Round 1 of the Peter Jackson VFL season marks an exciting new era for football in Central Victoria with the launch of stand-alone VFL side Bendigo Gold.
In a tough first encounter, Gold faces the new Essendon outfit, the very club Bendigo had been aligned with for the past nine years.
With first-year VFL coach Aussie Jones at the helm Bendigo will take an inexperienced squad into the season, carrying the hopes of the local community with them.
“It is really exciting for everyone involved,” Jones said.
“We play three of our first four matches at home on a Friday night which gives the boys a chance to show what they can do, in front of their friends and family.”
Although optimistic in how far his young charges have come over the pre-season, Jones said he and the club were under no illusions of how hard the road ahead will be.
“We’ve got a very young group with only six or seven guys who have VFL experience,” Jones said.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the summer on structures and the way we want to play, but obviously we know how difficult it’s going to be and that it can be two or three years before the development pays off.”
“This is going to be the highest standard most of the boys have played and we’ll be up against guys with 100 or 200 games of VFL experience.
Gold has already experienced the ups and downs that are sure to follow this season with practice games against the Northern Blues and Essendon – their opponents in the opening round.
Despite a strong showing against the Blues, Jones said his side was outclassed against a Bombers’ line-up that included several established AFL players.
“For our guys just to get a chance to compete with guys like Jake Melksham and David Zaharakis, it’s just another great experience for them to learn from,” he said.
“We had a number of guys who will take a lot of confidence from knowing they were able to perform well against guys of that caliber.”
While Bendigo’s squad will consist of a number of players stepping up from near-by country leagues, it will also boast one of the competitions brightest prospects in Alik Magin.
The former Gold Coast Suns rookie played three AFL matches for the Suns and according to Jones will be pushing hard for another chance at AFL level.
“Alik is just all class and in my opinion is too good for VFL footy,” Jones said.
“He just has that one touch in close and makes great decisions when he’s got the footy.”
Another key member of Bendigo’s team will be captain Steven Stroobants.
“Steve has probably been our most consistent performer over the pre-season and you can already tell the captaincy isn’t going to worry him,” Jones said
“He’s a young guy but just really mature in the way he goes about his footy.”
Jones also tipped big seasons for young guns Shannen Lang and Matt Farrelly.
Last Modified on 25/03/2013 08:27