Country Footy Scores - Ardmona Football Club is the never-say-die team

kdfl TEARS are not common in the Victoria's tough country football leagues, but last year's Ardmona Football Club captain Kye Hardie admitted to having retreated to a dark corner of the change rooms and wept openly.

"I cried because I knew that was it for the year. That was it," said Hardie, 23.

"It was the time I realised that winning games wasn't an option. It was about keeping the club alive. And that all sunk in at once."

Ardmona had just lost to Longwood by 62 points in Round 7. It was the Cats' best performance in a season of such heavy losses that it would end in attempts to scrap the team.

The Kyabram District League club, founded in 1920, does not consider itself Victoria's worst football club, despite losing every game last season by an average of 237 points.

The club kicked a mere 51 goals throughout the year, finishing with a dismal percentage of 7.7, a state low.

Its leading goalkicker was a defender - fullback Jimmie Trazzera - who booted 11 for the season.

By contrast, former Violet Town spearhead Craig Whelan scored an amazing 34 goals in his side's 341-point demolition of the Cats in Round 12.

From despair also came tales of loyalty and bravery.

In Round 18, only five Ardmona senior players had arrived less than 30 minutes before the bounce against Rushworth.

"I turned and said to them, 'We just have to get ready. We have to field a side. There's no ifs, buts, nothing. We have to do this. If this is it, this is it'," Hardie said.

The players, embarrassed by their teammates' lack of commitment, trudged on to the field.

While warming up for certain defeat, they were flanked by tired reserves players willing to play a second consecutive match.

They were smashed by 363 points.

Ardmona was destined for the scrap heap last July.

Rival club presidents appealed to league officials to dump the underperforming club from the competition, addressing fears for patron and player safety.

The Cats couldn't hurt anyone on the scoreboard, so they resorted to sledging.

The local council had plans to dissolve the club, but newly appointed president Dwayne Young pleaded with council members for a lifeline.

Ardmona's premiership flags and photos hang in the footy club. Picture: Jake Nowakowski Source: Sunday Herald Sun

Young inherited a basket case - a club riddled with debt, derelict facilities and the toxic stench of failure reeking through the team's blue and white-hooped guernseys.

Young and his hand-picked coach, Gavin Gledhill, cleared the dilapidated change rooms and sorted through the club's possessions.

They found a roll of used support tape and 10 tins of Vaseline. No footballs.

Through Young's and Gledhill's leadership, the club now is free of debt and is allowed to vote at delegate meetings.

Pre-season training attendances swelled to 50 - a monumental improvement compared to training sessions that attracted only six players across two senior teams last year.

At last Thursday evening's jumper presentation, 120 members showed up at the community hall in the hope that this year their beloved Cats would break their tortuous run of losses.

Two weeks ago the Cats beat Girgarre by about five goals in a practice match.

As the players walked off the field, some embraced, other raised their arms high.

They circled in the clubrooms to triumphantly sing the team song. The problem was no one knew the words.

"Your past curbs your future and we stuck at it - we stuck at it strong and we think we have a bright future," Hardie said.

Country journeyman coach Gledhill has a different take on leading his troops this season, beginning with next Saturday's Round 1 clash against Stanhope at Ardmona Recreation Reserve.

"You know, winning premierships and having success at the club is fantastic, but making a group of young people that don't really have too much to play for better people, I get more pleasure out of that," Gledhill said.

By Jonno Nash

Article first appeared: Sunday Herald Sun March 30, 2013