By DAVID NAGEL
CRANBOURNE Football Club celebrated its long and decorated history on Saturday night at the club’s 125th Anniversary Gala Ball, incorporating the Hall of Fame Dinner, at the Amstel Golf Club.
The brain-child of current-day team manager – and Hall of Fame chairman – Frank Johnson and trainer John Harkin, the night was magnificently organized with 11 iconic figures being inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.
Induction speech highlights included 1985, ’86 ’87 premiership coach Darryl Nisbet’s claim that “Cranbourne was the best football club in Australia at the time” and that he panicked after his team’s first training run when some of the ladies of the club beat the players home.
John Martello rated Gerry Pennefather as the best to have ever pulled on a Cranbourne jumper and praised current-day captain Marc Holt for his loyalty to the club.
Andrew Dalgleish regarded his induction as a great honour and dedicated the evening to his late father, John, saying if he could become half the inspiration that his father was to him, he would be a happy man.
The Inductees
ARTHUR RYLAND (LEGEND)
He was president and timekeeper in Cranbourne’s first premiership year, 1926. He was time-keeper for at least 40 years and presented the stopwatch to the club. He passed away in 1990 aged 96.
JIM BREEN SNR (LEGEND)
Born in Cranbourne in 1929 and played at 16 won the most improved.
Then followed, 1946-’47 most consistent, ’49 to ’51 best-and-fairest, ’53 most consistent, ’56-’57 best-and-fairest. Selected in every rep game from ’47 to ’57. Passed away suddenly, aged 65, in 1994.
BERYL CHASEMORE
GRAHAM McALEESE
GEOFF LAFFIN
DARRYL NISBET
JOHN MARTELLO
PAUL GARRETT SNR
CHRIS KELSAL
HANK FRENKEN
ANDREW DALGLEISH
