Wednesday 22 September 2010
Labrador coach Jarrod Field is hoping to keep his ‘big four’ former AFL players in 2011, but the Tigers look set to lose two of their impressive young guns.
The addition of Tim Notting and Peter Everitt provided a huge boost to the Tigers ranks this season, particularly with Trent Knobel and Aaron Shattock already on the books.
While Everitt is 36, Notting nearly 32, Shattock 30 and Knobel 30, the quartet will be tempted to play on to avenge the Tigers’ heart-breaking 22-point loss to Morningside in the Powerade QAFL grand final on Sunday.
“We will encourage the big blokes again,” said Tigers coach Jarrod Field. “I reckon we won’t lose too many (of the squad).”
However, clever wingman Todd Grayson and ‘find’ of the year Steve Wrigley look set to depart.
Grayson, second in the nab QAFL Rising Star award, will either be drafted or return to Victoria and the VFL for family reasons.
Wrigley is being touted as a rookie list ‘smokey’.
Field was lavish in his praise of both for their strong performances in the grand final.
“He (Grayson) has done himself no harm, Wrigley as well,” Field said. “He (Wrigley) started down back and when we put him forward in the third quarter he got us going, he was outstanding.
“I thought Tony Lester really had an impact in the third quarter. Jack Stanley was okay too – I’m glad we stuck with him.”
Field admitted his side had too many non-contributors on the day to wrest the flag off the Panthers.
“A few blokes probably got found out,” he said. “We probably had a few passengers.”
Field intends for his club to be just as aggressive with their recruiting over summer as they were 12 months ago when they snared the likes of Notting, Everitt, Wrigley, Lester, gun ruck-rover Shane Paterson, and brilliant defender Nick Stockdale.
“We’ll have to improve. We’ve got to go and recruit and get a list that bats deeper,” Field said.
“We were near, but near enough’s not good enough. We’ve got to improve to a level that’s going to get us over the line.
“Until we get there, we’re not going to be happy with anything really. We said all along that getting there is not acceptable, we’ve got to get there and win it.”
