Allansford's Mitch Gristede is reaping the benefits of staying active over the summer in his first season with the Cats.
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The 21-year-old joined the Warrnambool and District league club from Hampden league outfit Camperdown and has slipped seamlessly into life at Allansford Recreation Reserve and the Cats' senior side.
Gristede, who lives and works on his family's dairy farm in Port Campbell, credited swimming training and competing with one of Port Campbell Lifesaving Club's surf boat crews for preparing him for a return to football.
"Fitness wise it helped me during pre-season because with the surf boat rowing I got a lot fitter over summer than I would if I didn't do it," he said.
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Gristede is still swimming twice a week and keeping his fitness up with ergo sessions at the lifesaving club.
The commitment to fitness has resulted in Gristede playing six games and kicking eight goals for the Cats' senior side.
In the three matches before last week's state-wide coronavirus lockdown came into effect he had scored multiple goals, with three against Old Collegians and two against Dennington and Merrivale.
The forward has enjoyed life at a new club after joining the Cats with cousins Tyler and Zavier Mungean and a number of mates.
He said playing alongside family and friends made it easer to settle into a new club.
"I've found it has gone really well. I get along well with the boys and the club in general is a great club to be at," he said.
"It makes it easier having a few mates there and people you already know."
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The former Magpie said District league football was a different experience compared to his 20 games in the Hampden league reserves.
"Over at Camperdown it was hard getting a side every week and it was changing between 10 blokes every week," he said.
"There was 10 different blokes in and out each week and we couldn't work on things as a team but senior footy is a lot more fast paced and more challenging."
Gristede has been playing as a lead-up forward in Ben Price's Allansford side, which sits in fifth and is currently hunting a spot in the finals.
He said the Cats still had a lot to work on as they aimed for the top five.
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
