Missing In Action!
05/11/2008

A contract dispute is threatening to end Andrew 'Mez' Merryweather's career, potentially closing the door on one of the most decorated careers in recreational football history. Merryweather, who has amassed an incredible 93 goals from his 25 games with The Bullets, is locked in a battle with Bullets management over a sponsorship deal. Merryweather is currently the spokesperson for Payless Shoes, which is in direct competition with The Bullets major footwear sponsor, that being the guy who sells shoes out of the back of his van at the Caribbean Gardens. 'Mez' is also upset at the club being relocated to the BHRFL as the extra travel means he will no longer be home in time to watch 'Home And Away'. Compounding the issue is the fact that Merryweather's on-field skill does not translate to VCR timer programming.

The absence of Merryweather was noticeable in The Bullets loss to Crankiest Cobras in the opening round of the 2008 season at Box Hill. After a shaky start, The Bullets went close to winning, leading by a point late in the game. But they didn't have that Merryweather class to close out the game, going down by six points. When coupled with last year's poor finish, the loss now levels the club's worst losing streak in their history, something Rob Hazell didn't need to be reminded about after accepting the Sony Bravia LCD television for being named best-on-ground: "Get that f***ing microphone out of my face...but cheers for the TV" was all he could muster. Besides Hazell's heroics in defence, David Gutteridge was lively up forward in his debut, kicking a couple of goals. Even the famed Warren 'Coachy' Burford led from the front by taking some great marks, kicking a goal, and setting up others. Simon Conti also showed some dash out of defence in his re-debut. And Narelle Jones showed spirit while boxing above her weight class, when she found herself lining up on a male member of the opposition in the midfield.

The Bullets next week take on The Whitneys at 7:15pm as they try to get their 2008 campaign back on track.