**Filling the vacancy left by outgoing senior coach Beau Vernon was always going to be a difficult assignment but PHILLIP ISLAND has got its man with dual league best and fairest winner CAM PEDERSEN signing on as senior coach at the Bulldogs for next year. The former MELBOURNE and NORTH MELBOURNE utility has had a huge impact on the club since making his debut for the Bulldogs in 2019.
**The tight-knit community at KILCUNDA-BASS is mourning the loss of Zac Rolph. The club posted the following on its Facebook page on Monday: The club is incredibly saddened to share the passing of Zac Rolph. Zac arrived at the club last year, and his infectious personality saw him become a much loved member of the senior team. In his short time at KBFNC ‘Rolphy’ had a massive impact on his teammates, and we’re all shattered to learn of the loss. Our thoughts are with his partner Bec, young daughter Charlize and their extended family and friends. Below is a link to a GoFundMe page to help Bec and their family get through this terribly difficult time. https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-zac-rolphs-family…
**Lightning delayed the beginning of the OUTER EAST PREMIER DIVISION SENIOR grand final. The anthem concluded and the league sent them back in. Luckily they did, because it was an extremely chaotic 30 minutes that followed. There was lightning, thunder, hail and then sunshine with a glorious rainbow… welcome to Melbourne folks.
**There was no shortage of drama at the OUTER EAST PREMIER DIVISION grand final in the senior football, but what slipped under the radar of most (but not the Gazette) was the time-keeping blunder in the A GRADE NETBALL! NARRE WARREN and OLINDA FERNY CREEK went to OT, where both teams play a small pair of halves. But the time-keeper on duty was under the impression it was another 15 minute quarter, so first piece of OT ran a little longer than designed to. In that time, Narre scored another goal. The Bloods bench was onto it, questioning if there was time on in OT. If the eventual premiers had of lost by one goal, there would’ve been some big questions asked.
**Parking was reportedly full at GEMBROOK RECREATION RESERVE at 8am! The parking officials were sending cars back from that point onwards – it’s believed around 4000 people rolled into the big dance, in what is a good reward for the BROOKERS, who have been well… how do we put this… fluffed around!
**What a weekend for the Meyer family from BEACONSFIELD. Champion ruckman Scott added a best on ground grand final medal to his league best and fairest award when he led CHILTERN to a premiership in the TALANGATTA AND DISTRICT grand final. But not to be outdone was Ian Meyer, Scott’s dad, who received a Beaconsfield life membership on the weekend. Also receiving a life membership was past president Terry Lock.
**While on BEACONSFIELD, congratulations go to club captain Jake Bowd who secured his third senior best and fairest award. Bowd narrowly defeated leading goal-kicker Matt Johnson in a very tight count.
**Some best and fairest winners have been announced in West Gippsland, with Billy Thomas defeating Chris Johnson at CORA LYNN, Ethan Park winning from Oscar Toussaint at INVERLOCH-KONGWAK, and Matt Voss getting the choccies from fellow midfielder Cosi Anagnostou at KOOWEERUP. Midfielder Trent Armour claimed the NAR NAR GOON best and fairest award from club stalwart Brendan Hermann.
**About two months ago in the (in)famous Gazette segment that is Let’s Talk Sport, sports editor DAVE NAGEL and reporter TYLER LEWIS spoke about how NOBLE PARK champion RYAN MORRISON is a tough egg to crack when it comes to giving away a grin. Dave expressed he may have seen MORRO smile when he won a flag for NARRE WARREN, but on Saturday Dave’s theory was busted, as MORRO was pictured with a premiership medallion around his neck giving away nothing! We’re going to give him the benefit of the doubt though, because you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when he was embraced by family in the BULLS’ celebrations. The now multiple-premiership player didn’t concede a goal in the prelim or the big dance as NOBLE PARK’S colossal defender, well played MORRO!
**Heart-warming stuff to see MARK DURDIN OAM with a premiership medallion. He’s rightfully much-loved down at NOBLE PARK.
**Confidence is key in sport, particularly in the big games. One NOBLE PARK fan was full of confidence, letting the ROWVILLE reserves know it was going to be a tough night after losing two grand finals… at half time! The HAWKS were on their way in for the main break of the magoos and a BULLS fan warned them to brace for impact, risky move, but it paid off!
**The final goal of the 2022 southern league division one grand final came when Marc Holt banged through a goal for CRANBOURNE on the three-quarter-time siren. There were mild questions being asked by CHELTENHAM as to whether he kicked it after the siren. While the man himself is adamant the goal came before it sounded, Michael Robinson, who time kept one of the matches that afternoon said there was about a one-second delay from when the siren was pressed to when it sounded…
**While it was CASEY tasting premiership success on Sunday, FRANKSTON VFL coach Danny Ryan was part of the Norm Goss Medal voting panel. Mitch White won the medal and received three votes from Ryan, who has been at the helm at the Dolphins for three years, and he gave Boyd Woodcock two votes and Jake Melksham one vote.
**The DINGLEY DINGOES have confirmed that key forward Justin Van Unen won’t be returning to the club. Van Unen admittedly did not reach the heights he would have liked in his two years at Souter Oval…
**Props to the DINGLEY reserves side for holding off a fast finishing CHELTENHAM in the grand final. The ROSELLAS went down by four points, the first of two close losses on the afternoon of heartbreak. But it was a mighty comeback just to be that close, with Cheltenham having just two goals up to three-quarter-time and trailing by 24 points. Four final quarter goals to one tightened the margin but just as they got within a kick and looked like they might pull of the heist, the siren sounded cuing ecstasy and heartbreak.
**Last one on the Dingoes: they are searching for new seniors, under 19s and reserves coaches. Coming off an era of sustained success in the seniors, Dingley was knocked out in week one of finals this year but have a plethora of kids coming through that they hope will set them up to remain in the topper echelon of division one. One person around the club suggested
**Incoming HAMPTON PARK coach Hayden Stanton will address the Redbacks on Thursday to outline expectations. The club is in desperate need of a ruckman and is expected to announce a batch of recruits imminently…will Stanton’s network net them any big names? Stay tuned to the Gazette online to find out!
**The Dandenong Stingrays might have gone down in the 2022 NAB League Grand Final, but they received plenty of support from past players. Justin Leppitsch, Tom Lynch, Hayden Young, Nathan Jones, Lachie Whitfield, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Hunter Clark were among those who wished the players luck in a video posted to Instagram by the Stingrays media gurus. On the Stingrays media team, props to Jazz Bennett for supplying priceless photos to the Pakenham Gazette each week of the Rays’ boys and girls and games.
