Sport
10 October, 2022
Maryborough stars Aidan Hare and Liam Latch earn invite to train with Williamstown VFL
Maryborough products Aidan Hare and Liam Latch were the recipients of good news recently, with both players invited to trial for Williamstown in the Victorian Football League (VFL) ahead of a possible pre-season with the club. Should both players be...
Maryborough products Aidan Hare and Liam Latch were the recipients of good news recently, with both players invited to trial for Williamstown in the Victorian Football League (VFL) ahead of a possible pre-season with the club.
Should both players be successful, they would be able to join Jake Lohmann — currently plying his trade with Sandringham — as a VFL-listed player.
Both Hare and Latch enjoyed outstanding seasons with the Magpies — Hare ranked as the number one disposal winner in the Bendigo competition, collecting 38.2 disposals and 9.1 clearances per game, with standout games including a haul of 50 disposals against Eaglehawk in round 14, with two seperate hauls of 47 disposals and two games where he collected 46.
Likewise, Latch was also stuffing the statsheet in 2022, collecting 35.7 disposals and 6.9 clearances per game, which also included a game of 49 disposals against Eaglehawk in round 14, which started a five-game run which saw him collect at least 41 disposals and five clearances in every game to finish off the season.
Latch outlined the process he and Hare will go through ahead of their first trial with the Seagulls.
“We are going down on November 8 for a trial night, and that night will decide if we get to have a pre-season. We’ll go down, have a training night and a two-kilometre time trial, and we’ll go from there. But I’m trying to take it one day at a time — I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, we could get cut on the first night,” he said.
Latch said the time trial was his main area of focus, having been able to play through the midfield all season alongside Hare.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve been working on now is my two-kilometre time trial. I really want to nail that down, it’s such an important thing at VFL level — it’s not a be-all, end-all kind of situation, but it definitely helps and it adds another string to my bow. It’s part of working on my overall fitness. Aidan and I got to play a lot of midfield this year, and I’ve been working on my skills, clean hands and being able to work on both sides of my body. That’s what we’ve been working on over the last couple of months,” he said.
Latch said connections through the Magpies were able to help him and Hare take up the opportunity to train with Williamstown, with both looking to add to previous VFL experiences, with Hare debuting for North Melbourne in 2021, while Latch previously trained with Werribee following the 2019 season.
“It was through the connections we had at Maryborough. The club knows what Aidan and I have as expectations to try and go as far as we possibly can in our football journey. We got a message three or four weeks ago asking if we would be interested in coming down and having a crack at VFL football with Williamstown. Since then, we’ve both gone down and had a walk around the club and got an interview with their list manager. From that, we’ve been able to get a tryout spot. We’re not guaranteed of anything — we could rock up and be cut on the first night, that’s how cut-throat it is,” he said.
“I’ve previously trained with Werribee at the end of 2019, so I have already had a bit of experience at VFL level, getting a good three months in. I think I’m aware of what it takes, but also there is an understanding of how tough it is with what they are looking for.”
Latch said the experience of Magpies’ captain Coby Perry — who previously spent time in the VFL with the North Ballarat Roosters, as well as Lohmann, has been extremely helpful as he and Hare look to make the most out of their opportunities.
“I’m always bouncing off Coby’s ear for everything — not just football stuff, but for everything. He’s really good with that, a very knowledgeable person. Jake Lohmann’s been very good for us the last couple of weeks since we found out we would get this opportunity. He’s telling us what the recruiters look for, and what stands out to them. They’ve been good for us as it gives us something to think about for when we go down and have a crack. You think of what they have said and what they said to look out for. You want to trust the blokes that have been there and done that — they have the most experience out of anyone, so they are the perfect people to ask questions,” he said.
