TWELVE seasons ago the BFNL was in uproar over the practice of some clubs continually naming bogus sides in the Friday Advertiser.

During the winter of 2003 BFL chairman Mark Johnston said the league had become increasingly concerned by the number of clubs releasing false senior line-ups to the media.

Some of Mr. Johnston's fellow board members labelled the practice "ambush team selection".

Leading up to the round scheduled for the end of June 2003, all clubs were required to name a finalized senior squad of 24 -- including no more than three emergencies -- for Friday's paper.

If changes were made to the starting 21 before kick-off, either through injury or any other unforeseen circumstances, the replacement(s) had to come from the nominated emergencies.
The problem had spiralled out of control in late May and into June, with the board putting the finger on Eaglehawk as the main offender.

For the match set down for June 21st, the Hawks named Devin Brown and Daniel Geary in their starting 18 to play South Bendigo.

Both players missed the match through injury. Their replacements were Jeremy Quick and Adam Rout, both overlooked for original selection because they'd been considered to really be on the 'injured' list.

"While we understand clubs and coaches want to divulge as little as possible about their sides to their rivals, it's important for football followers that the sides printed in Friday's papers are as accurate as possible," Mr. Johnston said.

The league boss said the media outlets did "a fantastic job promoting our leagues and clubs and as a result clubs needed to supply them with accurate information".

LEAGUE executive officer Darren Lewis said the new guidelines should prevent clubs from deliberately naming bogus line-ups.
"We won't know until after the weekend's games, but this measure should stop ambush team selection.

"If clubs try and sneak a player in through the back door then they'll be fined.

"It's that simple," Mr. Lewis said.

The extent of the penalties for selection infractions had not been pre-determined.

Mr. Lewis added the new guidelines still left sufficient room for clubs to name players who were under injury clouds.

"With three emergencies, clubs can still include players who are only a 50-50 chance of playing on the weekend.

"You don't always know if a player is going to be right for the weekend at Thursday night's team selection meetings, after training.

"That's why there's room to move with the emergencies," Mr. Lewis pointed out.

Before the new regulations came into force, the only restriction placed on BFL clubs came into effect less than an hour before the first bounce.

Officials were required to submit a full team sheet to the officiating umpires and to the opposition club.

Before the team sheet was filled out, any registered player on a club's list could theoretically be brought into the side.

IF SOME of the off-field practices of a few years back seemed a bit bizarre, consider the plight of on-air radio commentators.
In the late Nineties the Triple-C team had not only to call the game, but also nominate the Goal of the Day, the Player of the Day and bizarrely the Daring Deed of the Day.

What's that, I hear you say? Okay, it's pretty standard practice for radio callers to tell listeners who booted the Goal of the Day.
Frequently these days I nominate the top major of the afternoon and who kicked it at the match I'm covering for the Addy. Not from every game, but from the majority of them.
So that's the Goal of the Day covered.

And the best on ground would pretty well fit into the Player of the Day category.

No problem there. But the Daring Deed of the Day (a sponsored award from less than 20 years ago), well that's another category altogether.

So I hunted around for some paperwork to see if I could find a daring deed. No worries really, since we're de-cluttering in our present home prior to selling up and moving into a smaller, brand new abode.

And there were some documents attached to Triple-C votes and progress tallies I compiled each week for the station.

In a match we broadcast from Bendigo Mazda Oval (just simply known as Dower Park back in the day) Lockington-Bamawm United forward Andrew Palmer took the award that game.
What was his Daring Deed? Palmer stood his ground amid an on-rushing bunch of Flat defenders and calmly pulled in a courageous pack mark.

He went back and slotted the goal. The Bright Motor Inn sponsored that award, but I don't actually know if Palmer and his beloved spent a night or two snuggled up in Victoria's High Country!

Incidentally the overall winner of Triple C-FM's Mark of the Day to claim the 2003 Mark of the Year was Sandhurst's Mark Nilon. He plucked his hanger in Round 4 against Maryborough.

The usual suspects had all been nominated: Steven Oliver, Derrick Filo, Luke Saunders, Daniel Geary, Shane Davis, Nick Heath and Kain Robbins. But Nilon topped them all in the panel's assessment.

TRIPLE C-FM'S broadcast teams and around-the-grounds crew also lodged their votes for the Player of the Year, another sponsored award.
Looking back on a couple of them from earlier in the Noughties we didn't come close to the eventual most important best player award of all: the Michelsen medal.

In 2003 Sandhurst's Wayne Mitrovic won radio's Player of the Year with 31 votes. He was two ahead of second-placed Rodney Sharp (Gisborne) on 29 and four clear of third-placed Ben Doherty (Square) on 27.

Where was the eventual Michelsen Medallist, Matt Fitzgerald?
Yep, buried deep in equal ninth spot on 19, 12 behind Mitrovic.
Same thing three seasons later. Golden Square's Jason Griffin won the 2006 Player of the Year on 33 votes. A massive 15 votes behind (with Kyneton's Brad Else and Maryborough's Stewart Crameri, now a Western Bulldog in the AFL) was Kain Robins of Eaglehawk on 18.

Robins garnered 15 votes on Michelsen Medal night to take home the time-honoured gong.

We might have been closer to the money in lodging our choices for the Rising Stars eight or nine years back.

The winner in the 2006 season was Sandhurst's Seamus Young. Handy group of candidates. Along with Young they included Dylan Clarkson and Matt Johnston (Maryborough), Sam Barnes (Sandhurst), Brad Rohde (South Bendigo), Ryan Gurton and Eddy Den Ouden (North City), Ryan Webster (Gisborne), Matt Bilton (Maryborough), Travis Thatcher (K. Flat), and Leigh Erwin (Kyneton).

UMPIRES have a lot on their plates too, not least having to sit down in the rooms after a game and nut out their 3-2-1 for the BFNL's fairest and best awards.

Consider the case of Beres Fitch, now a well-respected BFNL board member.

Early in the 2002 season he filed a report against an (unknown) Castlemaine spectator for allegedly manhandling Golden Square's Matt Tyrell.

Fitch's report read that during the three quarter-time break at the Camp Reserve an altercation took place and the term 'manhandling' was specifically listed in the paperwork.

At the BFL Tribunal hearing chairman Graeme Dunn threw out the charge without hearing evidence from either party.

"There is no rule in the VCFL handbook regarding reports of spectators," Mr. Dunn summed up.
Case dismissed.

Richard's selections for Round 6: Golden Square by 71 (at Princes Park), Eaglehawk by 13 (v Gisborne), Kang. Flat by 19 (v South), Strath Storm by 58 (at Kyneton) and Sandhurst by 32 (Sunday, v C'maine).
Total correct tips for 2015: 22.

By Richard Jones