Western Border Football League - Part 2

[big-footy-fan-07]

any truth in the rumour that mcConnell left north after the weekends result??

 

[ROO18]

mcconnell very disapointed with the result but he hasnt gone anywhere

 

[the rig]

mcconnell very disapointed with the result but he hasnt gone anywhere

Rumour is that Mcconnell has signed already as coach at Ballarat somewhere where he is originally from. Does this have something to do maybe with the attitude and the way they played on the weekend, not taking anything away from imperials, thats a very good win, and well deserving

 

[wotdoiput]

McConnell in the best players so he has gone anywhere.

However I didnt see Courtney Johns or Mal Michael in the list of players that played for Heywood today against Millicent?

Is the 5 set team wise?

 

[sam42]

Without buying into Heywood situation to much their situation has hit the Melbourne papers - The Sun. Doesn't sound good.

 

[requestingtalent]

Without buying into Heywood situation to much their situation has hit the Melbourne papers - The Sun. Doesn't sound good.

did read that in todays herald sun, very disapointing for heywood players and supporters. where to now for heywood? could this spell the end of the club at wetsern boarder level? if they do leave the league could it be the end of the western boarder?

 

[sam42]

did read that in todays herald sun, very disapointing for heywood players and supporters. where to now for heywood? could this spell the end of the club at wetsern boarder level? if they do leave the league could it be the end of the western boarder?

Someone read it out over the phone, I think it was todays herald sun. Very worrying. I hope Heywood can work something out.....it would be terrible for Heywood, its supporters and the WBFL if this cinderalla story turns sour.

 

[dogsontherise]

didnt get the herald sun today, is someone able to type some out or link to it?

 

[Parradiddle]

didnt get the herald sun today, is someone able to type some out or link to it?

From the Herald-Sun
"3 time premiership player Mal Michael has become a casualty in country footballs cinderella story gone wrong, with Heywood FC now in financial ruin.
This year was supposed to be a big one for the club. And - in a bid to snap one of country footballs worst losing streaks - they recruited sought-after coach Brad Sinclair, who in turn lured a swag of AFL players to bolster its list including Michael, Courtney Johns, Brad Smith and Brad Fuller.
The senior side pulled off a big coup earlier in the year when it snapped a 43 game losing streak and emerged as a flag contender.
But it looks as though the club has bitten off more than it can chew, as the funds to pay star recruits have all but dried up.
Michael this week confirmed the club has run into financial difficulty and said he would not be lining up this weekend, to alleviate some pressure on match payments.
"I have been contacted by the club because of financial contraints that they're going through and we're working out a sloution for the rest of the season" he said this week.
It seems the clubs budget did not accurately account for the expense of flying the players in every week, coupled with their match payments.
Smith's fate was decided after he suffered a potentially career-ending knee injury last week, but it seems the other 3 players may have played their last games for the club.
The club is believed to be working towards a solution that hopefully will include the return of the recruits.
The chief executive of the WBFL, David Heard, said, when contacted this wek he was unaware of the clubs financial troubles.

 

[dynast]

Some interesting results on the weekend. The only teams that appear certain to play finals would be West and South.
Who will fill the other 3 spots in the 5.
My guess would be Portland and Millicent, and maybe East to snatch 5th?
Would certainly be a costly exercise for Heywood if they were to miss out!!!!!

You'd be right there mate, South and West look pretty certain. After Portlands past fortnight would say they're closely followed. Millicent and East to round out the top 5 for 10' but we'll soon see.

Without buying into Heywood situation to much their situation has hit the Melbourne papers - The Sun. Doesn't sound good.

What a shame really for the Heywood lads and how things are looking to turn potentially for the last month of footy for them. Another loss on the weekend certainly puts a damper on things. Kinda felt as if Heywood had something to live up to this year with their recruits and even though they won their share of games, it really didn't instill some things that you need in a football club; Team Morale, Bonding. I certainly hope that Heywood management can work out their problems and front up their best team for the rest of the season.



Got to see the Tigers clash on Saturday. In what might sound like an off comment, would i be right in saying that the Portland Tigers arn't really suited to their home ground? I have had much fun over the years watching these two slog it out in what is a typical grudge match between these two teams. In what looked to be the top two contenders for the league medal matching up on each other, (McConnell V England) it was interesting to watch. Nulty had his body-game tested with Portlands forward Brown. That a one of move from Portland?? Sam42??



