Heyfield will host Cowwarr at Sale Football-Netball Club this weekend, with the Kangaroos competing against the Saints for the Hollonds-Komen Cup in the North Gippsland Football-Netball League Round 7 match.
The Hollonds-Komen Cup is named in honour of Heyfield’s Pat Komen and Cowwarr’s Andrew ‘Angry’ Hollonds, who both died before the 2009 NGFNL season, and is contested by Heyfield and Cowwarr in their first meet of every season. The winning club is based on results from the three football and six netball games.
Andrew ‘Angry’ Hollond’s career with Cowwarr spanned more than 20 years, first representing the Saints as a 17-year-old in the thirds before becoming a member of the seniors and reserves.
Hollonds was awarded runner-up in Cowwarr’s thirds best and fairest in his debut season, claiming the club best and fairest award in the reserves competition in 1990.
In 2005, Hollonds, who played 264 games, was awarded life membership of Cowwarr FNC, his boots remaining in the Saint’s change rooms since 2008 in his honour.
Pat Komen was a much-loved clubman who played 472 games with Heyfield FNC, and was a three-time premiership player, playing in the undefeated Kangaroos flag in 1976, which saw the Kangaroos defeat Stratford 17.18 (110) to 11.16 (82) in the Grand Final.
In 1998, Komen was inducted as a life member of the league and was also awarded life membership of both the Heyfield junior and senior clubs.
Komen was not only a great footballer for Heyfield but was instrumental as a junior football coach, claiming two premierships during his six-year stint at the post.
Kaylah Komen, Pat Komen’s granddaughter, continues representing the Komen bloodline at Heyfield FNC, with the Hollonds-Komen Cup holding a special place in the young netballer’s heart.
“It makes me feel good that I get to still play under pop, and I feel like every time the Hollonds-Komen Cup does come around, that pop is still here watching us try and win,” Kaylah said.
“Cowwarr has only won it once in the whole time, so it is still good that we can win it every year for him.”
For Kaylah, the Hollonds-Komen Cup is a game where nothing is left on the court.
“I feel like I get up and about more when it comes to it because I want everyone to win and make pop proud,” she said.
“Everyone this year has stepped up and definitely shown everyone what Heyfield can do, but who knows what [the result] is going to be, I reckon anyone has a chance of winning it this year, but hopefully it’s us.”
Heyfield A Grade netball coach Emma Wojcinski has been involved in the Hollonds-Komen Cup in one form or another since its inception in 2010. This year marks Wojcinski’s second year as the Kangaroos A Grade netball coach.
Wojcinski said there is always an increased drive to perform when Heyfield meets Cowwarr for the Hollonds-Komen Cup.
“The Komen family has had so much to do with the footy-netball club for so many years, so the Hollonds-Komen Cup is a bit of a hype, it gets talked about at training, and we really don’t like to lose it,” Wojcinski said.
“It has a lot of meaning behind it.”
Ahead of Heyfield’s Round 7 clash with Cowwarr, Wojcinski is expecting a challenging game.
“I often look at the ladder and the results of all the A Grade games, and I don’t think it will be an easy game,” she said.
“Often it comes down to the wire for Heyfield and Cowwarr, some of our margins are often within 10 goals, so it is generally close, and we do match up well against Cowwarr; they are hard to match up against.”
