Torquay star Baxter Mensch left the Tigers to broaden his footy experience
One of the Bellarine’s best players has opened up on why he’s departing a league powerhouse gunning for a historic threepeat, and the key moment which helped sway his decision.
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Torquay midfield star Baxter Mensch has never been scared to go the extra mile or two for his footy career.
Even if it means turning his back on a strong chance of a historic threepeat at his home club of the Tigers.
The 24-year-old stunned the Bellarine footy community by signing with Sunraysia footy outfit Robinvale Euston for the 2025 season.
A few days after the decision, Mensch told this masthead he plans to fly to the state’s northwest for games while still being based in Torquay and working at a local primary school in the region.
He said it was a “difficult decision” to inform senior coach Dom Gleeson he was leaving McCartney Oval after two flags in as many seasons.
“I didn’t have any intentions of moving after winning back-to-back flags,” Mensch said, who collected 36 possessions in the Tigers’ triumph over Anglesea just over two months ago.
“Once you getting a taste of winning not one but two (premierships) you want to go again obviously, and we feel like we have the list to go again.
“I’m just keen to give country footy a crack and open up new opportunities and broaden my footy.”
He said playing up north the past three NTFL seasons, with Palmerston and then the Darwin Buffaloes, had exhibited his skills to a wider audience; a number of Territory players like Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Tiwi Bombers) and Jarrod Brander (Southern Districts) are now playing in the Sunraysia league, with Imperials and Wentworth respectively.
Mensch said Robinvale’s signing of Waratah goalkicker and Tasmanian State League forward Jayden Magro, unveiled on November 4, tempted him further to put pen to paper with the Eagles.
“That sort of swayed me too, it will be good to play alongside him instead of against him,” he said.
Mensch said chasing a kick in the Top End was mostly about embracing the experience of being immersed in the country’s most unique footy environment.
“I love my footy so much,” Mensch said.
“I’ve made some connections and friendships up there, it’s just a whole lot different to playing down here, it’s a bit of carefree footy, it’s quick and it’s exciting, I love it.”
With the AFLNT permitting eight fly-in players per club each season, Mensch would traditionally catch a 9.30pm flight on a Friday and arrive about midnight, stay in a hotel and then play on the Saturday, before catching a red eye later that night.
Now two months on since Torquay’s historic flag, Mensch has been keeping fit for Buffaloes fixtures by getting to the gym most nights and going for runs.
“I’m happy to train with Torquay when the dust settles a little bit,” he said.
The NT experience has rubbed off on his Tiger teammate and last year’s best and fairest winner, Chase Loftus, who played in the Buffaloes’ most recent match under new coach Phil Wills.
“I spoke highly of him and they accepted him to come up,” Mensch said.
In unfamiliar circumstances for dual premiership players in Mensch and Loftus, the Buffs were belted in their last game by 151 points by Southern Districts side containing Jed Anderson and Leopold premiership player Connor Giddings in early November.
However, pre-game travel is second nature to the 24-year-old, who would drive to Bendigo to play with the Pioneers as a teenager, becoming a possible father-son option for Geelong in 2017.
There had also been interest the last couple of seasons from SANFL clubs, but Mensch wasn’t keen on moving interstate.
The Territory has enriched his footy career, though.
Back in October, 2022, a young Mensch would walk into a Palmerston team which had shelled out on a series of former AFL players, including Eddie Betts, Neville Jetta, Travis Varcoe and for one special night only the following month, Gary Ablett Jr and Mathew Stokes.
That game at TIO Stadium against NTFL powerhouse St Mary’s would later be declared a forfeit after governing body AFLNT deemed the Magpies had breached the fly-in rules.
For Mensch, it was an incredibly positive experience, playing alongside future Gold Coast Sun, Sam Clohesy, in the black and white.
“I gained a lot of experience and wealth of knowledge from those players,” he said.
“It was very exciting, the build up to that (Ablett Jr game) was pretty crazy.
“They were pretty much player-coaches for me. They definitely helped us to be as good as we were for the first half of the year, and then we sort of started to drop off.
“It’s definitely something I’ll cherish forever.”
Mensch still sees Ablett Jr at his local gym for a friendly chat, who has played with both father and son.
And while the Tigers were undoubtedly disappointed to see Mensch go, they’re hopeful he’ll return in coming years.
And the youngster sees it that way too.
“I’ll just see how that season goes, if I love it I might go again, but definitely not closing the door to coming back to Torquay,” he said.
Torquay coach Dom Gleeson disappointed to see Baxter Mensch go
Torquay coach Dom Gleeson said the club never wanted to hold contracted star player Baxter Mensch to ransom after the 24-year-old signed with a Sunraysia Football Netball League club.
Robinvale Euston revealed on social media on Sunday the two-time premiership Tiger would play for the Eagles in 2025.
It comes just over two months after Mensch again played a starring role in a BFNL premiership with the Tigers, picking up 36 touches with 15 coming in a brilliant first term against Anglesea.
He was also in the league’s top five for average possessions (fourth) and inside 50s (second) in 2024 as the Tigers went back-to-back.
Gleeson told this masthead he and Mensch had been discussing Robinvale’s offer for about a fortnight before informing the club on Saturday he was leaving.
“He was signed and committed to us, it was a really hard decision for him to make,” Gleeson said.
“I was a bit on the fence with him, I said we’d love you to stay but if you feel it’s the opportunity you can’t refuse and you need to do it, then go and do it…. I put it back on him.
“It took him a bit of time.
“It’s just a great opportunity for him to explore the footy up there.
“Would I say we gave him our blessing? No, of course not, I don’t want him to leave, but you’d be naive to think your players aren’t getting spoken to by other clubs.
“We’re never going to hold anyone to ransom.
“He’s a great footballer and he works really well with our kids and he’ll continue to do that during the week.
“He’ll train with us probably during the off-season, maybe we’ll see him tonight at training, I’m not too sure what his plans are, it’s our first training session back.”
Gleeson said the club was not in the business of holding players to contracts if they wanted to leave.
“It happens, it’s not the first time, it won’t be the last time,” he said.
“We’re not about holding onto players if they don’t want to stay….and its not like he didn’t want to stay … the opportunity was too good to refuse.
“There’s no bad blood at all. I know Baxter feels that way as well.
“We’re certainly excited for him and hopefully he gets what he needs out of it, we might be the club he plays for in a couple of years’ time.
“I know Robinvale will be excited to have him
“There was no real concern, it was just making sure Baxter was comfortable with the decision.
“Baxter has come a long way, we’re really proud of him.”
The Torquay-based Mensch has been travelling to Darwin for games with the Buffaloes in the NTFL, after a previous stint with Palmerston in 2022-23.
Meanwhile, Gleeson said the Tigers had signed up almost 100 per cent of its list from last year with only Mensch and fellow two-timer premierhsip player Harry McLeod not in their future plans, with the former to complete his medical placement as part of his studies out of the region: “Apart from that we’ve held on to everyone, which is nice.”
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