BOOM recruits Brendan Fevola and Mark Williams were on hand to launch the WRFL Season on Wednesday night.
The Deer Park and Newport players added some star power to the celebration, with the pair talking about their careers and preparation for Saturday’s season opener.
Fresh from being crowned King of the Jungle, Fevola spoke about his passion for the game and his time on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
“I actually thought it was The Biggest Loser and I got the wrong show, I went into the jungle at 120kg and come out at 102kg,” he laughed.
“The boys told me they got me an extra-extra-large jumper, I told them they will need to change that to an extra-large and I will save that jumper for the second half of the season.”
Fevola also spoke about his time in the Ovens and Murray Football League and how he found the passion for the game he grew up loving after what he describes as a difficult time in his life.
“I wasn’t going to play footy, I was in a pretty bad way, getting sacked by Brisbane and then going into rehab I just wanted to not play footy,” he said.
“I lost the love of footy and then I got a phone call from the Casey Football Club, got fit again and got the love for footy back a little bit then got a phone call from Glen the president of the Yarrawonga Football Club.
“I didn’t know where Yarrawonga was and then I ended up living there for three years.
“The volunteers in a small town of Yarrawonga which is 5000 people, they just love footy and netball and they do it all for nothing and they really brought the passion back for me.
“I am pretty grateful I got the opportunity to go up there.
“If you can get a kick you should play, if you love footy, just play as long as you can, that is my mentality.”
Williams also spoke about his involvement with the Newport Football Club and how he came to be the inaugural coach of the Power’s senior side.
“My kids have been a part of Newport, I live in the area, I have since I came over from Western Australia, my wife is also the coach of the netball side,” he said.
“I spent two seasons in the Central Highlands Football League and then this opportunity came up.
“So far it has been pretty good, we have been averaging 40-45 players on the track, a lot of under-19 players are playing and players that have left the club and now coming back.”
Williams said he was likely to pull on the boots this season and was looking forward to their first game against Tarneit on Saturday.
He said he was also excited about their first home game the following weekend.
“On the 16th of April we play Braybrook at home, so we are expecting 200 to 300 people, so if anyone has a bye or you’re not doing anything on that weekend you are more than welcome to come down and support the Newport Football Club.”
Last Modified on 07/04/2016 15:11