■ With no AFL this week the spotlight turns to local comps. It is grand final week in the WRFL’s divisions 2 and 3, with Yarraville Seddon to play Caroline Springs at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday and Newport Power to clash with Parkside at Wootten Road Reserve on Saturday. It really is the old versus the new, with founding club Parkside playing Newport in its first senior year. Caroline Springs enters its first ever grand final in senior football, while Yarraville is one of the oldest clubs in the west. The stage is set for a wonderful weekend of local footy, especially when you add the division 1 preliminary final between Altona and Hoppers Crossing. Deer Park won its way through last week and looks unbeatable for its fourth flag in a row.
■ The AFL finals really gives our city a big lift. Those at the Werribee Football Club lunch last Sunday got an early dose of finals fever when Mike Brady entertained with his football anthems Up There Cazaly and One Day in September. Nothing expresses the public passion about footy in this town better than those two iconic songs, and Mike is belting them out as good as ever. The Bulldogs will head to Perth to tackle the in-form Eagles in a cut-throat elimination final. It will be a tough task for the red white and blue. It was great to see former Wyndhamvale junior Jack Fitzpatrick star for the Hawks last week. He has had an unbelievable run of bad luck during his footy career with illness and injuries. I hope his match-winning goal is the turning point.
■ VFL football also heads into the finals and while Werribee won’t be part of it, they did finish the season with a win over Sandringham. Williamstown and Footscray get the double chance. The Bulldogs have been in great form of recent weeks while Williamstown is the reigning premiers and deserves to be respected. The Bulldogs will play Casey Scorpions while the Seagulls face Collingwood. The AFL week off will have no impact on Willy but the Doggies might put a few in cotton wool, especially with the first final for the AFL boys being in Perth. Does Jake Stringer get another VFL game? Under the AFL eligibility rules Will Minson can’t line up in the VFL, nor can any other player from AFL round 23. What are the Bulldogs plans with bringing back some of their injured players? There is never a dull moment in September.
