LEADER: Bendigo Gold captain Steven Stroobants is looking forward to the challenge of leading the club in this year’s Victorian Football League action. Picture: PETER WEAVING
New Bendigo Football Club captain Steven Stroobants is confident he will have strong support from the club’s leadership group in his first season as Gold skipper.
Stroobants was announced as skipper yesterday, with newcomer Matt Stapleton vice-captain.
Also in the leadership group are Tom Hams, Lee Coghlan, Nathan Beck and Daniel Toman.
“We’ve got a good leadership group together now,” Stroobants said yesterday.
“There’s a lot of guys there that can step up and lead at training and in games.”
Captaining the Gold will be Stroobants’ first-time as leader since under-15s at Western Riverina.
“It will be a great experience,” he said.
“We’re a young and enthusiastic group, I think that’s not a bad thing.”
Stroobants’ appointment was announced by Gold coach Aussie Jones at the club’s community camp at the weekend.
“Steven is our most experienced VFL player and he’s an integral part of our plans to build a very competitive VFL team in 2013 and beyond,” Jones said.
“Steven’s earned everyone’s respect with his playing record and his personal qualities.
“Throughout our pre-season training schedule he’s demonstrated genuine leadership qualities amongst our young playing group.
“In addition, he’s tremendously loyal to this football club and loyalty and dependability are qualities that I rate and respect very highly.”
Stapleton’s experience playing VFL at Sandringham helped him become a natural leader at the Gold.
“He knows what’s required to play VFL football, especially for young players coming to this level for the first time, and his knowledge and experience has made him a leader in the playing group,” Jones said.
Jones backed the entire leadership group to be good ambassadors for the Gold in its first stand-alone season for a decade.
“We’re very clear about the direction in which this football club is heading and all our planning is directed at building a very competitive VFL team.”
Bendigo’s Gold’s first practice match of the season is against Northern Blues at Carlton’s Visy Park this Friday at 5pm.