Damian Cupido faces race against time to be fit for Giants first game

A newly merged side will take to the field for the first time this weekend but could be without one of its most important players. We take a look at what’s ahead and why the ex-AFL forward could miss.

The new Maryborough Giants have unveiled their new playing strip for this year. Picture: Maryborough Giants Football Club.

It’s the start of a new era for the Maryborough Giants but it might have to deal with one of its key players not playing its historic first match.

Giants coach and former AFL player Damian Cupido is battling calf soreness after playing for Wahgunyah last weekend in a one-off Tallangatta and District league match against Rutherglen.

He played the first 15 minutes of the contest before sitting out the rest of the match.

Now, he has declared himself a 50/50 chance of playing in the club’s first match against Talbot in the Maryborough Castlemaine league.

The Giants are a new club formed after the amalgamation of Maryborough Rovers and Royal Park last year.

Cupido said he was doing all he could to make sure he was part of history on Saturday.

Damian Cupido back in his playing days for Essendon. He has had an established country footy career after his retirement from professional football.

“I’m under a calf suspicion, I’ve got a sore calf I’m hoping it will pull up on Saturday,” he said.

“It’s feeling good at the moment. But if I can’t get through the session on Thursday I won’t play.”

Cupido said he didn’t want to risk the calf injury forcing him from the ground for several weeks.

Despite potentially missing the opener, he has high hopes for the Giants in their first season.

For the past two years the two merged teams have finished in the bottom four on the Maryborough Castlemaine league ladder.

It’s been six years since one team, Royal Park, made the finals.

The former Essendon and Brisbane forward is hoping to change that,

“Having a new merged team it’s got it’s teething problems and it will have it’s hiccups along the way but we’re looking to be more than competitive,” he said.

“I’ve got a squad who can make a serious assault in finals time. We’re playing to win it this year.

“Anything less than that you’ve got to wonder what you are doing.

“I believe we’ve got a core group of senior players who are going to be real good for us this year.”

The finals view is a similar belief among the committee members of the new team.

The Maryborough Giants will be led by former presidents of Maryborough Rovers and Royal Park, Mark Raven and Kate Balzan, who are co-presidents.

The Maryborough Giants have paid homage to their previous clubs by putting them on their jersey. Picture: Maryborough Giants Football Club.

“It’s been good,” Raven said of the merger.

“Numbers in the senior sections are very good, we are going to field the two sides no dramas every week.

“As far as the committee expectations are, if we can make finals, it’s a win. We’ve been in the bottom three of the ladder in the MCDFNL for a number of years.

“You are bringing two sides together who have been bottom of the ladder for a long time and you are not going to, in our eyes, have instant success.

“There’s still a building we have to go through to galvanise everybody into one.

“If we can sneak into finals it’s a win for us.”

Raven said for the first time in years the under-17 team will be competitive and strong after the merger.

It’s validated the move from both clubs.

But there are nerves ahead of Saturday’s home match against Talbot at Hedges Park.

“There’s definitely excitement and a bit of relief,” Raven said.

“It’s been a pretty long period for sure. It feels like it's in your thoughts all the time to get this club going.

“All the players and the community have now accepted what’s happening and are quite excited to see what the Giants can bring.”

Maryborough’s version of the Orange Tsunami starts its season at 2.35pm.