We usually start talking about end of year awards by now so i'll throw it out there.
England almost looks a shoe in for 3-peat of league medals. Team mate Falcone could be a potential vote taker though. McConnell also up there to possibly take it out.

Now with the Heywood situation at hand, it leaves a slight (mind you only a small one at that) window of oppurtunity for the goalkicking award this year. Jarryd Ryan or Jarrod Holt to tackle the award. Long shot at this stage though..

 

[dogsontherise]

thanks for that Parradiddle, and with ryan kicking 9 on the weekend it would appear that he or mcconnell are the only ones that would be able to challange johns goals tally

 

[kingofbighits]

I wonder who Heywood will play in the grand final, anyone want to tip their opponent?

'kingofbighits', your thoughts?

Well done shaved ham. Your a genius.
I wrote that at the start of the season before I knew Heywood would be broke by round 14.

I feel for the players, the coach and the supporters who will not get to see the boys contest this years finals because of some serious miscalculations by the finance dept at the club. The CFO should have his nuts cut off.

It has not only become embarrassing for us in the WBFL, but now by the wider football community after it was printed in the herald sun.
Will any player come to Heywood in the future????
Any thoughts on that ham?.

 

[willwonker]

it will be a pity if heywood fold, but the league is in trouble, imps supporter base has gone, hamilton have a idiot in charge and will spend all their money, and casterton are struggling as well.

 

[kickitlong47]

everybody seems to be writing heywood out of the finals race....they are percentage out of the 5 atm and in the first half of the year defeated 3 of the 4 sides they are yet to play....if they happen to lose their melbourne recruits it will only give the young local lads that have been playing good footy in the reserves and under 18's a chance to step up and perform. it could all come down to round 18...north vs hey

 

[wotdoiput]

Well done shaved ham. Your a genius.
I wrote that at the start of the season before I knew Heywood would be broke by round 14.

I feel for the players, the coach and the supporters who will not get to see the boys contest this years finals because of some serious miscalculations by the finance dept at the club. The CFO should have his nuts cut off.

It has not only become embarrassing for us in the WBFL, but now by the wider football community after it was printed in the herald sun.
Will any player come to Heywood in the future????
Any thoughts on that ham?.

To be fair even with all the big recruits, Heywood were a little bit behind teams such as South, West, Portland and even Millicent and North. Have they beaten anyone above them this year at all?

Was always going to be the case of it being great to pick up thse big recruits however the rest of the team wasnt greatly improved and there were too man holes.

Hpwever I really hope they can turn their finances around, would be awesome if they could sneak into the 5.

 

[wotdoiput]

everybody seems to be writing heywood out of the finals race....they are percentage out of the 5 atm and in the first half of the year defeated 3 of the 4 sides they are yet to play....if they happen to lose their melbourne recruits it will only give the young local lads that have been playing good footy in the reserves and under 18's a chance to step up and perform. it could all come down to round 18...north vs hey

I must start by saying I totally forgot that the Lions beat Portland and North at the start of the year.

However to make the finals you would think that Heywood would have to win 3 if not 4 of their last 4 games. Portland at Portland wont be easy seeing as the Tigers have hit some good form, South anywhere is hard, and to beat North @ North it will be hard seeing as both teams will be fighting it out for a spot. If the recruits are gone they have no hope. Even if they stay unlikely and very difficult.

 

[kingofbighits]

Firstly, the club need to make a statement regarding the current issue.
Where the hell is Shane Evans the CEO?????

Secondly, the treasurer Mary-Ann King needs to explain to the committee and the members how she cocked up the budget.

Thirdly, after they apologise to everyone at the club, they need to pack their crap and head for the door.

Fourthly, These two should be blacklisted from working with another football or sporting club again. Sheer disgrace.

So remember these names if they come knocking at your clubs door.

SHANE EVANS & MARY-ANN KING

 

[NIGHT STALKER]

Firstly, the club need to make a statement regarding the current issue.
Where the hell is Shane Evans the CEO?????

Secondly, the treasurer Mary-Ann King needs to explain to the committee and the members how she cocked up the budget.

Thirdly, after they apologise to everyone at the club, they need to pack their crap and head for the door.

Fourthly, These two should be blacklisted from working with another football or sporting club again. Sheer disgrace.

