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PATIENCE is paying off for Strathfieldsaye ruckman Harry Crone.
For two seasons after his under-18 football finished Crone bided his time in the Storm’s reserves while the senior side claimed back-to-back flags in 2014 and 2015.
It was a mighty tough Storm side to break into through those two years when the team won 39 of 40 games and Crone’s housemate Michael Pilcher was holding down the mantle as the No.1 ruckman.
However, opportunity arose in 2016 for Crone to support Pilcher as the Storm’s back-up ruckman and he played 17 games in the senior team that year.
Then with Pilcher’s departure last year to Leitchville-Gunbower, Crone relished the chance to take on the responsibility of holding down the ruck position in what was ultimately a premiership team.
“Even though I played a couple of years in the reserves, I was still really happy to stick around at Strath being my home club,” Crone, who has played with Strathfieldsaye since under-12s, said on Wednesday.
“Being a big man, I knew I was never going to be senior footy ready at age 18 or 19, so I stuck with it and it paid off well last year.
“It was really special last year to win a premiership with Strath when you think about how long you’ve played with the club and how much work has gone in… it was an amazing feeling.”
With one senior premiership under his belt last year, Crone gets the opportunity to add another on Saturday when the Storm again meets Eaglehawk in the BFNL grand final at the QEO.
Being a big man, I knew I was never going to be senior footy ready at age 18 or 19, so I stuck with it and it paid off well last year
- Harry Crone
The continued development of Crone this year has been one of the highlights for the Storm, with the 23-year-old having regularly featured among the side’s best players early before his season was curtailed with a broken cheekbone.
He missed almost two months of football before returning for the second semi-final against Eaglehawk on September 8.
“Having a couple of good games earlier this year definitely helped to boost my confidence and it’s good to know what playing good footy feels like and be able to take that and run with it,” Crone said.
“You take that good feeling into training on a Tuesday, then Thursday and then you’re back to the Saturday again.
“After being part of a premiership last year, it gives you that bit of reassurance that you’re the right person for the job.”
There’s some irony in Crone winning a grand final last year against Eaglehawk and the Hawks being the Storm’s opponent again on Saturday.
Crone’s father, Peter, was a champion ruckman with Eaglehawk during the ’80s and early ’90s and was a member of the BFNL’s famous 1989 team that won the division one inter-league title.
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