One of Sandringham’s prized recruits for the 2017 Peter Jackson VFL season would actually know more about the club than many of his teammates – and he’s now their new captain.
After playing 70 senior games for the Zebras while an AFL player over the last six seasons (and winning their best-and-fairest award in 2012), delisted St Kilda midfielder Tom Curren shunned the prospect of seeking a new football environment to sign with the Saints’ VFL affiliate this year.
The 24-year-old managed only 25 AFL games since being selected as a rookie at the end of 2010, struggling to win prolonged opportunities at the elite level due to St Kilda’s depth of talented young midfielders and various injuries.
Having put the disappointment of his delisting behind him, the Mt Eliza and Dandenong Stingrays product has accepted a two-day-a-week placement working with the Saints’ strength and conditioning staff while completing a university course in exercise science.
“Being delisted is obviously something you’re not going to be thrilled about, particularly if you feel like you’ve still got a bit to offer,” Curren said. “More often than not (delisted players) do move on to a fresher environment, but I was really happy with the relationships I had at the club.
“I found out Lindsay Gilbee was going to be the senior coach and the strength and conditioning staff know me and my body and my history. I just felt like it was right. I spoke to a few other clubs, but at the end of the day I just had to go with my heart because I really couldn’t picture myself playing in another jumper.
“The placement played a small part too... I’ll try and help whoever’s in St Kilda’s rehab group. I’ve been there a little bit myself the last couple of years so I know what it’s like. I was heavily interested in strength and conditioning while I was playing with the Saints and it’s something I’d like to pursue long-term.”
Curren has had to focus on his own rehabilitation over the off-season though – he broke his wrist in Sandringham’s 46-point semi-final loss to Williamstown and also had post-season surgery on his quad.
But having returned to full training shortly after Christmas, Curren’s standard-setting during the pre-season saw him rewarded last week with the captaincy position vacated by the departed Trent Dennis-Lane.
He said the captaincy wouldn’t change what earned him the honour in the first place – the way he goes about things on and off the field: “At the end of the day, you flip a coin on game day and you try to rev the boys up for 30 seconds before we go out and take our positions.”
Gilbee likely won’t want much to change either, with Curren expecting to be employed in his usual on-ball role with the capacity to go forward and hit the scoreboard.
But the former 206-game Western Bulldogs defender’s presence might also have a refreshing effect on the one of Sandringham’s few experienced VFL players.
“We have quite a young group this year and there aren’t many of us 21-plus-year-olds going around, so Lindsay wants to keep it fun and keep it interesting,” Curren said. “He’s a simple sort of a guy – I don’t think he’ll mind me saying that! – so he likes to keep it all simple.
“He’s not long out of the game (retired after the 2012 AFL season) so he knows what it’s like sitting through meetings and what it takes to be successful. He knows when to have fun and when to be serious.
“He was pretty big on that in trying to get me to play at Sandy again this year and I’m really enjoying it so far.”
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Last Modified on 06/03/2017 11:43
