PAGE 60 - “THE STAR”, Tuesday, May 18, 2010
No juggling act: draft hopeful Dyson Heppell still finds time for school work amidst a busy football schedule. By Isaac McCallum DURING the school week Dyson Heppell is just another Year 12 student busily working towards exams come November. But it is another week in November that will decide his future – the 2010 AFL draft. Despite this, a modest Heppell was quick to point out that the draft was not yet on his mind. “At the moment I’m just concentrating on playing good footy for Gippsland, and hopefully Vic Country,” Heppell said. The Vic Country squad will feature the Leongatha star and at least a few others from the Power side. “It’ll be great to be in the team alongside some of the good mates I’ve made at Gippsland,” Heppell said. So far in his short lived career, he has been voted as best player in last year’s finals series by coach Damien Carroll, and also been announced as team captain this year. Heppell said he was initially nervous about the captaincy, but assured that it was “a great honour”, and something he holds dearly. “My goal is really to help the younger kids along, and just get them settled into the game,” he said. The captaincy is sure to improve his game, and bolster an already tantalising CV for would be selectors. But the budding star was quite reserved about his own future, preferring instead to talk about the team, and how it was working towards its goal of finals. Continued on page 57.
Parrots’ shock win Proud Parrots: Victorious Parrots Sam Sperling, Paul LePage, Col Sanbrook and Jason Casey belt out the club song after the upset win over Traralgon.
LEONGATHA Parrots have announced themselves as a force in the Gippsland League, defeating ladder leader Traralgon by 24 points on Saturday in the biggest boilover so far this season. The home side was undefeated until they faced the Parrots on Saturday, and with their opponents having only won one game, Traralgon looked set for a walkover win. No-one, not even a fired-up visiting side, could have expected the result given the Maroons’ start to the year. Coach Adrian Campbell said after the game that the win could
mean anything for the young team, if they continued on playing the way they did on Saturday. “There was not one weak link today, not one. If you guys come to play with this attitude every week you’ve shown we can beat anyone,” Campbell said. In the first quarter, Traralgon looked as though they’d come out slowly, despite kicking two more goals, and having similar possession time to Leongatha. But at a closer view, it was the
Parrots causing the Maroons to look flat footed and confused as they were being pressed and pressured at every turn. Leongatha’s forwards were wasteful early, and the trend continued on for the day, even threatening to cost them the match later on. At the first change, and with a 10 point deficit, Campbell told his side that they shouldn’t be content as there were still three quarters to play. “The tackle pressure is good, but it can lift another cog, so let’s not rest until we’ve won this game,” Campbell said. Continued on page 56.