They don’t make ’em like Jesse Trower any more.
Waaia’s very own Captain Fantastic bleeds the same hue of red seen on the Bombers’ crest, one that has enveloped his heart for more than a decade.
No matter what sporting realm he competes in, cricket or football, the 25-year-old is only moments away from a game breaking kick or wicket — and Waaia is thankful for it.
This year alone, the multi-talent claimed Cricket Shepparton’s A-grade bowling average award with the most wickets, also finishing joint fourth in the 2023-24 Lightfoot Medal count.
Next came a Picola District Football League senior premiership as captain and a Brian Henderson Medal for his best-on-ground performance in the grand final.
Shock, the gun midfielder then claimed Waaia’s club best-and-fairest.
To cap it off, Trower has earned a call up to the Victorian Country Cricket League side heading to the Barossa Valley to contest the Australian Country Cricket Championships in January.
It’s not a bad haul by any stretch of the imagination, especially representing a town with a population of less than 500.
So where did Trower get his power?
“It probably all started back in footy season, I suppose,” he said.
“I was living in Shepp and then my dad was the president out here at Waaia Cricket Club.
“We snuck out here, watched a few cricket games, ended up watching a bit of footy as well and from there just built relationships with everyone and made it out here to play footy and cricket as well. That's where it's been since then.”
Trower was an instant hit at the Bombers.
He made his A-grade cricket and senior football debuts for Waaia aged 14 and, ever since, he has crept closer to legendary status in the tiny northern town.
Yet, Trower is not alone in his cross-code conquest to put Waaia on the map.
Fellow dual-Bombers like Mitch and Jordan Cleeland, to name a couple, serve the red and black all year round, forming a nucleus of “Waaia guys” who keep close through the seasons.
That simple, but effective, bond might just be the glue that binds the town’s sporting fabric in Trower’s eyes, certainly considering Waaia punches well above its weight class in footy and cricket circles.
“It definitely keeps everyone gelling together,” he said.
“It makes it very easy to be connected with everyone and, also, I suppose the best part about it is everyone's involved in both clubs.
“I think the helpful thing for us the last few years has probably been we've been successful in one, but it's probably led to the other, meaning that it's probably happened a bit across both sports at the moment.”
Waaia’s football sovereignty in the PDFL is undeniable.
A premiership treble throughout 2022–24 has the Bombers nailed on as the league’s most feared faction of the decade, but Trower wants that success married on the cricket oval.
Waaia entered Cricket Shepparton’s cut and thrust in the 2018-19 season and, after two adjusting seasons, has finished in the top six in the past four campaigns.
Yet, the Haisman Shield still eludes Trower and his fellow troops.
He claimed three wickets when the Bombers beat Central Park-St Brendan’s in February’s one-day final and, though, he admitted he was “happy to get the monkey off the back”, there is unfinished business to tend to.
“The Haisman Shield's the one we want and we feel like we've been very, very close for a while now, but haven't quite had the success yet,” he said.
“We still feel like we're successful enough in being competitive all the time, which is what the plan was when we came into the comp.
“We’re probably at the stage now where that needs to stop and we need to win one and that's the plan moving forward.
“We've put some plans in place for that and, hopefully, it goes our way.”
If Waaia is to go all the way in March, Trower will likely have a large say in it.
The star paceman is trundling along nicely with 15 wickets at an average of 10 this season, complemented by a handy 87 runs at 29 down the order.
A student of the two-day game, Trower boasted a ridiculous return of 50 wickets last season, including 12 wickets in a match against Tatura.
When you’re a Victoria Country selector, that form cannot be ignored.
Trower is forever humble in his practice and admitted he wasn’t expecting the call up, but is grateful for the opportunity to don the Big V come January.
“I suppose it's a little bit of reward for effort I suppose, over the last five, six, seven years,” he said.
“I'm not expecting a whole lot to be honest. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity of playing a good standard of cricket.
“You don't always get that all the time playing at home, but I'm just looking forward to playing against the best cricketers around the country and in Victoria as well.”
It’s all coming up Milhouse for Trower on the cricket oval.
Surprisingly, though, it’s not his favoured code.
He’s a self-confessed “footy guy”.
Although Trower seems to favour the Sherrin over the Kookaburra, his passion for cricket has rekindled significantly in recent years.
He has at least a decade of sport ahead of him, yet, looking back at his decorated career to date, what would Trower select as his favourite moment?
“Winning that first grand final in the footy was probably something I won't forget,” he said.
“Being lucky enough to be captain of the side for those three years has been pretty special, leading the boys out in those times as well.
“I always say to everyone, the first one was the best one because we'd waited a long time and we've been so close.
“But the other two were good because they were so different to the first one.”
Trower has a war chest of medals and trophies to make any district sporting hero jealous.
However, anyone at the Bombers would know his knack for winning is matched by his helping spirit.
The all-rounder is never shy to lend his ear to the next generation of Waaia sporting talent, ensuring the Bombers will prosper on the park when he eventually hangs up his boots.
But for now, Trower has a lot more trophies to collect.
“The goal this year for cricket is to go probably one step further than last year, go as far as we can and hopefully win it — we've still got a bit of work to do with that,” he said.
“Footy will be the same again ... I think while we're winning, we don't want to get back to that feeling of coming second again, so that'll be the plan to continue on with what we're doing at the moment.
“I wouldn't say we're confident, but we know that we can put the right plans in place, so we'll be trying to do that exactly the same again.”