Port Fairy coach Winis Imbi goes Under the Auld Pump

The New Guinea-born 40-year-old is husband to Melissa and father to Noah and Asaiah.

His parents are Imbi - his dad goes under his last name because he's got a long first name - and Lynette and he has a brother James.

The school teacher was educated in Port Moresby, Portland and Heywood.

He goes Under the Auld Pump with TIM AULD.

Winis, you were born in Port Morseby but were educated in Portland. Why did your family make the move to Australia?

My mum had family around the Drumborg area, which is near Portland.

My parents thought it would be best for the education of James and myself if we were educated in Portland.

I note you rate the golfing achievement of Tiger Woods winning the 2019 Masters as your sporting highlight. Why does that performance rate so significantly with you?

It had been a long time since Tiger had won one of the big majors.

I've always enjoyed watching his golfing ability.

I love having a hit of the golf ball but sadly I don't have too much ability.

I think if you ask Port Fairy footballers Dan Nicholson, Colin Harwood and Isaac Martin, they will tell you I don't have much ability.

I played golf in Port Fairy with them last week.

I used to have a golf handicap of 11 and now it's 14.

Winis, you filled the role as assistant coach of the Port Fairy Football Netball Club last year but this year you are the senior coach.

We're all aware of the coronavirus pandemic which has swept the world. Hampden league footy is in lockdown - have you given your players any fitness programs to have them ready if and when the 2020 footy season begins?

No, I've just decided to give the players some quality time with their families.

The last thing they are thinking about is getting fit for the 2020 season.

It's more important they look after their own health and that of their family and loved ones.

Football is not a priority in this current climate.

I think it's all about the mental and physical health of people.

I've just put footy in the background for everyone.

The developments which have occurred across the world over the last few months are a timely reminder that footy can sit on the back-burner until the virus is sorted out.

I'll be making a few phone calls to our players over the next week to 10 days to make sure they're in a good head space.

What was your opinion of Hampden league footy in 2019 after being involved in the league as an assistant coach for the first time?

I thought it was a very strong league. Each side has good quality players.

The fitness levels of the players were very good and so were the skill levels.

I really enjoyed last season and I'm looking forward to the job as senior coach with Port Fairy with great anticipation.

I caught up with Koroit coach Chris McLaren and North Warrnambool coach Adam Dowie for a couple of chats during the year.

They are both quality people. I really appreciate they were so giving with their time.

Winis, the story doing the round is many local clubs are struggling with numbers to fill reserve grade games. Is Port Fairy any different?

Our numbers were not great before the virus hit, and it seems the same for a lot of clubs.

It seems a common trend. I think we would have struggled to fill a reserves side.

We're having a closer look at ourselves and what we offer our players and our fans.

We want to offer to our players and fans the best environment that we can so we can continue in the future.

We struggled for numbers in our under 18 side last year, but we've got excellent numbers coming through our under 14s and under 16s.

We've got quality people looking after our junior programs.

The club may have a bit of short-term pain with numbers but I'm confident our numbers will grow.

Our aim is to blood young players into our senior side.

We've got some top young players including Jake Bartlett, James Duncan and Darcy Smith, and with time they will be the backbone of our senior side.

Port Fairy is a small community, but it's a very proud community and we at the footy/netball club are well aware of the important role we play in the local community.

You had a stint of playing reserves footy with Essendon and North Melbourne in the late 1990s before enjoying a successful career with Portland. What was the highlight of playing with Essendon and North Melbourne reserves?

It was just a wonderful experience.

I had played some junior footy with the North Ballarat Rebels.

I was a member of the Rebels' premiership side in 1997 that defeated the Dandenong Stingrays before I got picked up by Essendon.

Mark 'Bomber' Thompson was the reserves coach at Essendon when I played there.

I played on the MCG in the curtain-raiser grand final for Essendon reserves when they got defeated by the Western Bulldogs in 1998.

I can still remember the massive crowd that was at that game to see Adelaide and North Melbourne after our game.

Bomber Thompson coached North Melbourne's reserves the next year and I went there with him before I went and played for Portland in 2000.

I was lucky enough to have a lot of premiership success with Portland as a player and coach before I went out to play with Heywood in 2012.

My good mates Jason Saunders and John Bell, plus my brother James and I, played in Heywood's 2012 premiership side in the South West league.

I played in two premiership sides with Heywood before I took North Gambier to a premiership victory in 2016.

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