Ryley Buntain - Rd 13 Northern Conference Rising Star
By Liam Detering
Morningside’s Ryley Buntain has surprised plenty with how quickly he has adapted to the NEAFL footy, winning the Round 13 NAB Rising Star nomination.
The former Noosa Tiger earned a senior call up after only two reserves games this season, and has shown steady improvement in his first NEAFL season.
His improvement has been so great, that Morningside coach Aaron Rogers said if an AFL club didn’t take a chance on him, he could become the centrepiece of Morningside’s rebuild.
“Coming from Noosa and only being 20-odd, we thought that it (transition to the NEAFL competition) might take a few more games,” Rogers said.
“He dominated the first two games in reserves and we sort of had to play him and find a spot for him.
“Ever since we’ve done that he hasn’t looked back – he’s been really impressive.”
Buntain’s selection in the NEAFL Under-22 side that defeated the SANFL showed just how much talent he possesses.
Rogers described Buntain as Morningside’s x-factor, saying his versatility could almost be to his detriment at times - although he has found his groove across the backline in the past fortnight.
“He’s an exceptionally talented player, he’s a really good basketballer and he just showed that,” Rogers said.
“He’s got a bit of flair and the great thing is he’s been able to maintain his flair but within our team structures.
“He’s not a selfish player by any means; he always does the team thing”
However, Buntain said his only goal at the start of the season was to make the seniors and play consistent footy.
The 21 year-old has since developed rapidly , culminating in a breakout game against Broadbeach last weekend.
“It was probably my best game I’ve played for the year,” Buntain said.
“It’s my eighth senior game so I’m finally getting used to it, (and it was good) to step up a bit.”
Rogers said that it’s the progression of young players like Buntain that will make Morningside an exciting team in the future.
“It’s going to be really exciting when there’s about 10 or 15 of them that are going to be there for the next five or ten years and they’re all going to be very experienced and strong players,” Rogers said.
“He (Buntain) is one of them and we’re really happy with that.”
Last Modified on 04/02/2014 08:33