IN MID-June 1985, sparkling Eaglehawk wingman Brendan Keane played his 300th senior BFL game.

He'd started with Wycheproof-Narraport in the North Central Football League, notching three seasons with the Demons. In 1969 he'd won the Feeny Medal making him a prime candidate for BFL recruitment officers.

Brendan had actually played 61 senior games with Wyche before turning out for the Two Blues in the 1970 season.

And he didn't reach 300 games, including four inter-league appearances, all with the Borough.

A breakdown of Brendan Keane's senior appearances included 182 for Eaglehawk (1970-71; 1978-85), 74 for Sandhurst (1972-75), 40 for North Bendigo (1976-77) and his four inter-league matches which included the 1972 country championship win for Bendigo.

Adding his 61 senior appearances with the NCFL's Demons by the June of 27 years ago, Brendan had notched up a staggering 361 games.

NOT surprisingly in his last season in the NCFL Brendan Keane won Wycheproof-Narraport's best and fairest as well as the 1969 Feeny Medal.

By the eighties he had played in 35 senior finals with premierships at Wyche (1967), Sandhurst (1973) and the 1980 and 1982 successes at Eaglehawk.

He maintains that his most memorable career match was the 1980 grand final where Eaglehawk hung on to beat Golden Square (by 2 points) and clinch their centenary premiership.
That play-off remains as one of the top three grand finals I've covered in my 36 seasons reporting on the BFL, now the BFNL.

Brendan had also played in the Hurst's runner-up sides of 1974 and 1975 and Eaglehawk's 1984 runner-up side which lost the flag to Northern United.

The 1984 blow was somewhat softened when Brendan was granted BFL life membership.

And to make sure his 300th match was a memorable one, third-last Eaglehawk downed South Bendigo, just above them on the ladder, in that 1985 weekend's split round.

I COVERED two matches that weekend for the Advertiser with Golden Square going down to North Bendigo in a reasonably high-scoring game on the Saturday.

Then in the Sunday clash at the Neale Street oval, second-placed Kangaroo Flat won an entertaining contest over Kennington-Strathdale by 27 points.

The Roos led at every change although the Saints, who had beaten Northern United a fortnight earlier, had reduced the margin to just five points by the last change: 8.7 to 8.12.
The difference between the two sides was Green and Whites full-forward Steve Mckerrow.

He booted 5.3 for the afternoon and was well supported by fellow Roos: Bernie White (three goals) and Paul McKay and Peter Hinck (two apiece).

The Kennington Saints shared the goal-scoring around. Leigh Hunt nailed three while Andrew Toll, Dale Petrie and Cameron Milnes garnered a pair each.

Out at Wade Street on the Saturday --- in the years before corporate naming rights for ovals -- sixth-placed North Bendigo leapfrogged Sandhurst to grab a spot in the Five.

The Atkins Street Dogs downed the Square by 50 points. North stitched up the win with a commanding first half, booting 13.9 to 7.7 with gun forward Leigh Beachley on target.

He finished the match with 5.1 while Lee Collinson and promoted Twos forward Leigh Paynter drilled three each. Captain-coach Wayne Walsh contributed two, along with centre half-forward Peter Hamilton and Ross Alford.  Despite Peter Moroni's six goals for Golden Square, North Bendigo won comfortably -- 22.15 (147) to Square's 13.19 (97).

Leigh Williams had booted 13 goals in the Square under-18s the previous week to earn top votes for his performance.

ON THE league scene executive officer Greg Hilson reported that star full-forward Ron Best had not completely given away competitive footy.

On the Monday before the BFL round of June 15-16, 1985 was played, Best lined up for Ararat against the Ballarat Diggers.

This was a match staged to re-enact one of footy's earliest known regional games.

Ararat won the match 10.12 (72) to Ballarat 3.7 (25). Best managed 3.3 and gave another two goals away. Hilson reported that Bendigo's other nominated representative, Northern United captain-coach Tony Southcombe, wisely decided against playing. Big Bluey had broken his jaw in the May 4th BFL match against Sandhurst.

The Ballarat side went into the match as hot favourites. Don Discher, Peter Tunbridge and Lee Murnane all turned out for the Diggers, but they were never given a look in. There were 40 players a side and with all players wearing uniforms similar to the original, 19th century attire, Hilson noted one intriguing rule.

This was that seven players per side were required to line up to contest boundary throw-ins. No doubt, a throwback to the rules and regulations in place for lineouts in rugby union, a formative influence on early Aussie Rules.

A RULE which had all players in difficulty was that a mark taken within 35 yards of goal required a place kick. "Even Besty struggled to come to terms with this ancient art of kicking goals," Hilson reported.

"Some of the methods used to overcome the difficulty proved quite comical. A place kick by Ballarat during the third quarter saw one of the players lying on the ground holding the ball vertically.

"His teammate thundered in and sunk the slipper into the pigskin. Only a point was registered, but a couple of fingers could quite easily have sailed through the goals," he wrote.
Despite all the shots at goal using the place kick only during the final quarter was it used successfully.

"An Ararat player kicked truly and even the opposition Ballarat players ran in to congratulate him, indicating the great spirit the match was played in," Hilson noted, in conclusion.

Richard's tips for Round 8: South Bendigo by 49 points, Sandhurst by 38, Golden Square by 11, Kangaroo Flat by 22 and Strathfieldsaye by 40.

2012 progress tally: 27.

By Richard Jones