Dandenong Stingrays’ Matthew Gahan transitions from VFL at Frankston Dolphins to TAC Cup

DANDENONG Stingray Matthew Gahan’s path to the TAC Cup was unusual and maybe even unique. He advanced via the VFL.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 07: Matthew Gahan of the Stingrays is tackled during the round 11 TAC Cup match between Dandenong and Geelong at Shepley Oval on July 7, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/AFL Media)

MATTHEW Gahan’s path to the TAC Cup was unusual and maybe even unique. He advanced via the VFL.

That is, at age 17 he arrived at the Under 18 competition from a senior club he was too young to represent.

It should be the other way around, of course, but Gahan went from the Frankston Dolphins to the Dandenong Stingrays.

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The Balnarring junior and his mate Ned Shannon invited themselves to Frankston training last October as the Dolphins began to prepare for their return to the state league.

They were among the roll-call of almost 100 players that turned out for the first session.

Gahan was wrapping up Year 11 and aware he couldn’t play for the Dolphins. But he was eager to train with good players. He had no idea where it would lead.

Frankston forward Sam Fowler tracked his progress on the track and was so impressed that he phoned the Stingrays and suggested they would do well to get hold of Gahan.

Contact was made. And a couple of weeks before the start of the season Gahan was added to the Dandenong list, joining his cousin and draft prospect Will Hamill at Shepley Oval.

The right-foot defender made his debut in Round 3 and has stayed in a powerful team since.

It’s been a heck of a rise for Gahan, whose father, Jon, played in the VFA for Frankston alongside Will’s dad, Steve.

Dandenong Stingrays’ Matthew Gahan gets wrapped up during his side’s clash with Geelong Falcons. Picture: Kelly Defina.

“Yeah, it happened pretty quickly,’’ the Mornington Padua College student said on Tuesday.

“Because I wasn’t at the Stingrays, I wanted to train at Frankston because I knew it would be a lot better than a local pre-season.

“It went from there. One of the players (Fowler) mentioned my name to ‘Blacky’ (Stingrays coach Craig Black) and someone rang dad on a Thursday night and said I could play in a trial game on the Saturday. I played in that and then I played in another trial game and ended up making the cut. It worked out for me.’’

Gahan played at representative for the Mornington Peninsula junior league and in a premiership for Balnarring Under 17s last year.

Matthew Gahan, pictured in 2012, when he represented Victoria.

He said there was a “huge jump’’ in the speed, intensity and skill level of the state Under 18 competition.

“The Frankston preseason did help me out,’’ he said. “It took a while to get used to it (TAC Cup), definitely, but I feel as though I’m getting better now each game, which is good.’’

That he played with and against quite a few of the Stingrays in the Mornington Peninsula juniors helped him make the transition, he said.

Dandenong gave Gahan the No 12 jumper — far lower than his cousin Hamill (58).

“He was pretty filthy on that!’’ said with a laugh.

It wasn’t a case of the youngster being invisible to the Stingrays.

Club talent identification manager Mark Wheeler said Gahan received mentions as a 15 and 16-year-old and had the backing of legendary junior spotter Alan Trigg, but other players were judged to be ahead of him.

Ultimately its network kicked in, a former player ringing the coach.

“He probably just didn’t stand out at that stage and that’s one of the harsh things that happens,’’ Wheeler said.

“You’d like to take 100 kids but you take 50 to 60. That said, we were happy to revisit it — that happens a lot — and we saw enough in the practice games. That was it.’’

He said Gahan was a “natural footballer’’ who had impressed the coaches with his reading of the play, aggression and direct approach to the ball.

And Wheeler highlighted his persistence. “They’re always good, those stories, about kids who have to work a bit harder to find a way on to the list,’’ he said. “He was willing to do that and look at what he’s doing now.’’