs priming
themselves for the big dance that is September.
All the celebrities who had graced the playing fields
through the months of April to August seem to have
disappeared as all the sides settled down for the run
home with genuine dew kickers striving to achieve
the ultimate success.
As all my fellow scribes are in the process of selecting
their Team of the Year, down here something different
will happen as we will name the Celebrity Team of
the Year. So if you have any celebrities at your club
please nominate them by sending details to me at the
address below.
And so to the football. Almost perennial grand
finalists Old Xaverians made an unexpected early
exit from the Premier Reserve race when they were
comprehensively beaten by a very impressive Old
Melburnians unit. Obviously missed the firepower of
Dangerous Dan up forward.
St Kevin’s made up for the disappointment of their
senior comrades by having a good win over a gallant
Oakleigh and advancing to the Preliminary Final.
Caulfield Grammarians set the tone of their day by
overpowering Ormond and advancing to the Grand
Finale. Mazenod were too strong for the Oggers and
live to fight another day in their quest to go back to
back.
Monash Blues were first to the last game of the year
in Division 1 and they can now sit back and relax and
wait to see whether it will be Whitefriars again or
NOBS who will join them.
In Division 2 Banyule also made it a double for
the club by just getting over Bentleigh, while a
pretty impressive Old Paradians unit had no trouble
overwhelming a disappointing Old Westbourne.
UHSVU advanced to the big dance in Division 3 and
look forward to the challenge of facing either Yarra
Valley or Powerhouse in a fortnight’s time.
Out at Vermont, Division 4 produced the game of the
week, with Monash Gryphons and North Brunswick
playing a belter. Scores level when the final bell tolled.
But the Gryphs inspired by the efforts of perhaps their
best ever seconds player Vaughan Coffey managed to
regain lost momentum and come home with a nine
point victory, against a very gallant North Brunswick,
who must now beat Swinburne Uni to earn the right
for another crack at the boys from East Caulfield.
Finals pressure made individual high scores a little
harder to come by with Roderick Matthews and
Shane Hamilton topping the list with five.
Cameron Raine, Nick O’Hare, Peter Shepherd, Mark
Smith Ben Seeger and Thomas Kennedy all had the
twin calicos raised 4 times, with Hamish Turner,
Hamish Townsend, Dean Spanos, Joss Holdsworth,
Scott Niewand, Scott Playfair, Shaun McKenzie,
Brandon Hunt, Brett Dintinosante, Michael Patena,
Robert Mundy, and Joshua Carroll all scoring hat
tricks.
This week’s Selections; University Blues, University
Blacks, Mazenod, NOBS, Old Paradians, Powerhouse
and North Brunswick.
More game reports and highlights would be much
appreciated to make this column a more interesting
read. Please email any match highlights, outstanding
performances, milestones etc to brainco@optusnet.
com, by 8pm Monday Nights, or feel free to give me
a call on the Mobile 0423 433 488.
Volunteer of the week
Nominate your club’s great volunteers and
tune in 88.3FM (streaming live at
www.southernfm.com.au on Sundays at 9:15am
to hear the weekly winner interviewed.)
Nominations to Tommy at
brainco@optusnet.com.au
18 THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2010