ALBURY midfielder Joel Mackie has taken out this year’s The Border Mail-JohnsonsMME Footballer of the Year award.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mackie polled 21 votes to edge out Tiger teammate Dean Polo by one.
Albury players have dominated the award for the past decade with Chris Hyde, Brayden O’Hara and Shaun Daly among the previous winners.
JohnsonsMME has been sponsoring the award and supporting country football since 1997.
Mackie spoke to The Border Mail’s BRETT KOHLHAGEN yesterday about how the season has unfolded and what lies ahead.
BRETT KOHLHAGEN: Congratulations on the award.
JOEL MACKIE: Thank you
BK: How have you rated your season?
JM: Like a few of the Albury boys, I would say I have been pretty consistent this year. Dean Polo, Brayden O’Hara, Luke Packer and young blokes like Elliott Powell have been the same really.
BK: You have been at Albury since 2009, is this your best season at the club?
JM: It’s up there. I was speaking to Jason Sheather the other night and he reckons 2009 was my best season but that’s probably because he played then and thinks he guided me. I think 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015 have been reasonably similar to be honest.
BK: How did you get to Albury?
JM: I was playing at Jindera and the great man Paul Spargo rang up and convinced me to play at Albury. He usually gets what he wants. He has been pretty influential on my career since then.
BK: Did you think you would be at the club seven years later?
JM: I suppose you don’t really know but once you walk into the club it’s like a big family. Within our four walls, it’s a driven place and we are all on the same page in knowing what we want to achieve. The players are all very driven and it’s a good environment.
BK: Who is still playing at Albury from when you started?
JM: There are a few of us still playing. Mahery (Daniel Maher), Luke Packer, Hydey (Chris Hyde) and Thommo (Michael Thompson) played in that first premiership. Luke Daly and Joel O’Connell were playing in the twos that year as well.
BK: How big a worry is Albury's loss to Wangaratta Rovers on the weekend?
JM: It’s not ideal going into a finals series with a loss, but that’s the reality. We have lost and just have to move on.
BK: Where do you have to get better?
JM: You hate saying it but I think we looked too far ahead. We are there now so we have to suck it up, train well over the next two weeks and then get stuck right into it.
BK: Would you say this year's finals series is the most open it has been for a while?
JM: Definitely. I feel anyone on their day could win it. You get sick of hearing it’s just Albury. Lavington showed the other week when they beat us with players out that it’s wide open. Yarra showed at the weekend it’s right in the mix as well after beating Wodonga Raiders. The five sides could win it in my opinion.
BK: When did you play your first OM game?
JM: It was for North Albury in 2004 against Wangaratta Rovers at North Albury.
BK: What are your memories of the game?
JM: I got a few kicks. You would have to ask Corey Lambert who was the coach back then. Bushy (Mark Bush) played in the same side.
BK: How many games did you play for North before going back to your original club Jindera?
JM: I think it was 51 or 52.
BK: Who has been your toughest opponent in the Ovens and Murray?
JM: Over the years, probably Tyler Bonat. He’s super fit and we have had a few good battles. Xavier Leslie and Tim Cooper are good head-to-head players as well.
BK: Tell us a bit about the Albury and Yarrawonga rivalry?
JM: It’s been big for a while now. We have had some great matches over the past seven years. Even when we won by 90 points the other week, it didn’t seem that big. You just know it will be physical and really crash and bash. I reckon they are still right in it this season especially with the big bloke (Brendan Fevola) coming back.
BK: Fev is going to leave a big hole when he leaves the league isn’t he?
JM: For sure. He’s such a big game and such a good player. He brings good football and some commotion as well.
BK: How do you get on with him?
JM: I think he’s a good bloke. He’s a big kid really. You hate each other out on the ground but off the ground we get on well. He’s been good for the competition.
BK: How different are Daniel Maher and Chris Hyde as co-coaches?
JM: Because we have been in the same system for a while under the influence of The Chief or Godfather (Spargo), I think they have fairly similar views. Saying that, they have their own mark on the group and put things forward differently.
BK: You started your junior career at Jindera. Would you like to return to the club one day?
JM: I would but it’s really hard to leave Albury at the moment. It’s such a good place and everyone wants to stick around. I will definitely be at Albury next season and we’ll see what happens after that.
BK: Any aspirations to coach?
JM: Coaching is an ambition of mine. It’s something I want to try one day but just not at the moment. I’m only 28 so I have a few years left in me.
BK: Thanks for the chat and good luck in the finals series
JM: Cheers.