Border Mail |
TYSON Smith was reminded why he played football on Saturday.
With Tallangatta scoring a 33-point win over Yackandandah, the winning feeling was back at Rowen Park.
And while it was far from the club’s best performance for the year, Smith was more than happy to take the four points and run.
After all, victories have been few and far between since the Hoppers took out the 2009 premiership.
But that could soon be a thing of the past, according to the Tallangatta captain and assistant coach.
“Things are looking up,” Smith, 26, said yesterday.
“We’ve been around the mark the last few weeks so it was good to have a win.
“It was probably our worst game for a few weeks.
“We only really played a good second half, but it was good to get over the line.
“Hopefully we can build a bit more momentum.”
Although the seniors have won just twice for the year, it’s hard to argue with Smith’s optimism.
Tallangatta’s reserves are still firmly in the mix for finals, while the club’s thirds and fourths both look certainties to make it with six rounds still to play.
The $1.2 million development at Rowen Park, expected to be finished in time for the start of next season, boosts the Hoppers’ cause.
“The club’s in the best position it has been for years,” Smith said.
“We’ve got a lot of young players and I guess now it’s about picking up a few more and having a real go of it.
“The whole standard of the competition has lifted but we’re definitely looking to play finals next year.
“The development will be fantastic.
“There’s going to be new rooms, a function room, new facilities and everything.
“Tallangatta is a great club to be at.”
Smith would know.
Lured out bush from Wodonga with a handful of Bulldog teammates in 2009, Smith tasted immediate success, winning a flag in his first year.
While Tyson Gorupic and Jack Russell have since returned to the Ovens and Murray, Smith won’t be following in their footsteps any time soon.
“I love it out bush,” the Hoppers’ assistant coach said.
“2009 was a great year but we sort of just lost eight guys after the flag and then probably another eight the following year.
“We were probably a bit unlucky with guys moving away and uni and that — but that can happen to anybody.
“The last few years have certainly been challenging at times.”
He’s stuck true through the bad times but still clearly remembers what the good ones felt like.
Smith just wants that winning feeling to become a bit more regular.
