HAMPTON PARK held a successful 10-year reunion of its 1997 premiership side at the Booth Reserve during the home match against TOORADIN recently and the memories were many and varied (and mostly enhanced).

The majority of the ’97 side was in attendance with two of the team still playing on the day.

However, while Chris Hussey took to the field in his well-worn number-17 Redbacks jumper, his premiership teammate Danny Rout was given a different reception by his former home crowd as he ran onto the Robert Booth Reserve in the Seagulls strip, after leaving the web for the Western Port oval three years ago.

ABC country football roundsman Paul Daffey was caught out after LONGWARRY sharpshooter Ryan Donaldson decided to remove himself from the action only minutes into the last quarter against WARRAGUL INDUSTRIALS on Saturday.

Daffey declared on Radio 774, late in the afternoon, that Donaldson was the first player in country Victoria to reach the ton in 2007.

With 17 goals up to three-quarter-time and almost an entire quarter to go, Daffey must have got wind of Donaldson’s heroics and thought it was a monty.

However, Donaldson opted to leave the field less than five minutes into the last term and will chase his 100th goal next week against NAR NAR GOON in front of his family, which is expected to attend the milestone game.

PRIZE NARRE WARREN recruit Darren Sheen’s 13-goal haul for CORA LYNN against BULN BULN on the weekend was a club record, passing Peter O’Sullivan, Matt Sungalis and Dean Hester who jointly held the previous mark of 12.

DOVETON has struggled to find a regular full-forward this season and while there is a heap of speculation that retired veteran Jack Marshall might be about to pull on the boots to help out, there may be another option.

Former Dove Peter Dye, who has been kicking plenty of majors with SFL club DOVETON EAGLES, has been training back at the Robinson Reserve and is believed to be set to seek a late clearance in the hope of filling the void in attack.

RELATIONS between NARRE WARREN and CASEY SCORPIONS are rumoured to be more than a little strained after the Scorpions forced young star Brad Scalzo to pull out of the Magpies senior side at the last minute on the weekend.

Scalzo, who played with the ’Pies the week before, had informed Casey officials of his wish to return to his home club and believed he had the okay.

However communication at Casey Fields was not what it should have been and a Magpie spy said that when senior Scorpions coach Peter Banfield was informed of Scalzo’s decision, he quickly stopped the process.

Whether Scalzo will be allowed to play this week or not is unknown, but let’s hope the spat is sorted out quickly.

DEVON MEADOWS celebrated the 200th senior game of favourite son and former coach Craig Hunter on Saturday.

Nicknamed ‘Possum’, Hunter played in attack and booted two goals in the Panthers’ loss to PAKENHAM.

The 32-year old utility said it was a major highlight of his long career and he is the first player to reach the milestone in the club, making Hunter the games’ record holder.

Meanwhile spies at the Meadows leaked the news that senior club officials had been approached by MPNFL officials to swap leagues in favour of the lower grade Nepean League next year, in an attempt to get rid of the bye in both competitions.

Despite the Panthers’ lowly position, officials said they were absolutely committed to the Casey Cardinia League and wanted to keep playing traditional rivals like CRANBOURNE, DOVETON and HAMPTON PARK.

‘Thanks, but no thanks’ was the response.

WARRAGUL’S Ryan Davey, GARFIELD’S Dean McFarlane and SALE pair Chris Kelf and Kane Fraser have all been added to the VCFL training squad from which a side will be selected to take on a VAFA combination in their annual clash.

The curtain-raiser will feature an under-19 game with some of the WGLFL rising stars to be selected including MORWELL’S Joel Soutar, MAFFRA’S Sam Walker and James Cook from Sale.

The annual Eastern Victorian v West Victorian under-18 challenge is also on again and players nominated for this game from the WGLFL include Garfield’s Ned Marsh, Maffra's David Adams, TRARALGON pair David Collison and Jarrod Raun and Sale pair Daniel McLinden and Jordan Dessent.

HAMPTON PARK has had a fair whack of up and down form this season and the last thing coach Jason Chapple needed was players pulling out of the side.

However that is exactly what he got last Thursday and he was happy to accept it when his leadership group told him that the playing group had dropped Matt Dixon, Sean Nunan, Jack Besley and Sean Winsall from the seniors for a week.

The players had taken it upon themselves to call a snap Sunday morning beach-training session after the side’s loss to TOORADIN the weekend before and the quartet did not turn up.

The self discipline between the Redback players worked well, with the side bouncing back to the winners’ list on Saturday and the exercise served as a timely warning that only a 100 per cent commitment was acceptable.

DOVETON will get a visit from AFL legend Tom Hafey on Thursday, 5 July.

Hafey will assist with training and then address the club afterwards, before the sides to play ROC are announced.

STAR MAFFRA ruckman Justin Bramich played his first game for the season against TRARALGON on the weekend.

The triple premiership powerhouse was reportedly well underdone, but started like a house on fire, notching two first-quarter goals, but tarnished his efforts with four behinds.

As the game wore on his condition started to tell, but with 10 weeks to go before the finals, Bramich has plenty of time to improve his fitness.

AND still at MAFFRA, the Eagles certainly got it right with the appointment of Nick Hider as 2007 assistant coach. The former WARRNAMBOOL and Hampden League best-and-fairest midfielder has lived up to his reputation and after collecting three votes against DROUIN in round nine, leads the Pakenham-Berwick Gazette League Champion award at the midpoint of the season with 12 votes.

SALE’S Chris Kelf and Dean McFarlane from GARFIELD trail Hider by one vote.

CRANBOURNE has gone onto the front foot and initiated a system that it hopes will assist umpires in their duties and make every game the club plays umpire-friendly.

All umpires will be asked to fill out a club ‘critique’ form and hand it to a nominated Eagles official before leaving the ground each week.

The form asks the umpires to rate the professionalism of the club, together with the behaviour of members, players and the crowd, so that action can be taken to make the experience a good one for all concerned.

NEERIM NEERIM SOUTH stalwart Peter Law will front up this Saturday for his 300th game with the Cats.

Law, a plucky rover and former club best-and-fairest winner, has played more than 200 senior games, but been a regular fixture in the reserves in recent seasons, helping to oversee the development of the club’s youngsters.