Big match to honour two greats

Saturday will mark a massive day for the Donnybrook Football Club, with the reigning premiers celebrating the contributions of Dr Ern Manea and Chris Sheehan during their clash with South Bunbury at VC Mitchell Park.

Both clubs will compete for the Manea Memorial Cup, along with the match being recognised as the Chris Sheehan memorial game.

In the lead up to the clash, Dons coach Julian Burgess said both men had made significant contributions to the club, which would never be forgotten.

Burgess coached Sheehan earlier in his coaching career and described him has a hard working footballer with little fanfare, who was a ‘ripper bloke’ off the field.

Dr Manea’s son Mark has also become an institution with the Dons, regarded by many at the club as the best timekeeper in the league.

Mr Manea said although his dad passionately supported the Tigers, he also developed a soft spot for the Dons after working as a junior practitioner in the town’s surgery which was open one day a week.

“Most families in Donnybrook would have some connection with him,” Mr Manea said.

Fresh from hoisting the Nani Family Cup against Carey Park, Bunbury travels to Sir Stewart Bovell Park and faces a Busselton team that showed plenty of character during its victory over the Tigers on Saturday.

With the Bulldogs preparing for a finals campaign, Bulldogs coach Jamie Nani could use this game as an opportunity to throw some unique challenges to his playing group as they prepare for another arduous campaign next month.

Should the Eaton Boomers lose against the Lions on Saturday at Glen Huon Reserve, Augusta-Margaret River can leapfrog them into second spot if they take care of Carey Park at Kelly Park on Sunday.

But despite the Hawks sitting at 10-5, coach Matthew Jamieson believes his side still can improve further.

“We addressed a few things post-game,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of off quarters and halves over the past five or six weeks.

“I think the leaders of the group and myself came to the decision that this won’t stand up at finals time and we just have to make sure that we are a bit more consistent with our output.”

In the remaining game of the round, the Collie Eagles host the Harvey Bulls at the Collie Recreation Ground on Sunday afternoon, with both sides out of finals contention in 2019.