2013 HFNL PreSeason Rumours and News

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KingChip2 said:
Terang/Mortlake have lost the services of ruckman Zac Pickett. Apparently signed with WDFNL club Russells Creek on Monday.
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Terang wouldn't be too happy with that. Although they do the gain the services of ex Port Fairy player Robbie Hare who is now free to play after the dramas of an existing contract prevented him from playing with Terang last season.
 
Andyt33 said:
i saw on the Warrnambool standard website Portlands playing home to Port Fairy and Hamilton playing home to Cobden. Then the two former WBFL teams play each other Anzac Day.
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Portland v Hamilton on ANZAC day is great scheduling....if weather is ok will be a massive home and away crowd. Merged Hamilton side you would think would play finals in first year. Knowing the reputation of the Hampden League this will not be known until they come up against the more fancied Hampden sides though. Hampden League much stronger than WBFL but a combined Hamilton side should be competitive once the players gel together. Will be much harder initially for the Portland side. Much recruiting needed. Hard to know where the Tigers will fit in in the first season.
 
Terang Mortlake set to lose a raft of talented players as the choose to travel this year. Joel Moloney, Jase Moloney, Chris Baxter all set to be unavailable next year. Connor Arnott on the other hand will be fully available for the bloods after only playing a few games last season.
 

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South Warrnambool look to have the services of Eli Barker sewn up, he will return to the roosters after a few years with WDFNL side Old Collegians.
 
sam42 said:
Portland v Hamilton on ANZAC day is great scheduling....if weather is ok will be a massive home and away crowd. Merged Hamilton side you would think would play finals in first year. Knowing the reputation of the Hampden League this will not be known until they come up against the more fancied Hampden sides though. Hampden League much stronger than WBFL but a combined Hamilton side should be competitive once the players gel together. Will be much harder initially for the Portland side. Much recruiting needed. Hard to know where the Tigers will fit in in the first season.
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The ANZAC day game looks to be a beauty! Hope they draw a huge crowd! The extra interest and new sides are a blessing to Hampden League and will in future make for a even stronger league. I have had a serious think about how the ladder will stand come round 18 and I ll throw it out there early:

1.Warrnambool (hard to go past again, with Rowan still at FF they will always be up near the top!
2.North Warrnambool (have now had a full season to gel and is the 3rd year under David Haynes, signs are they have recruited really well again)
3.Koroit (New Coach Adam Dowie will have this side in tip top shape and with the talent there at his control they will impress)
4.Cobden (Played out of their skins in 2012 and will be eager to replicate this, a couple of good signings but need to improve again to keep up)
5.Camperdown (lost ruckman Heath Moloney, will hurt them, showed early promise last season and then crumbled at business end, should improve)
6.Hamilton (new side, new league, new everything, unpredictable but should win at least 6 games)
7.SthWarrnambool (things aren't well at South, lots of players gone, possibly a president gone, season gone)
8.Terang/Mortlake (lost a lot of players and will struggle to trouble sides above them)
9.Portland (unknown to me, likely to be light on according to reports, will take a few seasons to build)
10.Port Fairy (not sure one man can transform this side into a winning team in first season at the helm, copped some huge beatings last year and set to do the same this year)
 
Where have i been. Portland into the Hampden League! Fantastic for footy in the region. Also well done to the Hamilton clubs for getting together. That is progressive work - should be more of it across the state. Both teams will be more than nudging top five. Tigers have a culture of success, so look out. Might get me on the road for a weekend of country footy. Anyone with info let me know how this all happened. Thanks
 
johnnymossop said:
Where have i been. Portland into the Hampden League! Fantastic for footy in the region. Also well done to the Hamilton clubs for getting together. That is progressive work - should be more of it across the state. Both teams will be more than nudging top five. Tigers have a culture of success, so look out. Might get me on the road for a weekend of country footy. Anyone with info let me know how this all happened. Thanks
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If you look up these links it should explain most of how it happened! Great to hear the enthusiasm it is creating tho!

http://www.standard.net.au/story/153956/portland-and-merged-hamilton-side-touted-for-hampden/

http://www.standard.net.au/story/21...join-hampden-football-netball-league/?src=rss

http://www.standard.net.au/story/220328/portland-wants-in-on-hampden-league/

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-6167-0-0-0

http://www.standard.net.au/story/409035/hamilton-kangaroos-hopping-to-a-hfnl-ground-near-you/
 
Thanks Hampdenmad - great post!! All the info! Will they use a new ground and social club? The old ground in town was a bit tight for space from memory?! Thanks again - exciting times in the Hampden league!
 
Well done to both Hamilton sides, I was part of a similar merger 17 odd years ago between the old Barham and Koondrook clubs in the Central Murray comp. It's really tough to all of a sudden call your arch enemy team mate and to put aside all the old animosity, but for the improvement and progression of local footy these decisions need to be made. With player numbers dropping and resources and money tight I think a few more clubs may follow this path. Would love to see the AFL play a more productive role in getting retiring AFL players back to the bush to play and coach. When you consider that about 25% of all players drafted come out of the VCFL via TAC and VFL I don't think it's too much to ask!!
 
