Saultry returns fire

Who was the ogre? Was it Port president Peter Saultry or Kangaroo coach Dean Laidley? Last Saturday, in a pre-recorded ABC TV interview with Peter Donegan, Dean Laidley was unequivocal about why the Kangaroo-Port alliance collapsed. Port was simply too difficult on selection, he said, before claiming that rookie ruckman, Brad Moran, had lost 'six months' of his football development by playing at Port.

'Look, the Kangaroos averaged about 14 players every week. How many did they want? Moran's a kid and he wasn't good enough to get a game in the seniors,' a typically impassioned Port president, Peter Saultry told me, as his stand-alone team went within goal of knocking over the St Kilda aligned, Casey Scorpions on Sunday. 'Scott McMahon won our reserves best and fairest and played for the Devils on the weekend. He didn't look like he'd suffered by playing in our Reserves' said Saultry.

Unfortunately, gossip and innuendo has clouded any clinical assessment of what the dispute means for AFL-VFL alliances. Did Laidley, as Saultry claims, deliver a stream of vitriol at coach Saade Ghazi for replacing the injured Corey McKernan with Port ruckman Adrian Bonaddio when the Kangaroos coach demanded that Port replace him with rookie Josh Gibson? Did the Kangaroos then 'punish' Port by withdrawing John Baird from the side? If VFL clubs are to enter into alliances with AFL clubs they must surely know it brings compromise. But should that involve a VFL club being told where to play its AFL players and in what quantities?

During the time I played with and coached Coburg - 1975 until 1992 - the VFA attracted coaches with illustrious VFL/AFL careers. Bill Goggin, Gary Brice, Ray Shaw, Phil Maylin, Bob Keddie, Terry Wheeler, Barry Round and Trevor Barker were just some of them. These were not the kind of men to be told where to place their players. After taking Coburg to five finals appearances, three grand finals and two flags and in my first seven years as coach, I wouldn't have welcomed an AFL coach telling me how to coach. Discussing strategies in a spirit of co-operation and being respectful of the pressure an AFL coach is under is one thing. Being dictated to; that's another story. If it is now the case that AFL player development has taken precedence over winning, and VFL coaches are really reserves coaches, let's admit it. At least, then we'll all know what we're talking about.

Nahas takes us back to the old days

Yes, it's going to be a tough year for the once triumphant Port Melbourne. Going alone and failing to recruit the players it desperately wanted, every game will be a battle, and wins in the minority. Although the crowd at Port last Sunday wasn't anything like those in the 70s and 80s, the mood at the huddle and on the ground was at times exhilarating. With greater responsibility and more ground time, players such as David Pitt, Luke Cotchett, Tim Hazell, Sam Pleming, Steve Lawrence, Rowan Nayna, Ryan McMahon, Toby Pinwell, Tom Hooker, and the brilliant Robin Nahas are capable of playing some inspired football.

Nahas, an 18-year-old recruit from the Oakleigh Chargers is a genuine talent. Small of frame and size, Nahas would probably have occupied a place in the reserves had Port been aligned with the Kangaroos. Instead, he is centre stage at the historic ground where a player of similar size and style, Tony Ebeyer, was an inspiration in the heady premiership days - 1980/81/82 - under Gary Brice. Blessed with blistering pace and a capacity to kick long goals in full flight, Nahas is the most exciting player at Port since Aaron Davey mesmerised crowds there in 2003. It may not have a premiership list of players, but with more than a $1M in the bank and defiance in the belly, the Burra might yet have the last say on the direction of the VFA/VFL.

Marvellous Moloney

They've been some great VFA/VFL captains and leaders in recent times. The indomitable Terry Wheeler, and the legendary Barry Round at Williamstown. Gary Brice, Fred Cook and Bill Swan, who gathered premierships at Port like plucking apples from a tree. Three time Coburg premiership player, Brad Nimmo, who saved his best for the very best opponents. Anthony Allen, all poise, and Chad Liddell, all bustle and run at Sandy, the list goes on. Twenty-nine year old, Shaune Moloney, captain of the North Ballarat Roosters has every right to be ranked among them. Shy and with the speaking style of a bush boy, Moloney's game against Tasmania last Saturday was one of the best by a defender I've seen for years. With a remarkable ability to spoil when appearing to be out of a contest, yet bursting with dash and poise, he truly is a great player. How fitting it would be to see him lead the Kangaroo-aligned Roosters into a grand final.