WHISPERS WITH LOCAL FOOTY GURU ALEX OATES

Colac veteran lays groundwork for retirement

COLAC veteran Lochie Veale revealed he will spend less time in the ruck next season as he begins the transition to retirement.

Veale, who was coaxed by incoming co-coach Rowan McSparron to play on in 2019, admitted he was likely to share the ruck duties with youngster Matt Garner in a bid to fasttrack his development.

“The body feels all right and next year we’ll put a plan in place and bring the taller guys such as Matt Garner in a bit more and work a rotation,” Veale, pictured, said after Colac’s elimination final loss to South Barwon.

“Zac Zdybel is very dangerous up forward and we’d like to keep him there, and because he’s played well again this year, we don’t know if they will look at him at a higher level.

“So we’ve put things in place over the summer and it will be a transition type year for me. I think it will be more about management during games, playing 70-80 per cent rather than the whole game.”

Colac bowed out in a major upset on Sunday, but Veale is adamant his side can take steps forward next season. “We’ve got a reasonably good mix, so if everyone recommits and we get the majority of guys back, I think we can improve,” he said.

“There’s only me, ‘ Woody’ (Travis Woodmason) and Jake McGuane who are plus 30, then you’ve got a good bracket of 26-30-year-olds and some good kids coming through.

“It’s just finding that consistency, which everyone looks for, but with another preseason for those 19 to 24-yearolds I think we’ll get better.

“Our best is up there with Leopold, St Mary’s and St Joseph’s but our worst isn’t great, so we just have to find some middle ground.”

The Tigers were crushed by injury late in the season, with Campbell Floyd and Sam McLachlan suffering seasonending injuries.

Key defender Tom Simpkin was also sorely missed, having undergone a knee reconstruction earlier in the season.

“Tommy will basically be a recruit next season,” Veale said. “He’s a key player. Everyone chases a midfielder or a key back or a key forward, but with Tommy coming back next year, he lets Adam Garner and Tom Rieniets play that third or fourth defender and that frees up our runners.

“If we can get him fit and healthy next year, that’s pretty much plugging a hole we had this year.”