By Paul Daffey
NATHALIA midfielder Marc Gemmill will add to an amazing record today when he becomes the seventh member of the Gemmill family to play 100 games with the club.
The Purples, who are undefeated and aiming for their third consecutive premiership, are playing Murray Football League rival Tongala at home.
Marc, 35, began his senior career at Nathalia 18 years ago. His career with his home-town club has been punctuated by stints in the armed forces.
In the past two years, he's played in premierships alongside his celebrated brothers Ashley (more than 200 games) and Nathan (almost 200). Both Ashley and Nathan have won O'Dwyer medals for the best and fairest in the Murray league.
The father of the three boys, Graeme, played more than 200 games for Nathalia as a centre half-forward. Graeme's brother Noel played more than 300 games, mostly at full-back, and is the club's games record-holder.
Noel's son Kyle, a midfielder, has played more than 100 games with Nathalia. Kyle played alongside his cousins Marc, Ashley and Nathan in the 2005 and '06 premierships. Kyle's brother Shane plays at Goulburn Valley league club Mooroopna.
The remaining member of the Gemmill family's 100-game club is Barry, the brother of Graeme and Noel, who played more than 200 games as a defender, mostly in the 1980s.
Away from the Gemmill clan, Nathalia full-forward Brendon Parker remains on target to notch his fourth ton since returning to the club four years ago. He has 75 goals from 10 games.
Goulburn Valley league club Shepparton Swans has deferred a decision on whether to proceed with legal action to try to regain the points it lost for playing key defender Tim Looby in rounds two and three, when VFL club Port Melbourne claimed Looby was its player.
The Swans are on top of the Goulburn Valley ladder, a game clear of Shepparton United. They host bottom team Tatura today.
Balranald playing-coach Shawn Filo has decided against pursuing his application to be cleared to Eaglehawk, where his brother Derrick Filo is the playing-coach.
Balranald, a club based 100 kilometres north of Swan Hill, is on top of the Central Murray league ladder, ahead of Tyntynder by percentage. Eaglehawk is undefeated on top of the Bendigo league ladder.
Filo took on the job of playing-coach at Balranald this season after guiding Kerang to the past two Central Murray grand finals, ironically both against Balranald. Kerang won the 2005 grand final, while Balranald won last year's decider by two points.
Filo, who lives in Kerang, considered moving back to the Bendigo area because his wife is sick. He misses Balranald's game against Cohuna Kangas today because of a hamstring injury.
Eaglehawk today plays at Kangaroo Flat, the bottom team in the Bendigo league despite having three former AFL players, playing-coach John Rombotis, Marty Warry and Ty Zantuck.
The Victorian Country squad to play the Victorian Amateurs in Ballarat next weekend has been reduced to 27. Star Yarrawonga midfielder Lance Oswald has been ruled out through injury.
The squad trains at Collingwood's Lexus Centre at 1pm today. A final squad of 22 will be announced tomorrow.
Ballarat FL: Dan Jordan (East Point). Bendigo: Brady Herdman (Eaglehawk), Luke Saunders (Gisborne). Geelong: Dean Talbot (Bell Park), Jeremy Humm (Newtown-Chilwell), Mark Corrigan, Scott Thompson (both South Barwon), Cory Daniel (St Joseph's), Jim Cail (St Mary's). Goulburn Valley: Paul Newman (Kyabram), Paul Scanlon (Seymour), Michael Barlow (Shepparton United), Tim Little (Tatura). Hampden: Stephen Sinnott (Camperdown), Joe McLaren, Simon O'Keefe (both Koroit), Kurt Niklaus, Leigh Niklaus (both Warrnambool). Mornington Peninsula Nepean: Adam Hunter (Dromana), Ricky Clark (Narre Warren). Murray: Michael Chisholm (Rumbalara). North Central: Ross Funcke (Donald). Ovens and Murray: Lee Schmidt (Corowa-Rutherglen), Xavier Leslie, Macrus McMillan, Scott Oswald (all Yarrawonga). West Gippsland Latrobe: Ryan Davey (Warragul).
Article first appeared: The Age
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