General News
28 January, 2022
O’Neil to lead pies under 18s
JAMES O’Neil has been named captain of Camperdown’s under 18s side for the upcoming season.
JAMES O’Neil has been named captain of Camperdown’s under 18s side for the upcoming season.
New under 18s coach Matthew Absalom said O’Neil brings a lot of qualities to the role, particularly his work ethic.
“James has put in a heap of hard work pre-Christmas, he’s got himself super fit and he’s someone the seniors will be looking at this year too,” Absalom said.
“That’s one of my goals, to develop these kids to play senior footy, and he’s putting in the hard work at training and putting his best foot forward to give himself that opportunity.
“That’s what you want in a leader, leading from the front, showing the other boys what they need to do to play that top standard of footy.”
Absalom said O’Neil’s versatility on the field was another great strength.
“He’s quite tall, so he’ll be able to hold down the backline as central defender,” he said.
“Or he could become a ruckman, we’ll just see how it works, he could be a utility, we’ll be able to play him anywhere.”
After a couple of difficult years with low numbers, Absalom will focus on getting the numbers up and giving his players a chance to showcase their skills.
“Anyone that wants to play footy, they’re certainly going to get an opportunity for plenty of minutes out on the ground,” he said.
“There’s something there for everyone, if you want to play senior footy, I’m definitely keen to help develop those kids.
“But on the other hand, if there’s someone that’s never kicked a footy before I’m happy for them to come along and develop their skills.”
Absalom said rebuilding a positive social space was also important after two years of the pandemic.
“I want to create that team atmosphere, which we’ve missed out on the last two years,” he said.
“It’ll be good to get kids back on the park playing footy, in a social setting, and have a nice, fun year, and whatever happens, happens.”
Training begins this Monday at 6pm at the Leura Oval, and Absalom encouraged anyone with an interest in playing under 18s footy to come along.
“It doesn’t matter whether you can’t kick a footy, or if you’re looking to play seniors,” he said.
“We’re all about getting everyone back out on the park after two years of not much footy.”