Rostrevor Old Collegians still undefeated in Adelaide Footy League despite not having a home
THEY are the Adelaide Footy League’s nomads but it has not stopped the reigning division one premier from starting the season unbeaten.
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THEY are the Adelaide Footy League’s nomads but it has not stopped Rostrevor Old Collegians from starting the season unbeaten.
The reigning division one premier has been forced to take its trainings and home games on the road this year while Campbelltown Memorial Oval undergoes a $10.6 million redevelopment.
The 44-year-old club has been training at several ovals, including Thebarton and Rostrevor College, and playing home matches at Thebarton.
“We’ve been shunted around a bit,” coach Adrian Rocco says.
“We were training initially at the school and haven’t been able to get on our oval at all and then we were at Thebby on Thursday nights.
“Last Thursday we weren’t actually able to train at all because the state under-18 squad were on Thebby and this week we’re training on Foxfield Oval (at Athelstone).”
But Rocco says the club has not used being displaced from its home base as an excuse.
It sits on top of the top-tier ladder with a 6-0 record.
“We knew that we’d have some problems during the year but our attitude has been to look forward not back,” he says.
Two of the club’s wins have been at Thebarton, a ground which Rocco says suits his side’s attacking, fast-paced game style.
ROC plays six of its next eight matches at the venue.
“It’s a beautiful oval and a big oval, which obviously fits our game plan so that’s great but at the end of the day we’re happy to play anyone, anywhere,” he says.
“We certainly believed in ourselves and I believe we’ve got a stronger squad this year than we did last year, so we want to get the most out of this side while we have this level of quality.
“The guys are just that much more in tune to the game plan and we’re travelling really well at the moment.”
Upgrade work to Campbelltown Memorial Oval began in February.
The project includes a two-storey community hub with changerooms, functions area, cafe, terraces, a meeting room and offices.
It is expected to be completed by November.
“It’s going to be a beautiful clubroom and oval so we’ve got a lot to look forward to,” Rocco says.
“As I’ve said to the players, the club couldn’t be in a better position and the boys playing at the club now are playing at the best possible time in the club’s history – that’s the big positive.”
ROC is experiencing a strong start to the season across all teams, including its D grade which has been fielded for the first time in 2018.
The increase in numbers is mainly due to 25 school leavers signing up to the club after completing Year 12.
Rocco said four of those had already made A grade appearances in the black and red and another 12 had played B grade.
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