Come and try ... footy at Jervois Football Club

“Come and Try” aims to promote fitness and wellbeing in the Murraylands – and it could promote your business, too. Murray Bridge News is seeking an ongoing sponsor for this fortnightly feature. Call Peri on 0419 827 124 or email peri@murraybridge.news.

It can be pretty quiet along the western bank of the River Murray after sunset, with one exception.

The lights at Jervois Oval illuminate the darkening sky from a distance.

As you get closer, you can hear the young blokes calling to each other as they stretch, kick footies around and run shuttle runs.

It’s shaping up to be a pretty good year for the Jervois Football Club, even after its players brought home three flags on grand final day last year.

The past legends on the walls of the clubhouse outnumber the men on the track, but those who come along on Tuesday night are going hard and having fun doing it.

Among them is Jordan Rafferty, who came to the club years ago after a mate encouraged him to move down from Port Pirie.

Now he’s an under-18s coach and reserves player for the mighty Bluds.

When did you first start playing football?

Since I was about 11, about 10 years ago. I’m originally from Port Pirie. I grew up playing soccer originally, but all my mates started playing footy. At that age you just want to play with your mates, so I never went back. I played for Lions. (Later) a mate I grew up with in school moved down here for a mechanic apprenticeship and said “come and play footy with me”.

What do you get out of it?

(I play footy for) the physical and mental side of it, the club environment, the family environment, to play a team sport … I just love kicking a footy and playing with my mates.

What has been the highlight of your football career so far?

Winning the flag last year was pretty good. In juniors, back in Pirie, I won a few flags – under 13s, under 15s – but I’ve only played in one senior flag so far.

How are you going this season?

We’re undefeated so far (in the reserves). The A grade’s joint top. The club’s pretty tight this year, too. A large majority of our senior group are from Adelaide, but the club is all on the same page. We’ve got that one club mentality – it’s not just As and Bs. We see ourselves as one club at the end of the day.

What do you hope to achieve as a footballer?

Probably to get as much success at senior footy as possible. At the end of the day the ideal goal is to win a premiership, and to develop personally as well.

Why should people come and play football at Jervois?

For the family mentality around the club. This area’s kind of farm-orientated, so the locals all know each other. It’s a good environment to be around: get your kids, bring ‘em out, play footy. Footy’s pretty dominant in the town – it’s a footy-proud area with a lot of history. The standard of footy is a lot better here, too – I’ve played in a lot of leagues and the standard here is a lot better. It’s good to test yourself.

• More information: Search for the Jervois Bluds Football Club on Facebook.

“Come and Try” aims to promote fitness and wellbeing in the Murraylands – and it could promote your business, too. Murray Bridge News is seeking an ongoing sponsor for this fortnightly feature. Call Peri on 0419 827 124 or email peri@murraybridge.news.