■ I’m a fan of anyone trying to play sport at the highest level they can. We can’t all represent our country at the Olympics, get a baggy green cap or play AFL footy, but we can try to get the best out of ourselves, depending on our circumstances. Work and family can affect this at times, and that’s fair enough. In footy, that may mean not being able to play at VFL level because of the time commitment involved or the nature of your profession. After talking to Werribee 100-gamer Scott Sherlock last week, the reality of this hit home. Scott works in a physically demanding occupation (builder) five days a week. When you add that to the demands on his body from football, he’s doing well to compete week after week. Scott does gets paid to play for Werribee, but it’s a long, long way from the $300,000 average salary of an AFL-listed player even though he plays on AFL players every week. While they might spend Monday morning in recovery, Scott is on the tools making a living. Last week I wrote that future AFL stars need teammates at grassroots level to learn their craft, and when they get into the AFL system they need opponents at VFL level (like Scott Sherlock) or they’d be playing simulation games against witches’ hats. This is another level of football that’s vital to the game, yet it’s under-funded by the very game it helps build. Why?
■ Representative football is great and, again, may be the best level some players can achieve. I’ve always advocated that local clubs embrace it and let players take part. This year, the WRFL rep side beat Ballarat in a thrilling encounter at Whitten Oval. It was a great game played in good spirit, good for the larger game, and a worthy showcase. Seven players from that side were chosen to play in the Vic Metro team two weekends ago. That game was played at Mernda on a Sunday and, as we’re only five weeks away from finals, it was a credit to the players that they made themselves available, especially as six of the seven play for teams with finals aspirations. The promotion and coverage of the game was poor; it barely rated a mention anywhere. Selection for Vic Metro is something to aspire to, but I’d be very surprised if players put up their hands for this game next year … and this has nothing to do with the season-ending injury to Josh Bench. One representative game a year is enough for park footballers.
