Top Dove steps down

By Brad Kingsbury
GRAND final day on Saturday was bittersweet for Doveton president of three years Mark Woolgar.
While he was thrilled to see the Dove reserves triumph for the third time in as many years on the big day, his ultimate emot-ion was disappointment after the senior side capitulated to the ‘home side’ Pakenham in the season finale.
Woolgar knew that the senior team would need to pull something out of the bag after their second semi-final drubbing – but it was not to be.
In fact, after a well-document-ed internal blow-up between several players just three weeks before the end of the home-and-away season, Woolgar knew that there was more than a chance that the work that had been done over the six months or so prior would be for nothing.
Not that he would admit it at the time.
“It’s been a very tough year, particularly towards the end,” he said after Saturday’s 58-point loss.
“We didn’t play the way we were playing early in the season, but what you put that down to I don’t know for sure.
“Our last eight weeks have been very difficult on and off field and it does take it out of you.”
It was a year of massive highs and lows at the Robinson Reserve.
The season started with controversy when the club sacked 2008 coach Tom Hallinan in favour of captain Clint Wilson.
Wilson then had his applicat-ion for accreditation to coach rejected by AFL Victoria due to his police record and the Doves were forced to elevate reserves’ coach Mark Mott to the senior position.
That change was in name only and Wilson continued to look after the senior side and address the players, with Mott and chairman of selectors Brian Tibballs in the background.
The Doves played some excellent team football and prided themselves on their on-field discipline in the first 15 rounds.
However, that came crashing down after the incident between the players at a social function and Woolgar admitted that, despite the committee placing internal sanctions on the participants, the side never recovered.
“There were a lot of clubs that would have liked to have got to where we did I suppose, so in that respect the season was a successful one,” he said.
“It’s disappointing that we didn’t take that final step and it was not the way you want to end a season as a club.”
Woolgar said that he would not be standing for a fourth term as president, but would remain on the committee in 2010.