COHUNA KANGAS
PROFILE
A NEW coach, combined with the return of several favourite sons, has the Kangas faithful hopeful of a return to finals – and potentially more.
After a bitterly disappointing 2023, where Cohuna went from grand final heartbreak to completely missing the finals, the Kangas have left no stone unturned in their pursuit of that elusive Central Murray premiership.
Jack Geary will take over the reins at the Kangas from Tyson Findlay, who returned to North Bendigo after one season in charge. Geary brings with him one impressive CV, with six premierships at Bendigo Football League powerhouse Golden Square, including last year’s six-point win over Sandhurst in which he was adjudged best on ground for the third time in his career in a grand final. Add to that the 2018 Michelson Medal as the Bendigo Football League’s best-and-fairest player, and it’s easy to see why the Kangas would feel bullish about their chances this season.
Joining Geary will be Ryan Semmel, a former Victoria Country representative and six-time club best-and-fairest, mid-sized defender Jayden Cordy and small forward Izaac Johnson. But the real positive is the returns of William Lee, Jackson Williams, Xavier Mitchell, Sam Leitch and Jacob Mitchell, with all five players returning to help their home club climb back up the ladder.
It’s a fact that isn’t lost on Geary, who despite his impressive resume, is entering his first season as a senior coach, with the Kangas having a clear focus on improving their midfield depth ahead of a the new season.
“A lot of the guys we’ve recruited are local guys who are coming back home and are wanting to try and achieve something for their home club, which is great for the town and great for the club,” Geary said.
“We’ve tried to recruit midfielders that can play all over the ground.
“We feel that we’re pretty well stocked for key position players up forward and down back, but with the size of our home ground, we wanted guys who could cover the ground between the arcs and so far, it’s looking good.”
While the Kangas will go into the season bullish about the chances of playing finals, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing this off season, with leading goalkicker Rhys Free departing, along with defenders Jake Hammond, Daniel Paterson and Tom Metherell, with the latter appointed senior coach of Wedderburn.
With so many arrivals and departures, Cohuna will have a vastly different look about them on paper, with Geary also hoping his side will have a different look about them on the field as well.
“We want try and play a little bit on instinct, but we also need to try and find a balance between that and having a strong defensive structure,” Geary said.
“One area we’ve identified where we need to improve is with our depth and having guys playing their roles, we need all 22 of us playing our roles and having an impact on the game, whether it be big or small.
“I’m coming in with fresh eyes and a new perspective and everyone is starting fresh with me, I haven’t got anyone pigeonholed into set positions and it doesn’t matter what guys have done in the past, everyone starts again with a clean slate.”
FROM THE COACH
“First and fore most we want to improve, but at the same time we want to be right there at the business end of the season. I think the team we’ve assembled should hopefully stack up against the best, and I suppose after finishing sixth last year, anything higher than that is an improvement, but I think at our best we should be playing finals.”
INS & OUTS
INS: Jack Geary (Golden Square), Izaac Johnson (Mathoura), Xavier Mitchell (Banyule), Jacob Mitchell (Banyule), Jackson Williams (Port Melbourne Colts), William Lee (Golden Square), Jayden Cordy (Huntly), Ryan Semmel (East Brighton), Sam Leitch (Port Melbourne Colts).
OUTS: Rhys Free (Noosa Tigers AFC), Tyson Findlay (North Bendigo), Tom Metherell (Wedderburn), Luke Conca (Trinity Aquinas), Jake Hammond (Blackburn), Nathan Hammond, Daniel Paterson.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024
The Kangas are once again going all out in an attempt to win that elusive silverware, but this time they’ve gone down the path of bringing home grown talent back to the club. Considering the quality of players they’ve recruited, the Kangas should be aiming for nothing less than a finals appearance, and if they can make use of their outside run as planned, then a top three finish shouldn’t be out of the question either.
Have a dream run with the fixture as well, with NNW United the only finals team from last season they will face twice, with double-up games against Koondrook-Barham, Tooleybuc-Manangatang, Tyntynder, Swan Hill and the Mallee Eagles.
KEY PLAYER
Joel Helman: One of the best and most dynamic players in the Central Murray, the former Jack Betts Medallist can hurt opposition teams with both his ability to win the contested ball and his clean disposal on the outside. Should find a new lease on life in the Kangas midfield with the addition of Jack Geary, with all the attention now not focused squarely on the reigning best-and-fairest.
BIG IMPROVER
Dylan Johnstone: Seems unfair to put a player who has been among his team’s key contributors in this column, but it’s hoped the departure of Rhys Free will have a positive effect of Johnstone’s game. Kicked just 19 from 14 matches last season, and although he spent some time in defence, was well down on his 2022 season, when he booted 52 majors. If the Kangas are to push deep into the finals, they will need Johnstone at his absolute best.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Who will be the bigger loss – Jake Hammond or Rhys Free? And more importantly, who will replace them?
OK, that’s two questions, but in the context of the Kangas’ line-up they are both big losses. Having led the Kangas goalkicking for the past three seasons since his return, Free will be difficult to replace. His absence may however free up space for Dylan Johnstone to take over the No.1-forward mantle, and with Daniel Coates, Ryan Semmel and Izaac Johnson rolling through the forward half, the Kangas won’t be short on goalkicking options.
Hammond on the other hand will be even harder to replace, as there really is nobody who can read the play like him nor take a contested mark. While Will Lee and Sam Leitch will fill the lock down defender role, the Kangas still have work to do on intercepting their opponents’ forward entries.
COHUNA KANGAS PREDICTED BEST 22
B. Jayden Cordy – William Lee – Cooper Mcloughlin
HB. Brenton Conforti – Sam Leitch – Jackson Williams
C. Xavier Mitchell – Joel Helman – Jacob Mitchell
HF. Sam Mcglone – Ryan Semmel – Jack Donat
F. Izaac Johnson – Dylan Johnstone – Daniel Coates
R. Christopher Anderson – Jarrod Findlay – Jack Geary
INT. Riley Hird – Dylan Friedberger – Angus Donat – Will Thrum
