Tigers juniors starting to roar

By James Matthey

There must be something in the water at the Wagga Tigers as their production line continues to churn out talented juniors who are quickly rising through the representative ranks.

Both Max King and Charlie Bance have impressed the right judges in their time with the Tigers as they aim to push for higher honours and one day compete at the elite level.

King will join 98 of the most talented young footballers in the country when he heads down to Melbourne to take part in the AFL National Draft Combine in October, and said it was a great thrill to receive the call – up.

“It was good, it was very surprising but it was a pretty awesome feeling,” said King.

“I’m just hoping to test as well as I can, so leading up to it I’ll train as much as possible and then just test as well as I can and hopefully get picked up by someone.”

The 17-year old earned his spot in the draft after some outstanding performances for the NSW/ACT RAMS Under-18 side during the national championships held earlier this year.

The tall forward said the national championships were an invaluable learning experience that made him realise the standard he needed to reach if he wanted to make his mark in the sport.

“Against those harder teams and harder players, it’s a fair wake-up call as to what you’ve got to be and what you’ve got to try and be as good as.”

King’s coach at the RAMS, former Swans and Carlton player Jason Saddington, said King had all the right attributes to make it to the highest level.

“Max’s best assets are he’s 200cm tall, that helps, but for his height he’s actually quite agile, mobile, quite athletic and has very clean hands,” said Saddington.

“It probably took him a couple of games to adjust to the higher standard of footy but once he did he really showcased the abilities that he’s got.

“AFL clubs are always looking for those taller players who have a bit of X-factor and I think Max has got that.”

King has been with the Tigers since the age of four, making his first grade debut at 15 and leading his side to the Under-17 premiership last year.

Although juggling commitments with the Murray Bushrangers TAC Cup side, King said that growing up playing in the Riverina had toughened him up, and he was intent on seeing how far he could go in his football career.

“It’s pretty tough, there’s a few rough blokes in the league, and I guess when you’re 15 years old and in the team they try and intimidate you but it’s good, it toughens you up,” said King.

“I’d never really thought much of footy…but making the Under-18s RAMS side was a bit of a wake-up call that I could actually get somewhere.

“I just want to try my hardest and see where it takes me.”

Charlie Bance has also played at the Wagga Tigers since his Auskick days, and one of two captains of the NSW/ACT RAMS Under-16 team that took out the Division Two title at the national championships held in Sydney.

The midfielder said that being able to pick the brains of coach Tadhg Kennelly and former Bomber Mark McVeigh during the tournament was a great experience.

“It was great, an awesome experience having Tadhg Kennelly as our coach and it was the first time we had won the 16s in Division Two for 10 years.

“We had Mark McVeigh there as well, and they gave us great advice, so that was really good, it was a real help.”

Bance is a precocious talent that has shown promising signs from an early age, representing NSW in the Under-12s and Under-15s before making his first grade debut at the Tigers in this year’s blockbuster Anzac Day clash against Collingullie.

Kennelly said Bance was one of the star performers of the recent national championships, and had a bright future ahead of him.

“Charlie’s very much an on-field leader.

“He’s a really hard in-and-under type footballer that gets the ball out and he was one of our most consistent performers throughout the carnival.

“He’s still learning, obviously there’s lots of parts of his game he can still improve on, but he’s going the right way about it.”

Much the same as his clubmate King, Bance is also hopeful of pushing himself in the hope of one day becoming a household name in the AFL.

“That’s what I’m striving for, to see how far I can get.

“I think I’m on the right track, I’m pretty happy with how I’m going at the moment.

No doubt the Wagga Tigers would be a proud club to see both juniors one day grace the turf of the MCG, a prospect that seems like a distinct possibility in the years ahead.