KYNETON is well and truly back within the BFNL fold this season although a decade ago there was something of a war of words developing off the park.

Tigers' senior coach Peter Foster had spent a summer period seething at comments ascribed to then Gisborne president Roger Toll.

The article hadn't appeared in the local press, either in the Bendigo or Macedon Ranges newspapers.

Rather, the article ran in the Sunday Age in mid-winter 2003 based around injuries suffered by Bulldogs players during matches against Kyneton.

Toll alleged that three Gisborne footballers had "received broken jaws in recent matches against Kyneton."

During the Round five match in 2003, won by Gisborne 15.21 (111) to Kyneton's 10.7 (67), the game was marred by an unseemly incident.

The upshot of that was veteran Tiger defender Andrew McArdle copping an eight-week suspension when found guilty of 'conduct unbecoming' by the BFL Independent Tribunal.
The charge stemmed from a behind-the-play incident in which Gisborne midfielder Chris Curcio sustained a broken jaw.

So to say 2004's Round 1 game between the two clubs had a spot of tension attached to it is selling the game short.

In the lead-up to the game Foster told the Advertiser he was still boiling.

"It didn't please me as coach of the Kyneton Football Club when I picked up The Age and saw the Gisborne president quoted as stating we had a problem with our club as far as our tactics (went)," said Foster.

"What I got upset with and it has probably made the game pretty fierce this week ..... definitely we'll use the fact that the name of our footy club was used in The Age, which is widely read by people in Melbourne."

TOLL told the Advertiser he had never described Kyneton as 'a rough-house football club'.

"But in relation to our players receiving broken jaws over the past few seasons, it's fact not fiction," the Gisborne president said.

"Also, I have never said Kyneton has a problem with its tactics.
"We at Gisborne have enormous respect for Kyneton as we have for every other club in the BFL.

"We're excited about the start of the 2004 season as all other clubs would be. I suggest Peter Foster looks forwards, not backwards."

And Toll had one further message for Foster after the Tiger coach had mentioned a day earlier he was considering pulling on the boots again for the 2004 season.

Foster was 42 in 2004.

The Gisborne president said after reading the mid-week Advertiser article it was perhaps time for "Peter to put up or shut up."

FOSTER had announced a day before the war of words erupted he planned to play again.

"People may laugh but I'm fit enough and I'm deadly serious," he told the Advertiser.

"I'm probably the same weight as I was when I was playing. What stirs my passion to play is the hands we've been dealt with at Kyneton as a footy club."

Foster was referring to the fact the Tigers had been unable to secure any non-aligned Bendigo Bombers' players for the 2004 season.

As such Kyneton was the only BFL club without a Bombers' player on its list for the season a decade back.
"I wouldn't consider playing again other than the fact I feel the club has been dealt some pretty ordinary cards when it comes to negotiating with anybody from the Essendon (Bendigo Bombers) situation," he said.

"Every time I speak to a 19 or 20-year-old who has been picked up by Essendon (Bendigo Bombers) the thought of coming to Kyneton --- regardless of the financial offer --- is not even there to begin with," said Foster.

HE HAD last played footy in the 2000 season when he represented Footscray in a super rules competition.

Kyneton had lost ruckman Ash Fleming and key defender Daniel Van Den Ham from the 2003 squad and had been unable to recruit key position players to cover their losses.

Foster had enjoyed a top AFL career between 1980 and 1993, racking up 170 games with Fitzroy and Footscray.

The Tiger coach started with the Roy Boys in 1980, notching seven games and two goals. At the Doggies, Foster carved out a significant career --- 163 matches, including three finals, with 56 goals between 1983 and 1993.

He represented Victoria in the Big V Guernsey three times (in 1987, 1988 and 1990) and twice represented Australia in the International Rules format.

Foster won Footscray's best and fairest award in 1990. He'd finished second in 1987 and third in 1988.

KYNETON'S senior coach did not end up playing in the Round 1 game at the Gardiner Reserve in 2004.
The Graveyard Dogs won comfortably: 21.20 (146) to 12.2 (74). That's 41 scoring shots to a mere 14.

The Tigers were far more competitive in Rd. 2 in 2004 going down at home to Castlemaine: 14.12 (96) to 17.11 (113).

The Magpies jumped the Tigers in the opening term to establish a 34-point lead, using the icy wind to advantage.

The Tigers completely eclipsed the Maine in the second term to take a 17-point buffer into the main break.

There was only one point in it (in Kyneton's favour) at the last change, but against the wind –- and the odds --- the Magpies prevailed. A five-goal last term while holding the Tigers to two was the difference.

Castlemaine's Adrian Conn booted five goals and he was well supported by Daniel James and Matthew Peake.

The Tigers' Matt Waters booted three goals against the Magpies to give him eight for the season. He was in equal second spot on the BFL goal-kicking table two rounds in along with Derrick Filo (Eh) and Brendan Shepherd (Cm).

In equal top spot on the sharpshooters' table were Adam Rout (Eh), Steven Reaper (Gis), Adrian Conn (Cm) and Daniel Geary (Eh), all on 11 goals.

NIGHT football at the QEO had just been introduced a decade ago.
In round two, 2004, the Saturday evening fixture saw South up against Gisborne in the first-ever BFL night match.
The new lights were blazing. Sandhurst played the Sunday night fixture against Square.

The Bloods were delighted to be rostered to host the historic match. A big function was held in the QEO clubrooms with guest of honour Peter Dean, a former South boy who went on to play 248 games with Carlton including the 1995 premiership.
Wallace Teasdale and the late Geoff Morris of Fresh FM were in the rooms to bring a live broadcast of the function to listeners.
In a tight contest all evening the Gisborne Dogs eventually prevailed: 16.8 (104) to South's 13.5 (83).

Yet South piled on six goals in the third quarter, after lagging badly in the first half, to open up a 17-point lead by the last break.

The Graveyard Dogs finished strongly to boot half-a-dozen majors in the final term to win by 21 points.

The Bulldogs put a highway incident behind them. As they were motoring up the Calder, a mattress flipped off a trailer travelling in front of the team bus and shattered the windscreen.

A second bus eventually arrived and delivered everyone safe and sound to the QEO.

In the Sunday night game and coming off the Round 1 bye, the Dragons held on to win a hard-fought contest against Golden Square by 14 points.

In front of a massive crowd there was little between the teams all evening. After an injury-interrupted pre-season Zac Perez was a solid four-quarter performer for the Hurst and he was well supported by Travis Fitzpatrick, Mark Fitzgerald and Leigh Gathercole.

Brendan Fraser booted six goals for the Square. Darren Walsh bobbed up with a couple.

Final scores: Sandhurst 19.14 (128) def. G. Square 18.6 (114).
Five unbeaten clubs, separated only by percentage, filled the Top Five positions after two rounds: Eaglehawk, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Gisborne and the Hurst. Flat was in the cellar.

Richard's tips for Round 3, Good Friday: Castlemaine by 7 points, Gisborne by 51 and Golden Square by 30 (under lights).
Easter Saturday: Strath Storm by 29 and Eaglehawk by 19 (at Harry Trott Oval, Kennington).
2014 season total: 10.

By Richard Jones