Sport
24 June, 2024
Former AFL star Kayne Pettifer kicks three goals in one-off game for Talbot
A 71-point loss was not the result the B.A Road Services Talbot Hawks were after when they came up against Maldon on Saturday, but the Hawks were still able to enjoy a very good day on the track with the influence of former Richmond player Kayne...
A 71-point loss was not the result the B.A Road Services Talbot Hawks were after when they came up against Maldon on Saturday, but the Hawks were still able to enjoy a very good day on the track with the influence of former Richmond player Kayne Pettifer helping to put on a show for the Hawks.
While Pettifer was undoubtedly the main attraction, Maldon did their best to showthat they were the stars of the show, with a Brodie Leonard-Shannon masterclass yielding eight goals up forward as the Dons kicked 15 goals after quarter time to prove much too strong.
Nevertheless, from reasonably limited opportunities, Pettifer was able to kick three goals for the day, as he had a terrific battle with Maldon’s 17-year-old budding star Callum Buchanan.
Pettifer provided one of the highlights of the day, with an outstanding snap deep in the pocket under pressure from a Maldon opponent going straight through to give the Hawks a little bit of a sniff in the third quarter.
After playing 113 games for Richmond between 2001 and 2009, Pettifer has since spent long periods in country football, playing for the likes of Yarrawonga and his home club, Kyabram, but he marked up a new experience with the help of Talbot senior player Brandon McRedmond.
“I came up through Brandon McRedmond, I met him through mutual friends and he has a asphalting business and I have a training company, so he got in contact with me and we’ve been chatting for the last couple of weeks, and chatting to Phil (Crouch, senior coach) as well,” he said.
Pettifer had a grin from ear to ear after the day, despite the loss, as he was very respectful of the culture and heritage the Hawks had, which allowed him to settle in very well.
“It was great. It’s a great club and it has a great heritage. It was certainly a powerhouse throughout the 90s and early 2000s, looking at all the photos on their wall, so it has a great history. It was great to come up and play. Phil Crouch is a ripping guy and does a lot for the club, so I thought I’d come up for a kick. It was great to pull the boots back on,” he said.
“They were a very young side and they have some terrific juniors coming through. It’s getting tough for country footy to keep their young talents, as they go off to the city or to Ballarat-type areas, but those young guys were great, cracked in, and played hard. They gave it their all, but weren’t quite good enough on the day.
“You can see, rocking up, all the people behind the bar, the canteen, the trainers, it doesn’t go unnoticed, and especially the secretaries and presidents doing everything for their footy club. Talbot is a good, tight-knit club. It was good to meet some new guys and have a kick.”
Pettifer took some distinct positives out of the day, which included the third quarter, which saw the Hawks play with some dare, taking most of the territory, but weren’t quite able to get back into the game, with the Dons showing the polish which has taken them to levels which are seeing them emerge as a genuine top four threat.
“That third quarter, we started to get a bit of a roll on, and the guys through half back and the midfield got on top in the back end of the quarter, and we were really competitive. But Maldon are a very good, well-drilled side. However, it was a good feeling in the third quarter, even if the last didn’t really go our way,” he said.
“But it’s a great club, a great bunch of guys and I felt really privileged to be able to come up and have a kick at a good country club. I’m a born-and-bred country boy from Kyabram, and it's good to come back and see great people around a club.”
Pettifer’s experience with Talbot reminded him of the times he spent growing up supporting Merrigum in the Goulburn Valley Football League, and he preached the importance of the continued support country footy requires, despite its struggles in the recent past across the state.
“I just love country footy. Growing up, my dad coached Merrigum, so I grew up going to every game, which played in a pretty similar league to this one, and there’s a lot of great people,” he said.
“I played at Yarrawonga for four years and Kyabram for the last eight or nine, and it’s good to get back to that kind of level. I do live in the city with the family, but it’s good to go up now and then, have a kick and experience that.”
Pettifer will now look to finish up his time in football with Nathalia when he returns to their competition in the Murray Football League, knowing that he is approaching the twilight of his football career.
“I’m going to put the feet up for a bit now. Now when I play a game, I can’t really walk for a week, and I’m getting a bit older at 42. But I’ll finish up at Nathalia, my best mate is there,” he said.
While the Hawks have now dropped seven consecutive games to sit perilously at 2-7, they also remain just a game outside the top eight, and will now enjoy a friendlier draw after facing all of the top seven teams in a row, starting with a must-win game against Avoca this Saturday at the Avoca Public Park.