Dual code gun hopes Aussie Rules, cricket can work out ground share
Combining high level football and cricket, Jonty Rushton is a rare breed. The Panton Hill premiership player and Northcote all-rounder hopes the two sports can come to a fair ground sharing deal.
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Dual code gun Jonty Rushton hopes football and cricket can live in harmony when it comes to ground availability post the coronavirus shutdown.
Rushton is in a unique position as a First XI all-rounder for Premier Cricket outfit Northcote and senior premiership player at Northern Football League club Panton Hill.
Shared grounds such as Northcote’s Bill Lawry Oval need weeks of preparation after football season before cricket can be played.
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Rushton hopes the drive to get the football season started doesn’t negatively impact the start of the summer sporting season.
“In footy you can get away with a rough paddock, but we know with cricket if the deck’s not ready it can create all sorts of problems,” he said.
“It’s one of those sports where you’ve got a limited amount of time before things turn, in terms of weather and grounds, and those grounds need as much preparation as possible to get up for Round 1.
“Obviously Northcote Park play there and they’re a Division 1 football club but in the grand scheme of things it is a cricket ground.
“The amount of work we’ve put into the oval over the last couple of years, you’d hate to see it overused in the coming months and us to go back to square one.”
Both sports are close to Rushton’s heart having won promotion last football season with the Redbacks, while the Dragons were eyeing a drought-breaking premiership before the season was cancelled and the title controversially awarded to Melbourne.
Premier Cricket rivals can expect a strong start from Northcote next season after the coronavirus crisis cut the season short.
“A few of the boys were disheartened by the whole thing because we wanted to see how far we could take it,” Rushton said.
“We felt we had the wheels in motion and everyone was hitting their straps at the right time, and then the next week it was all called off.”
Rushton said the pandemic lockdown has been a novelty at first and allowed him to refresh the body but now he is itching to get back in action.
Community sport could start to reopen next week as the Victorian Government considers easing restrictions.
Rushton is confident Panton Hill will be well placed to kick start its return to NFL Division 2 after bonding in isolation.
“At the end of cricket season I was looking forward to have a break … but now I’m just sitting here bored out of my brains on the weekends,” he said.
“I know our group as been really close during this isolation … we’ve all kept in contact in terms of what we’re doing outside the game as well as fitness wise.
“It’s really important because we know, going up a division, the challenge is going to be even bigger this year.
“Last year we had the pressure of being the No.1 team in the comp and living up to that and now we’re the team coming up and we need to make sure we don’t go down in straight sets.”