Wilson is taking on the world
NEW Inverleigh coach Adam Donohue believes his club can remain in the GDFL premiership race if his men remain loyal to the cause.
The former Grovedale and Geelong Amateur ball-winner takes over from Mark McDowell, who guided the Hawks to the past two senior grand finals.
“Our position in the premiership race will be determined by the players who signed on, as well as who we are able to recruit,” Donohue said.
“At the start of the year, all 12 clubs will have their eyes on the premiership so hopefully the last two years will give these boys a burning passion to go one better.”
The announcement comes just days after prolific trio Jak Kennedy-Hunt, Blake Hutchinson and Simon Seddon left to join Ballan in the Central Highlands league.
But Donohue has already met with 10 of the club’s remaining players, including senior co-captain Justin DiBlasio who was controversially omitted from the Hawks’ grand final side.
“Some questions were asked from the players and I had a few things to say myself, so we were all happy with the outcome,” Donohue said.
“There were a few players missing in that meeting but that just means I’ve got some phone calls to make, so the first priority is to have the group all signed on.
“Obviously (those) three have left but we’ll move onto the next group of players.”
Donohue, whose father is Geelong’s 1976 Coleman medallist Larry Donohue, was on Geelong’s AFL list between 2008-09 after being taken with the father-son rule.
At local level, Donohue played 143 games for Grovedale level before playing in the BFL with Geelong Amateur this year.
“I really enjoyed the Ammos, so the first thing I want to say is that this is a pure coaching decision,” he said.
“If I just wanted to continue playing anyway, then I would have stayed at the Ammos.”
Donohue was originally linked with his former junior club Winchelsea, led by his former Grovedale assistant coach Brendan Forssman.
“I did catch up with ‘Foss’ (Brendan Forssman) because Winchelsea was my junior club and, had I gone there, I would have been a one-pointer,” he said. “The way he (Forssman) has the place set up is very semi-professional and I didn’t feel that there was a great deal I could offer coaching wise to Foss and Winchelsea.
“Inverleigh is a bit different. I suppose it’s one of those scenarios where you have to make the best decision for yourself rather than everyone else, so I look forward to the challenge.”
Donohue will also be a handy inquisition for the GDFL interleague side who will aim for a fourth victory in a row.
“It’s obviously a big thing in the GDFL and I’m a big supporter of the concept having played in five GFL teams as well as last year’s game for the Bellarine,” he said.
“I’ll always put my hand up providing the body is right, but I have a much bigger assignment with Inverleigh until then.” HE has done it before, and if he does it again Julian Wilson could be Australia’s first men’s world surfing champion since Mick Fanning in 2015.
A win at the Pipe Masters in Hawaii and his major rival Gabriel Medina failing to make the final would deliver Wilson an extraordinary maiden world crown in a year almost derailed by injury.
Wilson, who ruptured his AC joint in a bike accident preseason, won the Pipe Masters back in 2014, beating Brazilian Medina for one of the most sought-after surfing titles on the world tour.
Now, if he wins in Hawaii in December and Medina finishes third or worse he will be Australia’s latest world champion.
The world title race was sent to the finale of the season when the only three men with a chance of claiming the crown — Wilson, Medina and Brazilian Filipe Toledo — all suffered upsets before the final of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal at Supertubos.
Wilson was eliminated at the hands of French surfer Joan Dura in the quarter-finals to finish fifth at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
Eventual winner, Brazilian Italo Ferreira who beat Duru for the Rip Curl Pro Trophy, beat Medina in their semi-final matchup.
“I’m happy with my performance and Pipe is a wave that I like so now I’ll focus on that,” Medina said.