Join David Brehaut and Greg Gliddon as they preview all things football and netball in the Ballarat region ahead of round 1, 2024.
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00:00 Welcome to a new football and netball season in the Ballarat region. I'm David Brio and this year
00:05 I'm joined by a new colleague for our new segment, which is Friday Football Frenzy
00:12 Greg Glidden. Welcome Greg. Thank you David, good to be here. Greg's come on board to look after the Ballarat Football Netball League this year
00:20 so looking forward to working closely with him and he's already made some
00:24 great inroads
00:27 into this early
00:29 part of the season and Greg no doubt you're looking forward to a new challenge and a new football experience for you
00:35 You're a football man from way back. We won't say which team you're back for, Geelong, but you've
00:41 followed football in various regions around the state for a long time and
00:46 looking forward to getting your teeth into the Ballarat Football Netball League. Should be interesting David, yes
00:50 obviously the Glidden-Brio Cup this week with the Cats playing the Kangaroos, so we'll see what happens out at the Cattery on Sunday.
00:58 Okay, there's no need to bring that into it. But anyway, we're going to delve quickly
01:03 into the opening round of football netball in both the Ballarat and
01:09 Central Highland Leagues and of course coming off big seasons in which
01:14 Gordon made it back-to-back flags in the CHFL and
01:18 on the football front in the Ballarat League. It was dallyed by a kick against North Ballarat
01:24 so if we can get half the excitement we had last year, I think we're in for a bumper season.
01:30 That's right. It should be a big year ahead, a lot of good games this weekend and an
01:34 interesting night game down in Sebast on Saturday night as well, which should be a fascinating game.
01:40 Okay, let's throw you straight into it Ballarat Football League
01:44 Round one and what's your match of the round? Match of the round at this point,
01:50 well definitely match of the round will be I think the Redan versus Sunbury clash actually just at City Oval on
01:56 Saturday afternoon. In fact, it's the one game in Ballarat on Saturday afternoon.
02:01 So if people want to get along and see some football, City Oval is the place to be.
02:05 Redan's got a couple of injuries this year, so early in the season this year, but they will debut a
02:10 Bendigo Pioneers Ruckman, 204 centimetres.
02:14 Taj Bond, his name is, he's the brother of recruit Lockie Bond who's going to unfortunately miss the first four or five weeks with
02:21 injury.
02:23 But of course the other side of the coin is Matt White, former Richmond and Port Adelaide
02:27 Speedster is debuting for Sunbury as the coach. He tells me he will not be putting on the boots this year.
02:33 He will be very happily on the sidelines,
02:36 but it's his first coaching gig and it should be a really big day for Matt White and
02:41 well, it's the Lions versus the Lions, isn't it? It certainly is East versus the West and Sunbury,
02:46 they missed the finals last year and I know that that goes against the grain as far as
02:51 Sunbury's concerned. They've got a rich history since joining the Ballarat football netball league in the the mid-1990s and they certainly want to
03:00 turn things around and they'll be looking for a win against Redan, which made finals last year, but was still disappointed
03:06 with the way the season finished in the playoffs. Okay, let's quickly run through
03:11 the other games and we've got reigning Premier Daly up against East Point.
03:15 They'll get to open, they'll get to unveil the flag in round one, which is good,
03:19 but East Point will definitely not be a pushover, although they're always up there in the finals.
03:24 Finals again.
03:26 Interesting though this week, so Jackson Merritt will be coaching this week because
03:30 Joe Carmody, his new coach out at East Point, he's actually going to be away this weekend.
03:36 So Jackson Merritt, of course, was suspended from the finals last year,
03:40 so he'll actually have to do it from the sidelines. So that'll be an interesting little side note.
03:42 Okay, I reckon we could see a big year from Merritt this year without the full-time responsibility of being head coach.
03:50 He's still on the coaching panel, as you've alluded to, but I think with his AFL experience,
03:56 just being freed up just to play football, I think we could see him really have an impact in a
04:03 largely young side, which has got some really good talent.
