Country football: Twenty players and clubs to watch this season

WE CAST our eye across Victoria and picked the 20 players and clubs to keep an eye on this season.

WE CAST our eye across Victoria and picked the 20 players and clubs to keep an eye on this season.

CLUBS TO WATCH

KORUMBURRA-BENA (West Gippsland)

THE Giants appealed to join the new West Gippsland competition this year rather than be left in the Alberton league. Its appeal was successful, so the team, which did not win a game last year, is going up against nine former Alberton or Ellinbank and District clubs that all played finals in 2016 bar two. The Giants’ 2015 and ‘16 wooden spoons marked the first years since 2007 Korumburra-Bena failed to make finals and it was a 2013 grand finalist.

MELTON SOUTH (Ballarat)

YOU can’t enter a season having recruited former AFL players Brendan Fevola, Tayte Pears and Nick Kommer and not expect to end up on a list like this. Add to that the fact the Panthers did not win a game last year and have gone five seasons without making finals and the only question is, how far up the ladder will they jump? Sean Triplett, who has extensive off-field AFL experience in his own right, is co-coach alongside Fevola.

RENNIE (Picola & District — South East Division)

IT HAS been 2 1/2 years since Rennie won a game but that drought is not expected to last long. Former Richmond player and Ovens and Murray bestand-fairest winner Craig Ednie has crossed over from Yarrawonga to coach the Hoppers. And the club has recruited hard, with about 20 new seniors and reserves players including another O & M legend, Matt Pendergast, and Ednie’s cousin Steve McKee, another former Richmond and Yarrawonga player. “Any coach would want to play finals, but the reality is when you’re coming from so far back you’ve got a lot of small steps in progress,” Ednie said.

ORBOST SNOWY ROVERS (East Gippsland)

THE Rovers last year made their first finals appearance since 2011, having collected four wooden spoons in the seasons in between. They won six of their last eight home-and-away games, and lost the preliminary final to eventual premier Lindenow.

Nick Heyne, who played with St Kilda and also spent time on Carlton’s rookie list, is returning to his junior club to play alongside brother Michael. But the club suffered a setback with ruck recruit Wes Russell undergoing an ankle reconstruction last week and expected to miss the entire season.

SOUTH WARRNAMBOOL (Hampden)

THE Roosters won the wooden spoon two seasons after winning the 2011 Hampden league premiership but have been on the rise the past three seasons. Former St Kilda player Josh Saunders will be a huge boost through the midfield, while VFL players James Hussey and Liam Youl are returning to their former club. “We’ve been happy with how preseason’s gone and we’ve got high hopes going into the season,” second-year coach Mat Buck said.

NORTH WANGARATTA (Ovens & King)

AFTER a year of hell for North Wangaratta, is there light at the end of the tunnel?

The Hawks last year lost their senior coach after three rounds, lost all senior matches by an average of 151 points, and had no access to their ground for most of the season due to lead contamination. John Gannon has been installed as coach, the Hawks can now train on three-quarters of their ground and will play home games at the neighbouring Wangaratta clubs and one at Tarrawingee.

HARROW-BALMORAL (Horsham District)

HARROW-BALMORAL is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its merger this year and hopes to do so with a flag. The Kangaroos have appeared in 10 grand finals since 1999, but only won four. They have lost five since 2006, including last year’s decider. The big recruiting news for the Wimmera is Nic Pekin, the former Horsham Demons coach, will be a playing assistant coach.

HAWKESDALE-MACARTHUR (Mininera & District)

HAWKESDALE-MACARTHUR played a numbers game last year, and lost. Finishing out of the top three by percentage, it faced an elimination final instead of qualifying final and kicked 10.20 (80) in a one-point loss. Two-time Hampden league best-and-fairest winner and Penshurst premiership coach Simon O’Keefe is second-year playing coach and is aiming for a top-three finish. The Eagles made back-to-back grand finals in 2007- 08, losing both to Tatyoon, and have since flitted in and out of finals without making the big dance.

CASTLEMAINE (Bendigo)

A FAVOURITE son is back at the Magpies’ nest. Derrick Filo, who played 400 Bendigo league senior games including a premiership at Castlemaine, has taken over the coaching reins.

The club has not played finals since 2005 but hopes it can change that record under Filo, who also coached Eaglehawk and Kyneton to premierships.

Bridgewater.

BRIDGEWATER (Loddon Valley)

IS THIS the year the Mean Machine grinds to a halt — or at least slows down?

Bridgewater has won the past seven Loddon Valley premierships, a league record, and in that same time won 103 from 112 home-and-away games. Some classy players are leaving the club including former Richmond and Carlton player Andrew Collins, who has joined Sandhurst, while Brad Rohde (416 goals in 107 games) is at Strathfieldsaye as an assistant coach.

But former Bendigo Gold player Alex Pollock will return from injury and it opens doors for other players at the club.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LEVI DARE (Cobden)

THE three-time league Hampden best-and-fairest winner has taken on a new role at the Bombers – playing coach. It is the first time coaching for Dare, who has enticed his brother Joe, who was among those he tied for the 2012 Maskell Medal with, back to the club.

ROB PRICE (Meringur)

ANYONE playing senior football for more than 25 years and 400-plus senior games deserves to be applauded. When he runs out for Meringur for the first time this season it will be for game 426 across several clubs.

BRENT MACLEOD (Ocean Grove)

SO HOW do you top a season in which you won a league best and fairest and goal kicking award, plus captained the interleague side? Macleod did all that with footy club Thomson in the Geelong and District league last year, but has made the switch to Bellarine league club Ocean Grove, where he will be a playing assistant coach.

COREY JONES (Wycheproof-Narraport)

WILL the former North Melbourne gun finally get his hands on a premiership cup at his home club? At 35 years of age, Jones won the North Central league goal kicking last year, but the Demons lost a thriller to Charlton in the grand final.

Scott Meyer.

SCOTT MEYER (Beaconsfield)

ENTERED the annals of country football legends last yearwinning a third Norm Walker Medal (South East league’s best and fairest). On top of that he was a standout for Vic Country against

Vic Metro — what’s next for the skipper?

DEAN SMITH (Mooroopna)

SMITH, 20, has represented Vic Country under-19s twice, winning the best-on-ground Peter Knights Medal last year. The cropping farmer trained with VFL outfit Coburg in the preseason and will line up again with Mooroopna, where he made his senior debut in 2012.

ISABELLA AYRE (Bendigo)

This has been an historic year for women’s football, and a big year for Ayre, 18, who was drafted from Bendigo Thunder and kicked four goals in six matches for Carlton in the AFLW. Thunder’s runner-up best and fairest last year will play with Diamond Creek in the VFL Women’s.

TIM MOSQUITO (Woorinen)

Northern Territory Football League’s newest best and fairest is booked to play the first two games for the Central Murray league side, and the club hopes he could play 8-10 games this year. Round 1 will pit the Tigers and Mosquito against powerhouse Kerang, winner of the past five consecutive flags.

William Farrer.

WILLIAM FARRER (Ouyen United)

FARRER won the Sunraysia league goal kicking award last season as Ouyen United stormed to its first Sunraysia league premiership. He was the Northern Territory Football League’s leading goalkicker the past two seasons (108 in 2015-16, then 61 this season) and was runner-up to Brodie Filo in the NTFL best and fairest in 2015-16.

NATE PAREDES (Warragul)

PAREDES finished runner-up in the Gippsland League best and fairest last year and has just finished a stellar season in the NTFL, winning the NT News Player of the Year. Set for a big season in with the Gulls.