From Arden Street to The Parade: Ryan Bastinac and Brad McKenzie reunited at Redlegs
After nearly half a decade, the wait was over for former North Melbourne AFL pair Ryan Bastinac and Brad McKenzie, who have teamed up again at Norwood. ROUND 6 TEAMS HERE
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IT was five years in the making.
After a remarkable rollercoaster ride and two years after making a pact to become teammates again, North Melbourne “locker buddies’’ Ryan Bastinac and Brad McKenzie were finally reunited on a football field last Sunday.
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They say a picture tells a thousand words and a photograph of the smiling pair in the Norwood changerooms celebrating the come-from-behind win against Sturt at Unley Oval said a lot about their long and winding journey.
“It was great to be out there with Brad again, it was a long time coming,’’ said gun midfielder Bastinac, who had 23 disposals and eight clearances in his league debut for the Redlegs eight months after joining the club.
“Running around on the field with him again and playing my first SANFL game in front of a big crowd, it was awesome and worth the long road it took to get here.’’
Bastinac, 29, became close to McKenzie, 27, when the rebounding defender was drafted from Sturt with pick 18 at the 2011 national draft.
McKenzie was handed the No. 2 guernsey and with Bastinac donning No. 3 – he had already been at the Kangaroos for two years – the pair had adjoining lockers at the club’s Arden Street headquarters.
“He’ll say I didn’t talk to him for the first six months but we pretty much hit it off straight away, became best mates,’’ Bastinac said.
“We didn’t get to play as much footy together as we wanted to at North – he was the sub a lot in the early days – and when we went our separate ways at the Kangaroos we said we’d try to play together again one day.’’
Bastinac was traded to Brisbane at the end of 2015 after 121 matches and 66 goals.
McKenzie lasted one more year at North before being delisted after 37 games.
Prior to Sunday, they last played together in round 23, 2015 – a 41-point loss to Richmond at Docklands.
“When Brad was delisted he moved to Norwood and when I had two years left on my contract at Brisbane I told him I would come down to play with him when I was finished in the AFL,’’ Bastinac said.
He was delisted by the Lions at the end of last season after 43 games in four years but his move to Adelaide has not been without complications.
After signing for the Redlegs in November and relocating to Adelaide, Bastinac’s Brisbane house was damaged in the Queensland floods, forcing him home.
Then COVID-19 struck.
With his Brisbane property needing repairs and Bastinac feeling the financial strain after the SANFL’s decision to not allow player payments during its restructured season, he made the tough decision to move back to Queensland indefinitely.
Then Redlegs coach Jarrod Cotton opened the door for him to fly in and out for matches.
But there was another “hiccup’’.
After starting in the reserves in round one to build some match fitness, Bastinac flew
back to Brisbane via Sydney, where he had a one-hour stopover.
On his return to Adelaide a few days later, Bastinac landed at Adelaide Airport to be told his Sydney stopover meant he had to quarantine for 14 days because of the strict border controls between the two States.
He jumped back on the next plane to Brisbane and only returned to Adelaide late last week before finally fulfilling his promise of lining up alongside McKenzie again.
ROUND 6 TEAMS
EAGLES IN BOX SEAT TO SECURE LOWSON
Flag favourite Woodville-West Torrens is fighting to get VFL star Sam Lowson to Adelaide as SANFL clubs zero in on key recruits before Friday’s 5pm transfer deadline.
While North Adelaide is in talks to bring former Power ruckman Matthew Lobbe back to SA to boost its premiership hopes, AFL draft prospect Lowson has agreed to join the Eagles after the VFL season was cancelled because of COVID-19.
But the Victorian-based forward, from Coburg, is still waiting for the green light from SA Health and the SA Police because of the strict State border controls between the two States.
“Sam wants to play for us and we’re in the process of trying to get him over,’’ said Eagles chief executive Luke Powell.
“That’s become a bit of a battle, a bit frustrating, so we’ll continue to work with SA Health and the police to see what we can do.
“He’s ready to come over but it (his application, which includes a work permit as a carpenter) is on edge a bit at the moment.’’
Brilliant medium forward Lowson, 24, this year emotionally revealed his battle with drugs and how he had turned the corner in the hope of playing AFL.
He was almost certain to be selected in last year’s AFL mid-season rookie draft before cruelly suffering a serious ankle injury two days before the draft.
The Eagles, who sit top with a 4-1 win-loss record, have already signed VFL team of the year onballer James Tsitas from Geelong’s VFL side to boost their flag chances.
MORE: DRAFT PROSPECT REVEALS HOW FOOTY SAVED HIM
The 25-year-old inside midfielder, who had signed to play for Williamstown this season, has been granted a work permit and is currently serving a 14-day quarantine period in Adelaide.
There are no match payments for SANFL players this season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
North hopes to get an answer from 100-game former AFL ruckman Lobbe in the next 24 hours.
Lobbe, 31, had signed to play for Werribee but is now considering finishing the season in the SANFL.
“We’ve been talking to him but there’s still a lot to play out,’’ said North football manager Darryl Wintle.
The Roosters have signed NT Thunder half-back/wingman Kieren Parnell, who had moved to Melbourne to play for Williamstown.
South Adelaide has had its flag odds shortened by signing former Crows ruckman Paul Hunter and his Williamstown teammate Daly Andrews while Sturt has made two prized VFL signings from Werribee, small forward Jack Henderson, who made last season’s VFL team of the year, and ruckman Darcy Bennett.
They have been quarantining in Adelaide and should be available for Sunday’s clash against Glenelg.
“With no VFL season, they were keen for an opportunity in the SANFL and they fill some needs for us,’’ said Double Blues football manager Chris Trapp.
The mid-season influx of key VFL recruits into the SANFL follows Sturt’s pre-season signing of former Power-listed forward Aidyn Johnson from Richmond’s VFL side.
SANFL general manager of football Matthew Duldig said the signings, which could change the face of the season, were good for the competition.
“We’re really big on supporting our local players but the clubs who have just signed VFL: players have generally been talking to them for 12-to-18 months and they strengthen our competition, which is a good thing,’’ he said.
