Albury’s premiership success has helped land an athletic forward from the Victorian Amateurs.
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The Tigers edged out North Albury and Lavington for 188cm Erish Uthayakumar.
The 22-year-old was born in Melbourne, but his parents are originally from Sri Lanka.
“I’ve known Albury, even where I was back at home, I knew they were a powerhouse team,” he said.
“Probably be quite a bit of success if I play here.”
I knew they were a powerhouse team. Probably be quite a bit of success if I play here.
- Erish Uthayakumar
Albury has won six of the past eight premierships, and will be striving for a league record-equalling four straight titles.
Uthayakumar has played a handful of games with VFL club Sandringham’s reserves’ outfit, and spent the second half of last year with St Bede’s-Mentone Tigers after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.
The Tigers were beaten by Beaumaris, which featured Sydney premiership player Adam Schneider, in the Amateurs’ B grade grand final.
“In my first year at ‘Sandy’ I tore my calf, I missed a bit of footy there, before the shoulder reconstruction, so it was good to get some continuity in my football,” Uthayakumar said.
The half-forward is known as a smart athletic player, with strong aerial skills.
“I think he’ll play probably up forward for us at times, he’s the type that can move around the ground pretty well, he can play deep or high-forward,” co-coach Shaun Daly said.
And just as he attracted interest from football clubs, he’s also likely to gain the attention of a number of Cricket Albury-Wodonga outfits.
He was an opening bowler with St Kilda and Dandenong in Victorian Premier Cricket’s second grade level.