Taytoon lands four ex-WAFL players as it looks rise up the ladder

A country club determined to make amends after missing finals for the first time in more than 20 years has gone on a recruiting spree landing a quartet of ex-WAFL players.

Tatyoon walk out before the 2023 grand final. Picture: Tatyoon Football Netball Club.

Inspired by the pain of last year, Tatyoon has headed west as it plans to right the wrongs of a historic year for the club.

Last year was meant to be a year of celebration for the Mininera and District league team but instead it turned into a horror show.

The 2023 premiers, celebrating their 100th year as a club, weren’t able to replicate the performance, and missed finals for the first time since 2002.

A 21-year run of finals was ended by half-a-game as the team finished sixth.

The off-season has been about changing that with Andy Challis signed as coach.

Challis led Springbank in the Central Highlands to two grand finals, in 2022 and 2023, before he left the club last year.

And he’s wasted no time in rebuilding the team to be contenders this year.

Cam Anderson has signed for Tatyoon this season after playing in the Geelong league recently and in the WAFL and VFL. Picture by Wayne Taylor

The Hawks have signed ex-WAFL players Cameron Anderson, Lachlan McGrath, Max Terpsis and Clay Gorman for this year alongside Hugh Plowman and Logan Dixon from Geelong competitions.

Anderson and Plowman are midfielders with McGrath, Terpsis and Gorman set to add depth to the forward and defence of the Hawks.

Challis and the team have also added Brad Horsham who won the 2022 Central Highlands premiership with Gordon.

“We have Angus Johnston (ex-WAFL player), who had his first year at Tatyoon last year,” the new coach said.

“He got in contact with me about Cam Anderson coming across. He had some good WAFL experience and it kind of just flew from there.

“We got Anderson on board and then got the other three boys as well. They came as a package deal and will move across at the end of the month.”

Challis said the focus on the recruiting had been about one thing he noticed while watching last year’s grand final between Penshurst and Wickliffe Lake Bolac.

“We were a little bit older last year,” he said.

“So we wanted to go and get after some quicker players who could break open games and break lines.

“So we can keep up with those younger sides in the comp.”

The recruitment might be one thing but the hunger to improve is something both the coach and the club will be taking into 2025.

Both have unfinished business.

Challis said after missing out on premiership success with Springbank he’s now determined to bring Tatyoon to the top.

Andy Challis (right) is the new coach at Tatyoon. Picture: Tatyoon Football Netball Club.

“The first one (2022) was probably the one we weren’t supposed to win but the second we should have,” he said.

“We won 15 games in a row but couldn’t get the last one done.

“There’s definitely unfinished business in that aspect from a coaching perspective but I love coaching anyway.

“The way the club is, the tools they possess along with the recruits we got, I look forward to building something in the next year or two and getting that success.”

He’s also seen the determination to succeed in the current and new players.

“There is an excitement around the club with the new recruits and the guys coming into it,” Challis said.

“From last year it was a wake up call missing finals. So now it’s time to put the head down and have a crack.

“The conversations the players have been putting in the group have been about getting back to the standards of two years ago.

“A lot of guys were not satisfied with the way they went last year.

“There’s the sense we want to be a finals team and get back to glory.”

Tatyoon’s season starts on April 12 against Hawkesdale Macarthur.