Ex-North Ballarat captain Luke Kiel is excited to continue his VFL career with Geelong after his former club’s expulsion from the VFL.
After the Roosters lost their place in the competition at the end of 2017, Kiel jumped at the chance to join a club with an AFL alignment.
It has proved to be the perfect fit as the Cats were keen on signing Kiel whilst his girlfriend also found work in Geelong, making the decision to move an easy one.
“I always wanted to be at an AFL aligned club so I made the move down here,” Kiel said.
“My girlfriend was able to get a job down here and I was always going to go where she went.”
Kiel is already relishing the professional environment of the club with the added support and coaching staff helping him improve in the short time he has been a Cat.
“It’s been really good, a bit different to Ballarat with a lot more support staff and it’s pretty professional,” he said.
“It was pretty tough (at North Ballarat) because we were under resourced, here at Geelong there are a lot of good resources which makes things a lot easier.”
Despite the benefits of his new surroundings, Kiel still holds a place in his heart for the club he spent six years playing for and found it tough to see them go downhill over the past few seasons.
Many of his Roosters teammates also found new homes in the VFL and Kiel is keen to line up against them when the season kicks off.
“It was tough, the last two years probably weren’t the greatest but we stuck together as a playing group,” Kiel said.
“The majority of other players have found homes and hopefully they have a good year and I might see them out on the field.”
Whilst the Roosters weren’t at their strongest over the past three seasons, Kiel was on top of his game winning two club best & fairest awards in 2015 and 2016.
Off the back of those consistent seasons, the Swan Hill product was looking to continue that form in 2017 before numerous injuries caused him to miss large parts of the Roosters’ campaign.
“Last year I got injured twice so it was a little bit of an inconsistent season,” Kiel said.
“I found a bit of form towards the end of the year but I’m feeling much fresher this year so hopefully I can give it a better crack.”
Despite the injuries, Kiel was still able to provide leadership to the young North Ballarat group as co-captain of the club.
That experience and leadership will be invaluable to the VFL Cats in 2018 as the young squad will be eager to learn from a seasoned VFL player.
“There is a lot of young guys around which is pretty similar to Ballarat and I’m enjoying the challenge,” Kiel said.
“It is a bit of a different game plan so I am just sitting back and soaking it in for now, but once I’ve got it all down pat I’ll be fine.”
Another benefit that Kiel has been able to enjoy in his first preseason at Geelong has been the opportunity to train with the AFL side.
“I’ve only trained with (the AFL side) once so far but it was good a good experience,” he said.
“It is great and all the boys have been really welcoming and all the coaches as well so it has been a good experience so far.”
With many of the younger AFL players likely to feature in the VFL team throughout the year, it is great for Kiel to be able to get to know them early in the preseason.
Those AFL players that will filter through the VFL side will also provide quality competition for spots, a challenge that Kiel is looking forward to this year.
“It is great for the team when there is a lot of people fighting for spots and there is a lot of depth this year which I think will go a long way,” Kiel said.
The former Rooster hopes that his versatility will allow him to hold down a spot in the Cats’ VFL side and play a role for the team every week.
“These days you’ve got to have a bit of versatility in your game so you have to be able to play more than one position.
“I love the midfield or the backline and I’m not really too fussed where I play as long as I can get in the team and play a role,” Kiel said.
The VFL Cats will kick off their 2018 campaign with a series of practice matches beginning on March 11.
