WHEN Jimmy Oates returned to the northern beaches after playing football in the UK for five years, he almost didn't recognise his old football home. Cromer Park had two new artificial pitches, new seating and a refurbished clubhouse turning it into one of the country's finest football complexes.
But the biggest difference he noticed was on the playing field. Of the 20 players in the Manly United first grade squad, seven are home-grown local products and five came through the Manly United junior system.
Oates (CC Strikers), Finn Ashton (Manly Vale), Tom Fay (Wakehurst), Ben Koop (Forest Killarney), Lucas Rainbird (Wakehurst), Nick Rainbird (Wakehurst) and Dejan Pandurevic (Dee Why) started out with local clubs in the Saturday morning Manly-Warringah Football Association competitions. In addition, Dom Ferguson, Matt Sim, James Georgaklis, Jesse Piriz and Mitch Mattison all came through the Manly United junior system.
"It was good to see so many northern beaches youngsters among it because that wasn't always the case when I was growing up," Oates, 31, said.
"It shows that there is now a pathway for players to come through local clubs to make it. There are so many good kids and coaches in the area. Football's on the up for sure."
Manly's impressive campaign under coach Adam Griffiths isn't hurting the cause. United sit first on the NSW Premier League ladder after 17 rounds and will break a 27-year premiership drought if they hold on to pole position.
"No-one was expecting us to do anything this year but it's turned out to be a good season. All those (local) boys are playing out of their skin," Oates said.
"Kids come down to watch and see the hype around the first team and that is really appealing to them. They can see a clear the pathway. The club is investing in locals and they are getting loyalty and performances in return. That's what we needed and what I always hoped for. I'm loving it."
JAKE CAN DO NO WRONG
Is there nothing Jake Trbojevic can't do? Minutes after helping lead NSW to a series-levelling win over Queensland in game two, the Manly forward necked a can of beer to the applause of teammates in a jubilant Blues dressing-room. We know sculling beer is frowned upon in this PC world we live, but if anyone deserved a bevvy, it was the workaholic prop. Jurbo played 71 minutes for 14 runs, 143m and 31 tackles.
"He did all the dirty work that no-one sees. I thought he was unbelievable," immortal Andrew Johns said.
You know what is really unbelievable? That Jake was left out of the team for game one. It will be the last time his name is missing from a Blues squad.
CHARM'S COLD REALITY
Most of us are cursing the cold winter months and staying under doonas for as long as possible, but you won't find Charmian Frend complaining. The water temperature has dropped enough to be at the required teeth-chattering level (below five degrees) to allow the 52-year-old a crack at the World Ice Swim record.
Charm and her entourage, which includes Manly-based hall-of-fame swim coach Narelle Simpson, will head to the NSW snow country in mid-July looking for the iciest water to swim at least 3.3km.
After overseeing Charm's preparation for the past 12 months, which has included regular cold water swims and weekly dunkings in a wheelie bin full of service station ice, Simpson is confident of success. "The big thing with training an athlete for something like this is to get them to believe they can do it," Simpson told Inside Back. "She now truly accepts she can do it and I believe she will."
CRICKET LOSES GIANT
Tom Spencer's contribution to cricket in Manly-Warringah went way beyond his playing stats, as impressive as they were.
Spencer, who died last week aged 76 following a long illness, continued to put in long after his days in the top grade were over. The classy leg-spinner, who took 617 wickets in the 70s and 80s, selflessly dropped down the grades to help mentor younger players, teaching them as much about life as he did cricket. Former teammates speak fondly of the post-match barbecues at the Spencers' home, where Tom and wife Lynne would feed the young blokes and slip them a can of Coke while they talked over the day's play. He also wrote the club's history book to commemorate the Waratahs' centenary in 1978, a mammoth task before anyone had heard of the internet, and coached the Green Shield team of 1979, which included future league star and current Marlins coach Phil Blake. Manly president Andrew Fraser, also in that team, credits Spencer for keeping him in the game. "I failed miserably in my first two years in grade as a 14-15-year-old but Tom stuck with me. Without that support I doubt I'd be here some 40-odd years later," Fraser told Inside Back. "He backed us and inspired us."
EAGLE ALWAYS GAVE BACK
The northern beaches' rugby league community also lost one of the really good guys following the death of former Sea Eagles board director and junior league chief Peter O'Dwyer.
O'Dwyer, who was 85, also served on the Manly-Warringah Sporting Union, fighting the good fight to ensure the local netball association wasn't forced out of its headquarters at Curl Curl. He also gave his time and expertise to the local surf lifesaving community. It was never about Peter, but the sport and the people involved in it.
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