Training alongside Collinwood players might have inspired a group of Colac district footballers to aim for the game’s elite level.
Irrewarra-Beeac’s under-14 footballers got to run and kick with Magpies players during a day at
the club’s state-of-the-art Lexus Centre
training facility on Monday.
The group won the Fly with the Pies session after coach Paul McCallum entered a DVD into a McDonald’s competition about grooming players at the grassroots level.
Collingwood Players such as captain Scott Burns, Brodie Holland, Shane Wakelin, Leon Davis and Scott Pendlebury led the excited youngsters in kick-to-kick and goal-kicking drills.
Magpies coach Mick Malthouse also paid the group a visit and talked about sportsmanship and the importance of playing as a team.

For the full story, see the current edition of The Colac Herald.

RUN THE GAUNTLET: Bombers under-14 player Nick Thresher kicks for goal under pressure from his teammates.

ADDRESS: Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse addresses the young Bombers.	INSTRUCTION: Magpie Brodie Holland gives, from left, Nick Thresher, Luke Hillman and Jordan Morrissy a few tips on where to run.
LINE UP: Magpie Scott Pendlebury retrieves the football for Bombers players, from front, Luke Hillman, Lachie Rosevear, Nick Boyd, Tyson Armstrong and Jack Berry.	FUN: Collingwood’s Shane Wakelin with Bombers Shaun Dell, left, and Sam Barrow.

Photographs by Stephen Harmon.