WHEN you speak to Graham Hosier, it’s clear the Corowa-Rutherglen Football Club president is proud of how the Roos battled through the season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Winless after 18 games, Hosier preferred to seek the silver lining.
Whether it was the 18 debutantes the club fielded during the year or the emergence of the likes of Ryan Garthwaite and Jy Lane in the TAC Cup, Hosier said he was confident the club has a future in the Ovens and Murray.
“The amount of kids we had playing their first game this year is just where we’re at at this stage,” he said.
“We’ll continue to stick with youth in the near-future, we want to give our local kids the opportunity to play Ovens and Murray football.
“We’ve taken heart in the season that Myrtleford have had this year.
“That’s what can happen when your young players stick with you.
“You can get right up there, play finals with a strong bunch of locals, they’ll be going places.”
I've got admiration for the boys, they tried their guts out and proved that they can play Ovens and Murray football.
- Corowa-Rutherglen president Graham Hosier
While admitting it had been a long and trying season, Hosier said the club would be better off in the long run because of it.
“I’ve got admiration for the team that played this year,” he said.
“They tried their guts out, they proved that they can play footy at this level.
“We’ve got to top the side up with some bigger bodies in the next few seasons.
“Even having just a couple of extra senior bodies next year would make a world of difference for this side.
“It’s just a matter of finding the right people.
“The opportunity to play senior footy is certainly there if people want to take it.”
After playing finals as recently as 2014 and being more than competitive in 2015 under Bryce Campbell, Hosier said the class of 2016 had laid the foundations for the club’s rebuild.
“The commitment the kids showed this year was a real highlight,” he said.
“They turned up and and trained every single week, seeing them compete against much stronger teams was heartening.
“(Coach Terry Burgess) has done a brilliant job of getting everyone together and on board.
“The kids have got great respect for him, hopefully we can top ourselves up over the off-season, come back next year and have a real crack.
“As I alluded to earlier, Myrtleford are a prime example of how that can happen.”
Finals continue this weekend with Albury to face Lavington and Yarrawonga tackling the Wodonga Raiders.
