VFL Stabs
Reported by Paul Amy
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BLOOD TIES: When Charles Slattery decided he was going to play football in Victoria this year, he didn’t exactly have to comb the countryside looking for a club. He’s the brother of young Bombers defender Henry. They live together in Essendon, not far from Windy Hill, where Essendon’s VFL affiliate Bendigo has a training base for its Melbourne squad. It was close and convenient. More importantly, Bendigo, itching for experience, wanted him. “Pretty easy choice, really,†Slattery, 25, said. A lawyer, he moved to Melbourne early last year. He had played in Central Districts’ SANFL premiership in 2007 and decided to be a fly-in player. “I really enjoyed myself at Central Districts and I didn’t really want to leave,†he said. “The club was happy to fly me over each week, so I thought I’d give it a go for a while.†Soon he was grounded, tearing his posterior cruciate ligament in Round 7. He came back late in the season and injured the knee again. Slattery has overcome the problem – “I’ve been patient this time†– and took his place in Bendigo’s team for Round 1.
TOP TIP: Charles is a different player to Henry. Whereas the Essendon Bomber is a doughty defender, the new Bendigo Bomber is an attacking midfielder. “He’s a good player. He’ll do well over there,†was the word on Slattery from a VFL player who transferred to the SANFL three years ago. Tyson Slattery, no relation to Charles or Henry but also from West Adelaide, has joined Essendon and will serve an apprenticeship in the VFL.
A Storming Port
Reported by Phil Cleary
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Watching Josh Smith and his Kangaroo mates dismantle the standalone Port Melbourne in the 2008 VFL grand final I couldn’t help but wonder whether a standalone side would ever win a grand final. The commonly held view was that Port had assembled a team right for its TEAC home but lacking the speed for the wide spaces at docklands. And some wondered, as I did on the night, whether the Port coaching box had been sharp enough when the pressure emerged and a counter to Smith and Roosters ruckman, Orren Stephenson had to be found. Little did anyone know that some twelve players – match winner Robin Nahas was among them - had received pain killing injections before the game. Was this the real reason the Boroughs struggled at Etihad Stadium, we now ask?
