THE silly season is always fertile ground for rumours about who’s leaving a club or a league, who’s coming in and what massive salary is being offered to a star player or incoming coach.

We had quite a bit of that before Christmas last year with Jeff Gieschen the huge, new signing as Gisborne coach before he had to pull the pin a week or so later on health grounds.

Sandhurst, South, the Flat and a few others released the signings of big-name midfielders and wherever you went in Bendigo over summer the question was posed: ‘What’s Harry Maddern getting as the new coach at Mitiamo?’

On various footy blogsites punters were trumpeting the mass exodus of players from LVFL side Bears Lagoon-Serpentine while Eaglehawk player movements --- in and out --- also got a fair bit of scrutiny.

Well, it’s always been the case. Let’s look back to the pre-seasons of 2008 and 2009, not all that many years ago.

Gisborne’s star recruit Chris Atkins quit the Gardiner Reserve to return to his home club Kyabram in the Goulburn Valley league.

Regarded as one of the premier midfielders in country Victoria Atkins told Gisborne coach Marcus Barham in late March 2008 he wouldn’t be lining up with the Bulldogs.

“Chris told us he wanted to go back to Kyabram because of personal reasons. That’s where his family is and he wants to be close to them,” the coach told the Advertiser.

Twelve months later Kyneton announced it had secured tough VFL midfielder Lee Picioane for the 2009 season.

Picioane is the brother of former Adelaide, North Melbourne and Hawthorn AFL player Lance, with whom the Tigers were also deep in negotiations.

BACK to Atkins and Gisborne.
The midfielder started his senior career with Kyabram and had been a regular in the GVFL’s representative sides in the late Nineties and early and mid-Noughties.
Atkins won two club best and fairests with Kyabram and was runner-up in the GVFL’s prestige Morrison Medal in 1998.
He’d spent 2001 playing with the Bendigo Diggers in the VFL before trying his luck with east Fremantle in the WAFL.
In the southern summers Atkins had moved to Darwin and played in the Northern Territory Football league while he’d also played for Balranald in the Central Murray F.L. in the 2006—2007 seasons.
“We would have loved for Chris to play with us after he’d done some pre-season work, but if his heart isn’t in it we’re better off developing a young player,” a philosophical Barham said.
Lee Picioane was well known to 2009 Kyneton coach Paul Houston.
He’d played with Essendon District FL club Keilor in 2008 while Houston had coached rival EDFL club Avondale Heights.
“I coached against Lee last year and he certainly gave me and our team plenty of headaches,” said Houston.
“He’s a very good player who was used as a running and attacking half-back flanker for Keilor.”
Picioane was one of Keilor’s best in its upset 33-point win over Greenvale in the 2008 EDFL A grade grand final.

BUT it was going to be a one in—one out situation for Kyneton seven years back.
The club’s star utility of 2007-08 Cameron Tate looked set to head to Eastern Football League club Wantirna South.
It was a similar story at Castlemaine. The Magpies regained former skipper Chris Jardine who’d played just the one season with Natte Bealiba in the then Lexton Plains Football League.
The tough, run-with defender had played in the Maine’s 2000 premiership side and his return delighted Magpie coach Jamie Elliott.
“He’s a hard-at-it player so it’s good to have him back. With the experience he brings it’s going to be excellent for our group of young players,” Elliott said.
Elliott told the Advertiser Jardine seemed to have been constantly labelled or categorized as a defender.
“He’s the type of player who can fit in anywhere. He seems to have been labelled as a backman and when he plays down there he regularly plays on the good forwards in the BFL.
“But I think Chris can play a role further up the ground for us at stages,” said Elliott.
Once again as at most clubs the Maine was going through a period of ins and outs. Three players were off to Maryborough-Castlemaine DFL club Newstead: important key position player Mark Ramsey, back pocket Scott Timmins and wingman Lachlan Ford.

GOLDEN Square cleared star wingman Daniel McLaughlin back to his original club, Wangaratta Rovers in the Ovens and Murray F.L.
McLaughlin had proved to be a sensation in the BFNL eight years ago.
He was named as an interchange player in the 2008 Bendigo Advertiser Team Of The Year.
Dogs’ coach Mark Adamson said the clever winger had proved to be a great asset for his club.
“He was a terrific player and a great bloke. But for family reasons he needed to move back closer to home which is fair enough,” said Adamson.
Also departing the Square was defender Aaron Randall who was joining Leopold in the strong Geelong Football league.
And it’s salutary to remember in 2008 Adamson and the Square were on the cusp of their history-making five-flags-in-a-row run which took in a quintet of flags from 2009—2013, inclusive.
The Bulldogs had injury problems as Round 1 eight years ago drew closer.
By early April boom recruit (now coach) Nick Carter had to prove his fitness to take the field for the opening round clash against the Flat.
Carter had limped through most of the pre-season with a calf injury, the same ailment which had caused him trouble in his final season with the Bendigo Bombers in 2007.
And pacy wingman Matt Klein-Breteler had been ruled out of Rd. 1 because of a troublesome ankle injury.
The Square had played three, full practice matches as a lead-up to the season and Adamson declared them ‘ready to go’.

