I was deeply saddened to hear that 'Gladdy' one of the iconic Port Melbourne ladies who sits along the fence at Port Melbourne passed away during the recent spell of hot weather.

She still lived in Port, and rain, hail or shine, I can't recall her missing a game. 

She will be missed by all who sat and stood near her at North Port Oval.

From the Official VFL website:

The Victorian Football League mourns the passing of 1990 Liston Trophy winner Matthew Burrows.

According to www.northernbullants.com.au, Burrows failed to recover from a heart attack he suffered at work on Thursday. Burrows was in his early 40s.

Burrows was a skilled half-back who also won Preston's Best and Fairest in 1992.

The Victorian Football League extends its deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

From Leader Newspapers
Reported by Paul Amy
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WILLIAMSTOWN believes in Liam Picken and is prepared to put up money that he will make it as an AFL player.

The Seagulls have confirmed they gave $20,000 to their VFL partner the Western Bulldogs to help pay for the cost of having him on their rookie list.

“We think it’s a very good investment in Liam and for our alignment with the Bulldogs,” Willy general manager Brendan Curry said.

“It will be money well spent. We’ve got enormous faith in him. He’s ready to step up.”

Liam is the son of former Collingwood champion Billy and shared Willy’s best and fairest last year. He was also selected in the VFL team of the year.

From The Sunday Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
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COBURG Tigers have snared former Hawthorn midfielder Tim Clarke as a playing assistant coach in a new-look team for 2009.

The 26-year-old, who is also touted to be named captain, shied away from lucrative offers from West Adelaide and Canberra to remain in Melbourne.

From the Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Bradley Green
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COMPETITION is fierce for spots on Geelong's VFL list this season - and that's exactly the way new coach Dale Amos wants it.

A squad of about 30 local footballers from GFL, GDFL, BFL and CDFNL clubs are training with the Cats in the hope of winning a berth and Amos said a lot of them had impressed in their bid to step up to the next level in their careers.

Amos, a three-time premiership coach at South Barwon, said he wanted to use his new role to encourage local footballers to have a crack at VFL football every season.

"The strength of the local competitions has been proven in the last couple of years and certainly the GFL has got stronger and stronger," Amos said.

"So it's great for the young guys in those competitions to get the opportunity to come down here and show what they can do at VFL level for a Geelong-based side.

"The guys that are down here, they have certainly grabbed it with both hands and have been extremely committed, turning up to training and training really hard as well.