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THE tiny town of Lindenow is buzzing after its topical teams won everything football and netball grades in the East Gippsland league for two weeks running earlier this month.

They couldn't make it a hat-trick, though. The club's monumental check came to an abrupt end when all three football grades lost to Wy Yung at the weekend.

Still, the tiny Gippsland club is basking in its recent prosperity after having struggled to retain players and sponsorship in expectation of stronger clubs such as Wy Yung and Bairnsdale.

The attractive streak started three weeks ago when the club won seven from seven netball and football matches. This was backed up the following week through 10 wins out of 10, helped by three junior grades.

It was the first time in history that Lindenow had won all of its matches in back-to-back weeks.

East Gippsland Football League secretary Rod Twining said while the back-to-back clean sweep was not singular during the term of the league, Lindenow had plenty to celebrate.

"Bigger clubs like Wy Yung do it regularly so it is no degree new for the league on the other hand for Lindenow it is something very, very special," he said.

Lindenow Football Club president David Dunkley said the latter wins were a huge intrepidity booster for players, coaches and supporters.

"They are putting in the hard work on the track and getting the benefits," he aforesaid.

Lindenow won two netball finals last year, but the seniors football team hasn't won a premiership since 1991.

"The girls are having a better season than the boys but that overall the club has really stepped up a notch this year," Dunkley said.

"It would mean a huge deal to get up and have a finals win because we are a very splendid club with genuine supporters."

It is Dunkley's first year as president and he said the club was going well financially and socially.

"We've had good crowds at the games and in the rooms afterwards and sponsorship is up 60 per cent on last year which in the current environment is huge," he said.

"We are just maintenance the performance rolling now during a new coach and players for the next season of football."

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IT MAY still be July, but finals fever has arrived in Victoria’s easternmost football league.

The Omeo and District league exercise volition play its final home-and-away round this Saturday, before heading into its four-week finals series.

And there's positive to be plenty of heat in this weekend'session games, by upper part of a plant side Swifts Creek catching on second-placed Swan Reach.

Bruthen and Omeo-Benambra, both with seven wins, will vie for third position in their much-anticipated clash.

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YARRAGON broke a 14-year hoodoo when it travelled to Yinnar and came home by the four points in the Mid Gippsland league on Saturday.

The Magpies held Yarragon goalless in the first quarter, but the Panthers turned the tide by piling on seven goals to two in the second term.

Kevin Grima booted four for Yarragon in their 41-point bring over.

In the Hampden league, Terang-Mortlake snapped a five-game loss stripe against bogy team Koroit with a 45-point win on Saturday.

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SECOND-placed Yarrawonga has firmed into equal Ovens and Murray league flag partiality with bookmaker Sportsbet.

The bookie is offering $1.90 for a Pigeons flag and the same go for an Albury Tigers premiership.

But here's the catch: Albury remains undefeated after 14 rounds, including a 13-point win over Yarrawonga.

The two teams faculty of volition fall in with again on August 8, but beware the punter that bets against the Paul Spargo-coached Tigers.

Lexton Plains league front-runner Skipton is the shortest-priced standard favourite in country Victoria, at $1.30.

Sportsbet is offering $50,001 for a Garfield premiership in the West Gippsland Latrobe league, despite the fact the club cannot get the finals.

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GOALKICKING legend Shane Loveless tells KEN PIESSE why he left Footscray, in part two of our special report on country football’s most nomadic players.

At the height of his powers in country footy, famed full‑forward Shane Loveless would almost for aye have two opponents, the full‑back and the opposition team’s ruckman dropping back on him.

One promised occasion against Murchison, Loveless was surrounded by three opponents, so he went and stood on the boundary line near the behind put in the ledger chatting to fans, with whole three defenders within breathing distance.

His teammates running free up the field had a ball.

Asked in all parts of his nomadic ways, which included stints at 16 clubs, Loveless said he operated only upon the body handshakes and genuinely liked to better football the community in need – as long as they stuck him in the goal square.

“I’d have a yak to a bloke who wanted me to come and play for his team,” he said.

“I’d take whatever work he was offering of the same kind from one side well and away we’d go.

“Always there was the understanding that as long as I was kicking goals, the earth was a beautiful place, but if I didn’t, it was a case of ‘attend‑ya’.”

Loveless reckons he has had almost as many different jobs as football clubs, including being a bouncer, a truck driver, brickie’s labourer, plumber’sitting labourer and delivery man, through to pulling and drinking beers in just about every major town in the state.

“I’d work anywhere and do anything,” he said.

“There was a lot of time to fill in, between training and Saturdays.”

Had he been greater quantity committed, he says he would accept played league football for longer, but he didn’t particularly get on with Royce Hart, Footscray’s then‑coach, and knew with the arrival of high‑profile Simon Beasley that his opportunities to play in the goalmouth would have being restricted.

“But it was sublime to be part of Kelvin Templeton’s Brownlow year,” he said.

