ROUND 1 is often reserved for showing off a club’s newest recruits, ones who come with imposing reputations and high expectations that they’re the missing link to turn their club’s fortunes around.
For the Mallee Eagles, Saturday will be less about their fresh faces and more about the return of a favourite son, one who carries a surname synonymous with the Eagles faithful.
For Tom McGregor, the match against Tooleybuc-Manangatang will be as big as a family reunion, with the four McGregor boys – Darcy, Harry and Hamish – all pulling on the blue and gold stripes once again.
McGregor will play his first game for his home club since 2022, having spent the past two seasons with Pyramid Hill in the Loddon Valley Football Netball League, where he was an integral part in the club’s back-to-back grand final appearances.
However, McGregor couldn’t ignore the pull of being part of something special back home.
“It (leaving Pyramid Hill) was a very tough decision to be honest, but obviously the club (Mallee Eagles) is in a great spot and I just wanted to return home and be a part of it,” McGregor told The Guardian this week.
“It’s close to 30 years since we last won a flag, Dad played in the last one and it would be special for the family if we could get it done this year or next year, but the chance to also play with my brothers was hard to ignore either.
“It was tough decision but I know I made the right decision.
“We’ve played a few games together, I think Harry might have been under-16’s at the time, but according to Dad we played about 10 games together even though I didn’t think it was that many.
“But Harry and Hamish have both had good pre-seasons this year, so hopefully they’ll be in because it will be great to play with them and run out onto the field with them all again.”
Having won Pyramid Hill’s seniors best and fairest last season, McGregor returns home at the peak of his game.
While still playing predominately in defence for the Bulldogs, McGregor’s game has shifted somewhat from the dour, defensive machine that used to negate the best key forwards in the Central Murray, to transforming into an attacking, intercept defender capable of wrestling momentum back in his teams favour.
“The last few years have been nice to get away and develop my game a little bit more,” McGregor said.
“I was sort of penciled in at full back a lot growing up at Lalbert and it’s been good to expand my game a little bit more and get up the ground a bit and from an individual point of view, I think that’s helped me enjoy my footy a bit as well.
“It (the Loddon Valley FNL) was a minor competition, but I still enjoyed my last few years at Pyramid (Hill), but now I’m looking forward to coming back home.
“I haven’t spoken to ‘Red’ or ‘Wiz’ (coaches Brent Macleod and Harry Allen) too much about where I’ll be playing, but ideally I’ll be down back.
“I’d love to play that intercept role, but I understand we’ve got a lot of good key backs like ‘Posty’ (Jayden Post) and ‘Joey’ (Joe Halloran), so we’ll just see what happens.
As for what McGregor is most looking forward to when he runs out onto the ground he grew up learning the game on, being part of a successful side again sits at the top of the tree.
“There’s a good feeling around the club at the moment, obviously the twos won the flag last year and netballers were successful as well,” McGregor said.
“There’s some real excitement with the players we’ve brought in and it’s helped to create a really good atmosphere.
“There’s a lot of young blokes and guys in their early 20’s, we’re a club that’s very welcoming to everyone and I’ve heard lots of good things about the direction we’ve been heading in over the past few years, which has definitely made it easier to come back home.”
