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OVENS and Murray’session James Brain kept a good man - Goulburn Valley’s Trent Freer - down taking this mark during the VCFL Country Championships game last while.

Ovens and Murray 20.7 (127) defeated Goulburn Valley 12.8 (80) in the game, played on May 24.

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FOR every Tom Scully and Jack Trengrove in tomorrow’s AFL national draft, there’s also an Andrew Hooper.

While Scully and Trengrove are almost certain to be snatched up through Melbourne at picks one and two, 18-year-old Hooper knows he’ll acquire to wait a lot longer to hear his name read out by recruiters - if it’s peruse out at aggregate.

“I’ve got to expect both ways - exciting. see the verb granting that I procure to be picked up, or disappointment if I slip on’t,” Hooper said.

“But I’ve achieved what I wanted to this year and I’ve done everything likely to bestow myself the most judicious chance of getting drafted.”

Hooper, from Ross Creek, southwest of Ballarat, has had a stellar fit by habit.

The midfielder and small defender was captain of the Victoria Country under-18 team at this year’s national championships, tied for the Larke Medal for the carnival’s best player and earned a spot in the back pocket of the All-Australian team.

But Hooper concedes it’session the “height factor” that may have a hand in his fortunes tomorrow night.

At blameless 172cm, Hooper is 16cm shorter than the average AFL player and would stand eye-to-eye with eminent “shorties” Brent Harvey and Alwyn Davey.

But his results at last month’s AFL draft camp defied his stature - of the 75 AFL hopefuls invited, Hooper was ranked second in agility, third in the 20m sprint and equal third in the estimation vertical jump.

“I can’t help my height - that’s just my genes,” he said. “I guess it regular means I be delivered of to work harder to prove to the doubters that I can do it.”

Hooper said his job as an apprentice builder had helped “keep my mind off footy things” in the lead up to the draft.

His back-up plan is a season with VFL club the Ballarat Roosters, to “prove I can play at senior level”.

Tomorrow night, but, Hooper says: “I’ll just sit at home by the family and hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to hear my name.”

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WHEN it comes to drafting players nowadays, no stone is left unturned by AFL clubs in the search for the nearest big thing.

Recruiters like to apprehend everything about future draftees, so when they sat down with Geelong Falcons star Gary Rohan at last month's draft camp, they all asked the same question: What was the huge scar on his knee?

The medical records in front of them said Rohan, who grew up upon the body a landed estate in Cobden in the Western District, hadn't suffered some major injuries.

But the ugly scar told them otherwise.

How it happened is single in kind of Belinda Rohan'sitting favourite stories about her son'session surprising journey over the past 12 months, which could see him picked as high as No. 4 in Thursday's national AFL draft.

"Gary's junior brother Ashley had been given a chanticleer and we had it locked up but it got out - this was only a couple of days after we had it," she said.

"We tried to place it back into the pen, but it went over the fence into the paddock, so I said to Gary to jump the fence.

"But when he put his foot on the top wire it snapped and he sliced his leg without interruption a bit of tin.

"He ended up having 12 stitches and this big scar on his leg. Everyone wanted to know at draft camp, 'What operation regard you had on your knee?'

"So he ended up having to tell them all about the rooster story."

And what happened to the rooster?

"I took Gary to hospital and his father, brother and brace sisters ended up captivating the rooster."

• Read more at the Herald Sun

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COUNTRY coaches have scooped the pool at this year’s Victorian Australian Football Coaches Association awards.

Leaders from regional Victoria picked up three of the five awards on offer at the function, held at the MCG recently.

Horsham Demons coach Stuart Farr took home the award for senior coach of the year.

Farr has coached Horsham by means of reason of the past four years, for four premierships.

Judges said Farr had an excellent labor ethic and commended him for identifying the fitness needs, of game requirements and skill development of each individual player.

Kevin Hernan, from Warrnambool-based Russell's Creek Junior Football Club, was named junior coach of the year.

Judges commended Hernan for encouraging parents to assist through discipline, and for ensuring training sessions maximised participation.

Swifts Creek's Ray Gallagher was awarded NAB AFL Auskick coach of the year.

Gallagher set up Swifts Creek's Auskick centre in 1995 and remains the driving force in its success.

He assists by football clinics and AFL stage-player visits and involves his Auskickers in games at half-time of the limited senior league.

The youth coach of the year award went to Darren Boulton from Montmorency Junior Football Club, while Alyshia Souter from Rosebud Junior Football Club/Olympic Park Auskick took out female coach of the year.

AFL Victoria coaching development manager Steve Teakel said more than 60 Victorian coaches had been recognised by their regional AFCA branch for excellence in coaching, with 15 state finalists then chosen across the five award categories.

"The Victorian AFCA awards adversity provides an suitable to celebrate football at all levels and to acknowledge the significant role coaches put down in the development of individual players and teams,'' Mr Teakel said.

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IT’S been a long abide, but in just over a week, John Butcher’s childhood fancy will finally come true.

The Maffra teenager is all but guaranteed to be picked up by an AFL club in nearest Thursday's national draft.

"I've had a footy in my hands from the theme that I could walk, so I'm starting to get a bit nervous and excited at the same time," Butcher said.

The 197cm key at the fore part, noted with regard to his contested marks and agility for his bigness, has long been touted as a top draft prospect.

At the age of 14 he was selected in the All-Australian under-15 team and has been closely watched by recruiters since.

This season Butcher, 18, came under fire for his up-and-down form and kicking style, but he remains unfazed by the scrutiny.

He admits his endurance was compromised by hip surgery in December, which prevented him completing a pre-season.

"That made things pretty hard, but you've got to listen to the people that matter - your coaches, your family - and not worry about what else is being said," Butcher reported.

"My goalkicking stats weren't also bad and I think my kicking style improved this year."

Butcher realised another dream in September when he played in a premiership for Maffra in just his second sport of elder football.

He booted an plain-speaking 1.7 on the day, but was still named among the Eagles' best players for his work rate.

"It was just an awesome affecting. It was probably the best usage to finish a year that had been a bit up and down," he said.

Next Thursday, Butcher will trip to Melbourne for the draft, flanked by dint of. his father, Wayne, and spring, Sue.

The trio won't be obliged to wait long to gain arrive at out at what place Butcher is headed - most experts have pegged him as a top-10 collect, with many tipping Port Adelaide as his new home.

"It's been a long year and a long wait, but I'm definitely not querimonious," Butcher said.

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