AFTER an opening-round win over reigning premiers Kerang, Balranald continue to go from strength to strength, securing the signature of Jackson Ferguson.
Joining from Sunraysia league club Wentworth, Ferguson will play alongside Balranald co-coach and former Waratahs teammate Jydon Neagle.
While the key-position utility won’t line up for Balranald tomorrow against Lake Boga, he is sure to have a significant impact on the push to break a 15-year premiership drought this season.
Roos co-coach Tom Lister told The Guardian that Ferguson – who played one AFL game for St Kilda in 2013 – had been on the club’s radar for several seasons now.
“He’s going to be a very big inclusion for us,” Lister said.
“He can play anywhere on the ground and he’s open to playing any role as well. It will depend on where the match-ups take us.
“If we think we can expose a back line he might go forward. If we need him behind the ball to help structurally with our back line then he’ll play there.
“He won’t play this weekend. He would have been available next Saturday but unfortunately we have the bye.
“Both he and Jydon (Neagle) played together up north at Waratahs a few years ago and they’ve been mates ever since.
“Jackson’s been playing in Wentworth and he was a bit undecided about his footy, so Jydon reached out and said there was a spot with us and it went from there.”
Last year’s grand finalists will go into tomorrow’s match confident following their come-from-behind four-point win over Kerang last Saturday.
The win was just the boost the Roos needed, according to Lister, on what was an emotion-charged afternoon as the club also paid tribute to life member Bronwyn Brougham, who passed away suddenly last November.
“She was looking down over us for sure,” Lister said.
“She was a legend of our club and it was such a sudden death which really shook our community
“A moment’s silence for her before the game was a nice tribute. She was unbelievable with everyone involved at our club and she’s left a big hole to fill.
“(The win over Kerang) was a good result, the ball was up and down the ground all day and it was game where neither side really dominated the other.
“To come from behind against Kerang and beat them is one of the harder things to do, but to the boys’ credit they fought it out and played as close to four quarters as we could.”
Balranald will be favourites against a Lake Boga side playing their first match of the year and having a vastly different team following several off-season departures.
However, Lister refused to underestimate a team who played finals the past two seasons and was capable of anything.
“They are a bit of an unknown, they’ve obviously had a big turnover of players, so trying to get an idea on match-ups and what to expect is difficult,” Lister said.
“They’ll have a few kids playing and kids can be unpredictable and fearless, so we don’t know what to expect.
“We just have to make sure we’re doing everything right defensively to combat anything they throw at us.
“They still have the Lonergan boys who are quality players and will provide good direction and leadership for them, and if you put some smart senior guys around some fast exciting kids, you can do anything.”
