Who was your VFA team?

[Ozza]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Played cricket against Michael fairly talented cricketer. Looked like he didn't give a s*** though!Didn't Lenny Balcam play at Totty?

My old man has told me a few times about getting hit in the head by a Lenny Balcam bouncer! Reckons it just kept following his face!

[Twodogs]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Bill Gunn (Coach and my next door neighbour) (Too young to remember his football days at Sth Melb. Some say he was one of the greatest) (grandfather of Callum Ward)
Frank Lanciana

I went to school with Ramon Gunn, Billy's son. Frank, Joe and Pat Lanciano were also ex-schoolmates.

[Craig Spicer]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Ernie.

You may recall interviewing me at Whitten Oval about 3 years ago at an underprivilidged kids Christmas party. I was one of the coppers when the battery went flat and you took the piss out of us live on air for the flat battery. That was a great day.

Thanks for your responce and Go Dogs

Craig Spicer

[Craig Spicer]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

He is a good bloke

[LostDoggy]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Footscray FC

[Remi Moses]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Along with following Port I followed every Western Suburbs club bar Willy.

[Craig Spicer]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Whilst on the subject of Sharpie. One day, I was having a quiet ale in the back room when one of the Yarraville supporters rushed up to me and siad that my wife copped a smack in the jaw from an Oakleigh supporter. Apparently she threw a can at the Oakleigh race (fenced off so no damage). The Oakleigh supporter took offence to this. By the time I had ran out onto the ground my wife was fine but every Yarraville player had left the clubrooms looking for the dill that smacked my wife. They were led by Sharpie. that was in their last year. If you were a supporter of the club Sharpie loved you. I still see him around, he has mellowed but a great bloke nevertheless.
Craig

[Mitcha]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Great trip down memory lane people, I reckon I have played cricket or football with or against most people mentioned in the thread. For what it is worth I too followed Sunshine in the second division and Williamstown in the first division. Was shattered when we first aligned with Werribee but all is well with the world now. Go Towners, Go Dogs.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

I too followed Sunshine in the second division

As did I, why did you follow the crows?

[Mitcha]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

I knew Wayne Foreman and was also taught at school by the great Jumping Johnny Benson.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

I knew Wayne Foreman and was also taught at school by the great Jumping Johnny Benson.

Well, I'll be. Wayne Foreman was on my jumper as a kid. I watched him in the #8 at Sunshine then the #42 at Footscray. He used to work at James Hardie in Brooklyn where my Mum worked so I met him there a few times when I was younger.

Did John Benson wear #20?

[Cyberdoggie]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Growing up in Waverley and playing some junior footy i was a bit of a Waverley Panthers fan. Had a keen eye for Williamstown due to the history of bulldog players that went through there.

When the AFL stepped in recently i lost my interest in Williamstown when they were alligned with Collingwood and the dogs with Werribee. I have been following Port Melbourne the last few years due to friends and the fact they are going solo, however i keep a close eye on Williamstown and wish them and the bulldog players all the best.

[Sedat]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

My parents and grandparents called Brunswick home when they moved to Australia in the late 50's. Then my uncle played 150-odd games for Brunswick during the halcyon days in the late 70's and won a couple of Division 2 flags. Brunswick is in the blood.

[KT31]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

My favorite team was YARRAVILLE. Lived opposite the Yarraville Oval all my life. Father was in the committee, mother in the ladies committee. Older brother was property steward for a few years.

I could never kick a football and only played one year in the under 12's (about 1969 era), that was my retirement year. Played under 12's with likes of Len Balcom who went on to play cricket with Footscray and Qld State side. Graham Jarry who is still with Yarraville Cricket Club, Colin Laffey (Dec), Greg Ward (father of Callum) and a few other locals.

