Sturt captain James Battersby hopes to lead Sturt in different way during coronavirus outbreak
James Battersby was meant to be leading his teammates out of the race tonight for the first time as Double Blues captain. Instead the former Adelaide Crow hopes to lead the club in a different way.
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James Battersby was meant to be leading Sturt out of the race tonight for the first time as Double Blues skipper.
Instead of the rush of his captaincy debut under lights against the reigning premier at Glenelg Oval, Battersby will attempt to lead the club through adversity off the field.
The 24-year-old star midfielder describes the moment Sturt players found out their season would not get underway until at least June as heartbreaking.
“We played our first trial game and everyone starts to get that itch to play footy again, you’ve done the running around an oval for five months and you’re just keen to play,” Battersby said,
“To be told the season was being postponed straight after our first trial game was a bit heartbreaking to be honest, it was a bit sad.
“It was quite sad to take in the first few days, it didn’t feel real until the next weekend came around when we were meant to play another trial.
“Obviously there’s bigger things going on in the world than football, but it’s still hard to take and we’re just trying to stay positive as a club and say there will be a season this year.”
Battersby, who has notched 122 league games since making his debut in 2013, says it is more important now for him and the club’s other leaders to step up, despite there being no matches on the horizon.
But while on-field issues are now on the backburner, the former Adelaide Crow makes no secret of how excited he was for the Double Blues this season.
Sturt had several quality, experienced players leave in the off-season but Battersby thinks it is just what the team needs.
“We had a massive turnover,” he says.
“There’s no hiding the fact that we lost a lot of experience and a lot of good, quality SANFL players.
“But in saying that, there’s no hiding the fact we haven’t won a final since the 2017 grand final … something needed to change.
“I think it’s a really good time for me to become captain in such a new, dynamic team.
“We’re very young, very talented and we recruited well. We have a really exciting group that loves being around each other and brings it back to that Sturt culture.
“There were glimpses in that trial game were I thought ‘this is awesome, we’re firing here’.”
Battersby says he told his teammates to take a mental break amid the coronavirus crisis but the Double Blues will continue fitness programs in the hope of the SANFL season getting underway.