Clubs continue recruitment raids on NTFA giants
The players of this year’s unbeaten NTFA flag winners continue to be targeted by rival clubs in one of the most dramatic player movement periods the association has seen. We dissect the biggest signings.
Clubs continue to target the stocks of NTFA giants Rocherlea and North Launceston in arguably the most impactful player movement periods in association history.
Hot on the heels of luring Rocherlea gun Jordan Cousens, East Coast announced they have lured star Tigers forward Dakota Bannister back to the club after he featured in their losing 2017 grand final team.
Luke Wheldon, Rocherlea’s best on ground in this year’s reserve grade premiership and runner up in the NTFA best and fairest, has also signed with the Swans.
The Tigers also lost this year’s club and association best and fairest Josh Ponting, now Latrobe’s head coach, but responded by luring Bombers multiple flag winner Jack Avent.
Avent, ruck and this years’ best and fairest Alex Lee (Latrobe) and Michael Stingel (Devils VFL) headline the Bombers’ departures, with Bailey Mitchell’s move to Bridgenorth recently confirmed by the Parrots.
Both clubs enjoyed unbeaten seasons on the march to their respective flags. But with depth comes opportunity for rivals to swoop, and they haven’t missed their chance.
“I’ve also had five or six other (incumbent) guys I’ve had to get into, because they’ve had other clubs approach them,” Tigers coach Luke Richards told this masthead last week.
“The more good players you’ve got, the more other teams will try and take them off you.
“I’ve been at the club since ‘09 and we’ve only missed finals once since then. We’ve always been thereabouts and you try and keep that enjoyment up.”
Bombers coach Adrian Smith said the situation is something they have to deal with as the NTFA undergoes enormous change.
We’re in a really unique position with our depth and opportunities afforded to players at VFL level. Obviously with depth comes opportunity for players to be targeted by lower league clubs,” Smith said.
“At the moment as the process in the NTFA levels out, there’s opportunity for lower league clubs to express interest in players to return back (to former clubs) or play a lower level, because there probably isn’t a lot of difference in the competitions at the moment.
“The standard gap (in the Premier League) is significant, and players want to be challenged at times too. It’s what clubs in the north are facing and players wanting to make sure they’re stretched.”
BIGGEST NTFA MOVES THUS FAR
1: Daniel Rich and Ben McNiece (Noosa to Scottsdale): The Magpies didn’t win a single game in the Premier League, but got some welcome good news by luring two former AFL players for next year. Former Lions star Rich is the headline act, and former Essendon player McNiece will join him in playing a minimum of five games exclusively for Scottsdale next season.
2. Jack Avent (North Launceston to Rocherlea):The seven-time flag winner’s departure may have come as a shock to many, given his success and long tenure at the Bombers. But he’s at a stage of his career where a new challenge, and playing with some family, could be just what he needs. The fact there’s more week-to-week challenging games in division one than the lopsided Premier League at the moment could also have been a factor.
3: Jordan Cousens (Rocherlea to East Coast): Cousens is about as ‘yellow and black’ as they come and loves the club deeply given their support when he was going through a family disaster. It’s a big reason why he’s stayed so loyal so long, and has won five flags at the Tigers to go with his TSL premiership with North Launceston. After being named a Tigers life member this year, he joins the Swans as a playing assistant coach.
4: Alex Lee (North Launceston to Latrobe): Lee is a massive loss for the NTFA and clearly the Premier League’s best ruckman. Given he was always returning home to the north-east anyway, joining Latrobe under former North Launceston teammate Ponting as an assistant made too much sense to turn down.
5: Josh Ponting (Rocherlea to Latrobe): While now occupying veteran status, ‘Punter’ is still at the peak of his powers and won the division one’s best and fairest. “I was pretty intrigued by the vision they had for the club,” Ponting said of his Latrobe move. “They’re young and feel like they’re treading in the right direction, and wanted a coach they thought could steer them with a bit of experience. “I thought stepping up into a Premier League would be a good thing to have in my back pocket, if I did decide to pursue something else (in coaching). It puts my name out there, and shows I’m willing to take different jobs and not just stick to my own little area.”
6: Zach Morris and Deagan Madden (Launceston and Longford to Parkside in the Western Football Netball League): Morris is a former VFL player and Madden won Longford’s best and fairest this year. The departure of two of the league’s best young players to a mainland league should be cause for concern.
Why comforts of home will allow Tassie VFL talent to thrive
Michael Stingel wastes the footy as often as he wastes words - rarely.
And he could almost be a poster boy for how Tasmania’s VFL side can help the state’s best talent flourish, now they don’t have to uproot themselves and leave.
North Launceston’s Stingel is a quiet assassin. He’s ruthless on the field and regularly branded an ‘inside midfield bull’, but you get the impression he’s one of a few players who are far better equipped to reach their peak surrounded by the comforts of home.
Earlier this year the 22-year-old was described as “your prototype Tassie player” by Devils VFL coach Jeromey Webberly, because of his relentless pursuit of the hard ball.
His skills, speed and decision making complementing his toughness.
Regularly hitting the scoreboard is perhaps the one major factor missing from his game - in part because he’s possibly too selfish at times.
