Krakouer move

By Melissa Donchi
POWELLTOWN Football Club has embarked on a recruiting drive – in outback Western Australia.
The club, which last year failed to field teams in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League because of a shortage of players, is expecting its first four recruits, all from Western Australia, to arrive in Powelltown this week.
The move is the brainchild of new senior coach and former AFL star Phil Krakouer.
Through the Phil Krakouer Opportunity Program the club has embarked on an ambitious plan to recruit young indigenous kids to play in its under-18 team where they will be exposed to talent scouts, education and work opportunities.
The club has applied for Federal Government funding through Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough to support the Krakouer program.
The club puts the cost for this year at $25,000.
The youths will be billeted with local families.
“It’s all about letting them recognise their dreams so we can help fulfil them,” Mr Krakouer said.
“If they play sport and they’re good enough and they want to pursue it we try and take them as far as they can but we don’t want to push them too much.”
Mr Krakouer was keen to stress that the program was not all about football. Emphasis will also be placed on work and education.
Recruits will be required to be involved in some form of work and study.
Club secretary Paul Mainey said the club was lucky to have someone of the calibre of Phil Krakouer on board.
“Phil has significant experience with indigenous youth development programs and he is also committed to working with our committee to rebuild the club, all while providing opportunities for young indigenous players from Western Australia,” Mr Mainey said.
One noticeable recruit who has already benefited from the program is Eddie “Bettsy” Betts, formerly of Kalgoorlie, who now plays for Carlton.
“Eddie did the program nearly four years ago now and showed a lot of ability,” Mr Krakouer said.
“He came from a disadvantaged background and took the initiative to do something about it and we are all really proud of him.”
Mr Krakouer said it made sense for the juniors to start out at a local club because that’s where it all began.
“Everyone starts at a local club somewhere,” he said.
“So we start them out in grassroots football and they go from there.”
The Yarra ValleyLeague has an extraordinary knack for churning out future AFL players with former U18 players Shaun Charles and David Hardgraves playing for Melbourne and Western Bulldogs respectively.
The area’s most famous prodigy is David Wirrpanda, a member of last year’s grand final-winning West Coast Eagles team.
Mr Krakouer said the most important thing was not the number of AFL recruits the program produced but the potential it had to change people’s lives.
“We had a guy a couple of year ago that had a serious drug problem and his future was really uncertain,” Mr Krakouer said.
“He’s clean now and hasn’t touched a drug in years because he finally got an opportunity and now has a future.
“For me that’s the most rewarding thing about this program.”