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JOINED LEAGUE: 1894 NICKNAME: BULLDOGS HOMEGROUND: TATURA PARK COACH: PAUL BARNARD PRESIDENT: JAMES PYKE PREMIERSHIPS: 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1952, 1953, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2012 MORRISON MEDALLISTS: W. PRITCHARD (1947), J. GREENWOOD (1969 and 1970), N. SMITH (1974), T.ESLER (1995) 2021 FINISH: 10TH (2-9) 2022 BEST-AND-FAIREST: BILLY COOPER 2022 LEADING GOAL-KICKER: CHAZ SARGEANT (23)
PLAYER CHANGES
Ins: Daniel Weetra, Harley McCarthy, Beau O’Connell (NTFL), Brodie Meyers, Aydin Kesici (Essendon Doutta Stars), Ethan Penrith (West Preston Lakeside)
Outs: Linc Wellington (retired), Daniel Maher (Picola United), Tom O’Sullivan, Aubrey Coote, Ben Cosgriff
A famous Essendon name will be at the helm of Tatura this season as the Bulldogs continue their climb back up the Goulburn Valley League ladder.
AFL premiership player Paul Barnard is preparing for his first taste of country footy coaching after a long stint in the metro scene and has landed at Tatura Park for the 2023 season.
“For me, personally it’s been really refreshing,” Barnard said.
“The main focus has been on enhancing the capabilities of the squad and bring on that 18-23 bracket. There’s 8-12 that we need to get quality time into on the training track and game time.
“There’s a lot of boys here who have the talent and I can’t fault their hard work and ethic. They’ve really bought into the new program which is really pleasing and I couldn’t be prouder.”
In the final year of Paul Kirby’s tenure Tatura saw growth and development from a handful of home-grown talents in an injury-ravaged year.
Sean McAllister developed into a classy run-with onballer, Michael Archer became a gem in defence, Xavier Hutchinson showcased his wealth of talent while Will Russell, Will Pyke and Harry Murdoch all continued their improvement into first-choice players in the senior line-up.
Jimmy Bennett returns from a thumb injury raring to go while Chaz Sargeant, Mitch Elliott, James Nihill and Che Walls are all names that supporters can expect a big year from.
Billy Cooper won the club best-and-fairest on the back of a sublime year which caught the eye of VFL recruiters and the silky mover will spend time at Richmond with Tatura his home club.
A-grade talent Tom O’Sullivan has departed, along with Ben Cosgriff, and club stalwart Linc Wellington has decided to hang up the boots after a storied career.
But the Bulldogs are never one to want to spend too many years occupying the bottom of the ladder and have called upon six exciting talents to help with the development of the home-grown kids.
Barnard has brought with him two quality on-ballers from Essendon Doutta Stars, Aydin Kesici and Brodie Meyers, while Daniel Weetra, Harley McCarthy and Beau O’Connell are all Northern Territory Football League imports.
“We want to restore some real competitiveness to our club. All the sides we put out there will show a lot of fight and we know it won’t be easy but we’ll give 110 per cent.”
FINISHING RANGE: 8TH-10TH
This year looks to be another rebuilding season for Tatura, but that won’t seem to mind many supporters and followers. The Bulldogs have found a top-class coach in Paul Barnard who is building for the future and is focusing on the development of Tatura’s youth. Throw in some big name recruits and Tatura will surprise a few clubs with big scalps in 2023.