Scott Howard is the
definition of player
commitment.
While the VFL requires
a high degree of dedication in
any case, given its semiprofessional
status, Howard,
who played his 50th game for
Werribee last season, takes that
to new heights.
Incredibly, Howard travels
from his Narre Warren home
to play and train for Werribee.
During his journey, he virtually
drives right past the Casey
Scorpions, Port Melbourne and
Williamstown. And, he works out
of the police station that is just
Dedicated Werribee man clocks up the miles
for the love of the Tigers.
a Nick Sautner drop punt from
Sandringham’s Trevor Barker
Beach Oval.
So, when Howard says that
he loves the Werribee Football
Club, you immediately realise
it’s not a throwaway line.
“I told Mark Penaluna
(Werribee general manager)
that if it wasn’t such a great
club I wouldn’t be doing all the
travelling to play with them,”
Howard said.
Therefore, given Werribee
has been relatively starved of
success – its sole premiership
was back in 1993 under ‘super
coach’ Donald McDonald – what is
it that literally drives Howard
to play for the Tigers?
Howard notes the bond at
the club is unmistakeable,
and the off-field management,
particularly the interaction with
the players, only solidifies the
club’s chemistry.
“Mark and the board keep us
involved with what’s happening
with the club. They regularly meet
with the players and give us an
update on what’s happening behind
the scenes and what they’re doing
to try to help us,” Howard said.
“It’s a great club to be around
and everyone gets involved. You
make a lot of good friends and
that’s why I have stuck around.”
Howard, whose teammates in
the 2001 Calder Cannons TAC Cup
premiership included Dane Swan,
James Kelly, David Rodan, Andrew
Welsh, Brent Reilly and David
Johnson, has experienced all
levels of the unique VFL system.
He spent two seasons at the
Bendigo Bombers during his
time as a rookie at Essendon,
then a season at Port Melbourne,
before making Chirnside Park his
football home.
For the second successive
season, Werribee must rely on
a second-half resurgence to
carry it to the finals, but this
year the Tigers have to do it
without James Podsiadly. It’s a
challenging assignment, but one
that Howard has no doubt that
Werribee can achieve.
“We can draw on what we did
last year – we were 4-6 at the
halfway mark, ended up winning
nine of the last 10 games, grabbed
the double-chance and went down
to the Roosters by a couple of
goals in the prelim,” Howard said.
“Yes, we’ve lost ‘Pods’, but
we’ve gained another powerhouse
in Nathan Thompson.
We still think we can make the
finals and have a say.”
Last Modified on 10/07/2009 23:49