Toby’s grand ambition
Charger hopes to follow in the footsteps of famous grandpa
HIS grandfather was a goalkicking great and now Oakleigh Chargers forward Toby Wooller may well be following suit in his journey to the elite level.
The 18-year-old’s grandfather Fred Wooller, 78, finished with 225 goals for Geelong in a 132-game VFL career that hit the heights of captaining the Cats to their 1963 premiership.
Like his grandfather, Toby — listed as 193cm and 90kg — is also a dangerous forward.
He leads Oakleigh’s goalkicking with 33 majors from 13 appearances, including two bags of four and one five-goal haul.
“There are a few similar attributes, I guess, (but) probably a better mark than me, better overhead, taller, probably more competitive than me when I was a kid,” Fred said.
“The other thing he has probably got over me, which is probably a shame to admit, is he’s probably got a bigger tank than I did and seems to enjoy training and building up his stamina.
“I was probably a bit limited in some ways.”
But it is not only their goalkicking traits they have in common.
Toby may well also join his grandfather as a premiership captain by season’s end with the Chargers guaranteed a top-two finish in the TAC Cup.
Would Fred like to see his grandson wear Geelong’s hoops?
“If that, by some slim chance happened, it would be pretty satisfying,” he said.
“If you had a perfect choice you would say, ‘yes’, but if he got drafted you would say he has done well because there are a lot of good kids who play junior footy.”
New Zealand-born Toby has seen a successful Geelong era — he was at each of the Grand Final wins in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and recalls having a kick around Kardinia Park as a kid wanting to play for the Cats.
“Obviously with family ties it would be extra special,” Toby said.
“Like Grandpa said, you just want to get an opportunity but it would be special to follow in the footsteps of Grandpa.”
There is also the occasional story from Fred about his footballing days and that September afternoon in 1963 when Geelong kicked six final-quarter goals to defeat Hawthorn by 49 points and claim the Cats’ sixth flag.
“Glasgow seems like forever ago, I’m stoked to be selected again,” she said from camp on the Sunshine Coast. “I think I am a better player than I was; I’m more mature and the ACL injury means I don’t take it for granted now and will make the most of my opportunities.”
That was also day coach Bob Davis allowed TV personality Happy Hammond to play his piano accordion in the rooms before the game, following Fred out on to the ground and through the banner in front of 101,209 fans.
“When you think back it was a strange thing to do,” said Fred, who finished with three goals.
Toby is one of Oakleigh’s top draft prospects this year, also adding another dimension to his game with some time through the midfield.
The Camberwell Sharks junior’s best game for the year may have come in Round 11 against Gippsland Power when he kicked five goals from 25 disposals and finished with 12 marks.
“Toby, from our point of view, has been close to our best performed player over the course of the year,” Oakleigh Chargers talent manager Craig Notman said.
“He really is a workhorse — his GPS data certainly shows that.
“Playing as a key forward his numbers stack up as well, if not better, than guys playing predominantly midfield roles.
“It is not uncommon for him to be hitting the 12 or 13km mark over the course of the game.”
Toby also cracked it for two games in the under-18 National Championships as part of Vic Metro’s successful carnival, receiving an invite to October’s draft combine.
“There was probably a lull (in form) in the middle of the year with the champs but I think my Oakleigh form has been really consistent,” Toby said.
Fred has recently returned from a winter escape to Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast but has taken a keen interest in Toby’s progress through the junior ranks and into the TAC Cup.
“He is extremely competitive, he reads the game and he really knows where his teammates are most the time,” Fred said.
“It is just a matter of how he is viewed by the clubs, whether they’re looking for that type of player.
“He has a lot of key attributes that will probably bring his name to attention.”
Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander will rotate her goal attacks for the Quad Series and Constellation Cup, with the only differences in the two squads coming in that position.
Philip and Tippett have been named in the Quad Series squad while Pettitt and Wood will vie