AS FAR as birthday presents go, being named the captain of the Werribee Tigers is not half bad.
Dominic Gleeson was officially named the new captain of the VFL side on his 26^th birthday.
Gleeson, in his sixth year wearing the yellow and black will replace club champion James Podsiadly (Pods).
They are some big shoes to fill but the on-baller said he will pave his own way in 2009.
âEveryone outside the football club keeps asking if I have got big shoes to fill but Pods is his own captain and hopefully I am going to bring something else to the table,â he said.
âHe is a superstar, won a Liston medal and everything like that but hopefully I can bring something.â
One thing is for sure, Gleeson is the right man for the job â that is the word from coach Simon Atkins.
âHe is the right person that is going to lead our football club,â he said.
âI think we really made the right choice about him as captain.
âHeâs honest, heâs a hard worker, heâs team orientated and what I believe, I mean I have coached him for four years, is his standard has continued to rise.â
As for Gleeson, he summed the captaincy up in one word: honour.
âI am honored to be the captain of the Werribee Football Club with all its history and hopefully we can make some history ourselves this year.â
The new captain was reluctant to discuss what he brings to the role because he hates talking himself up but he admitted he was able to relate to the playing list on a number of levels.
âHaving come up through the TAC Cup and dabbling with the AFL on the supplementary list and obviously starting fresh at Werribee about six years ago I can relate to what most of the younger guys are going through and what the older guys have gone through as well.â
A âboy from the bushâ at heart, Gleeson grew up in the country town of Koroit, south-west of Melbourne which is where he began his football. He progressed through the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup and found a spot on Carltonâs supplementary list.
Three years in the twos and a broken leg later and he signed with Werribee.
Gleeson holds no regrets about his shot at the big time and can lay claim to playing alongside some of the greatest players the country has ever seen.
âI was too slow (for the AFL), too small, the usual things they say to ânot good enoughâ players.
I gave it everything I had in those two years.
âThe years I went through the guys I played with at Geelong Falcons were the Bartels, the Abletts, the Hodges, the Moloneys, the Maguires, so I had some great talent that got drafted those two years.â
Gleeson, now a marketing manager living in Ascot Vale, is looking forward to the coming season.
âWe are hoping to top what we did last year which was make a prelim but we are just focusing on making the top four, anything less weâll be really disappointed.
âI just want to just be a good leader and basically be a stalwart in the centre for the whole year.â
Gleeson will find plenty of support in 2009, he will be flanked by vice-captain Robert Castello and deputies Flinn Chisholm and Michael Rockefeller who were also given their titles on Thursday much to the coachâs delight.
âI reckon Robbie Castello is going to be fantastic assistance to Dom and itâs great we have got Rockefeller and Chisholm - two younger blokes who have really worked hard at their games.
âThey are kids who have come from the Falcons, so for them to be deputy-vice I think we have got a really good group of real hard honest workers and they all set a high standard.â
The Tigers had their first practice match for the year against North Ballarat playing two games of three-quarters on Saturday.
Although results mean little at this stage, the Tigers won both games, with Marty Pask and Ben Sharp kicking four and three goals respectively.
Last Modified on 19/05/2009 13:57