VFL 2019: Upper Ferntree Gully star Tom Meagher impressing in pre-season at Coburg

Upper Ferntree Gully star Tom Meagher is quickly turning heads at Coburg pre-season on the back of a standout season in the Eastern Football League.

Tom Meagher gets a kick away for Upper Ferntree Gully. Picture: Tom Caruso

Disciplined, driven and determined, Upper Ferntree Gully star Tom Meagher is taking his football to the next level.

On the back of a standout season at the Kings, Meagher has won a deal with VFL club Coburg.

A premiership player in 2016, the 21-year-old was named in the best players 15 times from 20 games last year, received Eastern Football League Division 2 team of the year honours and finished fourth in the competition best and fairest.

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The strong bodied midfielder was invited to train with Coburg in the pre-season and was almost immediately rewarded with a contract.

“We went away on our pre-season camp and the thing that stood out to us was he just stepped up to the plate,” Coburg assistant coach Ben Osborne said.

“We had some match sim stuff and he was unbelievable, he was really impressive and we gave him a contract on the spot that night in front of the group.”

Osborne was sent out to watch Upper Gully’s semi-final against Doncaster East and Meagher was duly named in the best players.

Tom Meagher representing the Eastern Football League in an under-19 fixture in 2016. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“He seemed to be a first possession player, he’d get it then give and he was really strong around the contest,” he said.

“He can just stiff arm blokes and get away from the contest and we just thought there was some real upside to the rest of his game.”

A qualified roof plumber, Meagher’s professionalism has been a standout at training.

His day starts at 3.15am when he rises to go to the gym before he jumps on the tools until 3.30pm, makes the 45-minute commute from Ferntree Gully to the city’s northwest for training and arrives home about 9pm.

Meagher said good mate Josh Begley’s rise from Upper Gully to Essendon two years ago had inspired him to test himself at the next level.

Begley was playing senior football at the Kings before being unearthed as a draft gem in 2016.

“Once I realised he could do it, I thought ‘why couldn’t I do it?’” Meagher said.

“I guess that gave me a bit more motivation to better myself.

“I always wanted to but just never realised it until last year that I had a bit more going on than I thought.”

Tom Meagher collects another possession for for Upper Ferntree Gully. Picture: Tom Caruso

Coburg general manager Seb Spagnuolo said Meagher had made a seamless transition to the state league club.

“He’s strong as an ox, we see him playing VFL footy in his first year as a midfielder and getting some serious game time,” Spagnuolo said.

“We really think he can be a bit of a surprise packet for us.

“From there who knows, he’s someone who could appear on the radar of some clubs who are looking for a mature body that can go to the next level.

“Until we see him in games that’s a bit far away, but definitely could surprise because he’s not a name that’s come through the TAC Cup or anything like that.

“He’s Division 2 EFL and a bit of a rough diamond.”

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