Tigers pick spearhead as captain
By Brent Diamond of the Werribee Banner
JAMES Podsiadly is the new face of Werribee after officially being named captain of the Tigers for 2007.
Just weeks after being discarded by a fifth AFL club after training with Richmond over the pre-season, Podsiadly told The Banner there were no guarantees in football and he was delighted to be leading Werribee in 2007.
``It's a little bit disappointing, but you can't dwell on those types of things,'' he said.
``I've been through it a few times now so it's just the same feeling, I know what it's like ... I've known that I'm captain of
Werribee for some time now so that's made it a lot better and easier to focus.''
Richmond opted to select enigmatic former Geelong full-forward Kent Kingsley over Podsiadly in December's pre-season draft.
It was believed to be a competition between the two to add a new dimension to Richmond's forward line alongside Matthew Richardson and Nathan Brown.
Instead, it's the fifth time the 25-year-old has failed to convince an AFL club's coaching hierarchy to add him to its list.
Podsiadly, described by Werribee coach Simon Atkins as ``a beautiful kick'', was a late starter in football, playing tennis until he was 17.
The quick, strong 192-centimetre spearhead was on the Bombers' rookie list in 2000 and the Magpies' in 2002, and did pre-season training with Sydney in 2004, with the Bulldogs declaring their interest in 2005.
His experiences have left him philosophical about his chances of finally breaking through.
Despite being sceptical about the prospect, he hopes he can follow in the footsteps of his former Werribee teammate Ben Hudson, who at the age of 24 was a shock third-round selection by Adelaide in 2004.
``I've trained at a few clubs now, I've lost a bit of weight, which is good, and I'm just pretty pumped and focused to have some success at Werribee,'' he said.
Tigers' general manager Mark Penaluna said Podsiadly was the obvious choice to take over the captaincy from Travis Robertson, now an assistant coach at former GFL powerhouse North Shore.
``He's an outstanding leader, we thought he deserved to be acknowledged as captain [at a recent club function] in front of all his
teammates.'' Penaluna said.
Podsiadly has been arguably Werribee's most consistent player in recent times, winning the Frosty Miller Medal for the top VFL
goalkicker in 2005 and finishing runner-up to Robbie Castello in last year's best and fairest count.
He has kicked 142 goals in the past two seasons for the Tigers.
This week, one could feel in his voice that he was pumped for another big season in what could be a new-look Tigers forward set-up.
``This is probably the first pre-season since 2004 or 2005 that I can feel the excitement and enthusiasm among the players,'' he said.
``A lot of the boys have stuck together, which is great, and we've added a few new guys to the list and that's made everyone more excited.
``This year, we're probably looking at the top four, there's no doubt about that. I know it's only early yet, but there's a good feeling among the group.''
Podsiadly joined Werribee in 2003 and has been vice-captain of the Tigers for three years.
He has played 75 games for the Tigers, bringing his VFL total to 132.
He played 37 with Essendon and 20 with Williamstown.
Last Modified on 22/02/2008 10:59