With the practice match formalities out of the way and the Cats’ season beginning to gather momentum, Nick Wade caught up with Bendigo Bank Cats’ coach Leigh Tudor on the eve of the team’s round two clash with Tasmania at Bellerive Oval to discuss the upcoming season.
Who are some of the big VFL recruits picked up over the off-season and what will they bring to the team this season?
Phil Read is the most experienced; he’s played a lot of football. Especially with this year, we’ll have to play six VFL listed players in the finals – it’s the first time we’ve had to do that – we probably needed to go out and pick up a few more experienced players. So we got Read and Matt Firman, who was at the Bendigo Bombers last year. We’ve picked up two really good players and they’ve both played a lot of senior footy, so we’re hoping that if we do play finals that they’ll be able to play some good footy for us.
Which VFL players are ready to take the next step this season?
James Byrne has proven to be a really good player. Simon Clarke and Scott Thompson have had really good pre seasons, so we expect them to play a lot of footy for us and play well. Jay Cheep, it’s his third year. The players who are in their third year, when they play, we expect them to give a good account of themselves.
We unearthed a lot of younger players last year and have recruited well again this season. Who looks set to take off this year?Jason Davenport proved last year that he was capable of playing VFL football. He’s got the opportunity now as a rookie to be a full time footballer, so you’d like to think that he’d be able to play some really good football this year. Liam Bedford played senior football for the first time (against the Northern Bullants), but he’s already shown good signs – he reads the play well and uses the ball well. Simon Hogan has been exciting, he’s been injury prone so far, but he played a half on the weekend and he’s shown that when he gets fully fit, he’ll be really dangerous for us. Nathan Djerrkura has shown that he can step up straight away, which is a really good sign.
How rewarding is it to see the VFL players developing well and translating their solid VFL form into solid AFL form. Examples from recent seasons Brent Prismall and Nathan Ablett.
It’s good, it’s the best part about the job is seeing them develop year by year. When they get the opportunity to play in the AFL it’s really rewarding. The players have worked really hard for their opportunities. We’ve got younger players coming through, and players like Pris (Brent Prismall) have really set the example in terms of professionalism and we hope that the other players can follow his lead.
A lot has been said about our top three draft selections this season, but not much said about Simon Hogan and rookie Liam Bedford who were recovering from injuries over the pre-season. What types of players are they and what will they bring to the team?
They’re both very young and lightly framed. They’ve got into a pretty big weights program and running program over the summer. Both very skilful, both quick and understand the game very well. Being their first year, there’s not a great deal of expectation on them – we just want to teach them the Geelong style of football. Hopefully by the end of the year they’ve put a bit of weight on and are able to get through four quarters of football.
How have you rated the practice match form?
Practice match form was good; we tried a lot of different guys in a lot of different positions. We probably had about 50 guys try out for the 20 spots available on the VFL list – so it was pretty competitive over the summer for the VFL, but we’ve finally got our list down.
Of the AFL boys, Matthew Spencer was outstanding as a forward – it was the first time he’s played forward at the club. His improvement has been outstanding. Steve Owen is starting to find a lot more of the footy in his second year at the club, which is really good. Then you’ve got Jason Davenport in his second year, Todd Grima as well, and Ryan Gamble has been a little bit injury prone. Todd Grima has proven he can play forward and back, and he’s going to be a good player for us. Trent West has been a big improvement for us over the summer – he’s started to really dominate quarters for us. He’s starting to get his hands on the ball and he’s averaging 17 possessions a game at the moment, which is outstanding from where he’s come from last season.
Where do you see the Cats’ greatest strengths this season?
I think we’re going to be pretty quick and a good running side this year. Last year we were a very tall side, I don’t think we’ll be as tall as last year. This year there’s a lot more medium sized players that can run and carry the ball and use it well. So hopefully we’ll be a quick side that can run all day and use the ball well with good skills.
James Byrne took out his second club best and fairest last season – how big is his influence on the side.
He’s been really good for the team. He sets an example on the field, his endurance is fantastic and he’s a really good go-between between the AFL and VFL players - he keeps everyone together, he’s got the respect of both the AFL and VFL players. He’s been a really good captain.
It must be disappointing that Tom Lonergan’s request to be the club’s second VFL runner was disallowed. What benefits would have come about from Tom being the runner?
Firstly, it was an extra running session for him. It was an extra way of getting some fitness. Secondly, it was being involved in footy again. Being out on the ground just in that way was, I thought, always going to help. But it’s not allowed with the laws of the game. It would have been good to see him out there and being involved in the team atmosphere again, but it’s not going to happen.
Is there any indication when Tom may return – even if it’s just a quarter or a half?
Probably another couple of months away. Maybe another six to ten weeks, not really sure to be honest.
Joel Reynolds had a standout preseason and was firming to be the club’s nominated rookie before his injury. He was in good form running into the season and would have brought a lot to the team.
Joel’s athleticism was already evident in the first few games he played with us. He had such a good leap and was such a fierce competitor. At VFL level he would have been an outstanding competitor and I have no doubt he would have played several AFL games as well. He was leaving no stone unturned in his preparation over the preseason.
How is he coming along with his injury?
He’s already back into it, doing some bike riding and some boxing and he’s really keen to get on top of his injuries to have another crack.
For the second season running, the VFL will be the guinea pigs of the “kicking backwards” rule. This season, any kick backwards beyond half way will be play on. What are your thoughts on the rule?
I don’t mind the rule. To be honest, the players seem to get around any rule change, there’s nothing we can do about it, once the rule changes come in, we just need to abide by them. The players are very good at adjusting to the new rules, you can see it with the push in the back rule, the players have adjusted pretty quickly to that now.
Is it worth considering for the AFL home and away season?
If there’s a lot of flooding in AFL games, they might think about doing it, but in VFL footy I don’t think it’s made a big impact on games. Three or four times a game (it has an impact), someone kicks backwards and the umpires call play on, but it hasn’t really affected our game.
Finally, do the Cats have what it takes to have another shot at the title this year?
We’re a totally different side to last year; we’ve got a different mix of players to what we did last year. Our aim would be to make the finals and see where we go from there. We’ve got some experience at the AFL level and some really young players at VFL level keen to make their mark, so the aim will be to make the finals and see where we go from there.
