RECORD FEATURE: NORTHERN JETS

Josh Plozza hasn’t been in Northern Jets territory all that long. But there are a few things he worked out pretty quickly:
1) The location of his nearest pub; and
2) The value of a couple of 300-gamers in the side, in Ben Prentice and Stu Hutchins
“To have Stuey and Benny play, it helps so much because they are seasoned campaigners,” Plozza says.
“You’d love to play with Benny Prentice at your back every week. He’s as mad as a cut snake. I would hate to have played on him as a young bloke.
“And Stuey’s so solid. He’s been great for us all year, when he’s not sitting on the tractor.”
Jets co-coach, Darren Jackson, backs up the assessment:
“Unbelievable. What are they – one’s 36 and one’s 38,” Jackson says.
“I can’t see any reason why they can’t keep playing. They just don’t get beaten. And they’re so important to the side, with the young ones around them. I can’t speak highly enough of the two of them.”
Hutchins is the elder statesman, following Jamie Grintell across to the Farrer League club after nearly 250 games with Narrandera.
“I came for a change. I was about to retire so I suppose I got another four or five years out of my career,” he says.
Hutchins played his 300th senior game at Ardlethan earlier in the season, prompting a reflection on who he’s enjoyed playing footy with since joining the Jets.
“Ben’s obviously one – he’s an absolute hard nut,” Hutchins says.
“And when I first come over, I’d heard about Andrew Bonny and Chris Bell. They’re your three older ones that I’ve played with. The others have all retired!”
Hutchins was coach in 2014 and that involvement, as talented young footballers rolled off the production line, has made playing on with them all the more enjoyable.
“Kids are brilliant, that’s what keeps you going. When I was coaching, we had heaps of kids. They just give you energy – they bring the energy out in you. And they’re taught well the kids these days.”
But the passing of time has its frustrations. The ever-reliable defender says, sometimes, he knows where he wants to be on the field, but just can’t get there! And the young blokes are getting quicker every year.
“It’s changed immensely,” Hutchins says. “Back when I was a kid you were just running on the energy of a normal kid. You didn’t train anywhere near as hard as these kids do.”
Speed isn’t the only thing that’s elusive as a footballer’s body edges ever closer to 40. Hutchins reckons finding consistency can be frustrating.
But teammates will tell you that even-ness and composure is exactly what Hutchins and Prentice do offer.
“They’re definitely hard at it and sort of the cornerstone of your team,” says Canberra-based midfielder Mark Kimball. “They put their head over it and you don’t have to second guess what they’re going to do every week.”
Fellow recruit Tim Gray chimes in: “They kind of settle down the younger fellas as well, they’re a calming influence on them.”
Maybe it’s the way they stroll into the sheds last, for the shortest warm-up.
Or perhaps that they’re used to children, given both have three kids under 10 who spend plenty of Saturdays knocking around with each other. Ben and Lucy have Maya and twins Ruby and Henry while Stu and Ruth are busy with Lucy and Jake as well as toddler James.
While the kids run amok, Prentice plies his trade down back without any fanfare. It’s ingrained in him to do it that way.
“The thing I always got drilled into me was to play tight and ‘you’re a backman – beat your man’. You weren’t to go trying to kick goals or take marks,” Prentice says.
“I had it hammered into me, and if you done something wrong you got told about. We had some pretty vocal supporters who’d let you know… it didn’t go unnoticed too often.”
Prentice is in his 20th season of senior football – all but four have been at the Jets. He isn’t sure if the changes in the game – to the faster, free-flowing footy, suit his 36-year old body, but he too gets a kick out of seeing the young blokes come through.
“Ben Johnstone and Max Tidd and Paddy Bray and Joey Grinter… I played with a couple of their dads when I was starting off. But yeah, it has changed a lot. I’ve never been the quickest bloke around so more sort of physical – tackling and in-and-under has been more my play.”
Prentice wonders about retirement but knows you’re a long time retired. When he missed a game last month, he didn’t know what to do with himself, other than try to find out how the Jets were going.  And when he does step back, it’s likely to be to reserve grade to help out.
The Twos have struggled for depth this year but it wasn’t always the case. Recent reunions were a reminder that 10 years ago they won their second of three in a row, thrashing Collingullie.
Joel Fairman was coach and one of six players to come back into reserve grade after the seniors were rolled in the preliminary final. “Six blokes had to miss out from the week before, which was hard, but that’s footy,” Fairman remembers. “We went in very confident and had kicked the opening goal within 40 seconds.
Four players in that reserve grade grand final in 2006 had been there in 1996 when Ariah Park-Mirrool claimed the Brown Bombers’ first Twos premiership since 1981. Under the late Ian Manning, they beat Cootamundra by 11 goals, kicking 10.3 to 0.1 after halftime.
Player numbers make it difficult to see another reserves challenge any time soon. But a look at the netball facilities at both grounds is a reminder the Jets continue to look forward, not back.
Ardlethan and Ariah Park courts have been upgraded in the last year or two courtesy of community grants. Sam Dart says they made a good case for the improvements, and saved $100,000 on the job at Ariah Park by project managing it themselves.
“We only had the one court with four junior sides and four senior sides and the tennis courts were debilitated and not playable,” Dart says.
“But they had lights and so we joined forces and built multi-purpose courts – with different coloured markings for the netball and tennis. It’s a good looking space. Given the number of kids we’ve got, we believe the club can be healthy but we need to have the facilities for them… and older players if they’re going to keep playing need a good surface.”
But back to Josh Plozza, who was checking out a different facility when he arrived this year: “I’ve been keeping the Mirrool pub busy, that’s for sure – especially when I first got here.”
He’s not likely to cop too much flak from the club hierarchy for that.
“That’s good! It’s the only business in Mirrool,” president Brett Prentice says.
And if Jacko wants to take him aside for a quiet chat, it’ll only be for tips on how to keep the weight off: “Geez he can eat. I’ve never seen a bloke eat like him.”
It’s a fair response. As a pair of seasoned campaigners would tell you – it’s not AFL up here.