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benflLOTS of us have a favourite puzzle to solve each season when this time of year --- late August/early September --- rolls around.

It’s time to name our BFNL Team Of The Year. Doesn’t matter whether it’s going to be published locally somewhere or read out on a local radio station, or not.

Sometimes it’s just as satisfying to see where we’re going to fit all our star players for a particular season into a hypothetical side.

There seems to be one unwritten rule of thumb, though. It would be a foolish or perhaps unskilled judge who would leave out the season’s Michelsen Medallist from his or her selections.
And there’s another pretty well-followed rule. Make sure you get a star or two, squeezed out of the side named in positions line-by-line, onto the interchange bench.

In the Eaglehawk Team of the Century selected a decade back in 2005 no fewer than six interchange players got the nod.

More normally, judges pick four. And that was even in the days when BFNL clubs were allowed just three interchanges each weekend.

Ten years ago I was asked to submit my Team of the Year for the BFNL’s annual report.
The 2005 season was one of mixed results. The inter-league side finished second in their pool behind Bellarine at Mount Gambier.

And although the first three weekends of finals footy had the league well ahead of budget, grand final day was wet and miserable. At least $15,000 was slashed from gate takings and a similar amount in lost catering sales was marked down..

So the 2005 club dividend was just $4500 per club, a decline from the 2004 amount of $7500 each.
But a full-time executive officer in Tony Pierce had been introduced and the league’s profitable sponsorship with the All Seasons Quality Resort continued.

And the North Ballarat Junior Football Club --- to be known as North City --- was welcomed at the 2005 AGM. The Northies would be competing from the 2006 season, onwards.

NOW onto the 2005 Team of the Year.
B: Clayton Anderson (GS), James Flaherty (SB), Luke Walters (Cm)
Hb: Kieren Prowse (Sh), Ben Hynes (Eh), Marcus Barham (Gis).
C: Brad Rogerson (Eh), Ian Martin (Cm), Daniel Sipthorpe (Gis).
HF: Luke Saunders (Gis), Jordan Barham (Gis), Daniel Rankin (Eh).
F: Luke Beattie (SB, now Kyneton coach), Steven Oliver (Cm, now South coach), Adam Pokrovsky (Gis).
Foll: Brett Cook (Kyn), Jason Griffin (GS).
Rover: Danny O’Bree (SB).
Inter: John Harding (SB), Daniel Geary (Eh), Damien Brown (KF), Darren Chambers (Kyn).

Saunders had won the Michelsen Medal with 18 votes and was virtually an automatic selection for panellists and judges.
Steven Oliver topped the BFNL goalkicking for the Ron Best medal with 77 majors and jagged another 8 in the finals for a 2005 tally of 85.

South’s Luke Beattie nailed 70. He got two in Rd. 16 this year against Castlemaine.
Gisborne won the grand final with a comfortable five-goal victory over Eaglehawk: 14.17 (101) to the Hawks 10.10 (70).

Darren Farrugia booted four goals for the Bulldogs with Jordan Barham and Michael Dillon nailing three each.
The Bulldogs’ Ty Elliott won the Nalder and the VCFL medals.
Sandhurst won the A grade netball grand final.

AMONG the highlights of the 2005 season, Sandhurst’s Matt Sexton played his 300th senior game (a fantastic achievement) while Kyneton’s Milton Amezquita played his 200th game with his club.
Sexton actually called time after the Rd. 17 fixture against Eaglehawk on August 13th, 2005. It was his 304th and final game.

He’s just the third Hurst player to reach the magical 300-game mark. The others were stars of the 1920s and 1930s: Alf ‘Pixie’ Odgers and Syd Edwards, both wingmen.

Steven Oliver played his 200th senior game for Castlemaine early in the season and towards the end of the home and away rounds booted 13 goals against Golden Square to take his all-time tally past 1000 --- the only player in BFNL history, with Ron Best, to have topped a thousand.

Kangaroo Flat’s Lauren Swatton and Veronica Roberts played their 150th netball games, while clubmate Benita Swatton played her 100th.

