Colac gives up the fight to hold on to young gun
COLAC Tigers have granted Ethan Floyd his wish and released the young gun back to Birregurra.
There had been a standoff between the two clubs earlier this year, but the abandoned season forced Colac to clear Floyd back to his junior club.
Floyd was under contract for 2020 but wanted to be transferred to Birregurra.
Colac president Matt Gibson said the clearance “took us by surprise” but it obliged in allowing the promising midfielder a return to the Colac District league club.
“They lodged a clearance given there was no senior season for us (and) he made his intention clear he wanted to move,” Gibson said. “We just made the decision to clear him and keep moving forward. That’s as simple as it was.”
Floyd played 35 games for Colac across his two seasons at Central Reserve and was listed in the Tigers’ best players in each of their two finals last year.
He was touted as a draft prospect in 2017 and spent time on Geelong’s VFL list.
“It was no use prolonging it really because he made his intention clear that was what he was looking to do,” Gibson said.
“Once the season was pretty much void, the lodging of the clearance probably took us by surprise a little bit, but once it came in we just dealt with it and moved on.”
Gibson said it was disappointing to lose one of its most promising players.
Floyd’s brother Campbell also relocated to Western Australia before the season started.
“Where he was at, he just wanted to take a break from that semi-professional stuff and just go back and have a kick with some mates,” Gibson said.
“Obviously we would have loved to still have him but going back there, take some pressure off himself I suppose and then who knows what happens from there. One or two years to come, (if) he’s got that appetite to play GFL footy again, the door’s always open.”