By David Nagel
With no community sport currently being played we thought it a great time to delve a little deeper into the careers and lives of our local sporting heroes. This week we speak with three-time Cora Lynn premiership captain Tim Payne.
Tim Payne was totally oblivious of what was to come when he ran out with the Cora Lynn seniors for the 1991 West Gippsland Football League (WGFL) grand final against Drouin.
Tim was side by side with his dad Ray, who was captain-coach at the time, and his champion uncle Murray, as they prepared to take on the might of the Hawks in the big dance.
Tim had absolutely no impact that day, he was just three-years-old…a Cora Lynn mascot in the first time – but definitely not the last – that he would run out in a Cobras jumper on the biggest day of all.
The Cobras were thrashed by Drouin, but the seed had been sewn on one of the most decorated careers in Cora Lynn history.
Fast forward 30 years and Tim Payne is a bonafide Cobras’ legend, a four-time premiership player – three as captain – and one of the most respected figures in the region.
“Football was just what we did on Saturday’s back then, dad played senior football until he was 39 and my first memories of football were at Cora Lynn in the early 90’s,” the now 33 year old said.
“Growing up that was our Saturday ritual, going with mum (Sue) and dad to the footy, every winter; I’ve always been around footy clubs.”
Ray Payne, or ‘Windows’ as he is better known, had two stints as coach at Cora Lynn, intertwined with senior coaching roles at Catani, Neerim South and Tyabb on the Mornington Peninsula.
He is also a life member at Garfield, where he and his brother Murray spent most of their playing days.
Growing up as a Payne…well it came with expectations.
“Dad was always there for advice, but mainly background support, he let me make my own decisions and play my own way, but there was never any pressure,” Tim explained.
“Mum and dad have probably seen 99 per cent of games that I’ve played and I’ve been very lucky with family support. My sister Andrea was captain of the A grade netball side and my brother Alex and my wife Kate have also been great support.”
Tim Payne’s passion for football did a take a while to bed in.
Having been around senior clubs for all his young life, he found it hard to get enthused about his early days playing junior football at Narre Warren. It wasn’t until ‘Windows’ returned to coach the Cobras in 2002 that a young 14 year old would find his true passion for the game.
“I didn’t love it at first, but I fell in love with it back at Cora Lynn, even though I wasn’t a footballers’ bootlace,” Tim said openly and honestly.
“Cora Lynn was struggling back then and I played my first senior game at 16, but then Chris Toner came in 2006 and that’s when things started to change.
“He implemented a really rigorous program. We played finals in 2006 and 2007 but weren’t quite there, but he introduced standards and a mindset that still stick with me today.
“He would pick me up for training, in the back of his plumber’s van, and I remember him saying constantly that he hated losing even more than he liked winning. That is something that has stuck with me, and stuck with the club I think…we just don’t accept losing.”
Payne played in a 2006 reserves premiership and was a borderline selection in his first senior success in 2008. He played eight games in both the reserves and seniors that year and only booked his place on grand final day with a solid performance in the second semi-final.
“I was so grateful to be a part of it in 2008,” Payne said.
“I don’t think I had a great impact on the result but to be a part of it, and to learn so much that we could apply when we got into a similar position down the track was invaluable for me really.
“It was so good for the club. That was our first win since 1986 and that one came after a long drought as well.
“In 2005 the club didn’t win many games, had financial struggles, had no players, no crowd, so it was such a good moment for the club and for the people that had suffered the hard times.
“The people that kept the heartbeat going and kept the club breathing, even as a young person you could feel the gravity of the moment and the joy that it brought to everyone involved at the club.”
Payne would improve as a footballer and consolidate his position over the next four years, being vice-captain to his close friend James Bradshaw, before taking over the senior captaincy role in 2013.
“I worked with Jim so we knew each other well and I just modelled my effort on his, the work rate and intensity he brought to the table was incredible,” Payne said.
“Brendan Kimber was coach when I was given the opportunity to be captain and I jumped at it and was determined to do a good job. It was probably a natural progression, the demographic of the group was pretty mixed back then so it was probably good timing as much as anything.”
Good timing…well that’s a massive understatement!
