■ Modern football is very different from that of earlier eras, as was revealed last week when I hosted the Inside the Kennel show at the Bulldogs. Young Lachlan Hunter told us that he and three other Bulldogs (Ryan Griffin, Luke Dahlhaus and Jake Stringer) are undertaking carpentry apprenticeships. But this is no ’80s revival; the boys are doing it one day a week. By my calculations, they may be eligible for the pension before they’re qualified chippies. Jokes aside, I can remember Brian Royal working every day as a builder during his playing career; Steve Wallis was an accountant and was studying at uni, and Simon Beasley was a Collins Street stockbroker and the best-dressed bloke in the change rooms. Dougie Hawkins worked at Western Hospital. Contrary to his version, Dougie was not a brain surgeon. It’s good to see current players investing time and effort into setting up post-football careers.
■ Marcus Bontempelli gave Bulldog fans a window to the future with his game against Collingwood two weeks ago. I’m loathe to compare him to players of the past, but he looks to me to be a player who could be as influential as Chris Grant. “Turtle” was one of the Bulldog greats and remains a strong influence at the club as a board member. Bontempelli has something special about him as a player and as a young man. I was really impressed by seeing him hug his dad after that win over Collingwood.
■ After Bontempelli’s Rising Star nomination came the round of media interviews. One radio host showed his lack of class by asking: “How did it feel to be drafted by a bottom club like the Bulldogs?” Give me a break. This commentator, not one of my favourites, lost me completely when this came out of his mouth. I remember as a teenager being told the location of my first radio station. I didn’t care; I was so happy at being given the chance to live my dream. I’m sure young footballers feel the same. Media people need to be a bit more positive in their outlook.
■ Seeing former Werribee players Ben Brown, Luke McDonald, Ben Ross, James Podsiadly and Michael Barlow running around in the AFL and five other former Tigers in the Geelong VFL side that played at the weekend indicates there’s a lot of good football coaching going on at Avalon Airport Oval. Werribee has a special pre-game lunch coming up on July 5 with Ricky Ponting and North Melbourne coach Brad Scott. Bookings: 9741 9862
Kevin Hillier
