WATTON Street is more than a place to fill in time between AFL appearances for North Melbourne players.
While all ties have their issues, Werribee Tigers coach Scott West is buoyed by the success of the partial alignment with the AFL club.
The Kangaroos players appear to have given the alliance the thumbs up too, with the three Bens — Ross, McKinley and Warren — opting to return to Werribee after the Kangaroos have delisted them in the past two off-seasons.
Ross was the trendsetter; dropped in 2011 he had the chance to go to any other state league club in the country or even chase the dollars on offer in local football, but the midfielder decided to return to the Tigers.
It was a move that paid off with the 24 year old becoming the premier player in the Victorian Football League and taking out the prestigious JJ Liston Trophy for best and fairest in the competition.
This season, the Kangaroos cut forwards McKinley and Warren from their list.
They will follow the same path as Ross and return to the Tigers for another season in the VFL.
Three top-line, highly sought players deciding to stick with the Tigers says a lot about the strength of the alignment, at least from the players’ perspective.
“Three guys in the past two years that have stuck around, it’s a pat on the back for the club,” West told the Weekly.
“They’ve appreciated in the time they’ve been here as Kangaroo players what the club has been able to do for them and what the club stands for.
“It’s a good cultured club with a willingness to help players and also has an eye on success.”
Without doubt, any of the three Bens would be welcomed at the 13 other VFL clubs, and would be walk-up starters in all sides.
The decision to remain with the Tigers is not one that would have been taken lightly. West says their return is mostly about creating stability in their careers.
“It’s a settling move,” he said. “They know the environment, they know the club, they know the ground is a good one to play on for their style of play and the club try and look after them.
“Sometimes when you change clubs and go to a new environment, you nearly struggle in that first year and these guys are probably thinking they don’t have that time to struggle. It’s easy for them to stay in an environment they know.”
The Tigers are scheduled to play their first practice match against western suburbs rivals Williamstown at the Whitten Oval at 4pm on Friday.
