■ I am one very happy Bulldogs supporter but I am also a realist. We are still in the month of March not September. It was a great win and fans are entitled to celebrate accordingly but there is a long, long way to go. I was thrilled by what the Dogs delivered in 2015; if they can replicate that performance this year, I will be delighted. The buzz you get seeing young players go to the elite level is fantastic. is a great example of a young man who battled through a lot of adversity, injuries and confidence issues to become one of the competition’s best.
I think the Doggies will have a good year but I’m not happy the AFL chief executive backs us in for the grand final. What do think about that? I saw it as a vote grabber to the rank and file supporter.
■ The Werribee Tigers will be on the MCG on Friday, April 1 – and that’s no April Fool’s Day joke. They will be taking on the AFL Academy under-18 side made up of the best young players from across the country assembled to showcase their skills on the ‘G’. As you would imagine, it is also a great opportunity for the Werribee boys to strut their stuff in front of AFL recruiters.
We all know the jump from one footy level to the next can be enormous and this game will be very interesting to watch for that reason alone. How good will it be for everyone involved to be playing on the MCG? For me, that is the absolute winner here.
■ The WRFL interleague sides (senior and under-19) have been training solidly in the lead-up to a massive weekend at Whitten Oval on May 21 for matches against Ballarat. Anthony Eames and the coaches have been busy preparing the WRFL squad so the players can deliver their best possible effort against Ballarat. The under-19 panel has Matt Dean, the Spotswood premiership coach, at the helm with Gary Turner helping out. It is a very big commitment from everyone at the league and I am happy to say we will be broadcasting the game on 88.9 WYN FM on May 21.
My great mate, Steve Thom, is chairman of selectors and is keen for the WRFL to be represented at its very best. It would be great to have a really big crowd at the game and I hope local clubs and footy supporters will get behind this match. It is the future – the more the merrier.
Any news, let me know on email kevin@howdypartnersmedia.com.au. Follow me on Twitter @KevinHillier, plus check out the Howdy Partners Media website.
