By his admission, Matt James “fell out of love with the game”.
He was questioning whether to play on after coming off the bench and playing limited game time as Bell Post Hill made an audacious bid for a grand final berth in an interrupted 2023 season.
However, a conversation with Corio co-coach Joel Bennett convinced the now two-time Neville Whitley medallist to join the Devils.
“I chatted to Joel for a number of years, and I thought it was probably a good change in my life to go to Corio and have a fresh start,” James said moments after claiming a seven-vote victory in last (Wednesday) night’s count.
“It’s been really good.
“I fell in love with the game again. I have respect for the young guys and (can) show them what I know.”
After being part of one of the competition’s most experienced lists at Myers Reserve, James relished the contrast at Corio.
In an ultra-consistent season, the 30-year-old polled in 14 matches in a team that finished with only two wins and a draw.
“Being a young club, you need to set the example more,” he said.
“Being in the leadership group, you know you have to really set the tone every game.
“That really got me going to play consistently week in, week out, regardless if we’re winning or losing.”
That extra responsibility was heightened when Bennett suffered a season-ending back injury in the Round 6 draw with Inverleigh.
Without his running mate, James, who also earned Team of the Year selection, took on more responsibility in the Devils midfield.
“Once Joel went down, I thought, ‘It’s a good opportunity for young guys to step up, but (also) for someone to take another step to be “the guy”, I guess,” he said.
As much as James is proud of his success, his focus is on Corio climbing off the bottom of the ladder in 2025.
Despite the limited success this year, he’s confident the Devils will improve next year.
“We had close to eight guys (as) first-gamers of senior football, and our coach, captain, best player (Bennett) went down,” he said.
“You can’t really fill the hole, can you?
“When he went down, my mindset was more focused on the young guys (and) getting some games into them, and focussing on just improving and (getting) ready for next year.”
X: @krockfootball
