Hurstbridge quintet firing in Tracy Village’s NTFL premiership charge

Five Hurstbridge players are chasing premiership glory before a ball has been kicked in the NFNL, starring for NTFL club Tracy Village.

Hurstbridge players in action for Tracey Village.

Victorian footballers dominating the Northern Territory Football League is nothing new.

However, five players from one Northern league club chasing premiership glory this season is something special.

Hurstbridge quintet – Bailey Jordan, Joel Naylor, Cooper Perrin, Sean Ryan and Kye Declase – are doing just that with Division 1 club Tracy Village.

After finishing second, losing just three matches, the Razorbacks will play for a spot in the grand final on Saturday against flag rival and minor premier Jabiru Bombers.

The quintet has been flying up to Darwin each weekend.

Perrin said it had been a great experience for the group and hoped to bring their NTFL form back to Ben Frilay Oval.

“I played at Great Western and met the coach of Tracey Village, he asked if I wanted to come up and bring a couple of mates,” Perrin said.

“It’s good for our confidence, playing in the off-season and working on our structures together.

“Getting a kick every now and then, playing confidently, hopefully we can bring that back to Hurstbridge.”

Naylor, one of the NFNL Division 1’s premier forwards, finished second in the league goalkicking with 41 majors.

Ridiculously, the spearhead only played six games – booting bags of 14, eight and seven.

“It was actually pretty surprising, he kicked pretty straight – usually he sprays a few,” Perrin said.

“It’s a record at Tracy Village, the most goals in a game, so he was pretty stoked about that.

“He’s actually relaxed a lot, taken a lot of pressure off himself and just enjoyed playing footy without anyone knowing who he is, he’s had heaps of fun.”

Perrin kicked 13 goals in six matches, while Jordan added 12 in five.

The group missed Tracy Village’s final-round loss to Jabiru Bombers, a 95-point demolition.

However, they were on hand the previous clash and played key roles in handing the Bombers their only loss of the season.

Perrin said Hurstbridge’s maiden Division 1 finals campaign had taught the Bridges brigade a lot.

He’s confident the Razorbacks can flip the script at TIO Stadium.

“They’re pretty confident that they’ve learnt from a few mistakes they made last year,” Perrin said.

“It’s good they’ve got that (finals) experience behind them and I think they want to go a couple of steps further.

“Obviously, it’s a different competition at a different time of year but we’re pretty excited to see how far we can go and hopefully bring back a flag.

“We’re pretty confident if we stick to our structures and play the way we can, we’ve built a good relationship with the boys up there.”

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Following the success this season has produced, the two clubs could continue to work together into the future.

“The discussions I’ve been having with the club up there, they’re pretty keen to have a relationship and have a few boys travel up each year and play for them,” Perrin said.

“They’re a strong club, got plenty of juniors coming through, and I think a bit of experience from Melbourne will help their junior teams.”

Should Tracy Village earn a place, The NTFL Division 1 grand final will be played on March 16, while Hurstbridge’s season kicks off on April 13 against Eltham.