WELL, what happened after all these moves in and out in early 2008.
By the completion of round four in the nine-club BFNL in early May Square, Eaglehawk and Gisborne were in the top three spots with South and Castlemaine rounding out the Five.
Winless Hurst and Kyneton were separated by just one per cent at the bottom of the table with Maryborough and the Flat battling with the Maine for fifth spot.
Ex-Kyneton star Nathan Thompson was at Dower Park with his family as part of the 2008 season’s Community Footy Weekend and I interviewed him at half-time of the main game.
Although the North Melbourne power forward recalled the freezing winter conditions during his playing days at Tigerland, Thompson was delighted to see so many young players running around for Kyneton and the Flat.
“I love to see young kids from the Kyneton district having a crack at major league BFL footy and also young Kangaroo Flat players having a red-hot dip as well,” said Thompson.
Out on Dower Park the inaccurate Tigers --- they landed just seven goals from 29 scoring shots --- went down to the Roos by 71 points.
Tyrone ‘Tigga’ Downie and Phil Lobb banged home 11 majors between them with Downie best afield with seven goals and a marking tally in double figures.
At Canterbury Park Eaglehawk coach Derrick Filo pulled on the boots once again but not in his familiar number 7. Filo had the 44 guernsey on his back.
He told Addy reporter Nathan Dole he hadn’t made the decision to play until late that Friday afternoon. The Hawks eased home over South by three goals.
Castlemaine opened its 2008 winning account with a 100-point romp over Sandhurst with Daniel Christmas notching five goals and Brody Culpitt adding four.
A highlight for fans was the appearance of 16-year-old Dustin Martin (now a Richmond star) in the Magpie strip. He was voted third best for the Maine. Final scores: Castlemaine 26.8 (164) def. Sandhurst 9.10 (64), Kang. Flat 20.15 (135) def. Kyneton 7.22 (64), Gisborne 20.17 (137) def Maryborough 11.9 (75) and Eaglehawk 20.12 (132) def. South Bgo 17.12 (14).
Top five: Golden Square (312 per cent) and Eaglehawk (134%) 16 premiership points, Gisborne (197%) and South Bendigo (172%) 12, Castlemaine (105%) 8 points.
Goal kickers: Marcus Barham (Gis) 18, Dayne Frew (SB) 15, Christian Carter (GS) 15, Matt Gretgrix (Eh) 15, Brady Herdman (Eh) 15, Daniel Christmas (Cm) 13 and Shannon Milward (Eh) 13.

TOP A grade netball team Gisborne sneaked across the line by two goals over Maryborough in the netball match-of-the-round.
On their home court the Dogs were under pressure all match but steadiness when it mattered from Virginia Bennett, Morgan Ryan and Christine Harris saw Gisborne home: 39—37.
Maryborough’s best were Laura Clarkson, Anna Bucknall and Alicia Cassidy.
Eaglehawk shored up fourth spot with a huge 63—35 win over South Bendigo at Canterbury Park. Amanda O’Neill and Lucy Spalding set up many Hawk forward moves.
Ellen Robinson and Leah Walsh were best for the Bloods.
Kangaroo Flat won by an even bigger margin than Eaglehawk as the Green and Whites slaughtered Kyneton by 64 goals: 76—12.
Nerida Hyett and Brooke Emmerson were best-on-court for the Roos.
Stacey Randall and Claire Gibbs were best for Sandhurst in the Dragons’ 65—25 win over Castlemaine at the Camp Reserve.
There was a tie in the under-17 match at Eaglehawk --- the Hawks and South Bendigo drew 30—30.
A grade Top Five: Gisborne (196%) and Golden Square (188%) both on 16 prem. points, Kangaroo Flat (210%), Eaglehawk (170%) and Sandhurst (147%) all on 12 prem. points.
Eight years ago there were just four netball grades in the BFNL: A grade, A Reserve, B Grade and under-17.

AROUND the leagues and Campbell’s Creek was up and running for the 2008 season.
After a season of no footy or netball the Creekers were ready for a return to the Maryborough Castlemaine DFL.
A long-running recruiting drive led to the club signing on 35 footballers and training had been solid right through summer and early autumn.
And even though they’d signed Brian Walsh, a multiple premiership-winning coach at Golden Square and coach of the TAC Cup Bendigo Pioneers, Walsh lasted only a short period with Campbell’s Creek.
Third-placed Avoca trounced the Creek 32.15 to 11.7 with unbeaten ladder leaders Carisbrook and Harcourt also big winners over Newstead and Dunolly in the MCDFL round.
Tips for Rd. 3: Eaglehawk by 67 points, Sandhurst by 18, Kangaroo Flat by 9 (night), Storm by 13 (night, at Square) and Kyneton by 5 (also at night).
Tips tally for 2016: 8.

By Richard Jones