So remember these names if they come knocking at your clubs door.

SHANE EVANS & MARY-ANN KING[te]/quo
Don't forget Mel Micheal, surely the he must be wondering where all the money he's been sucking out of the place is comming from, and from what iv'e seen of him this year he's only worth $500 a game tops, infact probably less, he's a dud

 

[Parradiddle]

Firstly, the club need to make a statement regarding the current issue.

Press release from HFNC
"The committee of the Heywood Football Netball Club finds it necessary to clarify some matters raised in a media report attributed to Craig Hutchison in the Sunday Herald Sun on Sunday July 25 2010. In order to properly inform our members, sponsors and stakeholders the club wishes to make the following assertions:

The Heywood Football Netball Club (HFNC) does NOT face financial ruin.

The Heywood Football Netball Club was NOT contacted by Mr Hutchison in order to confirm the content of his article.

The HFNC is committed to the contractual arrangements agreed to by all parties at the start of the season - and stands ready, willing and able to fulfill all of its obligations.

All of the financial commitments to the players in question are up to date as of July 25, and all subsequent match payments will be met as they accrue- as has been the case for the season to date.

The HFNC has in place pre-paid travel arrangements to meet the obligations of the club under the terms of the agreement.

The Heywood Football Netball Club has budgeted accurately to account for the agreed travel arrangements and match payments and the club is prepared to look at all reasonable requests to vary those provisions to provide a mutually beneficial outcome to all parties wherever possible. The HFNC is also mindful of its obligations to its members and to the other member clubs of the Western Border Football League.

The HFNC has made a strong impact on Western Border football this season. It is very important to not forget the positive aspects to the direction taken by the HFNC in 2010. The club and the football community at large are greatly appreciative of the work of Coach Brad Sinclair and the entertainment provided by the exciting player skills on exhibition at WBFL games. The crowds attending games and the revenues flowing to all clubs in the competition are the intended benefits of the initiatives undertaken by the HFNC. The WBFL competition is as even and as exciting as anyone can remember. We expect that this level of excitement will continue on into the finals series."

 

[willwonker]

looking at whats been written in todays papers, heywood are in trouble and thats sad. but on another note its good to see the old westies up on top. it has been a long time coming. but heywood demise might spell doom for the WBFL

 

[kingofbighits]

So if the Heywood FC didn't release this information to the Herald Sun, then who did, and why? Wouldn't Mal Michael or Courtney Johns confirm that the Herald Sun has printed mis truths, as it was their photo in the article?

Wouldn't be the first time a news paper has printed absolute garbage, but human nature suggests that the article has some substance to it? It's a line from the Melbourne Storm debacle, 'you have a rat in the ranks'.

Is it just coincedence that the article was printed on the Sunday and the game before the two players in the article didn't play? If what you're saying is true, that the Heywood FC doesn't have financial difficulties, what avenue will you take inregards to the Herald Sun smearing the clubs name?

I didn't think I would ever say this but I agree with what shavedham has said. Courtney isn't even in the country at the moment.

 

[kingofbighits]

'Parradiddle' is Shane Evans, yes? Just asking the question. 'kingofbighits' did you know that the coach, Brad Sinclair, is mates with Craig Hutchinson? Surely Sinclair didn't leak the information, one would hope not.

Just seems a little strange that 'Parradiddle' says everything is all peaches and cream, but not unhappy with the Herald Sun printing a huge bag of lies. 'Parradiddle', i guess the Herald Sun owe the Heywood FC an apology? Not just a phone call but in print aswel, just to clean up the clubs name they've smeared.

'kingofbighits' do you think that apology will eventuate from the Herald Sun, in print?

Nope, I very much doubt it. Newspapers always take a small amount of truth and spin it in to a big story. Big Mal quoted saying he is working with the club for a solution for the rest of the year and the paper has pretty much assumed the rest. Makes for better reading to sell more papers.

Ps I did not know the coach and Hutchy are mates.

