Rats growing, building
It’s going a bit far to suggest Ararat is a sleeping giant in Wimmera Football League.
The southeast club is a citybased force and has a history littered with competitive potency and success, some of it the stuff of country footy legend.
The reality is, however, that the Rats have needed for several years to work hard to establish who and what they represent.
Old walls generated by what appeared to be a sporting cult of personality came crumbling down years ago. Now there is a general feeling the Rats are building momentum through an embracing of community and Ararat representation.
In short, this means watch out all other clubs in Wimmera league.
When you get that type of community football formula right it tends to roll like a juggernaut across a competition. The Rats might well be a ‘sleeper’.
Ararat coach Shane Fisher and president Jamie Toner, in preparing for the approaching season, both spoke about the club’s determination to be a flag-bearing organisation for the regional city and its community.
“It’s all about trying to always involve the whole community – about getting our junior competition, our sponsors and the general community on board. It’s not just about the club, it’s about Ararat,” Mr Toner said.
“It is about building community confidence so people send their kids to and get involved in our club. Inevitably the key to success is having families that are keen to hang around.
“It’s about always improving the public face of the club to our members, sponsors and the broader sport and social community of the region.”
Patrons gained insight into the approach at a season launch and club get-together involving former Essendon star Dustin Fletcher at Alexandra Oval last week.
Fisher said Ararat needed to continue working towards being acknowledged as well as being a strong club.
“We have to get away from simply being known as a team of promising kids, we’re beyond that now. I want us to be known as highly competitive and hard to beat,” he said.
“We changed some opinions in Wimmera league last year, which was pleasing as a coach and from a club perspective we need that to continue. We don’t want to slip back.
“I’ve coached for 18 years and I’m super impressed by the standard of footy. I really enjoying coaching Ararat.”
Fisher said club preparations for the season were ‘tracking okay’ and was honest in saying he was unsure how the playing group, which finished sixth last season, was measuring up when compared with the same time last year.
“The key this year is duplication of what we achieved last year and to make sure we go a few steps better,” he said.
“One of the biggest positives is that we’ve kept nearly everyone on the list.
“We’ve lost two players and we’ve brought in three or four recruits and have six or seven under-17s coming through.
“We have a senior-team selection group that has gone up to about 30, and while that makes it challenging as a coach, it’s a terrific position to be in.”
Newcomers include Callum Mendes, the third of the Mendes brothers to play for the Rats, and crafty ball reader Dylan Shelley and left-footer Todd Smith, who were on-field leaders at Corio in Geelong last year. Dylan Gordge from Adelaide is also likely to be on a senior list and the Rats are looking forward to having Cody Lindsay and Cooper Heard free of under-18 pathway commitments.
The club’s only major confirmed departure is Jake Robertson, who has gone to Navarre.
The Rats have had solid hit-outs in practice matches against Gordon and Warrnambool and have an intra-club hit-out and camp next week.
“I’ve been impressed by the work rate of the group,” Fisher said.
“Our skills have improved again, we’re learning and getting better at our craft.
“We haven’t been the hardest team in the past, but that improved last year and hopefully that continues.
“Teams like Horsham and Southern Mallee Giants and others have been benchmarks and hard and physical and in the past year and a half we’ve been able to compete with that.
“The club’s in a great position and a lot of boys are driven and keen to be successful at Ararat.”
Ararat RSL and Wesfarmers Insurance are on board as major sponsors.