TONGALA BLUES
Tongala looks unlikely to be displaced from the top of the Murray Football League hierarchy in 2022.
Undefeated last season, the Blues have experienced minimal list turnover, and have only strengthened their hand with the addition of an ex-AFL duo.
Former Melbourne and Carlton midfielder Brock McLean made the move from the Goulburn Valley League, while the Blues’ Top End connection grows stronger with ex-Fremantle defender Ryan Nyhuis set to bolster the squad.
Nyhuis joins vaunted Northern Territory Football League trio Cam Ilett, Darren Ewing, and Jack Monigatti in a side that will no doubt attract flag favouritism once again.
Tongala will also boast the reigning O’Dwyer medallist in Coby McCarthy, while other key memebrs have been hard at work in pre-season.
“Corey Nexhip and Alex Williams have had really good pre-seasons, they’ve taken the next step in their football over the last couple of years,” Tongala coach Jordan Souter said.
There’s barely a weak spot in the Blues’ line-up, but Souter isn’t buying into talk that the premiership is a foregone conclusion.
“Other clubs are probably making some ground up on the recruiting front,” Souter said.
“We think the competition will be pretty strong this year. Instead of being the hunters, we’ll be the hunted — it’s a whole different kettle of fish.
“Our goal is to finish high enough in finals to give us a bit of a tilt at the flag, but there’s a lot of hard work to go into that before you even start talking about that sort of thing.
“You can have the best team on paper, but if things aren’t working together or if injuries come into it then it can pan out a whole different way.”