AS BROADFORD took on nearby rivals Kilmore last weekend, it was hard to believe that just a few years ago the Kangaroos boasted a reputation as one of Victoria's roughest football clubs. Sure, a couple of players looked a touch rugged, courtesy of a few tattoos, but their behaviour on the field was impossible to fault.
It was a far cry from five years ago, when Broadford was ordered to clean up its act by the Victorian Country Football League after a series of ugly on-field incidents.
These days, the Kangaroos are forging a new identity and their playing list tells much of the story. Against Kilmore, the seniors had an average age in the low 20s. Broadford now places so much importance on its youth that it recently changed competitions to ensure its youngsters are better catered for.
After 25 years in the Heathcote District league, Broadford has returned to its former stamping ground, the Riddell District FL, where it has been reunited with old foes such as Kilmore and Lancefield.
"Our junior club (which plays teams based in and around Seymour) goes up to under-16s but the Heathcote league's thirds were under-17s," explained Kangaroos president Scott McDougall. "The town's not big enough to find 25 kids in that one-year age-group. In this comp the thirds are under-18s, so we have enough to put a team on the park."
Now the Kangaroos are hoping the RDFL will prove to be a long-time home, a league in which they can earn some respect and win their first senior flag since 1996.
No one better epitomises Broadford's recent journey than Chris Nolan, the Roos' non-playing coach.
A talented junior player, Nolan's life and footy career veered off the rails when, at the age of 18, he lost his father, who had been a legendary local footballer.
After struggling for a number of years to overcome his lingering grief, Nolan rediscovered the game of his youth a decade ago. It has since proved his salvation.
Having no passion to play again, Nolan was encouraged to take up coaching in 2000 by close mate Matt Finch, who was then guiding Broadford's senior side.
The pair became a successful team, later moving to Yea and helping the Tigers win the 2003 Central Goulburn league premiership, along with another flag in 2005.
In late 2006, Nolan fulfilled an ambition by returning home and signing on as Broadford's senior coach.
"I wanted to give something back," Nolan said last week. "It helped overcome my guilt about walking away from my playing career, when I should still be representing this club now. But I came out the other side with a lot of life skills, and I think I can pass a few of those on."
With a strong list at his disposal, Nolan led the Kangaroos to the finals in 2007. But last year was a much more difficult proposition.
Many of Broadford's stars headed up the Hume Highway to Bonnie Doon, where they won the Benalla District league premiership in a canter.
As the footy saying goes, Nolan was forced to "play the kids". His team subsequently fell down the ladder, ending its campaign with a disappointing 4-11 win-loss record.
It was hoped the change of leagues would spark a revival, yet before last Saturday's game, Broadford was winless after four rounds and sitting at the bottom of the ladder.
Including the latter part of the 2008 season, the Roos were on a streak of eight losses and a draw from their previous nine matches.
While the local experts were tipping an easy win for Kilmore, Nolan presented a passionate front to his men before the opening bounce. It was still only May, but the boys were in no doubt their finals hopes were on the line. Kicking with the aid of a howling cold wind, they responded, with youngster Matthew Williams slotting the first goal in the opening minute.
Nolan calmly took in the proceedings from the time-keepers' box. When he arrived back at Broadford he decided the large, glass-fronted room, which sits atop the social club, was too good to accommodate just the siren-blowers.
So he now watches every home game from up there and delivers instructions to his bench via a walkie-talkie. "Against Colbo last year the farmers kept getting on our frequency and carrying on," Nolan recalled with a chuckle. "Three times they found us."
Forced to defend in the second quarter, veteran Tom Butterworth, a recruit from Yea, marshalled the many young lads around him. At half-time Broadford enjoyed a three-goal buffer.
Nolan was desperate to ensure his players maintained their intensity. "This is judgement day," he told them during the break. "119 years of history! Now you blokes have got the responsibility to carry on the tradition of this proud football club.
"No more saying 'they're too young, too inexperienced'. No more excuses. There's no way we're the worst team in this comp. We've got an hour to stand up and set up this season."
With the breeze again at their backs in the third term, Broadford did exactly what their coach asked, piling on seven goals, while restricting their opponents to a paltry two behinds.
Even in the final term, the Kangaroos continued running hard and laying tackles. Nolan refused to relax until the final siren sounded, nervously sipping from a can of soft drink as the concluding minutes ticked by. But his joy was clear when the contest finally ended, with Broadford winning by 76 points. The Roos walked from the field to a standing ovation.
"We needed this boys," an emotional Nolan told the players. "We needed this for our footy club to survive."
Later, as a steady stream of men took turns to shake his hand, the 32-year-old reflected on his day.
"I'm just really glad they listened," he said. "I was really starting to doubt myself. But I love these kids. If we don't get behind these kids and their dreams then the front door doesn't open. I want to be able to come back to this footy club in 10 years and see them still running around. That's what it's about.
Article first appeared The Sunday Age,
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