MPNFL: Red Hill signs Karingal captain Andy Mathers
Andy Mathers captained Karingal against Red Hill in last season’s MPNFL Division 2 grand final. Now he has joined the Hillmen, and explains why he’s made the move.
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When Karingal captain Andy Mathers announced he was leaving the Bulls a few weeks ago, the offers from other clubs began immediately.
“There were heaps,’’ Mathers said.
But only one grabbed his attention enough to reignite his competitive flame: a message on Facebook from Red Hill coach Jamie Mollo.
Rivals in last season’s MPNFL Division 2 grand final, the pair had a mutual respect for one another.
“When I decided to leave Karingal I wasn’t expecting Jamie to message me...but as soon as he did it pricked my ears,” Mathers said.
After a quick chat, Mathers accepted an offer to join Red Hill, declaring: “I can’t wait to get stuck in”.
He says it’s the fresh start he needs after losing “my passion to play footy for a little bit’’ following Karingal’s grand final defeat.
“I just wasn’t really motivated to get to pre-season,” Mathers said.
“It was nothing to do with the guys or the place or anything…I just lost my love for it.
“I have left a footy club before and joined another one and I thought it was the only way I’m going to keep playing I guess.
“I was dragging my feet to training and pre-season the year after the grand final loss and I thought, ‘why am I doing this?’.”
Mathers will slot into a Red Hill side full of talent with the likes of Jake Mitchell, Lachlan Chandler, Dan Frampton, Chris Irving, Harry Wynn-Pope and Jonah Siversen to make the Hillmen even stronger as they rise to Divison 1 next year.
Mollo said Mathers was a “fantastic bloke’’ who would “suit our club to a tee’’.
“He’s very positive and very committed to his footy,’’ Mollo said.
“He’s only 27 and he wants to play a good level of footy and test himself. We were rapt when he said, ‘yep, I’d like to come on board’.
“We were looking for midfield depth and bigger bodies and a midfielder who can go forward and we knew he can do that.
“He gives us that flexibility with our rotations and allows us to play a few other guys forward which is going to help us tremendously going into Division 1.
“He can go in and win his footy in a contest but he can also spread really hard to the outside.’’
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