By JARROD POTTER
CASEY Fields is pretty far inland to find Dolphins, but a pod came to visit the Cranbourne All Abilities Football team last Wednesday.
Taking time out from their VFL commitments, a group of Frankston Dolphins coaches and players came to help out last week at the side’s team training.
Frankston head coach Patrick Hill said bringing the Dolphins down on the night was inspired by his cousin Corey – who plays in the team – and everyone was thrilled to come and join in the session.
“I’ve got a distant relative who plays in the side, someone who is a fourth-fifth cousin and I was talking to his grandmother – my mum’s cousin – and she was telling me about what is going on down there,” Hill said.
“Corey is always excited to see me and talk about footy and they said if I was interested I could come down and bring some players down to training to help out.
“They really enjoyed it – we finished up with a game and I got the Frankston players involved in the game and they picked the sides – was a bit of fun.”
The Eagles squad and Dolphins players even played in a scratch match with the FIDA Division 3 team handpicking some Dolphins players – Michael Sikora, Jordan Pollard, Nathan Gardiner and Lucas Walmsley – to join in the friendly clash.
Hill said it was amazing to see unbridled football joy, personified by each and every player who rock up week-in, week-out to play their beloved sport no matter what.
“For me it was just as rewarding for us as a coach to see people playing for the pure love of the game,” Hill said.
“Overcoming adversity to be out there – there was one guy out there who looked to me mostly blind and another guy with Down Syndrome who had limited motor activity – to see them out there playing on the night for the pure love of it … I enjoyed every bit of it.
“They thanked us at the end for coming down, but for me the players and I got as much out of it as those who were training there.”
Cranbourne’s FIDA team is always on the lookout for new players and if anyone is interested in joining the side or signing up a family member or friend, contact the club on 0450 494 674 or cranbournefc.fidafootball@hotmail.com
Cranbourne FIDA faces Mazenod White on Sunday morning from 11am at Casey Fields.
