I teleported myself through to Mr Brightside’s part-owner ‘Fish and Chips’ Mick Andreadis’ place last night to ask the hyper successful coach of the mighty Deer Park first XI cricket teams what his plans were for the upcoming spring and summer, hoping that the King of Swing and Group 1 miles would tell me that he was going to come good on his long mooted promise to shout me a first class, all expenses paid trip to the Hong Kong Mile.
Sadly that proved to be a no go.
Mick, I was sad to learn, has given up the pescetarian trade and transitioned into selling high class Wagyu steaks, which he reckons will bulk his boy Brightside up and power him into doing a Fields of Omagh and winning this year’s Cox Plate at the age of 9 years old, just like his champ’s trainers dad David Hayes did with FOO two decades or so ago.
I for one believe him.
After all, who but a total cynic would doubt the claims of a man who since turning his baseball cap backwards, shaving his legs, donning a lovely pink sort of salmon polo shirt, and dining on reef and beef has dragged the once moribund Deer Park bat, ball and bails team out of obscurity to becoming dual premiership winners, and promises to do so again?
Not me.
The former fish and chips Mick turned medium to well man declares that 2026/27 is the season for celebration of old bastards success, don’t you worry about that, and to prove it he has made plans to add another million or three to his already overflowing self-managed superannuation fund by winning every Group 1 race that moves with Brightside, and making it a Deer Park three peat by bringing out the young West Indian all rounder Carl Greenidge – son of the great top order batsman Gordon, and cousin of demon fast head hunting bowler Andy Roberts – to don the white flannels and oen the batting and bowling for his (Mick’s) beloved team the Lions.
Carl is only 48 years old, which makes him a spring chicken in horse years compared to Brightside, and almost young enough to be the former Fish and Chips Mick’s son, which puts Deer Park in the box seat to make it three titles in a row, especially if Mick can use his wealth, charm and extraordinary powers of persuasion to convince Sunil Gavaskar to make the trip over from Mumbai to Melbourne’s west at age 77 to open at the other end.
This is going to be a racing and cricket season to remember in Melbourne, don’t you worry about that.
I just hope that Mick doesn’t charge me as much for the pepper sauce in his new steak joint as he did for the tartare in the old fish and chippery.
And that my man Chips surprise star Deer Park recruit Geoff Boycott can at age 80 score a century if Sunil falls asleep and gets bowled first ball middle stump.