OAKLEIGH District was planning on creating a league record by playing six brothers in Saturday's game against Dingley.
Senior coach Andrew Morwood intended to play a one-off match in the seconds with his brothers, former VFL/AFL players Paul, Shane and Tony, and Damien and Simon. "My younger brother Simon who lives in the United States is coming back home for a couple of weeks and we were all planning to play together in the seconds on Saturday, but Tony had to pull out because he's going to the states to do a course.
"It would have been a great experience for all of us to play in the same side and I don't know of many other leagues, if any, where there would have been six brothers playing in the one team.''
Shane Morwood played 212 games for South Melbourne and Collingwood and was a member of the Magpies' 1990 premiership side. Paul Morwood played 170 for South Melbourne/Sydney, St Kilda and Collingwood, while Tony Morwood played 229 games for South Melbourne/Sydney and was named on the half-forward flank in the Swans' 'Team of the Century'.
Andrew Morwood said he and his brothers had "grown up with footy'' and that coming from such a football dynasty had helped prepare him for coaching and the daunting task of trying to break a 50-year premiership drought.
Despite losing last year's captain, full-forward and centre half-forward, Morwood said he was "rapt'' to be four wins from five games [before Saturday's loss against ladder leaders and premiership favourites Dingley], which he credited to a youth policy.
"The players we got to the club were young and we didn't chase guys who wanted money. We also needed to change the culture of the club concerning the attitude to training.
"The new guys have come from clubs where it was expected that players train twice a week and put in the effort. We've got about 60 players on the books and we are constantly getting 40 to training every night. We've never seen those sorts of numbers before.''
Morwood said the culture change followed a brutal self-assessment by players at a weekend camp at Wilsons Promontory a week before the season started. "It wasn't about a lot of physical activity, it was more about how we were seen as a club inside and out. A lack of discipline and professionalism were the major issues to come out of it, along with how we presented ourselves. It wasn't about individuals, it was about the club.
"The results are showing. Our discipline has been fantastic so far this season.''
Morwood said because of the loss of three of his key position players, he had to change to Oaks' style of play.
"The only area where we thought we would struggle this year was with height. Last year, we could kick long and expect our tall forwards to mark it, this year we've had to become a running side where we can use the ball and switch the play.
"Our goal is to make the finals.''
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