That was when I was lucky enough to be coaching the Kyabram Football Club thirds, who caused a major upset by beating the undefeated Shepparton United for the 1983 premiership.
We weren’t the best side individually that season, but we proved anything can happen with a decent dose of team ethic, self belief and a steely resolve to win.
And of course we had a couple of handy players in our side in Garry Lyon and Daryl Bourke who were on the journey to play AFL football.
The weekend celebrations will consist of a get-together at Hurley’s Hotel on Friday night and a breakfast at my place on Saturday morning before taking in the Kyabram-Euroa games in the afternoon.
Anyone connected with that memorable premiership win is invited to the celebrations.
Stanhope GVL coach dies
One of Stanhope’s last coaches from its Goulburn Valley League days has passed on.
Alan Lumley died in a nursing home at Darley, near Bacchus Marsh, last week.
A footy journeyman, Lumley came to the Goulburn Valley in 1965 to coach Stanhope for two seasons when it was playing in the GVL.
He got the coaching job at Stanhope when passing though the town on a fishing trip and caught up with Alan Haase, who he had known from his days playing in Bendigo and was running the Stanhope Hotel at the time.
In the early days, Lumley played in a premiership side with the now defunct Moonee Ponds Imperials in the Essendon District Football League before moving to Bendigo, where he played with Golden Square in the 1960-61 seasons when the league was recognised as the strongest in the country.
Pendlebury new Euroa coach
Euroa Football Club will have a familiar footy name coaching it next season.
Ryan Pendlebury has been appointed to replace non-playing coach Scott Rowan, who has held the position for the past five years.
Pendlebury, who is playing his first full season with Euroa, is a brother of legendary Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury.
Captain joins 200-game club
I’ve added another name to the list of Kyabram footballers who have donned the club’s senior jumper 200 times or more.
Premiership captain Brad Edwards, who is playing with Moama this season, is also a member of the the club.
Other Kyabram players in the 200-games club are Tony McDonell, Chris Atkins, Jason Morgan, Bob Vick Herb Prior, Bernie Harlen, Chris Salter, Lawrie Casey, Bill Fry, Steve Kerwin, Roy Outram, Paul Newman, Josh Vick and Liam Ogden.
Experience gone
Talk about a wealth of experience being lost in one hit at Picola District Football League club Berrigan.
When the club played its final home-and-away game last Saturday week, 10 club stalwarts were farewelled after announcing their retirements.
The list of retirees is headed by Stuart Pyle with 429 games at senior level and 89 with the club’s juniors.
Craig Glanville (387 games), James Ware (366 games), Craig Thorton (362 games) Gerard Tower (285 games) and David Riddle (222 games) are also among the departing players.
Nagambie women’s team
Nagambie is set to enter a team in the Goulburn Murray League Cricket women’s competition in the coming season.
Interest has been high in forming a Nagambie team to enter the GM competition which has merged it’s A and B-grade competitions into one grade.
Nagambie is now seeking expressions of interest from potential players, a coach and a team manager. Anyone interested can phone 0447 295 807 for more details.
Spirits lifted
Kyabram’s footy coach Paul Newman was thinking positive going into last Saturday’s GVL clash with Mooroopna.
Newman’s spirits were lifted two nights earlier when the pacer he part owns, Jets Art, saluted at Echuca.
Newman is part-owner of the six-year-old gelding along with former Bombers premiership coach Dave Williams, ex-president and father-in-law Peter Croxford and the pacer’s trainer Graham Lyon.
It was win number five for Jets Art, which has also had 26 minor placings with the latest win taking his stakemoney earnings to more than $52,000.
World Cup connection
Shepparton-born talent Cortnee Vine has launched Australia into the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.
The former St Georges Road Primary School student channelled all of her composure and struck sweetly into the bottom right corner past French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud Magnin.
Vine and the Matildas next face England on Wednesday night, with one win all that remains between Australia and a World Cup final.
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