PROFILE
After running out of legs in last year’s Preliminary Final, perennial finalists Woorinen will be looking to reclaim their throne – and another piece of silverware – in 2023.
With two-time premiership coach Marcus Demaria continuing for a ninth straight season, the Tigers will again be one of the teams to beat – with both old and new faces set to further improve an already imposing playing list.
Last season saw Woorinen place a heavy emphasis on developing talented juniors, with Robert Rush, Henry Thompson, Matthew Gardner, Mitch Uhlhorn and Matthew King all playing full seasons in the seniors. The Tigers have also made clear their intent to secure their third flag since 2018 with some shrewd recruiting set to fill a number of identified gaps in their list.
Former premiership Tigers Doug Beames and Lachlan Warburton will return in 2023, after both players spent last year plying their trade with Modewarre in the Bellarine Football League. Joining them will be key forward Ben Hunt (Thurgoona), midfielder/forward William Collicoat (Quambatook) and utility Dylan Godwin (PINT). And Demaria is especially excited at the potential of former Montmorency midfielder/forward Danko Bzenic.
“He (Bzenic) played two years under Craig McRae in the VFL at Richmond and his footy IQ is through the roof,” Demaria said.
“He’s played a really high standard of footy in the past and just uses the ball so well – we’ll probably look at playing him 60 per cent in the midfield and 40 per cent up forward and have him working in partnership with Veszpremi at times.”
While Woorinen have recruited well, the news isn’t all good, with the Tigers also losing key players over the off-season – Lachie Wright (Sandhurst), Regan Vesty (Hoppers Crossing), Nyawi Moore (Swan Hill) and Aaron Cadd (retired) all having departed the den.
After their Preliminary Final fadeout, the Tigers have gone back to the drawing board. While they will still play with the same short passing, high possession game style in 2023, it’s also expected their new recruits will have a positive impact on the way they move the ball forward.
“We’ve looked to beef up our midfield because our depth through there was a bit of a deficiency last year,” Demaria said.
“Bringing in Danko (Bzenic) will help and Lachie Warburton will spend a bit of time in there this season alongside Jye (Barry), Robbie (Miller), ‘Doey’ (Josh Domaille) and (Patrick) Veszpremi.”
“Mitch Uhlhorn’s another one who’ll run through our rotations as well, especially after his efforts late last season playing on-ball.”
“Every year we make adjustments – we had a look back and analysed a few areas that didn’t quite work for us after last season, particularly the way we moved the ball inside our forward fifty with a dearth of options in attack.”
“That’s no disrespect to the guys that played down there, but we basically had to dump-kick the ball inside fifty, compete and then let our crumbing players try and lock it in and press up behind the footy – which against the better teams, was predictable.”
“So, we’ve made some adjustments in that area of our game and having a couple of changes in personnel will also help in that aspect.”
FROM THE COACH
“We’ve proven that we’re a successful side over a long period of time and our aim has always been to finish in the top three every year and play finals. We’ll have a strong emphasis on our junior development program again as well, but in terms of on the field, we want to be playing finals and giving ourselves every chance of winning it.”
INs & OUTs
INs
William Collicoat (Quambatook)
Ben Hunt (Thurgoona)
Danko Bzenic (Montmorency)
Douglas Beames (Modewarre)
Lachlan Warburton (Modewarre)
Caylan Lyons (Nangiloc)
Jack Atkin-Smith (Horsham Demons)
Dylan Godwin (PINT)
OUTs
Lachie Wright (Sandhurst)
Regan Vesty (Hoppers Crossing)
Nyawi Moore (Swan Hill)
Elijah Miliado (Swan Hill)
Bailey Codling (Ultima)
Zac Cattlin (Ultima)
Dom Gallo (NNW United)
Aaron Cadd (Retired)
Tom Eltringham (Retired)
Clayton McCartney (Oak Park)
Xavia Elford
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023
If not for injuries to some key players late last season, the Tigers story could have been written very differently. They’ve managed to keep their departures to a minimum and without doubt have improved their list – so it’s fair to say they will once again be prominent when the whips are cracking. They have also improved their midfield depth and forward line, with Ben Hunt to play deep and Doug Beames a chance to also play forward. This will relieve Lachie Gardner to return to the ruck – where he is a Best & Fairest winner in a premiership year for Woorinen. Gardner will be extremely important to the Tigers chances in 2023, with doubt surrounding the return of Arnold Kirby – who while remaining tied to Woorinen, at this point may stay up north following a season in the NTFL.
KEY PLAYER
Ben Booth
Any one of a dozen Woorinen players could fill this category, but if there’s one the Tigers can ill-afford to lose, it’s Booth. The general of their well-organised defence, Booth gets the job of stopping the opposition’s most dangerous forwards – and succeeds, more often than not. Played 12 games last season and was named in Woorinen’s best on five occasions – including a best on ground performance in the Tigers’ Round 13 win over Kerang.
BIG IMPROVER
Mitch Uhlhorn
Played every senior game in 2022 despite still being eligible for Colts, Uhlhorn is perfectly placed to have a breakout season. Has a good temperament, is hard at the ball and just goes about his business while still hurting opposition teams with his outside run. Should spend more time in the midfield, after being thrown in the deep end during last year’s finals series and handling the moment with a maturity beyond his age.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Where will Doug Beames have the biggest impact in 2023 – forward or back?
He’s played at both ends of the ground for Woorinen in the past, so it’s a hard question to answer. The Tigers appear pretty settled in defence, with Angus Butterfield set to return from injury and join Ben Booth, Matt Gardner and Henry Thompson in the back six. The one area that Woorinen could do with bolstering is in attack. Beames seems like the perfect choice to fill the void of that high half-forward marking role that’s been vacated by Lachie Wright.
WOORINEN PREDICTED BEST 22
B. Lachlan Warburton – Ben Booth – Henry Thompson
HB. Taylor Cameron – Matthew Gardner – Angus Butterfield
C. Mitch Uhlhorn – Rob Miller – Robert Rush
HF. Danko Bzenic – Doug Beames – Dylan Godwin
F. William Collicoat – Ben Hunt – Patrick Veszpremi
R. Lachie Gardner – Josh Domaille – Jye Barry INT. Matthew King – Daniel Mase – Adam Saunders – Bailey Fry
