Getting carried away in the pre-season is as easy – and dangerous – as falling in love.
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But there’s something in the air at the Bushpigs.
Struggling to find a coach and in danger of folding 18 months ago, CSU look to have turned the corner.
New coach Daniel Athanitis had 45 players at his disposal at training on Tuesday night, including a second big Victorian signing.
Harrison Foott has played all his football in the Bellarine League, near Geelong.
“I played at a club called Ocean Grove, they’re in the BFL, like one tier down from GFL (Geelong League),” Foott said.
“It’s a pretty good standard – starting to become pretty close to GFL standard, with more players mixing and matching.”
The key position player has a strong grounding, having played his school football for Geelong College in the APS Schools competition which includes Melbourne heavyweights Scotch, Xavier and Melbourne Grammar.
Athanitis has earmarked Foott as the Bushpigs’ centre-half-forward but the 25-year old has experience at both ends of the ground.
“If they needed me down back, I usually went down back, or forward.”
“But I only played about five games last year.”
That’s where love comes into it, with Foott following his heart to Wagga.
“My girlfriend’s doing vet (science) up here – her third year now so I thought I’d come up for a year. I’m a bit over the long distance.”
Fate brought the Bushpigs’ other Victorian signing, Dominic Smith, to Peter Hastie Oval.
The 192cm ruckman met CSU’s Elliott O’Farrell while working at harvest late last year and heard enough to decide to become a Bushpig.
The pair will certainly give CSU a presence.
“That’s the key to it,” Athanitis said.
“If you can have your bookends, you can fill in the gaps pretty quick at our level, I think.
“There’s a few midfielders running around but I think what they really lacked last year was a focal point.
“And Alex Reilly has also jumped on board from Wagga Tigers and he’s got some good size too.”
CSU will play an intra-club match on Friday and have practice games scheduled against Turvey Park and Border-Walwa either side of the Easter weekend.
They host Barellan in round one on April 9.