Being born in 1957, I can remember the early days of Yarraville when they were a powerhouse in Division One. Some of the payers from those days were.
Martin Taurens (number 29)
Nino Quarantotto (number 37)
John Charles (25)
Bob Barr (9)
Alan (Bongo) Bongetti (1) (amazing high marking ability and great goalkicker)
Ron Warwick (Dec) (32)
Evan Rowe (12) (another great goalkicker). (Wore his number as a mascot for Yarraville)
Norm Madigan (7) (great rover)
Lou Dowling (still see him at Werribee games)
Jim Kemp (amazing goalkicker)
John Heriot (Captain Coach ex Sth Melb)
John Henderson (Captain/Coach ex Collingwood)
Bill Gunn (Coach and my next door neighbour) (Too young to remember his football days at Sth Melb. Some say he was one of the greatest) (grandfather of Callum Ward)
Towards the early 70's to the 80's recall players like
Micky Martin (very talented rover)
Wayne Squires
John Sharpe (great all round sportsman) (loved his supporters. Hated his rivals)
Colin Sampson
John Mutton
Fred Cook (won Listen then migrated to Port)
Len Cummins
Richard Radsminski (could play football)
Shane (Skitsa) Keogh (another one who had good talent)
Leigh Perrusich (Amazing mark and great talent but cut short due to injury)
Greg Ward (played many years with loyalty for the club)
Roland Rocatowich
Along came the major sponsors later in 70's being Masseys Holden. Many good players were lured to the club.
Mark Fotheringham (is there any better to put on boots at VFA level. this guy could kick a 70 metre topedo straight through the goals. Amazing footballer)
Kevin Sait (short guy but amazing rover)
Steve McGhie (Should have won the Browlow equivalent. Best full back I have ever seen)
Pat Wellington (Dec). Could kick a ball from the backline direct to Fothers)
David Thorpe (Another who could kick a ball)
George Bisset (gutzy rover from Footscray)
Stuart McGee
Lacka Laxton (always won the ruck)
Frog (cant remember his mane but had hands the size of a football)
Jim Ryan (Best reserves player ever seen)
Terry Breheney
Denis Pagen (he still will probably deny playing for the club but he was Captain/Coach)
Grant Simmons
Larry Ryan (great guy and is still probably leaning on his shovel whilst working with the Council)
Frank Lanciana
Les Twentymen (coach)
John Mcfetridge

Committee Clubman I remember are:
Old Stan D'Altera.
Lammie Dennis
Stan Curwood
John McTaggert
Lindsay Hargreaves
Nugget Curwood
Jocka Firth

Call me a name dropper but my list can go on and on. My weekend consisted of going to the then Footscray Oval, sitting in the EJ Whitten stand watching Footscray and Sundays at every Yarraville home game. Dad used to take me to many away games as well including, Brunswick, Geelong West, Oakeligh, Williamstown, Sandringham, Preston, Coburg, Werribee, Dandenong, Prahran, Mordialloc, Waverley, Port Melbourne and many other grounds.
My football highlights were watching Yarrivalle in their prime from 1997 to early 2000's when they should have won the 2nd Division Flag (bloody Mordialloc). It was rumoured that Sam Newman attended the Grand Final breakfast in 1977 at Yarraaville and stated that he would play for them but only if they won as he would not play in 2nd Division. They lost so we will probably never know of the truth in that rumour. Nothing beat staning on the outer watching Fothers kick many a goal in those days. What a great tem they were then. My highlights at Footscray was being present during Ted Whittens 321 game. It was a cold wintery day. Footscray played Hawthorn. The Hawthorn cheer squad made a run through banner for Ted but it ripped with the wind. Nice gesture but shocking weather on the day.

Lowlights were. In my life both Footscray or Yarraville have not won a premiership and the demise of Yarraville.

Yarraville Football Club were a large part of my life and I met so many wonderful people some I still see today.

I invte comments and replies form anyone who was affiliated with Yarraville Football Club in any way and apologise if I have missed any names. I am sure, if I put my mind to it that this list would be three times the size.

Go Dogs for 2009.

Great read Craig, although I don't know most of them from Yarraville your post bought back a lot of names from the past including some of relo's.

[merantau]

Re: Who was your VFA team?

Butch played ONE game for the 2s and kicked 3 goals. He then disappeared from the club. My sister used to go out with his old man (or uncle) Johnnie. She took me to my first game of football - a practice match between Braybrook and the Young Australian Chinese at Pennell Reserve. I was gob-smacked when I saw this team of Chinese guys run out. They wore green and white, horizontal striped jumpers. Johnnie booted a drop kick from the centre which bounced about 15 yds out and went through for a goal