Peter Barwick has been instrumental in Lavington emerging as an O&M heavyweight after taking over the president's role a decade ago. But the Panther president has announced he will be standing down after the Panthers claimed their first flag since 2005 on Sunday. Barwick caught up with the Border Mail's BRENT GODDE during the week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
BRENT GODDE: You are well known for your role as Lavington president but did you ever play football?
PETER BARWICK: I played for Tallangatta many, many years ago. Some of the coaches during my time at the Hoppers were John Maddock, Rob Mackie and Mick Maddox.
BG: For those who don't know you, how would you describe yourself as a footballer?
PB: At best, I was a very good, ordinary footballer.
BG: How did you first get involved with Lavington?
PB: It all come about through my nephews Adam and Tom Butler who were at the club. Then Timba (Tim Sanson) grabbed hold of me one day and thought it would be a good idea if I joined the committee. We all know Timba can be fairly persuasive when he wants to be and the rest is history I guess you could say.
BG: I remember going to a few Lavington matches and you were always doing the boundary in the reserves in bare feet. Please explain?
PB: I'm not a bit fan of wearing shoes, never have been and never will be. I spend a lot of time at Lavington Oval walking laps and unless it's really cold, there will be no shoes on.
BG: There is a lot of work that goes into football clubs behind the scenes. How many hours per week would you dedicate to the role during the season?
PB: I've been a little bit better of late after learning the fine art of delegating. In the early days I tried to do it all myself. I reckon I would average around 20 hours but it does vary week to week. But I enjoy it and I don't see it as a chore.
BG: Your wife Kaylene is also heavily involved in the club?
PB: Yes, she does a lot of the one per centers. Kaylene does a lot of work in the canteen, does the washing of anything that needs doing after match day and plenty of other little jobs around the place.
BG: Will she hate or rate that you will be spending more time at home during football season?
PB: I think she is looking forward to not so much me being home but at least having a few weekends free where we have the opportunity to go away and do something different.
BG: The committee at Lavington comprising Darren Meredith, Max Grimmond, Stephen Bowler, Steve Chalmers, Vince Jones and Graeme Browne has been stable for a long period?
PB: They are the brains behind the scenes and are smart businessmen. They have been extremely supportive of me and without their help I wouldn't have been able to do the job.
BG: What do you love most about being president?
PB: The camaraderie. I think that's the really big thing with football clubs that people who are not involved don't understand. It's getting harder to get volunteers but you make so many friends at footy clubs. These blokes are friends for life and you go through the good times and the bad times together. Last weekend was the pinnacle and made it all the tough times worthwhile.
BG: What do you hate most?
PB: Yeah there is a few things that rile me. The biggest would be there are a minority of people who have a lot to say but they seem to be the same people who go missing when you are looking for someone to help you out.
BG: Do you think the players points system and salary cap and starting to help even out the competition?
PB: There's no doubt about that. From our point of view, the salary cap is the best thing that ever happened. I would be happy for it to be even less because it's getting harder to raise funds and attract sponsors. This season the competition has evened out. The top-five was fairly even and the bottom five have improved.
BG: What about the points system?
PB: I probably shouldn't single out Albury but I will use them as an example. Now that a few of the Tiger stars are getting older, they won't be able to go and recruit as many high-profile players as previously to cover them.
BG: What do you feel is the biggest issue in country football?
PB: From an O&M point of view, the dwindling crowds is a concern. I'm hoping that will turnaround as the competition continues to even out. Gaining sponsorship and finding volunteers is also an issue.
BG: As you said previously Adam Butler is your nephew. No doubt you were instrumental in his arrival at Lavington Sportsground when he's AFL dream ended.
PB: I had nothing to do with it. Adam's brother, Tom, was at the club and I had no doubt in the world that Adam would end up at Lavington Sportsground. I know Yarrawonga were sniffing around at the time.
BG: It was obviously a gamble playing Butler in the grand final, were you surprised the selectors decided to roll the dice?
PB: Not really, the selectors had a plan in place that if Adam played it would give them the flexibility to allow Nick Meredith to be the swing man. With the benefit of hindsight, it worked a treat. Adam is a very team orientated player and there's no way he would have put his hand up to play if he wasn't right. He went through a series of fitness tests on the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and got through fine.
BG: There is no doubt Tim Sanson has made an enormous contribution to the Panthers both on and off the field. But was it a smooth transition when he was replaced at the helm by James Saker?
PB: Absolutely it was and there was never any issue. Timba drifted off into the background and kept himself out of it.
BG: James Saker was one of the youngest coaches in the history of the O&M when he was first appointed. Looking back do you think it was an inspired choice?
PB: James did a magnificent job for the club. If I was to be critical, maybe in his first year he tried too hard. Apart from that he was a wonderful coach and a great ambassador for our football club. James was as happy as anyone on Sunday after we won.
IN OTHER NEWS
BG: The club has proven to be super competitive over the past decade. It just happened to coincide with the most dominant era in O&M history with Albury winning seven flags. Do you think if you were in a different era the Panthers would have had more success.
PB: Maybe, maybe not, it is what it is and you can't change the past. Timba put things in place several seasons ago that we have got juniors, lets use them. It still has been satisfying to be playing finals with the bulk of our list being homegrown talent.
BG: The Panthers have endured their fair share of preliminary final heartache?
PB: Absolutely and grand final heartache in 2015 where I thought we were a bit stiff when Kosi sprayed a few which maybe cost us a flag in the end. But to play finals most years over the past decade is still a good effort.
BG: Do you consider Albury your biggest rival?