The Cobras would suffer their third-consecutive preliminary final defeat at the hands of Garfield in 2013, those defeats following grand final losses to Nilma-Darnum and Nar Nar Goon in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Those five years of near misses would steel the group for battle, while the introduction of a new coach in Travis Marsham – with fresh wounds of his own – would provide even further motivation to finally get the job done.
“In 2014 there was a single mindedness, and right from the start there was a sense of ‘let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again’,” Payne said.
“Travis Marsham came from Gembrook after losing three grand finals himself, along with David Main, who was his assistant-coach, Ricky Clark and Nathan Muratore. Plus we had a significant portion of players at Cora Lynn who had come close as well.
“He (Marsham) told us all to make sure you tick every box so when you line up alongside your opponent on grand final day you can look him in the eye and know that you’ve worked harder than he has, and know you’re in a better position to succeed than what he is.
“He explained the confidence that can fill with you with and we kind of embodied that spirit right throughout the year.
“We knew we had the team to do it and we were striving for the bigger picture which makes all the little things a lot easier to do.”
The Cobras certainly achieved that bigger-picture goal, with Marsham and Payne standing side-by-side on the premiership dais in 2014-15. Main would take over the reins in 2016, holding the silverware aloft with the now three-time premiership skipper.
“It meant so much because of the five years of disappointment, but to get that reward and to be in the thick of it as captain was great,” Payne said.
“There are guys all over the place who work equally as hard and don’t get the rewards, so being appreciative of being in that position was what it was all about.”
So how does a player who describes himself as not being a footballer’s bootlace turn into one of the most respected leaders in the game?
“I think it’s important to have an appreciation for how hard everyone on the team works and once you’re aware of that investment, especially at local football, where people have jobs and families, it gives you a feeling of responsibility to make sure they get a reward for it,” Payne said.
“Once you understand that you feel an obligation to be the best leader you can be because you want to help people achieve their goals.
“Have a look at a guy like Mainy (David Main), who puts in so much effort and what it means to him, you do feel a responsibility to not let people down and give it your very best shot.
“It’s all about trying to harness all the energy and provide a better sense to the group of what we’re trying to achieve and spread that message through good communication.
“We’ve been blessed with exceptional teams and really it’s about steering the ship and realising you don’t have to build it yourself.”
Cora Lynn defeated Kooweerup and Bunyip in comfortable fashion in 2014 and ’15, but came up against a more determined Bulldogs outfit in 2016…with redemption clearly on their minds.
Payne thinks the 2008 success, which broke the long drought, and the spontaneous joy of 2016 made those premierships stand out from a high-quality list of contenders.
“The first two (2014-’15) we won comfortably, and it was great to soak it in during the last quarter and enjoy the experience, but the third one against Bunyip we were down by a couple of goals…15 to 20 minutes into the last quarter…and we kicked five goals in a row to win it,” Payne explained.
“That was a really special one for me, to feel like it was slipping away and to make it three in a row, to dig deep and find something, being Mainy’s first year of coaching, to get that reward was incredible and something special.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the Cobras, losing the inaugural West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) grand final to Inverloch-Kongwak in 2017, and then being on the wrong side of a four-point thriller against Phillip Island in 2019.
Payne had to shake hands and watch his opponents enjoy the spoils of success, but it’s the recent challenge of Covid-19 that has really tested his leadership.
Leaders like Main and Payne, and mentors at all football clubs, are currently experiencing challenging times for which there are no hand book.
“It’s a balancing act, knowing how much football means to people you know how much it would mean to get it back up and running again,” Payne said.
“But balance that with the fact that as young and fit men and women, playing football and netball, we’re not the ones who would be put at risk if it went back. It’s the vulnerable members of our community, and they’re the ones who we share the experience with most, if we can’t share it with them then what’s the point really.
“The whole point of community sport is to build that network and enjoy the experience with everyone. If we can’t do it with them there it kind of begs the question as to why we would do it at all.
“But young people are resilient and adaptable and making the place a good place to be around, a great environment for everyone, when it comes back, that’s the most important thing.”
Payne, who alongside Anthony Giuliano is one of only two players to have played in all four premiership wins, said he has played with some great players in his unfinished time at the club.
He rates Jack Allen, Brendan Kimber and his great mate Brad Horaczko as three of his favourites.
“It’s a tough one to answer, because we’ve had so many great players, but those three stand out for different reasons,” Payne explained.
