Hurstbridge unveils 10 new players in first practice match ahead of Round 1
Hurstbridge will be looking to break into the NFNL Division 1 top-five fight this seasons and its bevy of new players have made a strong start to the campaign.
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A raft of new faces impressed in Hurstbridge’s first practice match against Maribyrnong Park on Saturday.
New Bridges coach Joel Cordwell said the level of intensity was considerably higher as the club faced true opposition for the first time.
Hurstbridge unveiled 10 new players in the hit out, with several putting in eye-catching performances ahead of the new NFNL Division 1 season.
Jake Richards (Laurimar), Kye Agosta (basketball), Blake Fitzgerald (Whittlesea) and Harry O’Brien (Phillip Island, Gippsland Power) stood out after strong pre-seasons.
Agosta particularly impressed at centre half-back.
The 193cm Northern Knights and Vic Metro representative has played NBL1 for Eltham the past three seasons but returned to football this season and earned a VFL contract at Box Hill.
“Kye played centre half-back (on Saturday) and was really promising, taking a lot of intercept marks,” Cordwell said.
“He’s good on both sides of the body and reads the game really well and he hasn’t even played footy for three years.
“He’s done really well to make it onto a VFL list … he’s come back to footy and absolutely loving it, he’s 193cm and runs like a winger but really good in the air and his kicking is very precise.”
Three-time Division 3 Team of the Year defender Richards arrives from Laurimar and made an instant impression.
“Jake was outstanding … we’ve played a number of intra match simulations and it appears Jake has been going at about 50 per cent intensity,” Cordwell said.
“He definitely has a bit of white line fever, running in straight lines and attacking the ball in the air, he was really, really good and the boys acknowledged it after the game.”
Fitzgerald too has been flying.
“Blake has just been outstanding, he ran a 15 in the beep (test) a couple of weeks ago,” Cordwell said.
“His intensity and work-rate at training has been amazing, so we’re really happy with how he’s tracking.”
Hurstbridge has also added Josh Beven, Ben Harrisson (both Park Orchards), Mitch and Jake Wild, Will Plain (all Whittlesea), Luke De Goldi (Eltham), Chris McCabe (West Preston-Lakeside) and Carlton VFL-listed Mitch Moschitti (Balwyn).
Captain Lachie East is the bigger loss after crossing to divisional rival Bundoora.
Michael Florance (North Heidelberg), Sunny Brazier (Pascoe Vale), Tyson Old (Northcote Park), Cooper Perrin (Great Western, Mininera District) and Aiden Clarke (Laurimar) have also departed, while NFNL games record holder Daniel Keenan has returned to Montmorency.
Replacing East will be difficult, on and off-field, but Cordwell says the club has several players ready to lead.
“We’ve done a vote and we’ll make an announcement after the second practice game,” he said.
“We’ve got a number of guys that have stood out, Lachie definitely left a large hole, but we had seven guys nominated for captain.
“It’s exciting to see guys grow in that space and take over and start leading the group.”
Hurstbridge will round out its pre-season preparations with a final practice match against WRFL premier Altona before meeting West Preston-Lakeside in Round 1 on April 15 at Ben Frilay Oval.
The club is aiming to announce itself as a finals contender this season after finishing eighth for the past three seasons.
Cordwell believes the club’s ambition will come down to one very simple thing.
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“We’ve got to be way more consistent and be at a level higher for longer. That seems to be the consistent theme coming across,” he said.
“Saturday we saw periods where we were at a high level and then for whatever reason, drop away.
“It was a really good hit out and we got a lot out of it, learnt a lot about where we’re at.
“We’ve been pushing higher standards at training all summer, the guys’ beep test levels have improved a lot and we’re getting guys that can cover the ground for four quarters.”
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