Tara Murray
It took just one training session for Riddell’s Tommy Alkemade to know that this Riddell District Football League season could be special.
A Bomber through and through, he had been there during the good times and bad.
After winning in 2022, the Bombers struggled last season and were knocked out in the first week of finals.
With a new coach and some new players joining the club, Alkemade sensed early that this year might be different.
He said there was a different vibe to the group.
“It’s my second home,” he said of the Bombers. “I love it more than anything.
“We bought a few new boys this year and you could see that the way that everyone bought in at the start of the year.
“You could just tell from the first training session that it was going to be a good year, thankfully it was.
“The pre-season was the biggest pre-season that I’ve had.
“It was a massive pre-season and I was just hoping to get to the grand final and we got there.”
Alkemade said he was a bit nervous, but confident coming into the grand final on Sunday.
He said after the pre-season and year that they’d had that they would run the game out really well.
“And that’s what happened,” he said. “When they kicked the first goal of the last quarter I was like we need to stop locking down now and we took over the top.
“What a feeling it’s been a big year for the boys and I’m just rapt we got over the line in the end, they were coming in that last quarter and everyone stood up.”
On Sunday, he was awarded the Doug McIntyre Medal after being judged best on ground by the umpires.
He wasn’t so sure that he was the best player on the field.
“I don’t think I deserved best on,” he said. “I think that goal at the end and the celebration, the umpires might have remembered that.”
Coach Arron Bray said that Alkemade does everything that you want in a teammate.
“He’s the ultimate team player,” Bray said. “You ask him to do a job or a role and he’s more than happy to do it.
“That is what you get.”
As for what’s next, Aklemade will enjoy this one for a while before thinking of next year saying most of the group had already signed on for next year.
“The celebrations might go for a week,” he laughed.
