CLUB XVIII
Norm Nugent
OF CROCS AND SOMETIMES CROCKS With Norm Nugent this week far from the madding crowd, here is his expurgated and potted history of the Clubbies. The genesis of Club XVIII took place prior to the 1971 season when Adrian Fisher, (De La Salle), Steve Mason (Power House) and Andrew Caithness (Old Scotch) formulated a competition for players who were not eligible for or able to play regularly in the Reserves competitions. The name was taken from the popular Club XI organized by the Melbourne Cricket Club and was a stand-alone competition until it affiliated with the VAFA for Season 1987. In 1986, the VAFA had begun a “G Section” with 6 teams, four of which were one team clubs. Old Carey, now in Premier Division, competed in the first G Section, along with Monash Whites (now part of the Blues), GTV9, Parkside, Williamstown CYMS and Eltham Old Collegians. With the coming of the Club XVIII teams in 1987, G Section was expanded to twelve teams and H Section was formed with eleven teams competing. Seventeen of these teams were from clubs that are still members of the VAFA. Gone from the ranks are: State Bank, CBC St Kilda (who morphed into Prahran Assumption and Glen Eira respectively), Bloods, GTV9, Parkside and Port Colts. Several changes in format followed over the next five seasons as the number of participating clubs continued to grow. With the development and continued growth of the Thirds competitions, 2012 has seen Club XVIII revert to a two section competition with twenty two teams participating. Over the forty two seasons, Club XVIII has attracted much publicity and once provided the VAFA with the means to bring new clubs into the Association. Rupertswood now in Premier C, Eltham (Division 2), St Francis Xavier (Division 3), Chadstone, Mt Lilydale, Eley Park and Box Hill North (all in Division 4) are constituent clubs who 60
came via the Clubbies. The fact that training regimes are less stringent than in the senior sections has enabled many players to continue playing. A.F.L. executives Gillon McLachlan, Adrian Anderson and Andrew Dillon all played Club XVIII before retiring from the field. Australian Crawl band members James Reyne and the late Brad Robinson played with Bloods. Actors Peter O’Brien, (Old Melburnians), Gary Sweet (Port Colts) and Blair McDonough (Collegians) and comedian Russell Gilbert (Fitzroy) have all been keen participants. Gary Sweet showed his football talent when he won the 1987 Mason Medal as the Best and Fairest in G Section. Brownlow Medalist Brian Wilson played with Power House and Woodrow Medalist Glenn Cox (Marcellin) started his VAFA career in Club XVIII. Football commentator Craig Hutchinson was a solid Prahran player. David Wittey, who had played 24 games with St Kilda, was drafted by Sydney, from Bloods in 1990. Another Club XVIII draftee in the future seems a remote possibility!! Senior umpire Tom Windlow, who started his career in Club XVIII, has progressed to umpire the 2011 Premier C Grand Final. Other VAFA personalities to have umpired Clubbies’ games TODAY SELECTIONS IN BOLD CLUB XVIII (1) St Bernards v Old Melburnians De La Salle v Prahran Assumption Ivanhoe v Williamstown CYMS Monash Blues v Old Xaverians NOBS/ St Pats v Fitzroy Old Ivanhoe v Therry Penola CLUB XVIII (2) Bulleen Templestowe v Richmond Cardinals Eley Park Sharks v Old Paradians Hawthorn v Therry Penola Kew v UHS-VU Old Geelong v Richmond Snakes
THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2012