Mooroopna Bowls Club has made a major move at the top ahead of the Goulburn Valley Playing Area Allan Matheson Shield.
The Cats fell to a 3-11 record in season 2023-24, good for seventh in the weekend pennant, but the club has made a big statement in unveiling its new man in charge.
Fiji international bowler Martin Fong will take the reins at the Cats for the upcoming campaign and he’s backed by some significant pedigree.
The 40-year-old has already accomplished and acquitted himself at levels most aspiring bowlers would dream of, having represented his country in the men’s triples at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
By no means was he any kind of also-ran, either.
Fong’s Fijian trio won all three of its group stage matches, narrowly overcoming Malta in the quarter-final and eventually meeting Australia in a semi, where Fong and company were bundled out.
Fiji finished one game shy of a medal at those Games, and it’s fair to say the credentials stack up as Fong takes charge of a Matheson Shield team in need.
He’s more than ambitious to go along with it.
“I was playing div one up in Griffith, and my mate up in Hay told me that the Goulburn Valley pennant was pretty strong,” Fong said.
“I prefer playing in a competitive environment so I thought I might give it go; sure enough, it so happened David was also joining Mooroopna.
“I wanted to see what objectives they want to achieve. That all got me thinking, and I thought I’d be more than happy to contribute and help develop the club, so I want to acknowledge the committee for giving me the opportunity.
“We have eight new members joining this year to help bolster the div one team, and the challenge for me is to change the mentality so that we can be competitive this year.
“I feel we have the calibre of players to win div one this year, 100 per cent.”
A bold statement, to be sure, but this acquisition would absolutely serve as the first of the key steps required.
With Sunday training already occurring at Mooroopna, Fong hasn’t yet witnessed his entire squad in action, but the confidence is already brimming.
The Cats open their Matheson Shield campaign on Saturday, October 19 with a tough home fixture against Kyabram.