A weekend of vic finals

by PAUL DAFFEY

WHILE Kevin Sheedy has urged Victorian fans in need of a finals fix to drive to Adelaide for tonight's AFL semi final, there's really no need. Plenty of finals will be played around suburban and country Victoria this weekend.

brun stand

There was plenty of pre-finals action in the grandstand at Brunswick Street Oval. Photo by Les Everett

Here is our guide to five grand finals around the state today. If you lose Sheedy's road map to Adelaide, the ovals at which these games are being held can be easily found.

Parkside v Spotswood, Western Region league, Division One, at Yarraville

Parkside wear black and white stripes and take the nickname the Magpies. Spotty, as Spotswood is known, wear green with a gold "V" and describe themselves as the Woodsmen. This match is a logical option for Collingwood fans.

Parkside and Spotty are regular finalists, with Parkside winning the flag in 2000 and Spotty in 1995. This season, both sides feature a core of brothers who play in the midfield and defence. At Parkside, it's the Taleb and Sir brothers, featuring former Footscray defender Sedat Sir. At Spotty, it's the Shannon and Montebello boys.

Spotswood also features 19-year-old centre half forward Mark Keenan, whose bulk and ferocity are sure to drag spectators through the gates at Yarraville, where the dimensions and banked spectator areas are conducive to good viewing.

Fitzroy Reds v Peninsula Old Boys, Victorian Amateur Football Association, D2 section, at Central Reserve, Waverley

While Peninsula, whose nickname is the Pirates, run their Jolly Roger up the flagpole at the old Waverley VFA ground, the Reds will through a banner put together by former members of the Fitzroy cheer squad. The Roys fans completed their task in the community room beside the old grandstand at the Brunswick Street oval during the Reds' final training session on Thursday night.

The links continue with Reds rover Vinnie Cahill, a courageous whippet who finished second on the competition best-player award despite missing seven games. Cahill wears a helmet and the No.29 guernsey, just like former Roys champ Garry Wilson.

Peninsula's leading player is key forward Shaun Payze, the son of former St Kilda ruck-rover and president Travis Payze. The Pirates were undefeated before losing the second semi final to the Reds. The Jolly Roger will hang listlessly if they lose again.

Merbein v Mildura Imperials, Sunraysia league, at No.1 oval, Mildura

In 1975, Merbein defeated Mildura Imperials in the grand final with the last kick of the day. Last year, in Merbein's first grand final appearance since then, the Magpies again won with the last kick of the day, defeating Wentworth after boom forward Mal Miller ignored the instructions of his coach, former Essendon and Sydney star Merv Neagle, who wanted a drop punt, and sent a torpedo sailing through the goals from 60 metres.

Miller continues to patrol the forward line. His cohorts include centreman Leigh Brown, better known as Leroy Brown, whose bald pate and attack on the ball make him the baddest midfielder in the whole damn town, and Aboriginal All-Star candidates Michael and Matthew Hooker.

Mildura Imps have been well-served by playing-coach Shane Garner, a midfielder who this year moved north from Warnambool. Veteran Tony Hickey, a 39-year-old with 10 club best and fairests behind him, is going for his ninth flag in the Imps' green guernsey.

Bonbeach v Pearcedale, Mornington Peninsula Nepean league, Nepean Division, at Rye

Both clubs have faltered in recent finals series, with Bonbeach failing to get past the preliminary final and Pearcedale losing the past two grand finals. A handful of recruits have improved the fortunes of both clubs.

For Bonbeach, which became the first club to defeat Pearcedale this season when it won the second semi final by five points, the addition of ruckman Kane Batzloff and full forward Scott Glider have provided a boost. Gilder has been the perfect foil for George Gorozides, a star forward with a strong off-field loyalty to gold jewellery, whose forays into the midfield have failed to stop him kicking 100 goals for the fourth consecutive season.

For Pearcedale, a club based in a farming district behind Frankston, whose home ground is known as Tractor Park, midfielders Luke Damon and Chris Fortnam have been strong inclusions.

Apollo Bay v Lorne, Colac and District league, at Central Reserve, Colac

The rivalry between this pair is among the fiercest in local footy. As the only two coastal clubs in the competition, separated from their rivals by "the hill", as the Otway Ranges are known, they share much in common. Both clubs come from towns in which tourism and service trades provide the bulk of employment. But Apollo Bay continues to cling to its heritage as a fishing town, a heritage they claim lends an edge over their nattier rivals.

The Bay's best players include veteran ruckman Peter Featherston, who will play his final game with a broken hand, and wingman Adam Marshall, a Western Australian who drifted into town and began running a backpackers' hostel three years ago.

Lorne's best include sweeper Ricky White. The Dolphins are hoping to avenge their loss in the 2002 grand final to South Colac, their only loss for the year, which occurred after the players were stunned by the sight of midfielder Paul Whyte in the rooms before the match. Whyte had been belted against South Colac in the second semi final, suffering head injuries.

Victory to Apollo Bay would prompt a rendition of one of the more unlikely club songs in football. Beginning with the line, "Oh, we do love to live beside the seaside", the celebrations conclude with call and response: "What do we eat? Mussels." "How do we eat them? Alive."

This article first appeared in The Age on September 13, 2002

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