 

[portlandpope]

Look there is a little truth in the story.....pity though hutchy was not after a sensational story, but the got his butt in place to get the facts....like the abc who got on the phone and contacted the coach who opened up about what the issue is.....see story below

The team tipped to be the Western Border Football League's cinderella story is taking on shades of a Grimm fairytale, with doubts surrounding its marquee players and its coach unlikely to return next season.


http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories...?site=&xml=2965605-mediarss.xml#bigpicturepos


Heywood Football Club's on-field has been the subject of scrutiny for years, but now its off-field performance is drawing attention with the tyranny of distance causing problems for the club.
As perennial wooden spooners, the Lions devised a plan to revitalise the club's on-field performance by recruiting several ex-AFL players to help the local squad.
Household names such as Mal Michael, Courtney Johns and Brad Smith donned the green and gold, delivering the best start to the season for the club in recent history.
The club sits in sixth place and still in touch with the finals.
But the revitalisation plan appears to be in jeopardy, with discontent over travel arrangements.
The club's president David Gordon has denied reports that the club is on the brink of financial ruin.
"The (club) is committed to the contractual arrangements agreed to by all parties at the start of the season and stands ready, willing and able to fulfill all of its obligations," he said in a statement.
But coach Brad Sinclair, who is also in his first season at the club, concedes that there's some trouble in the wings.
"I think it has been blown a little bit out of proportion," he told ABC Radio.
"I think a lot of it was the flights, I don't know if they've calculated the number right for the flights and that's hurt [the club] I think."
The full details are expected to be revealed at a members meeting on Wednesday night.
When the ex-AFL players agreed to join Heywood Football Club, it's understood a mix of commercial and charter flight arrangements were made.
It meant that some weeks the players would arrive on a Saturday morning and fly out later that night, while other weeks they would stay overnight and fly out on Sunday.
"The deal was that they would do six overnight stays a year, they've done five of those, so there should be one left," Brad Sinclair says.
"But we've been told they have to do another four overnighters and that's where the problem lies.
"Mal particularly can't continue to do the overnighters and we knew that at the start of the year because he stressed that in a meeting that we had in Melbourne with him."
Club president David Gordon said in a statement that Heywood Football Netball Club has budgeted accurately for the travel arrangements agreed to.
"...and the club is prepared to look at all reasonable requests to vary those provisions to provide a mutually beneficial outcome to all parties wherever possible," Mr Gordon wrote.
"The club is also mindful of its obligations to its members and to the other member clubs of the Western Border Football League."
But there's potentially more trouble ahead for the club, because Sinclair has declared himself unlikely to coach Heywood next year.
Sinclair was named by the club's chief executive Shane Evans as the lynch pin in the plan to attract the ex-AFL players.
"It's probably going to be very hard [to coach again next year] because I've given up a lot to move here from Melbourne in the sense that my daughter's back home and all my family's there," Brad Sinclair says.
"Financially it hasn't worked for me, and that's not saying the club hasn't paid me, but I haven't worked since I've been here so that's been a financial drain.
"There's no work here so I would be surprised if I'm here, I'll more than likely be back in Melbourne."
For now, Brad Sinclair says Heywood faces a battle to feature in the 2010 Western Border finals series, with Brad Smith to undergo surgery for a serious knee injury.
As for Courtney Johns and Mal Michael, Sinclair denies the ex-AFL pair didn't compete last week because of financial troubles.
"Courtney Johns was in Bali and was always going to be in Bali, so he was always unavailable for the game against Millicent," he says.
"Mal has got a cork thigh and did have to be back in Melbourne on Saturday night for prior arrangements, but the flight was an overnighter where he would have to fly out of Portland on Sunday at 3pm.
"So I think because we have an injury, one in Bali and then this has come out it has made it look like they haven't played because of financial reasons and that's not right."

 

[Parradiddle]

'Parradiddle' is Shane Evans, yes? Just asking the question.

Just seems a little strange that 'Parradiddle' says everything is all peaches and cream, but not unhappy with the Herald Sun printing a huge bag of lies. 'Parradiddle', i guess the Herald Sun owe the Heywood FC an apology? Not just a phone call but in print aswel, just to clean up the clubs name they've smeared.

That press release was from the HFNC and was sent to all WBFL clubs the Hamilton Spectator, Portland Observer and Warrnambool Standard. Don't shoot the messenger.

If what Hutchy printed was all garbage then you reckon that the HFNC would be screaming blue murder. Where there's smoke there's fire!

 

[diffdiff]

I sugest some of you people should get a life. If rumor and inuendo are what you live for, well something or someone is missing in your life. Give some credit to those who actully work hard to keep sporting clubs alive and succesfull.