Eaglehawk stalwart Andrew Reid ran out for his 200th match in the Two Blue colours and Cameron Skinner played his 150th senior game for Maryborough.
Just recently ‘Skin’ played his 300th.

THIRTY years ago Comet Transport was the BFL’s major sponsor.
So in the 1985 grand final program the Comet All Stars were named, with thumbnail pictures accompanying each player.

Just two interchange players were the go in 1985. Here’s the team.
B: Ron Cawthan (Cm), Tony McCarthy (NU), Peter Hamilton (NB).
Hb: Ken Cousins (Kennington), Mark Grave (Kyn), John Harrison (Sh).
C: Dean Strauch (GS), Frank Coghlan (Sh), John Craig (KF).
Hf: David Collins (Sh), Gavin Exell (NU), Ross Alford (NB).
F: Robert Smith (GS), Steve McKerrow (KF), Phillip ‘Toot’ Morgan (GS).
Foll: Martin Sloan (Sh), Phillip Byrne (SB).
Rover: Shane Muir (Kyn).
Interchange: Alan Patterson (GS), Bryan Dorrington (Eh). Coach: Brian Walsh (Sh).

Northern United won the grand final by five goals over the Dragons. Tony Southcombe slotted five goals for the Swallows, Exell four and Leon Holt, now the main media man in the North Central League, nailed three.

Collins bagged four goals for the Hurst. Well-known local hairdresser Ian ‘Sos’ Garland and Mark McErvale added two each, with Garland’s pair both coming in the second term.

Final scores: Northern United 19.18 (132) def. Sandhurst 14.18 (102).

AND here’s the first ever VCFL representative team which played Canberra on Sunday June 1st, 1980
Final scores: Canberra 21.24 (150) def. VCFL 14.10 (94).

Goulburn Valley F.L’s Bob Allison was the coach, Ron Best captained the side with Ian Salmon vice-captain.
Line-up:

B: Peter Sheen (Warrnambool), Brian Symes (Benalla), Peter Brown (North Ballarat).
HB: Kevin Adams (Swan Hill), Ian Salmon (Leongatha), Victor Hugo (Narrandera).
C: Chris Walker (Shepparton), Jeff Gieschen (Maffra), Michael Robertson (Woomelang-Lascelles).
HF: Garry Mountjoy (Golden Square), Mike Delahunty (Murtoa), Robert Ballingall (Warragul).
F: John Wright (East Gambier), Ron Best (Golden Square), Ron Haring (Rochester).
Foll: Tony Southcombe (Golden Square), Graeme Moyle (Hamilton).
Rover: Ross Weightman (South Mildura).
Inter: Greg Nicholls (Turvey Park), Ron Rendell (Kerang), Murray Gilmour (Donald).
Officials: Vince McNicol (manager), Graham Arthur (chairman of selectors), Bill Anderson (selector), Dr. Bill Granger (medical officer), Charles Callander (property steward), Ron Ward (head trainer).

Match made possible by sponsorship of the Televison Centre of Bendigo and the VFL, which met all costs. Match televised by BCV-8 into 90 per cent of regional & country areas, thanks to Robert Cook and Graeme Eddy.
See some familiar names in there?

How about The Geech, Graham ‘Mort’ Arthur, Ian Salmon and Mike Delahunty, later to become a State minister in the Baillieu—Napthine governments? Just to pick out a few. Not to mention three BFNL household names in Best, Mountjoy and Southcombe.

That’s it from me as far as stories on inter-league and Teams of the Year are concerned for this footy season.
Just thought it was worthwhile recalling the 35th anniversary of the VCFL’s first-ever representative side, and Bendigo’s involvement in it.

Richard’s tips for Rd. 18: Golden Square (vs. Castlemaine), Sandhurst (vs. Eaglehawk), Kyneton (vs. Maryborough, at Princes Park), Strath. Storm (vs. South Bendigo, at Harry Trott Oval) and Kang. Flat (vs. Gisborne at Bendigo Mazda Oval).
Running total for 2015: 70.

By Richard Jones