From Cobram to the Bushrangers, local boys get it done

Codi and Alex have been recently selected into the Bushrangers under-16 team, while Paulie was chosen for the under-18 bottom-age team.

The selection process in late 2023 included skill testing, agility tests and running.

For Paulie, his selection is the culmination of years of hard work, which began in 2008 when he wanted something to keep him occupied.

“Football was something to do outside of school,” he said.

“I didn’t really have much to do after school, so I thought maybe football would be a great chance to showcase my skill, and I wanted to see how far football would take me.”

Paulie wants to play up forward, stating he doesn’t have the height of a midfielder.

Paulie’s dedication to football is evident for all, even off the field.

This isn’t just through his enthusiasm in talking about the game but currently also through his literal appearance, having dislocated a shoulder playing football.

It’s an injury that Paulie has dismissed as being part and parcel of playing football.

He said being selected for the Murray Bushrangers was a great opportunity to further his skills.

“It will further my knowledge in football and also my skills,” he said.

“It’s a great chance for me just to understand the game a bit more.”

Brother Alex Krause shares such enthusiasm.

Alex is already on a football high, with his team, Cobram Football Club, undefeated last year.

It was a feat that he had been working to achieve since he was 11 when he started playing for Barooga.

But despite years of training for selection, nothing he could do would settle his nerves.

“I was very nervous going in,” he said.

“There weren’t many common boys selected to go try out, so I was pretty nervous,” he said.

Paulie and Alex said they got some of their football inspiration from their cousin Esava Ratugolea, who currently plays in the AFL for Port Adelaide.

Alex said he is most excited to play next to his school classmate Codi Bowden, who also got selected to play in the under-16.

For Codi, he is keen to make the most of the opportunity to play for the Murray Bushrangers Football Club.

A football player since the age of nine, Codi said he has come a long way from his first game, which he admitted was scary.

Asked how he felt about playing for a state team, Codi said he was overjoyed.

“It feels good to have gotten so far in footy,” he said.

Asked what makes a good footballer, Codi said the mark of a good football player was the ability to execute all the skills cleanly.

As for his future, Codi is already looking past the state level.

“I hope you go high and try and make AFL,” he said.

As for anyone thinking about taking up football, Codi said they shouldn’t hesitate and that it was great fun and an enjoyable social activity.