Dermie set to draw crowds

By Paul Pickering
THE Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League will spring into life on Saturday with a showcase season opener which is unlikely to be forgotten.
In the only Division One fixture of the weekend, Australian Football League legend Dermot Brereton will make his first appearance for the season in Tiger territory as Woori Yallock hosts Wandin. The club, the town and the league are salivating at the prospect of finals-like fanfare.
The game will have added poignancy with news on the weekend that senior coach Damien Monkhurst’s son Brent is in an induced coma in The Alfred hospital after a virus attacked his heart.
The 17-year-old will most likely require a heart transplant.
Brereton was lured to the club via his close friendship with Monkhurst.
Woori Yallock president Phil Martin’s voice quickens as he recalls the last time Brereton donned the yellow and black.
“Nobody was sure whether he would turn up last year at Monbulk,” Martin said.
“So it was just a normal crowd to start with, but the word got out very quickly and the crowd tripled within 15 minutes. “It was amazing.”
While Monkhorst acknowledges Brereton is motivated primarily by mateship, he is not fooled by the affable exterior of the iconic character fans know as ‘Dermie’.
“He just loves competing,” Monkhorst said.
“Once you’ve got that desire to compete you don’t lose it, and I think this is a good outlet for that competitive streak.”
Certainly Brereton’s trademark courage and ferocity cannot be questioned. But does his reputation place an unwelcome target on his back?
Martin admits that 20 years ago that may have been the case, but not today. “I don’t think he’ll be targeted, but if someone decides to give him a backhander, I’m sure he’ll give them a belt back. He’s big enough and ugly enough to look after himself.”
It is that famed presence which Monkhorst believes can lift the Tigers.
“I think the boys feel a lot more confident with him out there, and they all want to show off in front of him,” he said.
Martin admits that while the players have enormous respect for Brereton, it is the laid-back atmosphere of the club that appeals to the former Hawthorn, Collingwood and Sydney player. “The guys just treat him like one of the blokes. There’s no pissing in his pocket and I think he appreciates that,” he said.
If Martin and Monkhorst get their wish, fans will get pretty used to seeing Brereton’s characteristic gait on the expanses of Woori Yallock Football Ground this year.
Monkhorst says Brereton has organised his media commitments with Channel Nine’s Getaway program to allow him to play about 10 to 15 games this year, signalling a huge boost for the club and the league.
With the Tigers set to be a big ticket item throughout the winter, Martin is hoping Saturday’s home opener will be a kick-start to the season.
“It would be nice to have a crowd like a grand final, that would be great for the club financially and the guys would get a real kick out of it,” he said.
As for Brereton, Monkhorst is pessimistic about his chances of restricting the sprightly recruit to the confines of the forward line on Saturday. “I’m sure that competitive spirit will kick in and he’ll have a run around as he usually does,” Monkhorst conceded.