By Russell Bennett
Isn’t it amazing how the more things change, the more they stay the same?
West Gippsland football returns this weekend with the launch of the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition as Cora Lynn hosts Inverloch-Kongwak on Saturday night in the first match for four premiership points in Victorian community footy in 2017.
The issues of disparity amongst clubs, and unevenness in Gippsland footy and netball have been raging on for decades – since the West Gippsland Football League’s heyday.
That once mighty competition has essentially been extinct for 15 years but in recent times those same issues of disparity and uneven competition have plagued leagues including Ellinbank and District and Alberton.
Now, AFL Gippsland is bringing West Gippsland football and netball into a new era with an enthralling 10-club incarnation featuring five of the former heavyweights of both Ellinbank and Alberton and it’s all set to come to a head on Saturday night.
Local footy icon Ray ‘Windows’ Payne has a rich history at Garfield and Cora Lynn, in particular, and he can’t wait for the new season to officially get underway this Saturday night as his son Tim leads the Cobras out on to their home field.
“Dad, Allan, was the president of Garfield and mum was in the canteen in the 1960s and West Gippy footy was fantastic back then,” said Windows, who played 15 seasons at Garfield.
“The rivalries were incredibly strong and we were a massively competitive competition.
“We played at Cora Lynn in a wet old game one day and defeated the Mornington Peninsula Football League, and consider then it was towns like Bunyip and Longwarry against the likes of Simon Goosey.
“It was just fantastic.”
Peter Lieshout, Tom Cleary, and Joe Lenders were all West Gippsland stars in Windows’ eyes and they all remain significant figures in local footy.
“There was some really entertaining footy back then,” Windows said.
“In those days Pakenham and Drouin were fantastic sides but every now and then you’d get a Garfield or Cora Lynn bob up and there was nothing sweeter than Garfield defeating Pakenham.”
Windows said he was proud to see the West Gippsland name back at the forefront of a major footy and netball competition.
“For blokes like my brother Murray, who played a lot of interleague footy, to see West Gippsland disappear without a trace but to now see it back, it’s just fantastic,” he said.
“I’m rapt they’re remembering the past and paying tribute to it.”
Garfield legend John ‘Barrel’ Barnes gave a simple answer as to what it means to see the West Gippy name return.
“It means we’ve got our history back,” he said.
“There’s just a better standard of competition too, and some real buzz and excitement around.
“In the three levels of competition in Gippsland (from Gippsland League, to West Gippsland, to the likes of Ellinbank and District) there’s a level for everyone and just not as big a gap from top to bottom.
“Players can really find their level and every club has a chance of competing.
“In Ellinbank there’s been a real gulf from the top to the bottom (recently) but this gives that community footy feel back.”
Barnes said he expected the standard of the new competition to be “very good, very quickly”, adding: “It’ll be fascinating to see how fast it evolves”.
“People talk about the issue of travel, but I think people will travel and the gates and revenue streams will be really good in such a strong competition,” he said.
From a Garfield perspective, Barrel said he couldn’t wait for the club to come up against brothers Ben and Andy Soumilas at Inverloch.
Sea Eagles coach Ben is one of Garfield’s greatest ever coaches, and midfield jet Andy one of its best ever players.
Rick Irwin, the general manager of the former West Gippsland Football League for two years from 1997 under Mick Fox, also weighed in to much-anticipated WGFNC launch – saying it’s “just sensational” to see the name return.
He said “the shit hit the fan” when, under the delegates system of the former West Gippsland league, powerhouse clubs such as Beaconsfield and Pakenham were forced out.
“You don’t get rid of your strengths,” said Irwin, who also went on to become the operations manager of the VCFL in a glittering footy career.
“We had a great league and Beaconsfield, Pakenham and Drouin were the powerhouses.
“Then the cracks started to appear because the delegates wouldn’t look beyond their clubs’ own self interests.
“Losing Beaconsfield and Pakenham was like cutting of your left arm to save your right.
“Clubs like Nar Nar Goon, Kooweerup, Bunyip, Garfield and Cora Lynn ended up in the Ellinbank league but they became too strong and now we’re back to where we were with West Gippsland – except for the likes of Pakenham and Beaconsfield.
Irwin – who is a former player, coach, and president of Drouin and whose son Darcy is now senior captain – said the Hawks aren’t the powerhouse they once were and it wouldn’t surprise him if the club was eventually bound for the WGFNC.
“It’s sensational news to see it (the new competition) almost back to what we used to have,” he said.
“It’s almost come full circle.
“As an administrator you need to look at long-term player and league development, and that’s what (Bill) ‘Doc’ Doherty and Mick Fox were great at.
“Some clubs back then just didn’t look at the bigger picture but Doc and Mick were special – they had vision.”
