Farrer Files: TRYC season review

The Rock-Yerong Creek

2014 Finish: 7th  (3 wins – 13 losses)

Club Best & Fairest: Aiden Ridley

Telstra Rising Star: Jordan Kemp

Snapshot:

This year always looked like being an uphill battle for TRYC, with the loss of a host of players after another grand final loss to Temora in 2013.

But the season panned out even tougher than most would have predicted.

“We lost a few blokes prior to the season – you can’t stand in the way of players wanting to go somewhere to better themselves – and then with injuries and suspensions it was just one of those years where we couldn’t get the same team on the paddock a couple of weeks in a row,” says coach David Pieper.

“We’d try and work on things each week and start to gel then lose two or three players and it was just hard to build on anything.”

Just 12 premiership points to show for the season didn’t sit well with a proud club leadership, which quickly set about re-signing its entire senior playing list and then recruiting some quality talent for next year (more on whom shortly…). 

After missing finals for the first time in a decade, the club is primed for a return to competitiveness, according to president Gavin Hofert.

“We’ve got some really good players we just didn’t have enough of them this year. We’ll have 11 new blokes next year and probably eight of them are going to be certain starters in first grade. That will create a bit of pressure for spots in the club, which is always good. We won’t have guys turning up each week and just getting a game.”

Highlights:

The upside of a difficult season was the opportunity for players to gain some valuable experience – either in taking more responsibility, or simply spending more time on the paddock than they otherwise would have.

“We got a bit of game time into the younger blokes, blokes you maybe wouldn’t expect to be playing first grade at this stage,” says Hofert.

“Those blokes will all be better for what they’ve learnt this year.”

Lowlights:

For a club proud of its competitive history, finishing second last on the ladder will never sit well.

And Hofert sensed hints of weakness creeping into the playing group.

“Probably the commitment from the players was something we lacked. It goes back to them knowing they’ll get a game of footy, because we just didn’t have the depth this year. And if the commitment on training night isn’t there, that reaches into the performances on game day.”

Pieper’s disappointment relates more to the weekly turnover of players.

“Inconsistency was the difference. Everyone has injuries so that’s not an excuse but not keeping the same side on the paddock… all year it was very interrupted.  At times we played how we wanted to play and there was a few games there that we played good footy so the boys got a bit of confidence, but it’s always hard when you’re turning over players each week.”

Surprise Packets:

Pieper was rapt in the efforts of Harry White.

“He came along really good. He’s only just turned 17 so he was only 16 playing a full season of senior footy. It was good for him to play a consistent year given no-one was pushing him for his spot…He played on the wing and a forward flank, but we gave him a few tagging roles during the year and he went really well with those. A lot of blokes drop their heads with that job but he embraced the challenge and really knuckled down.”

For Hofert, it was Byron Sonneman filling the fullback role. “His first game was on Marc Geppert and he kept him to one goal. We were really happy with him. And Harry White and Jordan Kemp – they’re just getting more games under their belts those guys and they’re just getting better. Tim Harms is another one.”

Areas to improve:

The Magpies’ woes pretty much started and finished up forward. Pieper points out, “Our inside 50s compared to our opposition was fairly close. Whether we got beaten by 10 goals or two goals, we had similar opportunities.

When we played East Wagga we led all day but Geppert kicked 10 and we got beaten by three. We just couldn’t capitalise on our opportunities without a key forward. Our forward entries were good but it was coming straight back out again.”

The recruiting has obviously revolved around solving this problem.

“We’ve picked up Mitch Ward [former TRYC player who spent 2014 at Ainslie] and Andy Carey [Albury Tigers legend].

“Those two will attract the best two defenders each week so our other blokes playing forward will get the third best defender, which gives them a bit of relief.  Our midfield, I think, can match the best in the league, and our backline was pretty good this year. We just couldn’t kick goals, that was our problem.”

What to look forward to:

An injection of quality and experience.

Andrew Carey has kicked more than 250 goals and won four premierships at Albury Tigers.

His arrival will not only lift The Rock, but is a boost for the Farrer League.

“Obviously Andy Carey is our marquee player for the year,” says Pieper. “It’s been a two-year process to get him. I thought I was close to getting him this year, but I think he knew Tigers were due for another premiership so he didn’t want to leave. So it’s just great to have him on board now.

“I’ve had a bit to do with him over the past 12-18 months, and he’s a real gentleman. He’s a real leader and very experienced – he’s played SANFL for a year, ACTAFL for a year, won premierships with Myrtleford and of course he has a great record with Tigers. He’ll definitely be full forward for us, but for a big man he can get up the ground a bit.”

With Carey’s premiership teammate Tom Yates returning home to the Magpies, and another former Tiger Casey Hillary (who won a flag with Jerilderie this season) also heading back to The Rock there’s plenty of Ovens & Murray influence.

“When you add Ward and Collingullie-Ashmont-Kapooka’s premiership player, Josh Meiselbach, to the list of arrivals there’ll be no shortage of talent or big-game experience at Victoria Park next year.

“That depth is what the coach is most looking forward to. “I’m really looking forward to everyone in the 21 having to fight for their spots. There’ll be a handful of blokes playing seconds every week who can comfortably play seniors so creating that pressure for spots just raises the standard across the club. That pressure breeds success.”