Then there’s the likes of Bailey Boag, a similar style of player to Stingel who has proven he’s simply too good for local level footy with four Baldock medals as the NWFL’s best and fairest.
His first shot at the VFL with North Melbourne in 2021 was thwarted by Covid, and other life factors get in the way.
Now Tassie as a team, he can test himself and won’t retire wondering ‘what if’ had he never got another shot at a higher level.
Stingel’s SANFL stint with Norwood in 2023 was hampered by injuries, but he used the time off as best he could.
He put on plenty of bulk in the gym and was a key factor in North Launceston winning the last-ever TSL flag last year.
He was named best on ground in the Bombers’ NTFA Premier League grand final win over Launceston last month, and was one of Tasmania’s best in representative games this season.
He was happy to oblige, and you could sense he’s a player more self confident and assured of what he can bring to VFL level the second time around.
“It’s a bit more of an incentive that you don’t have to go over to the mainland, I’ll see what the plans are and go from there really,” Stingel said before his VFL signing was announced.
“It will help bring our standard back to where it needs to be. To have six (Tasmania representative) games down here this year, it was good but there’s so much inconsistency going back to NTFA footy. “To have a full season will be awesome, and it will drive everyone to get better.”
Bombers legend Brad Cox-Goodyer also played football on the mainland at Geelong in his early twenties in 2015.
Cox-Goodyer was Bombers coach when Stingel returned to the club in 2024. He believes Tassie’s unique qualities can make it more difficult for young players to acclimatise to being away from home.
“There’s not many places in Australia like Tassie, especially in the major cities,” he said earlier this month.
“I’m pretty excited to see him (Stingel) play VFL footy next year, he’s only 22 still.
“His body let him down a fair bit (at Norwood) but he’s probably one of those blokes where coming back into the comfort zone around home will be a good thing for him.
“He can play VFL footy in his home state where he’s comfortable and I’m sure he’ll thrive next year. I’d back him in to play most games.”
Current Bombers coach Adrian Smith used the same verb to predict what Stingel can achieve at the Devils.
“He’s super professional and a ripping kid, he’ll thrive in that environment,” he said.
“He gets a lot out of his game so that’s really exciting for him.”
‘That’s just football’: Bombers look to future as legends leave
North Launceston coach Adrian Smith says the departure of big name stalwarts Jack Avent and Alex Lee is “just part of football”, and hopes other Bombers guns join Michael Stingel in getting a VFL chance with the Devils.
The departure of seven-time flag winner Avent to Rocherlea followed star ruck Alex Lee’s decision to sign with Latrobe as an assistant coach, shortly after winning a third club best and fairest.
Lee hails from the north-west and was always planning to return home for family reasons, while Avent’s move to the Tigers also affords him an opportunity to play alongside family.
Midfielder Stingel has signed to be part of Tasmania’s inaugural VFL squad and other young guns like best and fairest runner-up Beau Nash, Harry Bayles and Theo Ives will trial for a call-up.
Skilful small forward Brandon Leary looms as a likely candidate and while Bombers legend Brad Cox-Goodyer told this masthead earlier this month he’s “still undecided” about playing for the Devils, the chance to represent his state in the back end of his career could be tough to refuse.
North Launceston has dominated football in the north the past two years. The Bombers won last year’s swan song TSL flag undefeated, before making a mess of their NTFA Premier League rivals this year in an another unbeaten campaign where their percentage exceeded 500 per cent.
It means rival clubs were always going to circle to pick off some players, particularly some teams in lower divisions who have money to spend.
“We’re in a really unique position with our depth and opportunities afforded to players at VFL level. Obviously with depth comes opportunity for players to be targeted by lower league clubs,” Smith said.
“At the moment as the process in the NTFA levels out, there’s opportunity for lower league clubs to express interest in players to return back (to former clubs) or play a lower level, because there probably isn’t a lot of difference in the competitions at the moment.
“The standard gap (in the Premier League) is significant, and players want to be challenged at times too. It’s what clubs in the north are facing and players wanting to make sure they’re stretched.”
Smith said Avent and Lee left with the Bombers’ blessing after their enormous contribution to the club.
“They have been amazing servants of our footy club, they’ve achieved everything and are in the back end of their careers where they’re winding down,” Smith said.
“Opportunities for them to train less, or play with family, or in Alex’s case move back home for family, that’s just part of football.
“There’s no animosity or begrudging their ability to do that. At their age and what they’ve achieved at our club, they’re legends of our footy club and will always be that.
“It’s about what’s coming through below that, your (co-captain) Fletcher Bennett’s and Declen Chugg’s and Theo Ives’. They’re the next leaders of our footy club who take us through the next few years, just like Brad and Alex and Jack have.”
Smith backed “super professional” Stingel, the player of the match in the NTFA Premier League grand final, to “thrive” in the Devils’ system after previously playing SANFL with Norwood.
He hoped the club would lose a few more to VFL duty, but was hopeful a system could be arranged where players who spend a full season there could still play finals football in the NTFA.
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“It’d be a shame if some of our best players happen to play Devils most of the year, and not qualify to play at Premier League, because that takes away the standard,” he said.
“A mechanism for these players to have that qualification process where they play finals, I think it’s really important.
“Every VFL player has a home club, so it would be a shame not to be able to use them across the state.”
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