Tyndall commits

Jack Tyndall has secured a commitment to the Deniliquin Rams Football Club, signing on to work with seniors coach Ash Morris as assistant coach in 2022.

Tyndall is the epitome of locally grown talent, having begun his football career at the Rams in the fourths and playing right through to seniors.

In his debut year with the Rams’ seniors, Tyndall supported his team in the surge to a 10 point grand final win over the Cobram Tigers, 11.12 (78) to 8.2 (68).

Tyndall played alongside Rams mainstays Josh Whelan, Todd Gallagher, Ricky Gittens, Hall, Holobowski and former Bulldogs player Sam Lloyd to bring the victory.

In 2016, Tyndall took a break from the Murray Football League to coach the Blighty seniors in the Picola and District Football League — first as assistant coach and then taking on a senior coaching role for two years, to 2019.

Tyndall credits his time with the Redeyes as ‘‘a lot of fun that helped me with my footy and my coaching’’.

‘‘Going out to Blighty was more for the opportunity, because they wanted to give me the opportunity to further my skills with coaching,’’ Tyndall said.

He planned to return to play as a senior for the blue and gold last year but COVID put a halt to both leagues.

Morris and Tyndall, who are close mates, opted to take the reins from Tim Holobowski and Sam Hall to continue their work on building a top side for the next season.

Tyndall credits the 2021 leaders and former coaches — such as Dave Parsons, Rob Morris and Dave Whelan — with improving him as a player and coach across his football career.

‘‘The time was right to come back to the Rams and play for them (Hall and Holobowski),’’ Tyndall said.

‘‘If Ash and I can have a mix similar to them, I think that would be really good for our players.’’

Morris also got his start with the Rams and is a former Victorian Football League player, giving him experience and ambition for his team; a factor which convinced Tyndall to come on as a playing coach.

‘‘Once Ash got a bug for it, I didn’t need too much convincing.’’

Morris and Tyndall are already planning a pre-season training regime to help maintain the side’s fitness and avoid injuries, which troubled many teams following the 2020 lost season.

The Rams finished seventh on the ladder of the general fixture season this year, often experiencing avoidable losses due to a number of factors Morris and Tyndall hope to iron out, but they are relying on fewer lockdown disruptions to make that happen.

‘‘I think with our side we didn’t really get a chance to finish what we started. Ash will have a game plan and we’ll work over that over the summer with a good mix of footy and running ideally,’’ Tyndall said.

‘‘To be able to coach with him will be really special.’’