Haddrill happy with homecoming
By James Matthey
As important as football is in Lenny Haddrill’s life, it is clear that the two things he values just as highly are his friends and family.
Fortunately for the Northern Jets, those three aspects came together with perfect timing to lure the talented youngster back to the club he starred with as a local junior.
The opportunity to play with life-long friends and younger brother Mitch was too tempting for the 22 year-old to resist, who travels from Canberra to don the Jets jersey every weekend.
“I brought my mate Dane back and he loved it that much he wanted to come back for another year, and talking to another mate Declan they were all keen and wanted to come back and give it a go as well so I thought I better come back as well,” said Haddrill.
“I wanted to play with my mates, that and I really wanted to play with my little brother Mitch.
“At the start of the year when I agreed to play half the reason was to play with my little brother, but I’m also playing with Jack Fisher who’s my cousin so it’s good to play with family and friends.”
Unfortunately for the Haddrill brothers, the dream of playing together will have to be postponed until 2014, with Mitch undergoing a shoulder reconstruction last week after dislocating it before the season had even begun.
Despite this hiccup, Lenny is glad to be back at the club where he began his AFL journey, playing all his junior football for the Jets before graduating to the seniors at 17, spending two seasons in the first grade side.
Haddrill was lost to the Jets for a few years after university commitments came calling in Canberra, but absence only seemed to make his heart grow fonder, with the long road trips to and from the nation’s capital a small price to pay to reconnect with the club that Lenny still holds dear to him.
“Growing up they were very good, they’re a good club, there’s lot of very good people around the club, good supporters and good teammates, so it’s a lot easier to travel back when you know you’re going back to a good organization,” said Haddrill.
“Playing juniors there was great, there were a lot of good people who were playing football so it was good, it was really enjoyable.
“I played a lot of footy and cricket with a lot of the guys playing in the senior side and it’s good to come back and help them out by bringing back a couple of players, they struggled a bit last year and it’s good to just be able to help out where I can.”
With Lenny kept busy in Canberra, playing an integral role in helping Eastlake reach their first grand final in 10 years while completing an exercise and sports management degree, the Jets were thrilled when he decided to head back home for the sake of his footy.
Northern Jets President, Terry Walker, said Haddrill’s return generated a lot of excitement throughout the club.
“He’s pretty important to get back, we were pretty happy to have him back,” said Walker.
“When we did sign Lenny, once it was nailed home that he was coming back, certainly there was a real buzz around the playing group, because he’s a quality player and the flow on effect is that it lifts everyone’s confidence.
“You’re talking to the locals and they’re all like ‘what’s Lenny doing, what’s Lenny doing,’ so it certainly gave us a kick along for sure.”
Walker also said that Haddrill’s return was symptomatic of the good work the club is doing in creating a culture that makes players want to be a part of the club.
“It does make me proud, I think with the amount of boys that do keep coming back to us and the returning players that put in the extra effort to come back to the Jets, it gives me a bit of confidence that we’re doing something right.
“You wonder sometimes if there’s more that we can do around the club and what environment and culture we’ve got, but it’s very important that it does give you a kick along or that we are doing things right at the club and that we’ve got the right culture and we look after the boys and girls as best we can.
“It does reinforce that we are doing something right.”
Haddrill’s impressive form this season has been driven by a desire to prove himself again to his home crowd, but he refused to allow himself any self-indulgent praise, instead emphasizing the importance of the teammates around him.
“I was a bit nervous about coming back, obviously coming back to your hometown you want to perform.
“I was also excited at the same time bringing back a couple of mates, I wanted them to get along with everyone and fit right in which they have which is good.
“I just want to be a team player, I think what I bring to the team is hopefully just sharing the ball and bringing the whole team into the game.”
Jets coach Jamie Grintell was much more effusive in his appraisal of Haddrill’s work, saying his all-round skills have made him a valuable addition to the squad.
“He’s quick, he’s got a very good kick on him, excellent skills both sides of his body and he’s a pretty hard runner too.
“He definitely filled a hole, with his pace and awareness around the goals and ability to move the ball out of the centre when he plays in the middle…he’s definitely been a good addition for us.”
While dreams of premiership glory are firmly in Haddrill’s sights (The Jets are currently sitting in third position), one gets the impression that, results aside, he is just happy to be home.
“It’s great, that’s one of the best things about football, the people you meet and people are interested in your life so it’s great.
“That’s the main thing, it’s fun coming back, it’s exciting and it’s great to bring my mates Dane and Declan back to play this kind of football.
“It’s good, it’s a good change and it’s exciting and it’s good to be part of a good team for the Jets, like I said we’re sitting 3rd on the ladder and hopefully we can climb a bit further.”
“Everyone that plays footy hopes to win a premiership and I think we’ve got a very good side that can do just that.”
