Dragons on the hunt for debutants

THE Bendigo Dragons Gridiron Club is on the lookout for new team members ahead of the 2021 season, with players of all sizes and levels of experience invited to join.

With this year’s competition due to commence in mid-August and finish in late November, club president Thomas Prince said that, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t necessarily need to be the size of a minivan to do well.

“Most of our recruits are smaller guys,” he said. “Because there are so many positions and so many different skill sets, we can find a place for anyone of any size in the field.”

You also don’t need to know the difference between a wide receiver and running back to begin with either.

“What our coaches do really well is find a position for a rookie and teach them its specifics,” Prince said.

“The game can be quite complex at times, however the trick is to focus on your position and from there it becomes far simpler.”

With the preseason still in its early days, the club has been happy to see a healthy returning player base, but has been affected by its current inability to recruit overseas players.

“Due to COVID-19 we’ve had to suspend our International program,” Prince said. “The financial component of bringing athletes from overseas has blown out, so it’s out of the picture until circumstances change.

“But we have been encouraged by the new faces we’ve seen so far. Most are showing some potential.”

Training takes place on Mondays for seniors/under 19s and Wednesdays for seniors only from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Maiden Gully Recreation Reserve, Beckham’s Road Maiden Gully.

Bring your runners/boots and plenty of water. The club can be contacted via [email protected].