Hampden league forward Jason Rowan opens up on reasons behind move to Port Fairy

The Gardens Oval-based club announced the signing of the three-time Warrnambool premiership full-forward on Sunday night, bolstering an already fruitful recruiting drive this summer.

After sitting down with wife Bec, Seagulls senior coach Dustin McCorkell and his coaching staff for close to two-and-half hours, Rowan said he could see the direction the club was headed and what key figures were doing to make the club better after a winless 2022 campaign.

"We really got invested in what their plans are over the next four-or-five years," Rowan told The Standard. "I see a good vibe and good things are going to happen over there."

Rowan, who is closing in on Tony Russell's Hampden league goal-kicking record of 1020 majors, said it was a long-term decision to join Port Fairy under McCorkell, a premiership player with him at Warrnambool.

"In terms of my decision, I feel like I've got one last chapter to fill in my career and this is probably going to be the place me and Bec are going to make our new home for as many years as it takes," Rowan said.

"And to see that club come from where it was to where it can get, whether it takes three, four, five years, we are, as a family, highly invested in making sure we're a part of that. We had the kids over there (Sunday) night for a bit of a play around and they're just as excited as I am."

The couple is expecting their fourth child in March.

Rowan has played most of his junior and senior career at Warrnambool bar a three-year stint at Warrnambool and District league club Merrivale from 2017-19. He said it was a tough decision to leave the Blues, who he re-joined in 2021.

"It took a lot of thought and a bit of time to make a call," he said. "Obviously (coach) Dan O'Keefe and Catie are really close friends with me and my wife Bec. Not getting to play under Dan it was really hard but we do see our next chapter, and how we're going to make Port Fairy our home, really exciting."

A big driver behind Rowan's move was immersing himself in a tight-knit community and knowing he had shared as much of his experience and leadership as possible before his playing career came to a close.

"I'm really excited about being a part of such a small little town that really rallies behind their football and netball club and really have gone out of their way now to make sure we can get them back on the map," he said.

"(I want to) really make an emphasis on guiding these young talented kids and middle-aged footballers to strive and get the best out of their ability."

Rowan believed the Seagulls' playing list boasted "a dedicated and emerging young list" and had been impressed with the way the club had recruited past players with finals experience this off-season.

"The biggest thing is making sure they'll definitely be fielding sides throughout the whole club," he said. "They've got a lot of people who have bought in to it and returned to make that place a better place to be at."

Rowan said he would look to bring "firepower" to a forward-line consisting mostly of 17-to-22-year-olds and provide an avenue to goal.

"Obviously that's my job," he said. "My biggest thing is making sure I hit the scoreboard and really have that big presence down forward for the boys up the field."

McCorkell said it was "music to his ears" when he heard of the possibility of recruiting Rowan to the football club. He said he was thrilled to welcome a player of his calibre into the fold for supporters to get excited about.

"For our footy club, he's not just going to provide goals on the field but provide a real development for our young forward line," McCorkell said. "Playing with him for six-or-seven years... I know the way he trains and the way he prepares and it's just going to rub off on these young kids coming through at Port Fairy."

McCorkell said his task of recruiting at least 25 players to keep the club operational - after the Seagulls forfeited games in both seniors and reserves due to a lack of numbers in 2022 - was progressing well.

"Early days it was a matter of get who we can," he said. "It's been a massive effort and the way we've done that is making it a place people want to be at. Now we've got the backbones of a team. I've been able to look at specific positions that we need and obviously a key forward is one of those and Rowy is going to be able to fill that."