BALRANALD
PROFILE
AFTER going heartbreakingly close to breaking their 14-year premiership drought just six months ago, the boys from Balranald are back for another tilt at the title – and they are intent on winning it.
Having gone so close last season, there is an air of expectation around the Roos, with a similar playing list rightfully placing them as one of the teams to beat entering the new season.
One of the few players to depart is Ethan Gant, whose run and drive out of the middle will be a big loss, but except for Gant, Balranald will go in with a largely unchanged side.
It’s that consistency from year to year that Balranald coach Jydon Neagle hoped would give his side that little bit of a difference, along with their new-found belief that their best football is good enough to match it with anyone.
“There are a lot of boys that were hurting after last year, some of those guys haven’t been that deep into a finals series before or in some cases played finals at all, and now they know what it’s all about,” Neagle said.
“They all believe in themselves a little bit more now that they can do it, and we will do it, if we all commit and work together.
“Another pre-season with just our group and the unity we found after the grand final, I think we’ll bond a lot more and that will help us lift our game another 10 or 20 per cent.
“We trust each other now and we know what we’re capable of and hopefully we can go all the way.
“We’ve tweaked a few things, especially defensively, and we’ve also made some adjustments to the way we move the ball going forward, but that will just be to suit the players that we’ve brought in.
“We’ll play in fairly similar way, but we’ve certainly made a few adjustments after identifying a couple of things over the summer.”
Those players include Renmark forward Lachie Lellman, and onballers Mason Fitzgerald and Bill Parry to help cover the loss of Gant, while Glen Gillbee will also return home when his Bendigo Pioneer duties allow.
Neagle was most excited about the addition of Lellman ahead of his team’s round 1 grand-final rematch with Kerang.
“Lachie is a bit of a sharp shooter and a good finisher, he plays pretty tall for his size and he’ll provide us with a good second target up forward,” Neagle said.
“Mason (Fitzgerald) will add a bit of depth to our midfield having been a starting midfielder for South Mildura last season and he’s going to be a great addition for us as well.”
While there has been much speculation about Ben Fuller’s return in recent weeks, last year’s leading goalkicker looks set to pull on the boots again and anchor what looms as a very potent forward line alongside Drew Lloyd, Lellman and Neagle himself.
The other big change at the Roos this season is at the helm, Neagle this year sharing the coaching duties with the highly regarded Tom Lister.
FROM THE COACH
“I think it’s going to be a much tougher competition this year, I don’t see there being three or four teams dominating like last season. For us, after the way we performed last year, the aim is to play in the same way again, put our best foot forward but this time go one step further.”
INS & OUTS
INS: Mason Fitzgerald (South Mildura), Lachlan Lellman (Renmark), Jack Gervasi (Ultima), Tobie Richardson (Lake Boga), Glen Gilbee, Bill Parry.
OUTS: Ethan Gant (Barossa District), Tyson Smythe (Hillston Swans), Ned Lay (Tyntynder), Josh Hodgson (injured).
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024
Having fallen just 10 points short of premiership glory last season, Balranald are widely regarded as the team to beat this year.
The Roos have some of the best top-end talent in the league, such as Ben Fuller, Jordan Wilkins and the Neagle and Lloyd brothers, but if they are to take that next step, they will need to improve their depth. That improvement should come from the likes of Jack Helgeland, Jack Jones, Toby Lay and Rory Fitzgerald, who all showed plenty of positive signs for the future last season.
The addition of Lachie Lellman up forward will help ease the burden on Fuller, but their defence is still a slight concern, apart from Jaxon Neagle, who is an out-and-out star. While the competition should be a lot tougher this season, anything less than a top three finish would be below par for Balranald.
KEY PLAYER
Jydon Neagle: One of, if not the best player in the Central Murray, Neagle can do things with a football that others can only dream about. Can play anywhere on the ground, with his sublime skills and attack on the ball second to none. Will be motivated by last year’s grand-final loss, and as such it would not surprise if the Balranald joint coach took his game to an even higher level.
BIG IMPROVER
Ian Fuller: Showed glimpses of what he was capable of last year, but the longer the season went, the better and more confident it seemed Fuller was. Will be required to step up after the loss of Ethan Gant, with his speed and ability to break the lines set to be vital to the Roos’ chances of reaching another grand final.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Will last year’s grand final heartbreak motivate or hamper the Roos?
The old sporting adage that “you need to lose one to win one” may or may not be true – who really knows honestly.
While Balranald had every opportunity last year to break their premiership drought, only to fall agonisingly short, this year could prove to be a far harder task.
Losing Ethan Gant leaves a big hole in their midfield and opposition teams have had a whole summer to pick apart the Roos’ system.
The one unknown is how the playing group responds to the disappointment of grand final day last year. Does it galvanise and motivate them to go one step further? Or does that pain and heartbreak still linger, as it did for Cohuna last season.
BALRANALD PREDICTED BEST 22
B. Jack Jones – Toby Lay – Jack Salau
HB. Ryan Middlebrook – Jaxon Neagle – Harrison Soraggi
C. Ian Fuller – Colin Andrews – Mason Fitzgerald
HF. Jydon Neagle – Drew Lloyd – Tom Salau
F. Seth Connell – Ben Fuller – Lachlan Lellman
R. Jordan Wilkins – Matthew Neagle – Kobe Lloyd
INT. Leyland Brougham – Jack Helgeland – Bill Parry – Jarryd Stead
