Some kids aspire to be fire-fighters; others, astronauts. Some long to be doctors or nurses, while some just want to follow in mum and dad’s footsteps, whatever that may be. Most young Aussies, however, dream most often of emulating their sporting idols and of finding fame and fortune in their favourite sport.

Sadly, most of these dream remaining exactly that: fantasies. But what is it that prevents all supernovas from achieving their ambitions?

Imagine if, for instance, an adolescent Gary Ablett had been forced to warm the bench by a junior footy coach who instead gave his own clumsy offspring a run in the midfield, thus deterring a potential superstar from realising his talent?

Given the opportunity to lament their lot, a host of sporting heavies found in Betfair a welcome shoulder to cry on. One of those was Cats boss, Brian Cook. Here is Cooky’s exposé of how and why his footy career was restricted to action off the field...

I have often wondered why my football career did not conclude with a lap of honour at the MCG after playing 350 games. Through the years this has kept me awake at night asking why my dreams were laid to rest when I was 21.

I always wanted to quiz the likes of David Parkin, John Kennedy and Bob Skilton, all of whom took turns at trying to turn me into an AFL star. What was it that I was lacking?

There I was, an athletic young man with a single dream, to be an AFL star. Many people don’t know this, but I was originally from Scotland and didn’t settle in Melbourne until I was about 10.

But I loved footy and would spend hours chasing and kicking the footy around the park. Well, not so much a footy, but rather a haggis that I had left over from my days outside of Glasgow.

I was perhaps the best haggis player in history…but it may not have been the best thing for my ball skills. I was never as accurate with a football as I was with a haggis. Maybe that is what was holding me back.

When I first ventured down to Hawthorn, after helping Box Hill to no wins in two seasons, I must say my new team mates took immediate notice. I sensed I was a bit different to the Don Scott and Leigh Matthews. Maybe it was the tartan kilt that I always wore in training and games.

It was always cold in those days and as you know us Scots don’t wear footy shorts under a kilt. It made flying for speccies a bit of a problem. Maybe that is what was holding me back.

What else could it be? So today I decided to find the answer - I called one of my former coaches.

“It’s simple,” he told me. “It wasn’t that you couldn’t play, it’s just that we all saw what you didn’t. That you would be better running a club than playing for a club!”

Maybe that Scottish heritage paid off after all.

Now, taking a stand for those - like Cooky - who never quite made it, Betfair’s Blame to Fame offers punters the opportunity to vent their spleen, ‘fessing up with who or what is responsible for halting their path to sporting fame.

The person submitting the “blame” adjudged the best of the year (up to 6 September 2010) to http://betfair.com.au/blame will find themselves jet-setting their way to both the 2010 AFL and NRL grand finals - all free of charge.

The “blames” of Brian, AFL executive Gillon McLachlan, noted Geelong fan John Harms and other noted Australian sports administrators and social commentators can also be viewed online at http://betfair.com.au/blame.