 Dan Frogan No.10
Well is it any surprise that after such a long drought in first grade, where several wooden spoons were collected, and only a year after a certain UNSW player commented that Gordon were the worst club in the competition, that the Stags have returned to their rightful place near the top of the tree in the year that Frogan actively returned to his old stomping ground.
(Brendan McDonald at a Green Shield game)
It is not since 1991 that Frogan managed the Steve Mervyn Day skippered side has a Gordon side made such a big turn around to reach the semi-finals. And not since Big Boris Hayne, another with whom Frogan spent hours on the phone discussing tactics, politics and philosophy, captained the side in 1993 have the Stags been involved in matches in the latter part of March.
The way in which Gordon secured their spot has been magnificent, beating Balmain, Northern Districts, Mosman and North Sydney to be the undisputed premier side on the North Shore. Before anyone contacts the website, Manly is not on the North Shore but the "Penninsula".
However, the win against the "Bears" as they now like to be know was especially sweet. A club that has caused our club great heartache in the last 10 years as very strong sides initially in green, red and yellow and lately in red and black made life miserable, were treated to a passionate rendition of "A Gordon for Me". A song reworked by Frogan in the late 70's, it was appropriate that he was in the rooms on Saturday to shake the Thompson Stand to its foundations.
It was all the more impressive that the side was able to concentrate on cricket on either day, as their collective minds were initially on the Desperate & Dateless Ball and then, much more importantly for Brendan McDonald, the following week's beef cake festival that is the Gay and Lesbian Madi Gras. It struck Frogan, the undisputed winner of Gordon's "Body of the Year" in 1978 and equal winner with Jim Catlin in 1973, that McDonald makes a big fuss about not that much. Sure, the wavy hair is there, the masculine silhouette of a bull adorns his upper right arm, an all over tan that Tony Wilson has worked his whole life for and he shows an inclination for nudity, second only in Gordon's long history to Richie Brown.
 McDonald's upper body resembles that of a 14 year old. It is certainly not the trunk that would have held a candle to Catlin in 1973. Nevertheless, McDonald appears to need no invitation to show off his androgenous form whenever the temperature gets above 12 degrees. Perhaps the real reason that he coached the Green Shield team this season is that those boys have chests only slightly bigger than his own.
(Dan Frogan (partly obscured) provides advice to Greg Chappell and Sachin Tendulkar in India)
Despite the bravado and the penchant for not wearing clothes, it has definitely been a good move for the ex-Bear this season. Certainly the addition of Simmons and Zelma have assisted in turning around the fortunes of the team and, with it, the club in general. It was difficult to hide the smile on Frogan's face, even during the tense India-Pakistan test series, where, as previously mentioned he acted as Greg Chappell's spiritual advisor, to see the two tee totallers continue to put big numbers on the board. Strange because, in the 70's, anyone who didn't drink was more likely to have been on a float with McDonald on Oxford Street than playing under the banner of the famous stag. How times have changed but surely changed for the better. Frogan will be pleased to celebrate with a carrot juice with a bloody* straw in it, if the Belvedere Cup comes home, so long as it has a vodka chaser.
 Frogan, a founding member and event planner of the Desperate & Dateless Ball (he claims that it is just one big B & S Ball that he and blokes like Jim Cameron used to attend) was pleased to see the Gordon boys resplendent in their regalia.
(Dan Frogan at last years D&D ball)
It was particularly pleasing to see Matt Michael wearing his Gordon Cricket Club tie; although the green, maroon and silver really clashed with the pink shirt. Further, apparently there is no truth to the rumour that Livermore was seen leaving with club supporter Melanie discussing the trials and tribulations of spending time in hospital. Apparently they were just seen leaving together. Whatever the truth, the liaison certainly agreed with Livermore, who smote the Bears second grade attack to ever part of Bingham's Ring.
So, onward to post-season cricket, where the first grade team and the Colts will hopefully be joined by 2nd grade and 5th grade, who are counted upon to have strong victories and be on a roll come next week. No doubt Howitt and Storey, who have thus far led their outfits with equal measures of nous, determination and panaché (certainly better than Kelly's consistent but ultimately unsuccessful season), would do worse than to have Frogan's telephone number close at hand in the days leading into this crucial weekend.
* in light of the UK censor's view of the Australian Tourism Board's latest advertising campaign it should be made plain that the inclusion of this word is not meant to offend any British people who may be reading this article.
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