Bendigo Regional YMCA CEO Michael Bailey with Eaglehawk captain Luke Button, vice-captains Tim Nicolson and Tim Hill.
LUKE Button has been rewarded for his loyalty to Eaglehawk by being given the captaincy of the Bendigo Football League club this season.
Button, 29, has come through the ranks at Canterbury Park from the under-12s, is a two-time senior premiership player with the Hawks and now skipper of the club, taking over from Josh Bowe, who has headed to West Australia.
“It’s an honour and a great privilege to be captain of Eaglehawk,” Button said yesterday.
“I’ve been captained by premiership captains in Ben Hynes and Brady Herdman and always looked up to them and wanted to fill their shoes, and now I have that opportunity, so I can’t wait to get out there and lead from the front.
“The feeling around the club is really good at the moment. We’ve just come off our training camp to Pyramid Hill and there’s some really good mateship there.
“Ït’s coming together well for us and we’re just looking forward to getting into the season.”
The Hawks are coming off a 2012 season when they were a rare absentee from the finals.
Despite winning five of their last seven games, Eaglehawk finished sixth last year, missing a berth in the finals for the first time since 2002.
“It was very disappointing last year and the first time I’ve missed out on playing finals in the seniors,” defender Button said.
“To be finished before September was a shock to the system, so we’ll use that as a bit of motivation going into this year. It was a new team with a lot of young blokes coming through, but that bond built up towards the end of the year, and that’s when we started to play some better football.”
Supporting Button as vice-captains of the Hawks will be ruckman Tim Nicolson and utility Tim Hill.
“These three boys all deserve these positions they have earned,” Eaglehawk coach Luke Monaghan said.
“Buttsy has tremendous passion and commitment to the club, Nico is a real level-headed leader and Hilly has the utmost respect from everyone. All three will work well together.”
The Hawks again have the support of the Bendigo Regional YMCA as a major sponsor this season.
Äs part of the partnership, the Hawks are involved in holiday programs for the YMCA, as well as supporting the annual Peter Krenz Memorial Golf Day, which will be held from 11am this Sunday at Neangar Park Golf Club.