“What Jack Allen could do on a football field was not like anyone else I’ve seen. He’s ability in the air to mark, and at ground level, and just his toughness and physicality was amazing.
“Brendan Kimber, when he played at Cora Lynn, his ability to be a midfield bull but also to take five or six contested marks in the air was also impressive. You see now what he’s doing at Phillip Island, moving forward and kicking seven from the goal-square, he’s just an exceptional player.
“And Brad Horaczko, we knew each other since we were kids; we grew up playing together when we came down and started playing in the fourths.
“He played TAC Cup, played VFL, and then came back to Cora Lynn for eight or nine years and was just an exceptional ruckman. He was a tap ruckman who would take 15 grabs and cover the ground.
“It was just a joy to play in multiple premierships with a guy that you have known since you were two or three years old.
“He was best on ground in the 2008 grand final and what he was able to do over a long period of time, as a ruckman, was incredible.
“He would get beaten occasionally, but he would never get beaten by the same player a second time. He would work on his craft and would beat the guy who might have jumped all over him the time before.
“He was just a champion player.”
Payne bristles, just slightly, when it suggested that there are two impressions of Cora Lynn from outside the walls of the club.
A very small minority see the Cobradome as a place where some have come to chase the dollar, while the undoubted heart and spirit of the club is more widely recognised and admired.
“There’s no-one at Cora Lynn so if it was just locals there would be six people at the place and the club would fold,” Payne said.
“It’s just the geographic challenge and make-up of the area and probably what provides us with that us against them mentality.
“We know we’re not the most popular team, we rely on each other, both playing and in the community.
“We’ve got a small network and have to share experiences. People have worked hard, line marking, behind the bar and in multiple roles around the club so when we do have success we tend to really enjoy it.”
Payne said the club means the absolute world to him.
“I’ve just turned 33 and I realised I’ve spent more time playing football at Cora Lynn in my life than I haven’t,” Payne explained.
“All the major relationships in my life, in some sort of way, have come through football.
“Some of my closest friends, I met my wife at Cora Lynn in a roundabout type of way, I share it with my parents, my grandparents, it’s just been the bedrock that has been the consistent through my life.
“You can move house, change jobs, but football, especially Cora Lynn, has been there for the entire journey. It’s just been such a huge part of my life and something I feel lucky to be a part of.
“Whatever I’ve given to Cora Lynn, I’ve definitely received so much more in terms of life experience.”
Payne said that playing deep in defence had its moments and kept him very much on his toes. Some worldly advice from sister Andrea also provides motivation.
“I can play small or tall, and love that challenge of being able to take on either, it certainly keeps you on your toes,” he said.
“I remember my sister saying that full back is probably the only position on a football field where you can truly and genuinely be humiliated. Being in the goal square on some of those big bears certainly helps to keep you motivated.
“I still get really nervous before a game, and it just comes with the territory of playing down back I think.
“Lining up on players like Kurt Batt, Mitch Collins and Kael Burgles over the years certainly keeps you on your toes.”
So does Payne think a fifth premiership, and fourth as captain, is on the cards this year?
“We definitely think we’re capable of it but know we have haven’t played at the level that is needed, yet,” he said.
“We train hard, we work hard and we’re honest with ourselves and we know what we’re good at.
“The guys in the team, we want to get better, we work hard to get better, and there’s no level of satisfaction there yet.
“We know we will play better football towards the end of the season and we’ll see where that takes us but we think we’re capable of challenging.”
And where does he see his own future after almost 260 senior games at the club?
“I really enjoy playing footy, it’s fun, and it’s a great part of my life and I love everything about the game,” he said.
“I’d like to play as long as possible and I’ll keep backing up as long as they pick me and as long as I think I can contribute. As long as I can keep running around, keep helping, and keep spraying blokes on the track, they won’t be getting rid of me in a hurry.”
Payne, a day-time gardener who is currently studying a Batchelor of International Relations (Politics and Public Policy, Policy Design, Policy Analysis), hopes to be remembered as someone who helped others try to succeed.
“Someone that learned the lessons of the people before him and used those lessons to help the people around him succeed…that’ll do me.”
That’s mission already accomplished Tim Payne…and there are still hopes of more success on the horizon!
