■ Football can be a very cruel game, as Tom Liberatore knows. The emerging superstar will sit out the 2015 season after doing his knee at Whitten Oval last Saturday. As the reigning best and fairest at the club, he was entitled to think he had a pretty good season ahead of him. We supporters certainly thought so. His loss will really hurt the Bulldog midfield – he was the rock on which it was being rebuilt after the departures of Ryan Griffen and Adam Cooney.
■The family day concept will have a few new dimensions this Saturday at Whitten Oval. For the intra-club practice match between the Western Bulldogs and the Footscray Bulldogs, I will be on hand from noon doing my SEN show live from the balcony overlooking the oval until 4pm.
■ Greyhound racing has never been my favourite sport even though my father and brother were heavily involved in it a number of years ago. Dad had a few greyhounds that lived in our backyard over the years, and they were the sweetest dogs I have ever known. They did win some races but lost more than they won at the end of the day. I never saw it as a serious earner for the family. These days the prize money is significant but the integrity of the sport is certainly in question. As a radio broadcaster who helps promote the sport, I know the good people involved far outweigh the bad. That is fine but it does not for one minute exonerate the sport from the horrors we have seen on TV in recent weeks. The sport needs to reinvent itself. I hope it does but I am not sure it can.
■ Hoppers Crossing Cricket Club has failed in its bid to enter Premier Cricket next season but Werribee remains in contention. The fact there is no Premier Cricket club between Footscray and Geelong does not reflect the area’s population, let alone the profile of sport, and in particular cricket, in the region. I hope Werribee’s bid is successful and I also hope Hoppers continue to push for inclusion.
■I am hearing there is good news regarding the future of the Parkside Football Club. We in the west certainly adopt a ferocious attitude when it comes to keeping sports clubs alive. It is unique to the clubs of the west. While I don’t have details as yet, it looks like the Magpies will be up and running in the WRFL.
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