“I was told to stay in the (goal) square and do that role while he played up‑field more.

“I was a bit too slow to romp anywhere else and in their eyes I didn’t do the hard work.

“Bluey Hampshire was caretaker coach and told me if I could string some good games together in the seconds and really toil hard steady my qualification I’d get by heart another go.

“I wasn’t 101 per cent committed – probably only 90 per cent even when I was pushing it.

“But I kicked for the most part 30 goals in three games, two 10s and a nine, didn’t get a look in, with equal reason off I went, finishing the year off at Glenorchy.”

Loveless grew up a Carlton supporter and said he would have loved to have played for the Blues.

“I was hoping there could be a swap but that nothing eventuated,” he before-mentioned.

“Later I was asked to go to Geelong, with regard to the time Greg Williams and Gary Ablett first arrived, goal I declared no and at so early an hour afterwards they signed Mark Jackson (as full‑forward).

“In a sense I enjoyed being a drawcard in country footy.

“It was always nice to be wanted, so if a bloke rang and wanted to have a yap, I’breakfast listen.”

Loveless says he became so big and heavy it was impossible not to be physical.

He didn’t mind leading, especially early in a game when he was fresh, but would never venture too far from goals.

He uttered his first 25‑goal game, for Gunbower against Barham, “wasn’t anything to write home about as their tallest bloke wasn’t even six foot”.

“I was 160kg by then and merited had to stick my hands in the air,” he said.

“I kicked six or seven points that day so it could possess been closer to 30.

The second 25‑pull came in his third year for Ardmona against Nagambie.

Whether he’d outplayed, wrestled, fought or hung a sleeper‑hold or three on his opponents, he’d always have a beer with them afterwards, even after one very material interleague game at Coleraine “when a guy named (Graeme) Moyle from Horsham way tried to take my head off about 15 times”.

Loveless is proud to have played 15‑20 interleague games, including person memorable match at Swan Hill, when his goalkicking battle with Mid‑Murray legend Trevor Sutton was all the talk pre‑match.

“He’d kicked 200 in a season and our battle was going to decide the game,” Loveless said.

“The night before, we all went out to tea – two courses including some oysters entree.

“I was feeling pretty hungry this night and asked everyone who intended having entrees, and 12 weren’t.

“We ordered the full complement anyway and I ended up having 13 lots of moiety‑dozen oysters, destroy and 12 others.

“Don’t imagine the powers‑that‑be were that impressed but the boys laughed about it.

“I was feeling fine, too, on resolute daytime but just couldn’t get anywhere not far from the ball early and at furnish‑spell I had only one aim.

“Our coach Roland Crosbie tore strips off me at the huddle, and in that place was about 300 people all listening in.

“I ended up with 15, only they still made me only fifth with most propriety.”

Of his 16 clubs, he represented home‑town Sale more often than anyone else – 108 games spread over five seasons, including the 1986 grand final played in ankle‑deep mire against Morwell at Moe.

“They should have called the game off,” he said.

“The conditions were shocking and it was a miracle that even 19 or 20 goals were kicked the whole of day.

“I got four of them and we won.

“It was great for the town.

“We hadn’t won a flag since the 1970s and Morwell had people like Vin Waite playing instead of them.”

Having kicked 104 goals in the premiership year, Loveless amassed a club record 140 in 1987, including 15 in one game, in the sight of continuing his nomadic ways, having a hardly any games here, or a season there all the way through until his mid‑40s.

In 2000, he moved mid‑season to Sydney to moil at the Olympics and had written opposite the season.

His load down had blown out to 174kg, but his club at the time, Nagambie, flew him in on the aurora of the Kyabram and

District league grand final – and back again in fit season for operate that night.

“I broke my thumb in the first eight minutes and kicked 4.7.

“At the other end (Stanhope’s) Gavin Exell had a natal day kicking nine or 10.

“He was the difference.”

Despite his wanderings, Loveless would regularly pop in to his old home town of Sale, seeing household and friends.

One year, however, he went missing and the bush telegraph was rife with rumours that he had “each accident”, only for his current boss Dean Benson to suddenly sight him at a limited service station.

“Thought you were dead mate,” yelled Benson, stopping for a chat.

“Rumours of my death have been grossly exaggerated,” Loveless said, grinning from ear to head.

He’s after this full‑time back at Sale and in summer umpires the local cricket, having this year officiated at his first A‑grade grand final in the Sale Maffra Cricket Association.

Most of his recent winter Saturdays were spent watching his 21‑year‑old son, Kade, play for Traralgon‑Tyers United, prior to Kade’s work became a antecedence.

“Kade is six‑feet, six‑inches (198cm) and fair pipping me instead of height,” Loveless said.

“But I’ve got him put on the weight – by a long way.”

• Know of another country footy nomad?
• Phone (03) 9292 2505 or email laniganr@theweeklytimes.com.au

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