Look across the state. It's happened right or wrong. Clubs starting to move, change etc... (Daylesford, Beaufort, Tongala, Koondrook, Bairnsdale for a while, Benalla moved, ...Colac) So, i agree get in and take control and make it a positive. Mortlake for example - now with Terang. If they had their time over would they do things differently? Was the support and advice there? Not saying they got it wrong but I'd be interested to know from someone close to that club. I remember playing on that ground as a young bloke - huge from memory and windy! How is the merge between Mortlake and Terang perceived? Hamilton Kangaroos - great option in my opinion - good thread!
 
Rumour has it that Koroit have signed midfielder/half forward Darcy Graham from Warrnambool. If this is true it's an almighty coup by the Saints!! The Graham's are a lifetime part of the Warrnambool Footy Club and this is a surprise. Also on the rumour mill is Tim O'Keefe also a Warrnambool long time player and son of president Mark 'Tocka' Okeffe is likely to be finding a new home also possibly at Koroit. Adam Dowie is weaving his magic!!
 
johnnymossop said:
Look across the state. It's happened right or wrong. Clubs starting to move, change etc... (Daylesford, Beaufort, Tongala, Koondrook, Bairnsdale for a while, Benalla moved, ...Colac) So, i agree get in and take control and make it a positive. Mortlake for example - now with Terang. If they had their time over would they do things differently? Was the support and advice there? Not saying they got it wrong but I'd be interested to know from someone close to that club. I remember playing on that ground as a young bloke - huge from memory and windy! How is the merge between Mortlake and Terang perceived? Hamilton Kangaroos - great option in my opinion - good thread!
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It's a good question that one! Being reasonably close to the Terang/Mortlake merger at the time I can say it had to be done to save the Mortlake connection. To be honest tho I would say that Mortlakes sense of identity with their own team has been lost at Terang, there are juniors now from Mortlake travelling to Deakin Sharks in Warrnambool who play in the WDFNL to play their footy. This has come about because of a coaching connection to Mortlake. Clinton Baker (former NWEagle, also plays at Deakin and he is Mortlake born and bred. Jarrod Stafford is another. So Terang have somewhere along the line got it wrong and lost the Mortlake community connection. If time was had again I think it would be different because I know for certain a lot of Mortlake people aren't happy with Terang and how it all evolved over the years. They did get some premierships don't get me wrong but did Mortlake feel like they could call them their own?? I'm not so sure.

Back to your point of mergers in general you are exactly right, this will have to become the norm in the coming future. Small country towns can no longer build clubs up to be successful without a solid base that they retain every year or a lot of money. Teams in the WDFNL such as Nirranda and Timboon will eventually struggle with community size to keep the flow of juniors coming through. Port Fairy in the Hampden league may even struggle if success isn't found in next 5years. I think most teams are in an ok position in Warrnambool but the cost of running a football club isn't getting any cheaper and even this may effect clubs sustainability in the coming years. To go on further the cost of being able to recruit good players is hurting clubs bottom lines, it really is out of control in Warrnambool. Some players in WDFNL who wouldn't play HFNL senior football are being paid over $200 a game. Kids being paid to play junior footy in some circumstances in both leagues. A certain forward for a prominent side receives around $18,000 a year plus incentives. That's crazy. I love my local footy but this has to reach a stop somewhere.
 
North Warrnambool Eagles are set to lose half back Joel Nestor as he has decided to travel this year. He had a good year for the Eagles last season and will be a loss to them.
 

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Rumours are rife that Terang/Mortlake skipper Damian O'Connor has been in talks with Koroit over last few weeks. This would be a massive kick in the guts to Terang if they were to lose him. I would be extremely surprised if this occurred but nevertheless the rumour is out there. Adam Dowie has been busy and wants nothing but a flag in 2013.
 
Also in the rumour mill is again Koroit may have landed a handy player from Western Bulldogs. The word is that a young islander player has been training with the Bulldogs but is still pretty raw in the talent area. Dowie is known to be close to Brendan McCartney and it seems that Brendan has offered the services of this kid for a season to help develop his game, and none better in country circles than Dowie to do this. Koroit are looking ominous in the offseason....be scared competition be very scared.
 
Thanks HampdenMad - good to get the story on Terang/Mortlake. Have heard of juniors being paid - worst idea of any I have heard in any sporting circles! Maybe a canteen voucher but seriously!! If they won't play without money well move them on or shut up shop! :(:thumbsdown:
 
johnnymossop said:
Thanks HampdenMad - good to get the story on Terang/Mortlake. Have heard of juniors being paid - worst idea of any I have heard in any sporting circles! Maybe a canteen voucher but seriously!! If they won't play without money well move them on or shut up shop! :(:thumbsdown:
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Yeah no problems at all! Happy to help! Yeah I agree paying juniors is wrong in every way.
 