04:07 Okay, and we've got the Melton Derby.
04:09 Melton Derby as well, and I guess the main highlight of this one is the two new coaches going head-to-head.
04:14 There's a lot of talk out of Melton South this year that this is going to be their year to really push back up the ladder.
04:21 And of course, Troy Scoble, who's taken over as coach of Melton, is a former Melton South boy himself,
04:26 so he knows plenty about it. The other games, of course, we've got Bacchus Martian hosting Ballarat.
04:33 I guess the big story that comes out of that is Dennis Armfield is the new coach of Bacchus Martian,
04:39 the Kool McCarlton speedster, and Dennis tells me he will play, so we'll look forward to seeing him out there.
04:44 And of course, the night game is Sebastopol versus Lake Wendouree.
04:48 Again, two new coaches. You've got Rowan Brown, who's come back from Donald to coach Lake Wendouree,
04:53 and of course, Sebastopol legend Tony Lockie is going to take over the role at the helm of the borough.
04:58 So the borough, I'd imagine there will be a huge crowd down at the borough on Saturday night.
05:03 The weather looks good, so I reckon it'll be a fantastic way to open the season.
05:07 Yeah, big opportunity to have a look at recruits and the like right across the board.
05:11 OK, let's turn our attention to the Central Highlands Football League, and of course, this year, once again,
05:17 we'll be live streaming a match every week.
05:20 I'll be out there calling the Gordon Dunstown match at Gordon on Saturday.
05:25 Gordon running Premier, unfurling their flag as well.
05:29 So let's quickly run through the games, because I tell you what, there's plenty of great match-ups and plenty of 50-50 games.
05:35 Too much news to go through. I mean, there's just... I've never seen in any competition so many new players and recruits coming in,
05:43 and they're just countless.
05:45 We've got several teams with 9, 10 new players lining up in the opening round.
05:52 There's a lot of regulars missing, some early injuries, and just some players unavailable.
05:57 And it's going to take a few weeks for the competition to settle,
06:01 but of course, the nature of the Central Highlands League is every team only plays each other once.
06:06 So you don't get another go, so you've got to make the most of games that you will have a tick against.
06:14 So let's run quickly through them.
06:16 Gordon and Dunstown at Gordon.
06:18 I'm going for the reigning Premier there, Gordon.
06:21 You've got to pick them in the day down by the flag, don't you?
06:23 Yeah. Springbank at home to Rokewood Corandaff.
06:27 The Grasshoppers, one of the teams that's brought in about 10 new players, and they're playing up front.
06:32 Springbank, on the other hand, their team is basically largely unrecognisable to the side that lined up and lost the grand final last year.
06:41 A lot of youngsters, a lot of new players, either to the club or they've come up through the ranks over recent years.
06:50 I've gone for Springbank, but I'll tell you what, I made my selections before I saw the teams,
06:54 and if ever Rokewood Corandaff can beat the Tigers, and they haven't done it in the Central Highlands, this is the time.
07:02 So I'm going to Springbank, but I'll tell you what, a Rokewood Corandaff win would be no surprise.
07:07 Carnham-Lyngton is against Learmonth.
07:11 This game has been transferred from what was to have been at Smysdale, it's gone to Learmonth, so note that.
07:17 A very even game.
07:19 This was a close game between these two teams late last season, just the two points.
07:23 Carnham-Lyngton, the big improver last year, very much the same side.
07:26 I'm going to stick with them, but this is a game that could go either way.
07:30 Learmonth, just missing finals, they'll be pressing hard.
07:32 Cruisewick-Boland, of course, this is a match-up last year that we saw Gary Ablett Jr. playing in.
07:37 No superstar AFL players in this one, it's just homegrown players largely.
07:44 It's at Cruisewick.
07:45 Cruisewick has got a handful of quality recruits, not a lot.
