Pickers Captain-Coach Tom Giles.
The Young Cherrypickers, reigning premiers from the 2024 season, have experienced a “very disrupted season” in 2025, according to Club President Andrew Smith. This contrasts significantly with the previous year, which saw “very few injuries.”
The team has faced challenges related to player unavailability, which has “tested our depth throughout the year.” Despite these disruptions, the team has remained competitive in matches. Smith noted that even during a losing streak, “all of those losses in a row, were losses, but we were in the game, right to the end, and they were always tight games.” He also highlighted the positive development of the squad, stating, “It’s also pleasing to see the guys that have been available to take that next step and compete for every game.”
As of Round 11, the Cherrypickers are positioned 5th on the Group 9 ladder. While this is a “disappointing” position compared to their 2024 minor premiership, their strong points differential remains a positive factor. Smith identified key areas for improvement: “It’s never really been too much of an issue to score points. It’s just those moments in the games that we are not icing and just lapsing in a little bit in defence.” He believes that by “icing those games,” the team “could be up in the top four.”
The Cherrypickers are looking to build on recent momentum, having secured “a couple of wins in a row” which helped “break that losing streak.” Their upcoming Round 12 match against the Cootamundra Bulldogs is anticipated to be a challenging encounter. Smith stated, “We also know that Coota isn’t going to be an easy beat. They’ve put in some strong performances all year with a couple of good wins against good sides. We definitely won’t be taking the game lightly.”
He expects a different contest from their earlier Round 3 meeting, noting Cootamundra “has grown a lot as a side, and put in some good performances. It should be an exciting match.”
The team has a “favourable run home” with three of their remaining games against teams currently below them on the ladder. However, the club maintains a cautious approach, as these teams “are going to be trying to grow another leg to make their play for finals as well.”
Smith specifically mentioned the unpredictability of opponents like Junee and Southcity: “Junee, they’ve got all their recruits there, so there are going to be no knockovers, and they showed what they can do when they beat us at Junee. Southcity is just an individual side, you never know what you’re going to get with them guys.”
The team’s mindset is clear: “We are not going into any of those games thinking we are just going to turn up and win it. We’re going to have to work hard to beat them and just keep in touch with that top four.”
A recent victory against Albury was considered a “make or break” moment for their finals aspirations. “That was our biggest game of the year against Albury, it was a make or break of the season to make that run for the finals to win that game down there, but put us in a good stance to have a good crack at the competition.”
The club’s goal is to secure a top-four finish, as Smith believes, “I don’t think you can win the comp from outside the top four.” A significant boost for the team is the expected return of key players. Smith confirmed, “We are hoping to get Isaac (Matalavea-Booth) back. Aaron Slater should be back, and CJ Hill should be back as well. We were missing all those guys against Albury. The only injury was Isaac, but he’s looking good to return this week. The other two were just unavailable, so they’ll be good to go for us and that’s three really big ins.” The return of these players will allow the Cherrypickers to play closer to “full strength.”
Regarding the finals structure, Smith outlined the advantages of a top-four finish: “Minor premiers get the first week off. Second will play third, so they obviously get two bites, and then fourth will play fifth. Second will have the home game advantage and the fourth will have a home game advantage.” He emphasised the importance of a top-three finish for a “second chance and possibility of a home game advantage.”
The Cherrypickers also value playing against top-tier teams like Temora and Gundagai in the leadup to the finals, even though they lost to both previously.” It’s a good thing to have Temora and Gundagai amongst those sides to play because it shows where you are at.” These matches will serve as crucial tests of their improvement. “It would be really good to see how much our football has improved or vice versa when we play again, and you want a couple of games leading to the finals. You don’t want to go into it playing some of the lesser sides, so to speak.” The Young Cherrypickers aim to “close that gap or even possibly jump them” in the standings with a strong finish to the season, especially with key players returning.
– Tully Potts
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