■ Can you imagine Werribee and Williamstown football clubs agreeing on anything except that they don’t like each other? I think they both would be upset that their round six clash at Avalon Airport Oval is no longer the Channel Seven match of the day. Instead Seven will broadcast the Richmond Collingwood VFL game on the Sunday as a lead-in to the AFL clash between the same two clubs. I do work for the Werribee Football Club but that is not relevant here. This is my personal observation of this situation. I was excited about what Channel Seven would bring to VFL football, and as I have written before, feedback on the coverage is excellent. I know the calling team and thought we would see some innovative and well resourced coverage of VFL footy. Midday Saturday was to be the timeslot but that now seems a moveable feast. I understand ratings, I understand wanting to maximise your potential audience by broadcasting two popular clubs. I don’t understand picking the VFL if you are worried about covering teams such as Werribee, Williamstown, Coburg, North Ballarat, Frankston and Port Melbourne who have no AFL partner, or a partial alignment. The impact on those smaller fan-based clubs is very different to AFL powerhouses such as Collingwood and Essendon. If it is going to be coverage based on the AFL reserves teams, be honest and say that. Written, spoken and authorised by Kevin Hillier.
■ Fifty games is a special milestone but for Albion’s Liam Keenan-Hayes it has even more significance as he will celebrate it this Sunday with his terminally ill mother Patricia. The Albion Football Club has organised a special Mother’s Day appeal for the family, including Liam’s sister, Maddison, and his grandmother, Pat. Football is just a game, but football clubs – when they want to be – are an important part of our lives and this is a great example. Well done to all.
■ Bulldogs fans are enjoying the way the team is playing at the moment. That win against last year’s grand finalists was amazing, although it would be foolhardy, as opposed to Brad Hardie, to go into the game this Saturday against St Kilda being too cocky.
■ A few incidents in local footy in the past few weeks have left a sour taste. I will have my say when all official processes have been finalised.
Kevin Hillier
