Joeys run off hangover
Reigning premiers endure toughest pre-season
ST JOSEPH’S co-captain Rhys Hultgren says the preseason gone has been his toughest to date as the Joeys aim to avoid the same premiership hangover that dogged them in 2016.
Hultgren and Alex Hickey were voted in by their teammates as joint skippers for 2018 after dual premiership captain Ben Capra decided to stand down.
St Joseph’s broke a 26-year drought to win the GFL premiership in 2015, but were knocked out in straight sets in 2016 after finishing third in the home-and-away season.
They bounced back to go through the 2017 regular season undefeated en route to a clinical grand final win over St Mary’s.
Hultgren said the core group of remaining Joeys are doing everything they can make sure 2016 doesn’t repeat.
“We’ve probably taken the first step in the pre-season; there’s no sign of a hangover in the way the boys have come back and have continued to push on,” he said.
“The fitness side of things has been the biggest one for us, not that in 2016 we didn’t rest on our laurels, but blokes probably partied a bit too hard.
“This is the hardest pre-season I’ve done personally and I know the group is in a really good position from that point of view, being through 2016 and rectifying that going forward.”
But Hultgren said fellow fi- nalists Leopold, Colac, Bell Park and St Mary’s had strengthened their lists, making for a harder challenge in 2018.
“I think it is going to be a lot tougher,” he said.
‘The teams around us have probably recruited a lot heavier than what we have, but in saying that, I’ve got full faith in the group that we've got.
“I think we’ve only lost one or two from our premiership team and replaced them with Lucas Anderson and Marty Dufty, who look to be likely types.
“Once you get that taste, you want to get it again, so the boys are definitely hungry.”
The St Joseph’s junior said he was honoured to be named co-captain of the club.
“Especially being the home club where I played all my junior footy, it’s definitely an honour and a privilege to be voted in,” he said.
“I’ve probably got a taste of it the last few years being in and around the leadership group so to share the role with Al (Hickey) who’s been voted in as well is a special honour and something we don’t take lightly.
“I won’t be a ranter or a raver, I’ll probably try and be someone who leads throughout the week. That’s probably my forte, the way I prepare, so going from that into training and into game day, not much changes.”
Capra sighted work commitments as his reason for stepping aside.
St Joseph’s will seek to open its account against St Albans on April 14.