07:49 Jeff Lovett from Birmingham, being one of them well-known.
07:52 They're up against Boland, which has introduced quite a few new players,
07:54 although they're missing some of their recruits.
07:56 I've gone for...
07:59 Geez, I tell you what, I can't remember. I've gone for Boland.
08:01 Anyway, it's going to be a close game.
08:03 One of the other big games of the round is Bungaree against Hepburn.
08:07 These two sides, I think they could finish 1-2.
08:10 This could easily be, in Round 1, a preview of the Grand Final.
08:14 That's where these teams are.
08:16 They've both brought in some really good players.
08:19 Bungaree is missing their star recruit, though, James Lukic.
08:23 He'll be out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring.
08:26 I'm going for...
08:28 Geez, I can't remember. I think it's Hepburn again.
08:30 I didn't write these down.
08:32 Hepburn, but look, again, 50-50 at Bungaree.
08:36 A new look ground, fantastic surface.
08:39 Be a great game.
08:40 Dalsford against Beaufort at Dalsford.
08:43 The Bulldogs will win.
08:45 They've brought in, I think, 10 players into this game
08:48 that weren't there last year.
08:50 They're probably the oldest team in the competition, interestingly enough,
08:53 but this could be the year that Dalsford gets back on the bike,
08:56 if you like.
08:57 We saw the netball last year of Dalsford, didn't they?
08:59 Yeah, they have to do that.
09:01 They're not going to make the Grand Final,
09:02 but they have to really push hard with the recruiting they've done.
09:05 Beaufort's sticking with the youngsters.
09:07 So today, sorry, Saturday, it's Dalsford for me.
09:11 Bunyong Newland, again, could be a very close game.
09:15 Both teams have recruited well.
09:16 I'm going for the Cats.
09:17 And Warbra up against Clunes.
09:19 Warbra haven't been able to attract a lot of players.
09:22 Struggled last year.
09:24 Clunes has had some setbacks early,
09:26 but they've still got a nice little mix of new players.
09:29 I think Clunes get over the line and Skipton has the buy.
09:32 So, look, that's a quick wrap of the two Round 1 set-ups
09:38 for the Central Highlands and Ballarat.
09:40 There's also going to be plenty of action in the netball.
09:43 There's been a lot of changes in coaches in both competitions.
09:47 So that, again, will take some time to settle down.
09:50 I reckon quickly in the Central Highlands Netball League,
09:53 the big team this year to watch is Hepburn.
09:57 Gary Cook, he's back there.
09:59 He's leading the premierships.
10:01 They've got VNL quality in their recruits.
10:04 Their stacked team and teams like Dalesford and Learmonth
10:11 and Roquewood, who, of course, have lost their dual competition.
10:17 Best and fairest, Kato Mira, that's going to make it hard for them.
10:20 So it's Hepburn for me in the netball for the year and for the Ballarat.
10:25 Just quickly, we're not going to get to see North Ballarat this week.
10:28 They've got the Round 1 buy.
10:29 So it'll be interesting to see how they go.
10:30 They're the reigning premier.
10:31 Absolutely.
10:32 But keep an eye on Sunbury.
10:35 Rebecca Hicks has joined the club from Dali.
10:38 And I think Sunbury will be the team that really pushes up
10:42 and challenges North Ballarat and Dali this year.
10:45 See how we go.
10:46 - Yeah, and in their second year back in the competition,
10:47 A grade too as well.
10:49 OK, that's our Friday wrap on everything that's happening in both leagues.
10:53 Well, a taste of everything that's happening.
10:56 There's so much.
10:58 Catch up with all the news on our website and Friday
11:01 and Saturday editions of The Courier.
11:03 And yeah, I just can't wait to get out there tomorrow.
11:08 So from myself, David Bureau, and Greg Gooden,
11:10 it's a very good afternoon and we'll catch up with you down the track.
11:14 - Bye.
11:16 - Bye.
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