The Werribee Football Club had a tough week with the passing of its president John Nicol. While the club grieved it also celebrated the announcement of its 50 Greats for 50 Years.
John would have loved the night, with the greats of the past half-century expressing their passion for the club and their desire for future success.
All the 1993 premiership players want to see another flag at Avalon Airport Oval so they can share their experiences with a new group.
There has always been a similar feeling among survivors of the Bulldogs’ only VFL-AFL premiership side of 1954. I vividly remember Charlie Sutton almost pleading with the players every year, in the final years of his life, to add to the trophy cabinet.
The likes of Frank Lesiputty preach a similar theme to the Werribee faithful. The sooner a premiership cup comes to Werribee the better. The Tigers will take on Collingwood this Saturday at North Port Oval from 12.10pm. Tigers coach John Lamont said at the start of the season his goal was to make the finals then win one and see what happened after that. Strap yourself in for whatever takes place.
Williamstown will travel to Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Sunday to take on Sandringham in the qualifying final, while its development league team will play Box Hill on Saturday at Box Hill from 11am.
At VFL level, finals stretch club resources to the max. In some ways it’s almost good if the reserves side doesn’t make it at the expense of the seniors. While that is not what every club desires, it certainly takes the pressure off staff and volunteers.
At the end of the day every player and official wants to be involved in finals and if you still are – enjoy it.
■ Yarraville Club Cricket Club will hold its season’s launch on September 18 at the former Pentridge Prison D Division. Guest speaker will be Charlie Bezzina, former head of the Victoria Police homicide squad. It’s good to see cricket clubs being proactive with these kinds of social events.
■ I’m loving the Bulldogs’ season more and more, and hoping for a win against the Lions this weekend to end the regular season. Regardless of what happens after this weekend, I have been thrilled by what I’ve seen and can’t wait for the next few weeks and whatever they might bring.
