Finger of coincidence

by PAUL DAFFEY

WHILE Hawthorn midfielder Daniel Chick chose to lose part of a finger before this season, Wangaratta Rovers midfielder Andrew "Waldo" Wilson was left with no such choice.

The 31-year-old tree surgeon lost the little finger on his right hand when it was caught in a woodchipper on a job in Frankston. The machine was stopped, Wilson's workmate picked up the finger and put it on ice, and Wilson went off to hospital.

Surgeons at St Vincent's public hospital in Fitzroy couldn't guarantee the result if his finger were sowed back on. Besides, having his hand in a splint for 18 weeks would rule out work and, just as importantly, his chance of playing in a premiership side.

Wangaratta Rovers are on top of the Ovens and Murray league ladder after defeating fellow premiership challenger Corowa-Rutherglen, coached by former Wang Rovers star Peter Tossol, by 50 points. Wilson picked up his share of kicks in the reserves after two weeks on the sidelines.

His finger - or, more accurately, the stump - was sore but he was unwilling to miss any more games. He plans to wear a prosthetic guard in coming weeks.

Wilson shrugged at the fuss over the finger. "It's just one of those things," he said.

And the main reason behind the fuss? The Rovers wear Hawthorn jumpers and Wilson wears No.17 - just like Daniel Chick.

Friends and acquaintances have repeatedly pointed out the link in the past few weeks. Wilson said everybody had been on to it. "Except my girlfriend, who knows nothing about footy."

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