David Zaharakis to miss local footy finals campaign after taking reality TV opportunity
Ex-AFL star David Zaharakis has signed up for a reality TV show appearance and will miss his local footy club’s finals campaign.
Northern
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Bundoora expects to be without star ex-AFL recruit David Zaharakis for the rest of the season.
The Essendon best-and-fairest winner is set to take a reality TV opportunity with filming to begin as early as next week.
Zaharakis has signed a non-disclosure form, meaning he can’t tell his teammates where he’s going or what program he’ll appear on.
Ex-AFL players have made a string of recent appearances on the likes of Survivor, I’m a Celebrity Australia, Celebrity Masterchef and Big Brother.
The Round 14 win over Macleod will be his last appearance, missing Saturday’s clash against Greensborough and likely the Bulls’ NFL Division 1 premiership charge.
It’s a big blow to Bundoora’s flag hopes with Zaharakis playing a key role in the club’s 10-4 campaign.
Coach Michael Ryan recognised it was too big an opportunity to let go.
“I suppose it’s open-ended, we’re not sure when he’ll come back or if he’ll come back,” Ryan said.
“We caught up and had a coffee and he explained the opportunity and I suppose it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It pulled at him a little bit in terms of his commitments to Bundoora but in the end it’s an opportunity he has to take.
“It will give him a foot in the door and being able to get future work down the track, so hopefully it leads to greater opportunities down the road for him.
“While it hurts from an on- and off-field perspective with everything he adds, we totally respect his decision as well.”
The search for a replacement will now begin with Ryan forecasting some experimentation.
Bundoora will be boosted by the return to pacy Richmond VFL-listed wingman Jackson Bowne on Saturday, barring state league selection.
The Bulls reserve grade team sits second on the ladder with a 12-2 record.
“The great thing is we’ve got great depth at the club at the moment,” Ryan said.
“The ressies are going really well and some guys that have been out with injury and missed a portion of footy will get an opportunity to come back in.
“We’ll play around with the side a little bit to fill David’s wing role and we’ve had Bailey Thompson out for the past four weeks as well so we’ve had to fill his place.”
There are just four matches left in the NFL Division 1 home-and-away season with Bundoora to face Greensborough, Montmorency, Northcote Park and North Heidelberg in the run home.
The Bulls are all-but certain to play a qualifying final against Montmorency at Preston City Oval on August 27-28.
The winner will then play Heidelberg for a place in the grand final.
Ryan knows winning form should not be taken for granted.
“You definitely can’t get complacent, we’ve got to make sure winning is a habit,” he said.
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“There’ll be no managing of players or playing around with the side purely because you have some comfort.
“We need to make sure we keep ticking boxes and beating sides around us so we have strong momentum when finals opportunities present.”
Greensborough will likely be without Matthew Kreuzer after an impressive debut against North Heidelberg last week.
The star big man is a part of Carlton’s AFL coaching staff and the Blues travel to Adelaide to face the Crows on Saturday night.
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