LW: Bourkey, it has been a big few days for a couple of our central Victorian athletes over in the States.
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Firstly, it didn't take Sam Irwin-Hill long to be snapped up as an undrafted free agent by NFL franchise Indianapolis Colts.
Still a lot of work to be done in terms of him earning a spot on the Colts' final 53-man roster in the coming months, but he's at least given himself an opportunity.
What a story Irwin-Hill has been.
I can still recall him running around at the QEO in the 2008 under-18 BFL grand final for Eaglehawk against Sandhurst when he kicked a goal and was one of the Hawks' best players.
I'm sure there would have been a few of his mates who scoffed when he first told them he was swapping the Sherrin for a gridiron ball.
But seven years on not only has he now got a US College degree under his belt, but he has the chance to show his wares in front of the Colts.
And on Thursday, Matthew Dellavedova stepped up to play his part in the Cleveland Cavaliers knocking over my Chicago Bulls in game two of their NBA eastern conference semi-finals series.
Nine points, including a pair of treys, and a team-high nine assists was a solid showing from Delly in the cauldron of NBA playoff basketball.
Irwin-Hill and Dellavedova are both tremendous inspirations for any young athlete in central Victoria showing what can be achieved through hard work and dedication.
AB: Well said, Westy.
Dellavedova once again proved his critics wrong with a great performance for the Cavs. At times he is unfairly the whipping boy for Cavs fans on social media.
When it comes to the crunch you want Delly on your side.
Who would have thought we could potentially have two central Victorian athletes playing in the NBA and NFL.
Admittedly, Irwin-Hill still has a mountain of work to do, but the fact he is even in the mix is a wonderful achievement.
Nathan Chapman and the Pro Kick team is in Bendigo on Monday looking for the next Sam Irwin-Hill.
A little birdie tells me you're keen to get along and kick a few torps in a bid to impress Chapman.
You're always telling us how you used to bomb 50m plus goals for the Stanhope thirds. Now's the time to show your class.
LW: I was anything but a Stanhope Superboot back in the day.
It will be interesting to see if any local footballers head along to the Tom Flood Sports Centre on Monday to show Nathan Chapman what they've got.
Brodie Filo could certainly go along and give the ball a fair roost... on either foot.
Ryan Haythorpe has always had a good right leg, Tim Walsh from Gisborne sinks the boot into the ball, while during his days playing in Bendigo, Justin Maddern was always able to get plenty of "hang time".
AB: Unfortunately, the only hang time you get is when you play NBA on your XBox.
I must admit it's hard to get excited about this weekend's round of Bendigo footy.
The Kangaroo Flat versus South Bendigo game is the only match that I had to think twice about when it came to tipping.
LW: The Roos-Bloods game certainly has the makings of being the closest match of the round, but the match that most intrigues me is Gisborne hosting Eaglehawk.
The build-up to the game for the Bulldogs began at 6am last Sunday morning after a shocker against the Bloods.
Gisborne of years gone by would react savagely to such a performance that they dished up last week. How will this group respond?