- FRANKSTON has been without its famous grandstand since February 2008, when it was flattened by a fire thought to be deliberately lit. Finally, work on a new one is about to begin, with ground to be broken on March 10. The prefabricated concrete building will resemble the old grandstand as closely as possible. Seating is expected to be finished in time for the local football finals.

- NO one has told Leigh Bentley that the VFL is increasingly a competition for young men. At 27 the Northcote Park back flanker/onballer has decided to have a dash at the state league. A chat with former Ants assistant coach Martin Pike at a party apparently convinced him it was now or never. “He’s training very well and has fitted in nicely,” Bullants GM Gary O’Sullivan said. Bentley finished second in NP’s best and fairest last year. The Ants have also signed Shane Sali (Shepparton United), Ryan Buckingham (Montmorency), Mitch Church (St Bernards) and Myles Dorman (Lancefield). Dorman played in Riddell’s rep team last year and kicked four goals in his club’s grand final victory.

- SLIGHT and light but capable of clever deeds, Wes Bilney had some fine moments for the Bullants last year. Now his brother Kingsley has joined the club and he’s taken the wise eye of O’Sullivan. “He’s like Wes, a bit of a ball thief,” he said. “If you haven’t got a good purchase on it, look out, he’ll pinch it and run away from you. He’s coming along nicely.” Kingsley, 21, played for Koonibba in the Eyre Peninsula league last year.

- BUSY times for the well-regarded young Sandringham key forward Brett Eddy. Aside from tuning up for 2010 with the Zebras, Eddy is preparing for the Victorian Premier Cricket finals with the Casey South Melbourne club, which, like the Casey Scorpions, is based at Casey Fields in Cranbourne. It’s the first time in 20 years that the Swans’ season has gone into March. Eddy, an all-rounder, is the son of legendary South Gippsland batsman Ian Eddy.

- CLASSY little Casey Scorpion Pierce Liddle could pop up on Geelong’s VFL list. Liddle is pals with two Cats players, trained with the VFL squad recently and has made noises about a transfer. He is coming off a best-and-fairest season with Palmerston in the NTFL.

- THERE were early fears he would be out for the season, but Casey Scorpions recruit Scott Simpson’s ankle surgery went better than expected and the club has fingers crossed he will resume training within four weeks.

- AT Bendigo Bombers, big Jack Redpath is making an encouraging recovery from a knee reconstruction mid-last year. “Couldn’t be happier with the way he’s gone about his rehab,” coach Shannon Grant said. “He’s doing all the work he needs to do to get back. We’re hoping he can start doing 80, 90 per cent of the training in the next three or four weeks. But we certainly won’t be rushing him.”
Redpath was invited to the state screening last year.

- PORT Melbourne might have lost the talented and likeable David Pitt to retirement, but it has gained Myles Pitt from the Dandenong Stingrays and he’s impressed coach Gary Ayres. Myles, from Sorrento, kicked 36 goals for the Stingrays last year, including three in the TAC Cup grand final. “I’ve been very pleased with young Myles,” Ayres said. “He’s very coachable, he wants to learn, wants to soak it all up. It would not surprise me if he’s playing in Round 1.”

- FORMER Northern Bullants captain Josh Vansittart has bobbed up at Blackburn in the Eastern league, as has his brother Zac, who played some senior games for the Ants last year. Long-serving Port Melbourne defender John Milhuisen has also joined the Burners.

- LAST year’s 2009 JJ Liston Trophy champion Myles Sewell has been elevated to North Ballarat’s leadership group, as have Stevie Clifton and Matt Sharkey. Shaune Moloney (captain), Marc Greig, Dan Feery and Orren Stephenson are the other top Roosters, as voted by the players. North has recruited young tall Pat Nicholls, who played a handful of games for Frankston last year and was recently training at Port Melbourne. Nicholls featured in St Bede’s Mentone Tigers’ 2008 A section premiership and he also has an elite junior tennis background, having held a scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport and represented Australia in the Junior Davis Cup. Nicholls is the son of Rooster coach Gerard FitzGerald’s cousin, Andrew Nicholls.

- MORE movement at the VFL, with football operations officer Sam Coen leaving to take up a role as personnel and career development manager for the Queensland Reds and the Rugby Union Players Association.

- WERRIBEE has locked in Avalon Airport as a major sponsor. In a three-year deal, the oval at Chirnside Park will be renamed Avalon Airport Oval. “The naming of our home ground is something we don’t take lightly so we wanted a corporate partner with a long-term future, strong history and values and a name that would be synonymous with the west but be known far and wide. We certainly have achieved that,” Tigers president John Nicol said.

PAUL AMY