AYDEN George will have the chance to continue the rebuild at North Geelong after signing a new deal with the club.
George, who took the Magpies from six wins in 2018 to nine victories in 2019, just one game outside the top five, is contracted for 2021, with an option for the following year.
“I felt with the effort put in over the last two years with two pre-season, and only one season, it just wasn’t fulfilling what I wanted to get out of it and what I hoped the club would get out of it,” he said.
“Over the pre-season, I felt we made some really good inroads, and to be struck down after one practice match was disappointing for the group who had put in so much hard work.”
GDFL: BUCK TO LEAD HAWKS IN 2021
While disappointed the 2020 season won’t get a start, that cloud has a silver lining for the Magpies with the likes of Lachie Wright and Steve Richert having extra time to overcome long-term injuries.
“We get those two back, and there’s a couple of blokes that had some niggles and stuff like that,” George said.
“Having that time out of the game might really refresh their bodies and refresh their minds.”
It’s also proven beneficial George, who has indicated he would like to play on despite turning 36 before the 2021 season starts.
“The last little bit’s been good to me,” he said. “I’ve freshened up and been able to train by myself.
“I’m definitely keen to play in ’21, but I’ll do a bit of a pre-season before I fully commit.”
George also confirmed North Geelong won’t be part of AFL Barwon’s plans for a modified season, joining fellow GDFL clubs Bell Post Hill and Bannockburn in publicly declaring they won’t be involved.
“We put it out to the group, and it’s a great concept, but it’s come a little bit late for our players,” he said.
“A lot of guys have moved on. Some of them have been out of work and now have got work they can pick up on weekends.
“We’ll look at getting together over the next few weeks. We’ve got our new rooms coming together, so hopefully a few things will coincide with that, and we can get the group together a little bit more.”
Twitter: @tom_king79
