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From the Inside Football Magazine
Reported by Paul Amy
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ABLETT QUITS: Michael Ablett’s return to the Frankston Dolphins was shortlived. The four-time best and fairest and former captain retired last week, citing increased work commitments that were preventing him from training. He said players could take no shortcuts at VFL level. “These days the VFL comp is for young blokes with no commitments,” he said. “You need to be able to get to training at 5.15pm and to stick around and do some extra work, kicking, whatever. My biggest concern a few years ago was whether Mum was cooking vegetables for tea. Now my family is my number one priority and I have to work to support them. Footy is down the scale. That’s the reality of it.”

COMEBACK THAT WASN’T: Ablett, 28, came back to Frankston after three years away from the VFL scene. After missing a chunk of the pre-season when he went to the US with his American-born wife, he played one game in the reserves before gaining senior selection. The right-footer was named Frankston’s best in his first game back, but struggled in the following weeks and was dropped for the Round 9 match against Geelong. Ablett said he was disappointed his comeback had not worked out. But he said he had no regrets and was better for the experience of having a dash at it. “I had a crack. That’s all you can do.” Ablett added five senior games this season to his tally of 112. He will look back on his VFL career with the satisfaction of having won four club champion awards, captained the Dollies in 2004, twice represented Victoria and three times been selected in the VFL team of the year.

UNRESERVED PRAISE: Casey Scorpions supporters must look at the reserves ladder and wonder if the standings have been jumbled. They have not. The Scorpions do indeed have six wins. Not long ago they were taking some fearful floggings. But, before Saturday’s loss to Williamstown, they won four games in a row under coach Peter Brown, the former St Kilda player. Casey football manager Craig Lees said the club had put a lot of time and effort into improving its list, recruiting not only more TAC Cup graduates, but young players who had been playing senior football in surrounding leagues, such as Ben MacReadie and Nick Scanlon. “Last year we had a guy on our list who’d been playing reserves footy for his club side,” he said. “This year every guy can play.” He said senior coach Peter German deserved a lot of credit for the reserves’ rise. “Germo is interested in every player on the list, not just the top 10 guys playing in the seniors,” Lees said.

DRAGONS REUNITED: When Jonno Nash ran out for his senior VFL debut for Sandringham last week, he had his best mate Tom Lynch at his side. Nash plays for the Sandringham Dragons and was selected for the Zebras as the 23rd player under a new rule aimed at exposing TAC Cup players to senior football. His elevation allowed him to play with Lynch, St Kilda’s first selection in last year’s national draft. The pair started out at Beaumaris juniors, winning club and league best and fairests and playing in Moorabbin Saints rep teams. But with Nash coming back from a series of knee problems they played only one match together at the Dragons last season. “It was pretty special to have him there,” Nash said of Lynch. “We haven’t played together on a regular basis since juniors. That was the most exciting part of the day, to be honest, putting on the same jumper as him. During the week he took me under his wing and made sure I knew my role. Sandy have structures for every sort of set-up that happens throughout he game. He made sure I understood them.”

STAR SPOTTING: Nash said he was taken aback at the pace and physicality of the VFL, and admitted he spent a good part of the match name checking. “It was a great experience to step up to that level and have an understanding of the demands of the game,” he said. “Pretty much as soon as you got the ball you had to get rid of it. You couldn’t do anything special with it. Before you knew it someone was going to pounce on you. It was completely different to anything I’d played. Half the time I was star struck.” He hadn’t been particularly toey before the game, but as he did the warm-up alongside Raph Clarke and James Gwilt “I knew it was the real deal”. “At one stage I was lining up on Adem Yze and I just didn’t know what to do.” Jonno is the son of Steve Nash, the CEO of Baseball Victoria and the former Victorian manager of the West Coast Eagles.

GOTCH GETS CLOSER: It passed without fanfare but Bradley Gotch notched up his 150th game as senior coach of Williamstown in Round 10. Only Gerry “Monster” Callahan (202) has led the Seagulls into battle more than Gotch, who steered the club to the 2003 premiership. The former Fitzroy and St Kilda rover also coached the Dandenong Redlegs in 1994 and Springvale in 1996-97, taking the Vales to a flag in his first year in charge. After Saturday’s match against the Scorpions his game tally as a coach stands at 216.

OOPS: “What, has Werribee pinched Cameron Lockwood us off?” Williamstown GM Brendan Curry asked us after spying a production miscue in last week’s issue. Benny Carbonaro’s piece on Michael Barlow was well done but a photo of Seagull Lockwood appeared rather than the Werribee top-liner. Curry cheekily suggested we should run a story on Lockwood soon and use a photo of Barlow with it.

NO HACKS HERE: Apart from having a dig, Curry phoned in to report that Willy has locked in swimming great Grant Hackett for its life members’ day on Sunday, July 12. Lindsay Fox and Mike Fitzpatrick follow– a handy trifecta.

MITCH HITCH: Carlton and Northern Bullants youngster Mitch Robinson was suspended for two matches after pleading guilty at the VFL tribunal last Wednesday night to a charge of striking. Robinson went to the tribunal after an investigation into a clash with Casey Scorpion Rohan Bail in their Round 10 match at Visy Park.

CATS’ RED CARPET: Northern Bullants coaching staff and officials clocked up the kilometres on the weekend. The Ants reserves played North Ballarat at Learmonth, past Ballarat, at 11.10am on Saturday, and the seniors met Geelong at 9.40am on Sunday. The Cats were keen to make it a curtain-raiser and football manager Benny Waller sweetened the deal by putting up the Bullants in a hotel and throwing in breakfast. “It was a nice gesture on Benny’s part,” Ants general manager Gary O’Sullivan said. “It turned it into a decent away trip for us, like going to Tassie.