If the AFL Victoria metro championships were any guide, Bundoora Football Club is every chance to go back-to-back in the Northern Football League in 2014.
Three of the players named among the best in the NFL’s win against Essendon District in the metro championships on Saturday were Bulls – ruckman Matthew Dennis, backman Trent Barbero and forward Cameron Cloke.
Add the midfield brilliance of former Bomber Ricky Dyson, the high-marking prowess of Gary Moorcroft, as well as Brent Marshall and David Mitchell, and Bundoora had seven members in the NFL squad.
PICTURE GALLERY REWIND: Bundoora wins 2013 premiership
From the team that won last year’s grand final, they’ve lost Ben Shelton to retirement, co-captain Michael Farrelly to country football and Michael Ryan to Hurstbridge. Anthony Hogan, best-on-ground for Northcote Park in the club’s 2012 grand final win, has joined the Bulls, as has bustling Brad Czerny from Broadford.
Add a new electronic scoreboard and a ground in mint condition and it’s no wonder football manager Darryl Richards feels good.
“Our preseason was very good, certainly one of the best I’ve seen skill-wise,” he said.
“The biggest thing at Bundoora is we are very good culturally and that’s built us into a strong, fantastic football club.”
Richards said the club had addressed concerns with its list over the off-season with Czerny, among others, to bolster the defence.
“We’ve got the most dominant forward line in the business and Hogan and Czerny were the two we went out chasing to cover the players we lost,” he said.
“I’m a firm believer that defence wins premierships and that’s what we looked at over the off-season.”
Richards said the club also found time to celebrate its premiership, in which Bundoora remarkably fought back from 47 points down to beat Montmorency by 29.
“Phil Plunkett’s first year as coach, Dyson’s first year of local footy, it just meant so much for the club after a lot of hard work in the background,” Richards said. “We celebrated long and hard, I can tell you.”