PB: Everyone knows there is no love lost between Albury and us. We still get on well with the Tigers off the field but once that ball is bounced its game on. Albury have been the benchmark for a long time and boast an envious record.
BG: Were you apprehensive when Luke Garland went to work for Joss and maintain the Albury Sportsground?
PB: Not in the slightest. Lukey is a Lavington boy through and through and there was never an issue in my mind that we would see him running around in the yellow and black.
BG: Against Albury in the grand final in 2016 the Panthers taunted the Tigers with the banner "Do your best and show them who's boss, Lavington Panthers can beat Albury Joss." What role did you play?
PB: I probably have to put my hand up and say I played a major role in the banner. Myself and one other gentleman who will remain anonymous.
BG: Do you regret doing it?
PB: In hindsight it probably wasn't the right thing to do but no I don't regret doing it.
BG: What are your feelings towards Colin Joss?
PB: I don't begrudge Albury - every side in the competition would love to have Colin Joss at their club. I know we would have rolled out the red carpet if we had the opportunity to have him.
BG: Did you think it was pedantic by the O&M requesting that the Panthers apologise about the banner incident?
PB: Yes I did. I don't think there was any malice intended or that it offended anyone. It was a bit of harmless fun in my eyes.
BG: When Albury and Yarrawonga were at the peak of their powers did it affect the clubs recruiting policy at the time?
PB: Certainly to some degree. They were two powerhouse clubs in their prime and it's one thing as a club we did right and didn't go throwing big money at potential recruits to try and compete with them. We were never going to be able to match them because we didn't have enough depth at that stage. You have to have a realistic approach and know when to keep your powder dry.
BG: Justin Koschitzke was the clubs highest profile recruit. How did you rate his time at the Panthers?
PB: I thought at the time getting Justin was the right call but with hindsight maybe not. It may sound harsh but I thought he was serviceable but his body wouldn't allow him to perform as well as he would of liked. But Kosi is well respected around the club and is welcome back any time he likes.
BG: Five best Panthers over the past decade?
PB: After this season you would have to have Shaun Mannagh and Simon Curtis. Luke Garland is right up there, Matt Pendergast would have himself up there and it's hard to disagree. It would be remiss of me not to put John Hunt in there as well.
BG: Five best opposition players?
PB: Obviously Brendan Fevola and I always thought Xavier Leslie was a very good football and good bloke as well. I rate Chris Hyde, Dean Polo and Joel Mackie highly as well.
BG: Do you think Yarrawonga recruiting Brendan Fevola was good for the league?
PB: Undoubtedly - the grand final figures will tell you that. I can't remember if it was the first or second year Fev was at the Pigeons but that was the biggest grand final we have ever had at Lavington. I remember we played Yarrawonga at Mulwala over Easter in the opening round when it was his first match - you couldn't get in the bloody joint it was that full.
BG: The grand final has been played at Wangaratta for the past two seasons. How big a hole does that leave in the clubs budget considering the Panthers usually get to cater for the biggest match of the year?
PB: It does leave a hole but it's not as significant as most people think. I'm happy to let people know the best grand final we had, we cleared $23,000. But the amount of work that goes into that is astronomical. People can have a whinge that Lavington get the grand final every year. You can't do it without 150 volunteers. We have been lucky that the footballers and netballers have always been keen to lend a helping hand. The years the players were in the grand final we had to pay people in the community to come and give us a hand.
BG: Has the club had to find other income sources to help cover the loss?
PB: The salary cap reduction helped and this year we were lucky we have had some new faces on the committee and they have done extremely well in picking up new sponsorship for us.
BG: You have also lost signage sponsorship with the development of the new ground and facilities?
PB: It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. We were lucky that everyone that had a sign at the ground was happy to stay on board.
BG: What did you think of the fiasco with the new ground?
PB: It was frustrating from our point of view but there is always going to be hiccups and hold-ups when there is a project of that magnitude.
BG: Lavington is not renowned for having a big supporter base. But you must have been heartened by the support on Sunday?
PB: Absolutely and I think of the past two or three years our supporter base has grown, especially at home matches. We had a great crowd on Sunday near the change rooms and the players did say the supporters were instrumental in keeping them up and going.
BG: There was no shortage of controversy in the lead-up to the grand final with the reports of Simon Curtis and Zac Leitch after the second semi-final. Were you disappointed Wangaratta cited Curtis.
PB: We were and we were always going to challenge it.
BG: Did the club consider citing Leitch.
PB: No because we thought if the umpires were doing their job that it would always end up going to the tribunal.
BG: The concussion rule in football is firmly in the spotlight. Should have Shaun Mannagh played in the preliminary final after being concussed the previous week?
PB: From my point of view I thought it would be unlikely that he played. But I have a copy of the clearance from Richmond's club doctor and he had no issues with him playing.
BG: What did it mean to you to win the flag on Sunday?
PB: It was relief more than anything and it's been a long, hard road. But if you look back at what's happened at the club during the year as far as people losing loved ones and a couple of our members suffering serious illness, it really pales into insignificance compared to that.
BG: Apart from being a premiership president, what do you think is your biggest legacy over the past decade?
PB: From my point of view, I'm extremely happy with what the club has achieved and internally I'm happy with the respect I get from everyone involved.
BG: Will you miss not being president?
PB: Absolutely not. I will still be involved in some way, shape or form if they still need me. I will enjoy being able to watch the games for a change.
BG: What do you think you will do on Saturday's during football season in the future?
PB: There is every possibility I'll be at a few race meetings because there is about 30 of us at the club now who have a lease on a horse called Lavi Star. It's unraced but due to trial in the next couple of weeks.