THIS article is costing Jake Pring money.
But the Carngham-Linton assistant coach only has himself to blame.
"I started up the fine system this year to help with the footy trip, so I've done myself in a bit," Pring said.
Fines are a fairly common way of raising funds for end-of-season trips, with the Saints opting for penalties for pictures in the paper, mentions in newspaper articles, 50m penalties and sending-offs.
And Carngham-Linton has had plenty to celebrate since the RegionalOne Lexton Plains Football League's inception, having played in every senior grand final except 2001, when it finished third.
Pring grew up playing juniors for Golden Point, and first played for the Saints in 1999, winning a flag with the reserves.
He was then part of the senior premierships in 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
The 28-year-old missed the 2007 LPFL grand final, winning a flag with Central Highlands club Daylesford instead.
"Nothing beats that feeling once the siren goes (in a grand final)," he said.
And how does the forward/onballer rate this season's chances?
"Hopefully we can get there again. It's definitely a tougher year - we've turned over a lot of players.
"Only two players are over 30 and the average age is about 24, so we've lost a lot of experience."
One premiership in particular stood out as a special moment.
"The '06 flag meant a lot to me, we dedicated it to a mate who died in a work accident."
That mate was Ian McBain.
"He got me out to Carngham in '99 - I think he got there in '97.
"I think he left, only for a year or two, and came back in '05 and passed away that summer."
And McBain would have been proud of the Saints' efforts in the 2006 grand final.
"I think we were down by five goals, kicking into a five-goal wind in the last quarter and we got up by three points."
Pring's year at Daylesford was also a highlight, helping the Bulldogs end a 46-year premiership drought.
"I was 26, it was just a bit of a change and a higher league, and to see how I'd go in there and I was lucky enough to win a flag."
But the lure of returning to the Saints was too much.
"A lot of mates were back at Carngham so that was the reason for going back, and I wanted to have a go at assistant coach ... and I've been assistant for the last two years."
And does he aspire to take over the reins from co-coaches Jade Keam and Jason Hill?
"I'm still happy to be assistant coach at the minute but who knows down the road, I haven't thought about it too much."
Last Modified on 01/03/2010 16:24