By Kath Gannaway
WESTERN Bulldogs player Lindsay Gilbee returned to his home ground last week for a football clinic aimed at giving a pre-season lift to the juniors and the Auskick littlies.
Gilbee started out at Coldstream and was recruited to Eastern Ranges. He played his first AFL game in 2001 and has played 144 games with the league.
With team-mates Ryan Griffin and Ben Hudson, Gilbee took the more than 80 Coldstream juniors through their paces
Many of them, no doubt, aspire to be just where Gilbee is now. His connection with the club, starting out on the ground they practice and play on each week, made it seem all the more possible to follow in his footsteps.
Club secretary Venise Vaux said the visit was a great start to the season.
“We have a couple of juniors who are showing quite a bit of talent, including one who won the league best and fairest last season, and this sort of opportunity particularly motivates and encourages them to aspire to the AFL level.
The Coldstream juniors will start their 2009 season on the first Sunday in April.