Former AFL star Jackson Trengove has landed at the Mooroopna Football Netball Club in what is a major recruitment coup for the Goulburn Valley League outfit.
Trengove, who played 186 games at the elite level, has been highly sought after since he stepped down as coach of Barooga earlier this month.
The former Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide talent has signed with the club for the remainder of the 2022 season in a deal that also locks him in at the Cattery next year.
Multiple clubs across the Goulburn Valley region had approached the key-position player in the weeks since he departed Barooga.
Mooroopna was able to edge out its rivals thanks to Trengove’s relationship with former club junior and Bulldogs’ teammate Laitham Vandermeer.
Who knew when Vandermeer helped babysit Trengove’s children during the 2020 season in the Bulldogs’ Gold Coast hub that Vandermeer would help play a role in landing Trengove at the Cats.
“He (Vandermeer) was definitely in my ear,” Trengove said.
“I know him really well from when we played together at the Bulldogs and he sent me a couple of quick messages but he wasn’t too pushy."
Trengove said the decision was all about making the right choice for himself and his family.
He explained that discussions with the club were positive and he was impressed by the club’s presentation.
“A lot of their (Mooroopna’s) values are the values that I have and there’s a lot of promise about their young list and where they’re heading,” he said.
“Just to be able to learn under John (Lamont) in a playing sense, I’ll probably put the coaching on the back burner for a while but as you get older and stop playing, coaching will probably come to the forefront again at some stage.”
Mooroopna president Bill Dowling said Trengove’s mid-season arrival was another positive step forward for the rebuilding outfit.
“It’s very exciting for the club to welcome Jackson on board,” he said.
“It’s another little tick for the club in its quest to improve. And once again the Vandermeer name continues on delivering for the Cats.”
Trengove’s relationship with Vandermeer was a small piece in a much bigger picture.
Mooroopna’s youth brigade — led by Isaac Dowling, Dom Gugliotti, Darcy Russell and Jed Woods — presented an exciting opportunity for Trengove to work with.
The Mooroopna faithful will have to wait a week to watch the latest recruit in the blue and white hoops.
Trengove is set to play in round 13 when the Cats travel to take on Kyabram.
There is no denying that Trengove will benefit the emerging list in securing a finals berth for the first time since 2014.
Mooroopna coach John Lamont said the club had lucked out with Trengove’s arrival.
“Sometimes the harder you work the luckier you get and we as a club have been working very hard here on a number of fronts and now we are enjoying a little bit of luck,” Lamont said.
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