SIX drafted into the AFL last season and a further four plying their trade at the top state levels around the country, and Murray Bushrangers’ Talent Manager Mick Wilson gave season 2018 a big tick. He said while the year ended at the hands of Sandringham Dragons in the finals series, there was plenty to like about the side, and it showed at draft time.

“We had a pretty good season last year, we made the finals and were knocked out by Sandringham Dragons who finished third,” Wilson said. “Like some other regional teams, we have a lot of travel to contend with, so the players get a bit tired towards the back end of the year, but overall we had six players drafted, we have another four players playing interstate league this season, so 10 from that group will be playing at an elite level this season.”

Wilson said the program was “a pretty rewarding program all-round” because of the close-knit bond between all those at the club from players to staff to volunteers and families. While some might end up interstate for the the next part of their journey, Wilson is pleased to have been involved in the football careers of each of the Bushrangers along the way. He said success on-field and off-field was an added bonus for everyone involved.

“It’s (on-field and off-field success) a really nice byproduct of the program, where you can see kids really go on and make careers out of football, the alternative is also to have good young players who go and hopefully use some of their learnings from the football program in all areas of life, help them with their studies or vocations or premierships or whatever they do, those kids go on to successful and happy careers as well,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he was excited what the year was set to bring after a big preseason and the naming of their 2019 leaders.

“We’ve had a really strong preseason, Lachie Ash and Cam Wilson are going to be our co-captains this year, they’ve both been terrific with their training, and they’re professional, really good leaders, they lead by example on and off the field,” he said. “We’ve got quite a lot of our 19-year-old players this year, they’ve had a solid preseason – Ben Kelly from Albury, who looks like he’s going to be doing a little bit of work for us defensively this year, and Will Christie is another tall player who will play up forward. “Will’s only played five games in the last two years, so we’re looking forward to his development and continued improvement. “Jimmy Boyer is another player from Congupna, who has had a strong preseason working with the forwards so we’ve had a really good start to the year.”

Wilson said the Bushrangers were pleased to escape the practice matches against Calder Cannons and Bendigo Pioneers unscathed. After three season-long injuries put a damper on the 2017/18 pre-season, the Murray Talent Manager was relieved to report there was no significant long-term injuries to come out of the games. One injury last year that worried some was that of Jye Chalcraft who went down late in the year, but Wilson said he was right to go for the 2019 season.

“Jye’s been terrific, he’s resumed full training without any restrictions post-Christmas, so he’s played in all of our practice matches and has shown some really, really strong form,” Wilson said. “He’ll spend a fair bit of time in the midfield early in the season for us, but he’s recovered well, he’s a really good kid, he’s in our leadership group as vice-captain and just fingers crossed that he’ll have an injury uninterrupted season.”

The Bushrangers’ top prospect in season 2019 is Ash, a defender who spent time up the ground for Vic Country, coming on leaps and bounds as the season progressed. Now in his top-age year and sharing the co-captaincy, the athletic talent is ready to shine.

“Lachie is super competitive, his athletic traits are elite, his running off half-back is one of his real strengths,” Wilson said. “But like lots of players there’s lots of things to continue to work on, we’ll be looking to Lachie to play on some of the better players from opposition teams throughout the season, and work on his decision making and his kicking on the run. “He’s been named co-captain this year, he really does lead by example on the field, he’s a team player on and off the field.”

Among other players Wilson is keen to see their development is Boyer and Will Quirk who returns to the team having sat out TAC Cup last season.

“There’s probably two players – Jimmy Boyer, I mentioned him briefly before, he’s had a solid preseason, he played off half-back for us last year so he’ll be playing off midfield this year,” Wilson said. “Another player, Will Quirk, has come into the squad from Myrtleford, and he didn’t play as a bottom-age player so he’s come in as a top-age player. “He played Vic Country Under 16s, but he chose to play local football last season, so we’re hoping by the end of the year Will will be catching attention playing off half-back and maybe through the midfield.”

Off the field, the Bushrangers have welcomed a new coach to take over the reigns from Leon Higgins, with Mark Brown slotting into the role of the regional club. Wilson said the side went into the season without any expectations other than to compete each and every week, while helping player development and growth.

“Mark Brown’s our new coach, taken over from Leon Higgins – Leon has been involved in the system for more than 10 years and obviously has an elite AFL background,” Wilson said. “He was fantastic with the kids; he has coached Vic Country Level in nationals in both U16 and U18s, so Leon is still involved this year, he’ll work with some of who we would consider the draftable players, but Mark has stepped into that role seamlessly, and our expectations are with both Leon and Mark that they just help the team to be competitive. “You won’t see too much changing from that, as long as the boys are competitive and they learn I expect they’ll work on with their IDPs (Individual Development Plans) and they’ll have a good year.”

Murray Bushrangers begin their season on Sunday at RAMS Arena against Gippsland Power following the venue change from Swinburne Centre of the day before.