■ Finally, some good news for West Footscray Football Club with Shane Lucas becoming senior coach. The club’s 300-game premiership player will have Kane Liossis as his assistant. While there’s still a lot of work to be done and effective recruiting is needed, they at least have something to build on. I keep hearing from clubs that players are demanding big dollars and that it’s a players’ market. Rubbish! Clubs need to get together and embrace the big picture for the future of the game at grassroots level. That’s easier said than done, of course, especially when you have clubs paying juniors big dollars to jump from one club to another. But clubs can’t continue to spend what they don’t have. And they can’t promise a bloke $500 a game then come September say, “Sorry, we don’t have it.” Nor can we have clubs on the verge of shutting their doors every other year.
■ I’ve been friends with the Prismall family for years, so I felt for them when several media people jumped on their high horses over Brent’s employment as welfare manager at the Bulldogs, even though he was one of 34 past and present players banned over the Essendon drugs saga. The Bulldogs believe they had clarified the position with the AFL, so neither they nor Brent was deliberately doing anything wrong. But clearly the AFL got it wrong and Brent has now been stood down from his role. Going by WADA rules, that probably had to happen. It was no secret he was working at the club and in what capacity. The difference is that Brent is no longer a professional footballer so he needs a job to pay the bills and feed his family. That job happened to be at the Bulldogs. Like the other 33, he can’t play footy but surely he’s allowed to make a living.
■ Kevin Sheedy is coming to Werribee for a sports night for the Rotary Club on Friday, April 1. It will be at the Wyndham Cache on K Road from 7pm. I’ll be MC, and tickets are available by calling Brian Ahmed on 0412 558 152 or 97421526. And North Footscray Football Club will launch its WRFL season with a comedy and sports lunch at Hansen Reserve on Friday, April 8. What a star-studded line-up: Kevin Bartlett, Mark Robinson, Hamish McIntosh, Nathan Grima and Des Dowling. Tickets are $120, which includes a three-course meal plus beer, wine and soft drinks, and available from Scotty Kenny, 0407 317 788.
Any news, let me know on email kevin@howdypartnersmedia.com.au. Follow me on Twitter @KevinHillier, plus check out the Howdy Partners Media website as well.
