EFL 2019: Vermont champion Ryan Mullett opens up on return to Eastern Football League club
Vermont champion and Eastern Football League legend Ryan Mullett has opened up on his return to Terrara Rd, revealing he had an urge to finish his career at the Eagles.
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A bit has changed since Ryan Mullett left Vermont four years ago.
There’s a new president, a change of coach and a fresh group of players.
But one thing has remained the same — Vermont’s desire for premierships.
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The Eagles won their 20th Eastern Football League flag last year after a 35-point win over South Croydon.
And at 36, Mullett is making a return to the Eastern Football League, where he is revered as one of the competition’s greatest players.
Three Chandler Medals, four club best and fairests and four premierships attest to his standing in the EFL.
The champion midfielder was a central figure in the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 flag wins, captained the club and was an Eastern league representative.
But this season will be his last in one of the great suburban careers.
Mullett left Vermont at the end of 2014 and spent two years at Rye in the Mornington Peninsula competition, winning the best and fairest in both seasons.
He had a two-year stint at Southern Division 1 club East Malvern, duly collecting best and fairests in 2017 and 2018.
Mullett said he had an urge to finish his career at Terrara Rd.
“Last year … I was sort of thinking that would be it but the body felt pretty good and finished the year pretty well and I sort of thought that I’ve probably got one more year in me at that level,” Mullett said.
“Vermont’s home and I’ve got a real desire to come back home and finish my footy at my home club.”
Some have queried whether Mullett, in his mid-30s, will still have the influence he had at his peak when he won league medals in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
But Mullett said he could play an important role in Vermont’s quest for back-to-back flags.
“In terms of what I can do, I’m not going back to be a big, huge impact player maybe that I was once upon a time,” he said.
“I just want to get there and play a role with obviously a good young team and I’m happy to slot in wherever needed.
“I don’t have huge expectation or pressure on myself to deliver at a certain level but I reckon I can still come back and contribute.”
The father-of-two had settled that 2018 would be his last year but a strong finish to the season convinced him to go around one more time.
He was named in East Malvern’s best players in eight of its final 12 games before Vermont announced in November its favourite son would be finishing his career in purple and gold.
Mullett noted the standard of the competition had “probably peaked at the moment with the influx of VFL reserve players” and the demands of EFL Premier division remained at a high standard.
“There’s a lot of young guys who are really quick, or I’ve just got slower,” he said.
“Based on the level of footy, the demands and the requirements to do more are there.
“The good teams, like Vermont, they’re doing three sessions a week, they’ve got training programs in place when you’re not at the footy club so there are demands to look after yourself even when you’re not at the footy club.
“If I look at that compared to Southern Division 1, there’s a big change in the level of footy and the training ramps up because of that.
“The people around the club are still there because that’s what makes Vermont so great is we’ve had those people, or the pillars, for so long and they do such a great job.”
Mullett said he wanted to finish his career as a five-time premiership player and deliver Vermont its 21st premiership.
“I can tell they’re hungry and they want more and I can just tell by the way they train and the way they prepare themselves that they’re that type of group,” he said.
“I can see a very successful period for the group, which is really exciting.”
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