UNDERRATED Merbein defender Harley Cole is a perfect example of where hard work can take you.
The shut-down backman used the lockdown period to continue building his fitness levels and working on his game.
Co-coach Paddy Irwin said when others started to struggle with match fitness in the Magpies win over Red Cliffs last week, Cole continued to play at his best.
“Someone like Harley Cole has really put in a lot of effort with his running over the past few weeks so he was able to keep going when a few others maybe started to fall away a bit,” Irwin said.
“Internally we rate him very highly and while he might not get the accolades outside of that, talking to people from other clubs they’re well aware of what he brings to the table.
“He just loves his footy. He works hard and he loves talking about it and discussing it.”
Cole and his backline brethren have been a vital part of the Pies’ success in 2021 and Irwin believes his side is in for a tough contest against Robinvale Euston at John James Oval.
“I think they’re going to be a different side to when we played them last, having the likes of Ethan Gill and the Marriott boys into the side,” he said.
“They obviously played really well against Ouyen and heading to their home ground is always a tough trip.
“It was good to get back playing after those couple of weeks out and it was a really solid hit out. We played really well for the first three quarters but in the last Red Cliffs were absolutely fantastic.
“We had a couple of sore bodies after having those couple of weeks off but it was more general soreness,” Irwin said.
“We also tinkered with our midfield rotations a bit more and gave some more opportunities to players who maybe hadn’t been in there before.”
