From the Port Phillip Leader
Reported by Paul Amy and Conor Ryan
Full article - Click here

IT WAS a typical Port Melbourne-Box Hill Hawks match.

That is, it was compelling stuff, commanding the eye from the first siren to the last.

These clubs have played some engrossing games in the past few years and Sunday’s edition at the City Oval was of the same gold standard. It’s almost a given: when the Borough and Box Hill meet, spectators will be on their feet.

Port won by seven points to stay unbeaten after seven games, and the players gave an ear-piercing rendition of the club song.

Coach Gary Ayres had challenged them to produce their first four-quarter performance of the season and maintain their perfect record going into the week off for the state game. Mission was accomplished against a team Ayres said was clearly the best the Borough had met this year.

The first half produced 19 goals, with both teams scoring freely as the backlines frayed. But only nine came in the second as a shootout developed into hand-to-hand combat.

VFL alignment ‘working well’: McPhee

From the St Kilda FC website
Reported by Tom Morris
Full article - Click here

SANDRINGHAM coach and St Kilda development coach Simon McPhee believes the alignment between the two clubs has been a success so far this year, following an impressive start to the season in which the Zebras have lost just two games.

Sandringham won four of its first five games this year, with a draw against Box Hill the only minor hiccup in what was an outstanding response to a lacklustre 2013 campaign.

“We were very happy with the way the team was playing early. The first month was great with everyone up and running,” McPhee told SAINTS.com.au this week.

“We didn’t have too many injuries and our side was full of quality players pushing for higher honours.”

However St Kilda’s spate of casualties began to take its toll before the bye last weekend and the effects filtered through to Sandringham against Footscray and Werribee in consecutive losses earlier this month.

“We lost our way a little bit in the last couple of weeks and we’ve had a few selection issues because we lost so many players to injury,” McPhee said.

Both sides undefeated going into the 8th round of the season. This will be a game that could shed some light on whether both teams are genuine premiership contenders.

The weather has cleared and it should be a good game on a soft ground after overnight rain.

Radio 3WBC are covering the game for those that want to listen in online.

VFL Radio are also covering the game and it can be heard via 1179 AM RPH or online at:
http://streaming.gohosting.com.au/bpmmedia.m3u

Box Hill Hawks vs. Port Melbourne
Sunday 25th
May
Box Hill City Oval at 2:00pm

Dwyer's VFL milestone

From Collingwood FC website
Reported by Luke Mason
Full article - Click here

Saturday’s VFL-AFL doubleheader marks two 100 game milestones.

The one we know about is Dayne Beams. His week has included a press conference, clippings dotted through the newspapers and highlight reels online.

The other will receive less attention. It’s certainly off broadway as far as the mainstream football public is concerned, but it’s no less significant than Beams’ AFL ton.

Saturday’s VFL match against Geelong marks Sam Dwyer’s 100th match in the Victorian Football League.

The 27-year-old played 97 senior VFL games for Port Melbourne between 2005 and 2012 before finally winding up on an AFL list ahead of last season.

Remarkably, given his experience in the competition and status as a mature aged rookie, Dwyer did not play one VFL match for Collingwood in 2013. Instead, he carved out a niche in the senior side that saw him average 16.57 disposals across 21 games.

Comment thread - http://www.vflfooty.com/node/9021

VFL Round 8

TUESDAY MAY 20
(Foxtel Cup 3rdQF) Williamstown vs Aspley at MCG 8:35pm(Fox Footy)

SATURDAY MAY 24
Collingwood vs Geelong at Victoria Park 12pm
Essendon vs Northern Blues at Windy Hill 1pm
Werribee vs Richmond at Avalon Airport Oval,Werribee 1:10pm(ABC1TV)
Coburg vs Footscray at Piranha Park,Coburg 2pm

SUNDAY MAY 25
(Dev League)Werribee vs Northern Blues at Avalon Airport Oval,Werribee 11am
Bendigo Gold vs North Ballarat at Allen Garden Reserve,Swan Hill 1:30pm
Box Hill Hawks vs Port Melbourne at Box Hill 2pm(VFL Radio,3WBC)
(Development League match starts at 11am)

VFL Byes:Casey Scorpions,Frankston,Sandringham and Williamstown

Development League Byes:Casey Scorpions,Coburg,Frankston,Sandringham and Williamstown

From the Port Phillip Leader.
Reported by Paul Amy
Full article - Click here

THEY were different players and different men.

For all his success in the old VFA, Bob Bonnett remained a humble and gracious figure, as grounded as the Norm L Goss grandstand at North Port Oval.

He’s lived 76 of his 81 years in Port Melbourne.

Fred Cook was charismatic and colourful, and his life plunged out of control after his football career, a drug addiction and pretty crime inevitably lead him to prison.

What they had in common was seasons of spectacular service for Port Melbourne and a gift for kicking goals: between them they put through 2171 for the Borough.

Next month, Port Melbourne will name the ends of the North Port Oval after its champion spearheads and two of the players who featured in its team of the century, Bonnett in a forward pocket and Cook, 66, at full forward.

Cook — “Fabulous Fred’’ to his many adoring supporters — kicked 1238 goals from a club-record 258 matches between 1971-84.

He topped the century seven times and led the association count on five occasions.

All this from a player who was an unreliable kick.

Tall, strong and surprisingly speedy, he compensated by playing close to the goals and taking mark after mark.

All his teammates said it: you wouldn’t see better hands on a footballer.

When the ball went into them, it never came out.

In the 1970s, as Sunday television coverage lifted the VFA’s popularity to heights it hadn’t known, his public profile exceeded those of many league footballers.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/central/from-end-to-end-borough-salut...

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