The Archive | Back in September 2009 Gisborne pledged to remain part of the BFNL club structure following a vote by members.
It sent a salutary message to the Gardiner Reserve Dogs’ committee who had voted a few days earlier to pack up and join the Ballarat league.
The crucial vote was taken on September 15th and meant Ballarat missed out on recruiting a 12th club for 2010.
But the politicking behind the scenes also meant the BFNL’s top officials were constantly on their toes.
Then chairman Damian Drum, now a Federal politician, said all members of the BFNL board plus ancillary staff had to remain vigilant and aware of the pressures facing its four country-based clubs: Gisborne, Kyneton, Maryborough and Castlemaine.
“We’ve got to be continually aware of the needs of these four clubs --- our travelling clubs,” he said.
“They’ve got to travel virtually every second week.”
“Compared with our clubs based in Bendigo who effectively travel just four times a season, sometimes just three times --- depending whether you classify Bendigo to Castlemaine as a road trip.
“It’s harder for our four country clubs to get their people to travel to Bendigo to support their teams and they acknowledge they’re going to get a smaller amount of opposition members travel to their own country home games.”
Mr Drum added it was also more difficult for country club officials to attend league meetings and their players to turn up at inter-league training sessions.
“So what I’m saying is we as a league need to be ever vigilant of the extra effort that is needed by our country clubs to remain as dynamic members of our league.”
ALTHOUGH no exact figures were available to the Advertiser sports writers and other journalists following the Gisborne members’ vote, it was said to be “reasonably close.”
Bulldogs’ president Graeme Love noted around 150 votes were cast in the ballot with the decision ending three-and-a-half months of uncertainty hanging over the Dogs.
Ballarat Football League CEO Rod Ward did speak to some media people after the vote had been finalised.
He said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by the members’ decision to remain with Bendigo.
“I certainly sensed the mood of the members, particularly the mood of the playing group, at last week’s information night.
“So while we as a league are disappointed I can’t say I was really surprised by it (the final voting outcome).”
Mr Ward acknowledged the 2009 bid was the fourth attempt by the Ballarat FNL to try to lure Gisborne.
Earlier attempts or approaches had also been made as far back as 1998, as well as in 1999 and again in 2003.
“I suppose one of the motivations of having another go at it now is the Ballarat league has never had a really concerted crack at trying to get Gisborne,” he said.
“Our league had simply sent off letters before, without putting anything concrete on the table.
“There’s no doubt we well and truly put our best feet forward on this occasion.”
AS PART of Ballarat’s pitch to Gisborne the Bulldogs were told they could be as much as $35,000 better off per year.
The quoted figure suggested a mix of travel savings, reduced league affiliation fees and increased gates had led to the $35,000 suggested sum.
“We’d reform old rivalries with Gisborne and the likes of Sunbury, Melton, Melton South and Darley,” Mr Ward said.
Gisborne, Sunbury, Melton, Darley and Melton South were all former Riddell District Football League clubs.
Mr Ward hinted to reporters his league had another club interested in joining Ballarat.
“However, it’s true to say this club is unlikely to be in a position to join until 2012,” he said.
“I’m fairly confident the 2012 deal will come to fruition. So that’s why this will be the last time in the foreseeable future the Ballarat Football League will try to attract Gisborne.
“Our members certainly want 12 clubs. But there’s no question they’d be reluctant to go to 13 clubs,” Mr. Ward stressed.
MEANWHILE new club Strathfieldsaye re-appointed all of its footy coaches for the 2010 season.
Winners of four BFNL senior matches in its debut 2009 season, including the historic first home clash over Castlemaine on their Tannery Lane deck involving a $9000 gate, the Storm voted to continue with their mentoring panel.
Clint Whitsed and Ryan Pedrotti headed up the senior panel as playing and assistant playing coaches, respectively.
Nic Dyer was again named as the reserves coach with Tim Wicks, who took on the under-18 coaching job late in the 2009 season, to again coach the Storm’s young stars.
A multiple winner of the Harding Medal as best and fairest in the Loddon Valley during his time with the Mitiamo Superoos Wicks played a key role in the ruck and up forward for the Storm seniors in the ’09 season.
“Wicksy’s experience, voice and enthusiasm helped our senior team so much during our first season,” Whitsed told the Advertiser’s Nathan Dole.
And looking back over the historic debut season the re-installed coach rated the first-up win over the Maine as perhaps the highlight of the year.
“There were certainly a lot of challenges leading into that Round 1 match and they continued as the season rolled on,” Whitsed said.
“From a coaching perspective it was great to see young players such as Lachlan Sharp and Dermot Smythe play with natural flair and just keep on developing with every game they played,” the re-appointed coach added.
STARS for the Storm in that very first season included ruckman Michael Pilcher, captain Jono Gawthrop, key forward Kris Lea along with Craig Nicholls, Cameron Hall and Carl Hardingham.
“We had a lot of players who had actually played in a major league, then gone away to play in other competitions.
“They were extra keen to test themselves and their abilities again by playing for Strathfieldsaye in the BFL,” Whitsed added.
“It’s true that some of them took five or six games to adjust to the pace and intensity of the competition. But then again, as I’ve said, it is a major league we’re playing in.”
By late September—early October eight years back the Storm was busy on the recruiting front.
“We’re looking at four or five players with a fair amount of senior experience between them,” Whitsed added.
The club announced its pre-season campaign was to kick off in November 2009 and as we know now they played in three successive grand finals --- 2013-14-15 --- winning the latter two in just their sixth and seventh years of existence.
Moreover, gun small forward Stephen Milne booted his 100th goal for the Storm during that historic victory over Sandhurst in the 2014 big dance: 20.18 (138) to the Dragons 12.11 (83).
AND by November in 2009 ex-Castlemaine teen prodigy Dustin Martin was headed to Richmond.
Recruited from the Bendigo Pioneers 18-year-old Dusty (the winner in last year’s AFL Brownlow count) told the Addy playing footy was all he’d ever wanted to be involved with.
“Footy is my life. I just love it and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. So when you get to the AFL that’s what footy is.
“It becomes your life with training every day. That’s the way I want to live. I can’t wait to get to Tigerland,” he said.
In 2008 Martin won the Maine’s goalkicking with 22 majors, 11 of which came in his final two games against Kyneton and eventual grand finalist Square.
He was named the BFNL’s ’08 Rising Star for footy --- a hands-down, clear winner -– and then played with the Pioneers early in ‘09.
Of course in September 2016 Dusty placed third in the Brownlow Medal vote behind runaway winner Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) and second-placed Luke Parker (Sydney Swans).
The 25-year-old garnered six best afield three-votes in his overall Brownlow tally of 25.
And then went on a year later to win not only the 2017 Brownlow but also the Norm Smith medal as best afield in the Tigers’ grand final victory.
By RIchard Jones