NFL 2019: Lower Plenty captain Patrick Flynn focused on delivering in Division 1
How do you improve on a season where you achieved everything? That is the question confronting Lower Plenty captain Patrick Flynn.
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How do you improve on a season where you achieved everything?
That is the question confronting Lower Plenty captain Patrick Flynn after a dream 2018 campaign which culminated in the club’s premiership success.
The star ruckman took out the Division 2 league best and fairest, finished top three in the Bears’ club award and was best afield in Lower Plenty’s last-gasp grand final triumph over Eltham.
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That is a list of accolades most footballers would be rightfully satisfied by.
But not Flynn.
“I think I am in better shape now than I was this time last year and I always try to find a way to get better, improve on my game or add something different,” he said.
“I am really excited for it.”
The 27-year-old has long been considered one of the premier big men in the Northern Football League, a reputation he enhanced by dominating last season’s decider.
He was named in the Bears’ best players 12 times from 17 games in 2018, highlighting his importance in the centre of the ground.
“One of the areas I think you notice the biggest difference between Division 1 and Division 2, especially from my perspective, is the quality of the ruckmen,” he said.
“Just the size of guys and the professionalism as well.”
“There’s so many guys like (Bundoora’s) Matthew Dennis who can play ruck, beat you around the ground and take marks around the ground.
“I can’t wait to get back into that challenge.”
Three-time Frank Rosbrook medallist Dennis, 209cm Northcote Park recruit Kyle Galloway, West Preston Lakside’s Division 1 grand final best afield Mark Kovacevic and Heidelberg’s Sam Gilmore headline the quality big men awaiting Flynn in the top flight.
“You look across every team and everyone has got a quality ruckman,” Flynn said.
“That’s going to be a really good challenge and something that is really exciting for me.”
After he claimed the Division 2 best and fairest, Flynn’s coach Ben Turner said: “He’ll really relish the opportunity to play in Division 1 again.”
Much like his side, which last competed in Division 1 in 2016, Flynn is determined to prove a point against the competition’s elite.
“I’d like to think we can definitely be really competitive, win some games and catch some teams on the back foot throughout the year,” he said.
“It definitely will be a challenge, but we are pretty excited and ready for it.”
The Bears have added Matthew Perazzola (Northcote Park) and Josh Turner (Doncaster), while Sam Paterson and Cameron Elmore have returned.
Flynn said the club’s enviable crop of developing talent, led by Tom Keys, Ciaran Porter, Corey Sleep and Ben Paterson, had the quality to flourish in the Division 1 spotlight.
“Another year older, with all the experience of playing in Division 2 and winning a flag as well, I think there’s a massive improvement there for those guys,” he said.
Flynn said the club had been abuzz throughout pre-season as it looks to mark its Division 1 return by making a flying start to 2019.
Lower Plenty hosts Montmorency in the opening round on April 6.
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