Recently minted Nar Nar Goon premiership coach Matt Shorey concedes his captain Trent Armour is irreplaceable and will be a huge loss next season after sustaining an ACL injury in the Goon’s grand final win over Tooradin-Dalmore.
The inspirational Armour, widely regarded as the most valuable player in West Gippsland football, suffered the injury during the third quarter of the big dance at Garfield.
In typical fashion he played the game out, with subsequent scans revealing the worst; an injury that will likely see him miss the entirety of the 2026 season.
Shorey is hopeful that his star midfielder could return for the latter rounds of the season, but with Armour not set to go under the knife until December, the likelihood is the Goon will chase its third premiership on the trot with its best player sitting on the sidelines.
Shorey said the loss of Armour is enormous, and has thrown down the challenge for the remaining members of his leadership group to follow in Armour’s footsteps and rise to the challenge in front of them.
“I don’t think you can ever replace a player like that, it’s so hard, because I’ve never seen anything like him to be honest,” Shorey said, ahead of Wednesday’s first training run of the season.
“Talent wise, a Lincoln Withers could match him, but Trent has different dimensions and can lift at the right moment.
“He just knows what to do at the right time…and that’s what we’ll miss the most.
“He’ll still be involved, helping me on the bench, and there might be a positive in giving him a different perspective to his footy.
“And these other guys will need to lift; it’s a great challenge for them because Trent is not the sort of player we can replace.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s exciting at the same time.
“It will test our resilience as a footy side.
“We just don’t know how many games he will miss; although everyone says it’s a year, we might be lucky enough to get him back for the last few rounds.
“Who knows, only time will tell, but the most important thing is a good outcome for Trent.”
The Goon has lost Tex Marsham to Officer, and Armour through injury, but has acquired the services of three talented players from Beaconsfield.
Lachie Modica is a tall, smooth-moving, left-footed winger, and has joined as a playing assistant-coach, while brothers Tylah and Trent Stokoe will bolster the midfield and defence respectively.
Key tall Eamon Trigg also returns to the fold, while winger/half forward Mitch Virtue returns after a stint with Murrumbeena.
Shorey will have Modica and local legend Jock Holland as his assistants, while Armour’s role will be determined once the gravity of his injury is ascertained.
Shorey said it’s been a whirlwind two months since he became a premiership coach for the first time.
“It’s sunk in a little bit now; the first couple of weeks were a blur but then you look back and think about what this side has achieved,” he said.
“You don’t get too many teams that go through undefeated and win a premiership and we’ll always remember that as a group.
“It doesn’t matter how good people think you are, you’ve still got to go out and win it and it was a really special achievement from the club.
“I’ve been very conscious of the fact that these boys have gone through two solid years now, one under me, so I’ve left them alone and gave them a decent break.
“But I’ve rang the boys this week, told them I’m back in their lives; so, it all begins again.”
