TEENAGE DREAM
These are the faces of a new era at Grovedale. The Tigers have 18 players on their senior list aged 19 or below — and all have either played senior or TAC Cup football. It is from this young core that the Tigers hope to build future GFL success.
WHILE Simon Riddoch believes the large crop of talented youngsters at Grovedale is more circumstantial than any targeted strategy, it is a situation that fills him with excitement.
Riddoch has an incredible 18 players on his senior list for the upcoming season aged 19 or below — all who have played senior or TAC Cup football.
It is from this core of young blood that the Tigers hope a successful new era will be born at Burdoo Reserve.
Sixteen of the 18 players are aged 18-19 years old, and a further two are just 17. Twelve of them have played in the TAC Cup.
“I am absolutely excited,” the second-year coach said.
“This is the first time that 19-year olds will play from the Colts last year at senior level after an extra year at the 19s, so a lot of these guys don’t know how good they are or can be at senior level.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop. We wanted to keep what we had from last year and that’s worked out well.
“It’s not topping up, it’s just keeping young guys playing good quality footy here.”
Riddoch believes the high volume of teenagers on the senior list “has just worked out that way”.
Eighteen-year-old and Werribee VFL-listed pair Ed Adams (ex-Murray Bushrangers) and Hudson Garoni (TAC Cup leading goal kicker and Australia/Vic Country representative) are new additions for the coming season, alongside 19-year-old South Australian Jordan Gould.
The trio could all be set to add to the 11 debutants Grovedale blooded in 2018 on their way to a 6-12 record for the second consecutive year.
“I think we finished about where we thought we’d finish (last year),” Riddoch said.
“The expectation this year is to obviously meet the same record we had last year and see if we can improve on it.”
The Tigers boast one of the youngest ever debutants in senior GFL football — 17-yearold Lachie Hood — as well as 19-year-olds Cassidy Parish and Keelin Betson, who have tasted VFL football at Werribee.
Among the group of 18 teenagers, Betson holds the most senior games with 18.
“Keelin Betson, and obviously Cassidy is one of those kids you look at and then Brady Campi (four games at the Geelong Falcons in 2018) who are three really quality people,” Riddoch said. “Their training and work has been excellent, to be honest.”