ANOTHER STAR IS BORN?

In the style of Alan Ezard at Coburg twenty years before him Aaron Davey was always going to make it in the AFL. And while it took Kevin Sheedy only half a season to kidnap Ezard from Coburg in 1983, and Davey almost slipped the net, only a fool would says Rooster Djaren Whyman isn't good enough to play AFL football. In an email last week, VFL supporter David Lumley complained about my old mate Howard Leigh devoting his Sunday column to AFL footballers in the VFL. It's hardly a criticism that could be made of the contributions of Paul Amy or me in Inside Football.

Forget any allegiance I have to the culture and integrity of the old VFA, the VFL desperately needs the Roosters and exciting players like Whyman. And yes, in answer to the email, it's them not just the form of AFL players we should be writing about. Last Saturday Whyman, playing on the wing, completely outclassed AFL Hawks Stephen Greene and Tim Clark as the stand alone Roosters slaughtered the Hawks to the tune of 65 points. Last year, I named Stephen Kenna (Hawks), Aaron Davey and Adrian Deluca (Port) and Stephen King (Collingwood/Williamstown) as players worth a look at AFL level. Davey was so good it's amazing that he wasn't in the top five draft picks.

ABC man Ross Booth studies the Hawks line-up pre-match. In the background is Mt Buninyon. To the far left - out of picture is Mt Warrenheip and Bungaree where the Frawleys and McGuanes were neighbours. Bryan McGuane, father of Mick, played more than 270 games in the local leagues and featured in three premierships. Eugene von GUÉRARD's Warrenheip Hills (1854) - oil on canvas - can be found at the Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square.

 

Ask about Whyman and you'll probably get the standard, 'he's a bit lazy and doesn't get fit enough.' Sure, he isn't sleek, but his fitness against the runners Clark and Greene couldn't be faulted on Saturday. And aren't AFL clubs supposed to have the expertise to deal with these issues? Put simply, at twenty-years of age he is without doubt better than a number of players currently struggling in the Hawks/Box Hill alignment. He's beautifully balanced, kicks exquisitely on either side and has great vision. If Peter Schwab, who was at the game on Saturday didn't notice that, I'll be very surprised.

CAN'T STAND ALONE?

I genuinely though it was becoming almost impossible for stand-alone clubs to succeed in the VFL. Of course I was wrong and should have known better. After all, at Coburg in 1979/80 we played Kangaroos teams with full of premiership and senior players and won. Roosters president Peter Wilson mightn't agree with me about changing the name to VFA, but I want to thank him for holding the line and standing alone. If a club has the money to recruit quality players it can and will beat a VFL aligned side. The great irony is that it's one of the newest clubs, North Ballarat, and one of the least successful, Frankston, who've had the courage to do it. Coburg simply doesn't have the money. But Williamstown and Port Melbourne do. Imagine if Williamstown, which recorded a $200,000 profit last year had stood alone and recruited the likes of Craig Biddiscombe, Shane Hutchinson, Nathan Saunders, Jim Plunkett and Whyman. While alignments are necessary and inevitable, a VFL with at least four financially strong stand-alone clubs would be very attractive. And if we stopped AFL aligned clubs from 'cheating' and naming 15 AFL players in a grand final tell me the Roosters couldn't win the flag. Over to you, Ken Gannon.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Over the journey I've made no secret of my political views. And having experienced the murder of my twenty-five years old sister by her ex-boyfriend in 1987 I have strong views about violence towards women. In 2002 I published a book 'Just another little Murder' which dealt with this murder and what I believe are serious problems in the criminal justice system that sent her killer to gaol for less than four years. In writing the book I studied many similar murders and poured over transcripts that dealt with the rape of women. It's not a pretty sight. During my eighteen years at the Coburg Football Club I saw lots of things that weren't agreeable to my sensibilities. Sometimes I thought the attitude to women was primitive and hypocritical. Equally I saw a stream of blokes who had great relationships with wives or girlfriends. I never heard of a player raping a woman. The Canterbury Bulldogs and St Kilda FC allegations have been well documented and no charges will be laid. For some in the 'boys club' that dominates various sections of the media this will be cause for gloating and celebration. However, the most vociferous need to remember a couple of things. History shows that despite judges and lawyers saying very few women make up rape allegations it is very hard to prove and most rapes go unreported. In relations to the St Kilda allegations the DPP said there was 'insufficient evidence' in relation to one of the accused and 'no likelihood of a conviction' for the other. Whilst that's the end of that matter the challenge to all good men is to affirm the rights of women to seek out consensual sex without prejudice, whether in football clubs or down the Golf Club. That's what I'd be telling my players.

SATURDAY

Bendigo Bombers v PORT (ABC TV)

SUNDAY

Geelong v SANDRINGHAM
Werribee v COBURG
SPRINGVALE SCORPIONS v Box Hill Hawks
WILLIMASTOWN v Northern Bullants
FRANKSTON v Tasmania