HampdenMAD said:
Also in the rumour mill is again Koroit may have landed a handy player from Western Bulldogs. The word is that a young islander player has been training with the Bulldogs but is still pretty raw in the talent area. Dowie is known to be close to Brendan McCartney and it seems that Brendan has offered the services of this kid for a season to help develop his game, and none better in country circles than Dowie to do this. Koroit are looking ominous in the offseason....be scared competition be very scared.
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No being very familiar with the Hampden League...can you tell me about Adam Dowie
 
sam42 said:
No being very familiar with the Hampden League...can you tell me about Adam Dowie
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No worries at all. Adam Dowie played over 100 games in Hampden League for Warrnambool, he coached Nirranda to a flag in WDFNL, Terang/Mortlake to back to back flags in HFNL, coached Warrnambool to a flag, took a job coaching Gippsland Power in TAC cup, and has now returned to HFNL to coach Koroit. He is a school teacher and from all reports a hard task master but has an absolute passion for the game rivaled by no other. Loves stats and game plans and strategy. I'm depth and intense coach. Terrific speaker. Any club would love to have him. But after all of this he isn't the oracle, he isn't the sole reason a team wins a flag, but he goes a long way to making sure they get close. He isn't everyone's cup of tea as demonstrated by the way he was shown the door at Warrnambool after winning a premiership. He runs a very tight ship and it will be interesting to see how some of the koroit players deal with this. Can I ask why ya ask??
 
HampdenMAD said:
No worries at all. Adam Dowie played over 100 games in Hampden League for Warrnambool, he coached Nirranda to a flag in WDFNL, Terang/Mortlake to back to back flags in HFNL, coached Warrnambool to a flag, took a job coaching Gippsland Power in TAC cup, and has now returned to HFNL to coach Koroit. He is a school teacher and from all reports a hard task master but has an absolute passion for the game rivaled by no other. Loves stats and game plans and strategy. I'm depth and intense coach. Terrific speaker. Any club would love to have him. But after all of this he isn't the oracle, he isn't the sole reason a team wins a flag, but he goes a long way to making sure they get close. He isn't everyone's cup of tea as demonstrated by the way he was shown the door at Warrnambool after winning a premiership. He runs a very tight ship and it will be interesting to see how some of the koroit players deal with this. Can I ask why ya ask??
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Not sure Adam Dowie was shown the door at Warrnambool all articles and reports I saw & had him resigning to take the Gippsland Power job. You must know something that everyone doesn't.That said it didn't stop him from slagging Warrnambool to a Gippsland newspaper. Hardly professional - everyone has skeleton's in the closet.
 
saint derby said:
Not sure Adam Dowie was shown the door at Warrnambool all articles and reports I saw & had him resigning to take the Gippsland Power job. You must know something that everyone doesn't.That said it didn't stop him from slagging Warrnambool to a Gippsland newspaper. Hardly professional - everyone has skeleton's in the closet.
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It's no secret down here that Adam and Warrnambool had their differences before he finished with them. I can only call it how I see and hear it. Yes unprofessional to slag off another/former club. I'm sure he will have had some phone calls about it too.
 
HampdenMAD said:
No worries at all. Adam Dowie played over 100 games in Hampden League for Warrnambool, he coached Nirranda to a flag in WDFNL, Terang/Mortlake to back to back flags in HFNL, coached Warrnambool to a flag, took a job coaching Gippsland Power in TAC cup, and has now returned to HFNL to coach Koroit. He is a school teacher and from all reports a hard task master but has an absolute passion for the game rivaled by no other. Loves stats and game plans and strategy. I'm depth and intense coach. Terrific speaker. Any club would love to have him. But after all of this he isn't the oracle, he isn't the sole reason a team wins a flag, but he goes a long way to making sure they get close. He isn't everyone's cup of tea as demonstrated by the way he was shown the door at Warrnambool after winning a premiership. He runs a very tight ship and it will be interesting to see how some of the koroit players deal with this. Can I ask why ya ask??
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New to Hampden League...just interested.
 
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sam42 said:
New to Hampden League...just interested.
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Oh good welcome to the league. U will have no trouble fitting in at most clubs. All pretty good. If your a kid looking to play seniors some clubs offer better opportunity than others. PERSONALLY I have noticed South Warrnambool, Warrnambool and North Warrnambool all exceed with their kids and offering senior games, but rest of the clubs not far behind. Good luck with ya footy!
 
HampdenMAD said:
Just noticed your a member since 2007 so prob not a kid. But yeah good luck and shop about !
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New to Hampden as a supporter of one of the new clubs coming in. Long time country football supporter. Should be an exciting year..will feel a bit weird after following the WBFL for a long time. Look forward to seeing some of the big Warrnambool clubs play.
 
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