|
 Darren William Harland
Darren's father,
Graham "Buster" Harland (left) is long remembered for his cheeky notoriety in
the VFA's most infamous and bone-crunching grand final.
Darren was too young
to remember the last Sunday in September 1976 when his father felled Dandenong
defender Allan Harper as a reprisal for an earlier incident.
At a time when
free-for-all brawling attracted as much, if not more interest than the match
itself, Harland was there.
Supporters reminisce
and say if there was a fight, Buster would be in it.
Laughing off the tough guy image, Harland was later mindful of his reputation.
"I was pretty
ordinary. My main strength was that I could run," the four-time Port
Melbourne premiership player said of his footballing prowess.
"I just wanted
to play football. I never shook hands with an opponent, I never went into the
opposition training rooms - I hated my opponent on and off the field.
"That's the
only way I could play." More than a decade later another Harland is in the
limelight.
Five minutes into the second quarter the packed stadium erupted, as did the
players, when a behind-the-play incident left legendary Port spearhead Fred
Cook sprawled on the ground.
It sparked one of
the ugliest melees which saw seven players and two officials reported.
Harland was reported
and missed the next four matches, courtesy of the VFA tribunal, after breaking
Harper's jaw.
Despite his
"five or six" tribunal outings, Harland senior says he, along with
team-mates George Allen - who he rates as the toughest player he's ever seen -
Sammy Holt, Paul Goss, Graeme Anderson and Vic Aanensen would survive in the VFA
(VFL)
today.
"You'd have to
play more on your wits," he said.
"But don't
forget all those players were well endowed with great football ability.
"But if you hit
one, we were all in."
Darren Harland started
his senior VFA footy career at Port Melbourne in 1990.
He was recruited from
local Footscray District Football League club, Port Colts.
On
March 7, 1993, 10 to 15 men ran out of the Flower Hotel, Port Melbourne and
allegedly kicked and punched off-duty Springvale detective Tony Ross.
Two
of Mr Ross's friends who came to his aid were also allegedly set upon and all
three taken to hospital with injuries.
The
three men charged over the assault were all footballers. One, Jason
Love, had
played at AFL level with North Melbourne and the Sydney Swans.
He played with
the two other accused at VFA club Port Melbourne at the time of the attack.
They
were Darren William Harland and Dean Anthony Chrimes.
On
March 26, 1996, the three Port Melbourne footballers were acquitted of an affray
charge over the Flower Hotel assault on three men.
Harland,
Jason Love and Dean Chrimes were each found not guilty of the charge by a County
Court jury which had entered their fourth day of deliberation after a trial
lasting nearly a month.
Defence
barristers said the jury could not be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt the
three men on trial were involved. Chrimes also produced alibi evidence.
Harland won the Todd
medal, the award for the best player in the VFA Reserve Grade in 1996 while
playing with Port Melbourne.
A local newspaper
report in late 1996 said that although Darren didn't play as many senior games
for the year as he would like, he had an outstanding year in the reserve grade
competition, polling votes in seven out of the fourteen reserve grade
games played he played in.
These included three best on ground performances.
He combined his Todd Medal with
being the leading reserve goal kicker for 1996 with a total of sixty goals and three goals in Port Melbourne's premiership win over Frankston.
Wearing his father's
number 9 guernsey, Darren was eager to recreate dad's achievements, hopefully
with a little more discretion.
Numerous reserves
and under 19 tribunal appearances are now in the past, according to the
apprentice plumber who says he's trying to concentrate more on his game.
"I've finally
woken up to myself," Darren said. "Now it's just football."
VFA
clubs Sandringham and Werribee were asked to explain why they should not be
punished over a halftime brawl, involving Darren Harland, then a Werribee
seconds player, during their match on June 25, 1997.
The
clubs were ordered to appear before the VFL Board.
At
a three-hour meeting on June 26, the VFL considered a report into the incident,
sparked by a clash between Sandringham coach Andy Collins and Harland.
The
VFL later released a brief statement which said the conduct of some players and
officials was likely to bring the game into disrepute.
If found guilty, the
clubs faced fines or suspensions.
VFL
chairman Ken Gannon said the league had sent copies of the report to both clubs
and was treating the matter as extremely serious.
The
three former Port Melbourne players accused of assaulting an off-duty police-man
in 1993, later pleaded guilty to assaulting crowd controllers outside the
Clarendon St club on January 20, 1997.
Love,
Dean Anthony Chrimes and Harland were videotaped punching and
kicking crowd controllers soon after another man was ejected from the Star Bar
about 1.15am.
On
January 27, 1998, Darren Harland and two former VFL team mates admitted to
assaulting a number of men outside the South Melbourne nightclub.
Prosecutor
Mark Rochford told the court crowd controllers saw a man dancing uncontrollably
on the dance floor of the club shortly before the assaults.
Mr
Rochford said the man was ejected from the club and was followed out by a group
of people.
Mr
Rochford told the court Harland threw a crowd controller to the ground before
punching and kicking him.
The
court was told Love and Chrimes each punched two men.
Mr Rochford said the
attacks did not cause any serious injuries.
Love,
of Robert St, Spotswood, Harland, of Melbourne Rd, Williamstown, and Chrimes, of
Clark St, Port Melbourne, pleaded guilty to two counts each of intentionally
causing injury.
The
men again escaped jail the following day.
Magistrate
Wendy Wilmoth convicted Jason Love and fined him $500.
Ms
Wilmoth also imposed a three-month jail term, but suspended the sentence for 12
months.
Chrimes
was convicted, fined $500 and given a three-month suspended jail sentence.
Harland was convicted, fined and given a six-month suspended sentence.
In
August 2000, Harland was caught with a gun while visiting Fulham Prison.
 Harland happened to
be visiting one time associate of Alphonse
Gangitano, and notorious gangster, Jason
Moran (left).
A loaded
semi-automatic Phoenix .22 pistol was found in a bag in his car.
When asked if
it was his gun he replied: “ It wasn’t in there when we pulled up”.
Harland had driven
to the prison with a man who fled the scene after the gun was discovered by
prison authorities. The man remained unidentified and at large.
Harland, who also
fled was arrested
in Melbourne shortly after.
On January 17,
2001, Harland, then of Mirams Street Ascot Vale, faced a Magistrate over the gun
charge.
The Melbourne
Magistrates Court was told that Harland was visiting Fulham Correctional Centre,
in Sale, when the weapon was found in the back of his car.
Harland pleaded guilty to charges including owning an unlicensed
handgun and taking a gun into a prison.
|
