Gawler Central has shot up from two wins to top in two years in the Barossa, Light & Gawler Football Association
Gawler Central has been lost in the wilderness for the past three years, but it is now a serious premiership contender, and its captain is a large part of that.
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Two years ago, Gawler Central was circling the bottom of the Barossa, Light & Gawler Football Association table.
Some attitudes at the club had it embracing the wooden spoon at the start of the 2018 season, which it managed to avoid by one game.
It showed steady improvement in 2019, but missed the spoon only on percentage.
This year, the Tigers are red hot again and are the raging favourites to take out this year’s premiership.
They’re sitting 3-0 in a seven-game season and are coming off a 103-point thumping win over last year’s premier, Tanunda.
With player payments not allowed in country leagues in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Tigers have managed to welcome back a host of ex-locals and others who were keen to play after their own seasons were cancelled.
Returning player and 2020 captain Charlie Molyneux said the vibe around the club was more upbeat than when he left in 2017 to work in Victoria.
“It’s a similar squad with a couple of the same,” he said.
“A lot of the players are returning players, we understand the culture and what we stand for and I think that makes a big difference.
“The year I left, we had a half decent season, we won the first couple of games and it wasn’t that bad.”
Molyneux’s heart has always been with the Tigers, and he always kept an eye on proceedings.
“I stayed in touch with a couple of the boys during my time away,” he said.
“It was a bit disheartening seeing the results, but I know they were giving their all.
“It was good when there was live games, and watch there via YouTube on the TV.
Molyneux played for Greensborough in the Northern Football League in Victoria and faced off against AFL games record holder Brent Harvey and a host of other AFL stars.
Yet, his desire was to always return to the Dog Track.
“I used to catch up with the coach Matty Whelan; he did a lot of work over in Melbourne, so we’d catch up for a chat,” he said.
“I always said it’s my desire to come back and hopefully get one more flag, I’m very grateful for the one I have here, but always striving for another.”
The Tigers also boast the two best goalkickers in the competition at the moment, with Brad Mercer (11) and Shane Moss (10) leading the way.