MOVING out of home was the first major change in an adjustment year for Rebels midfielder Jake Lloyd on and off the field.
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Lloyd has taken each challenge in his stride and adapted.
The 18-year-old from Horsham chose to move to Ballarat for football, making it easier to train and work on his game with North Ballarat. Each Wednesday, he enjoys the chance to step up his game in training with North Ballarat Roosters’ squad.
Twice this year Lloyd has been called into the Roosters’ line-up as their 23rd man in the Victorian Football League.
Lloyd said the exposure allowed him to work with different coaches and add a new perspective to his game. On-field, the results are telling with Lloyd in a strong, consistent season with North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup.
The move to Ballarat and finding a job has also helped Lloyd to become more self-reliant and disciplined.
“I’ve got family here but I live with a couple of mates who were from Horsham that I’ve known a while,” Lloyd said.
“It is a bit different – we cook our own food, do our own washing ... it’s just about allocating your time differently to make sure everything gets done.”
Adapting has included work at Coronet Laundry, which caters for commercial needs.
Lloyd’s main roles are very hands-on and physical and while the long hours and 6.30am starts took time to get used to, Lloyd has built a routine.
Coronet Laundry boss Mick Haberfield is a long-time supporter of the Rebels program, saying he was always impressed by player discipline and the values instilled in Rebels players.
Haberfield has employed a string of North Ballarat footballers the past few years and was happy to welcome any back, when needed, through university holidays or summer work.
Lloyd said Haberfield was extremely flexible in arranging days off or early finishes to make sure he could meet his football commitments.
Long labour-intensive days do not faze Lloyd on training days – he welcomed the chance to get outside and train hard after work.
Now the work is starting to pay off, with the Rebels set to start their finals campaign.
The Rebels officially launched into training with a big pre-season from November.
A strong list with plenty of depth secured the Rebels the minor premiership with only three matches dropped this season.
Their first finals assignment is a qualifying final against Sandringham in a double-header at Visy Park tomorrow. Lloyd said there was no added sense of pressure among the playing group, having finished top of the ladder. They had business to do.
“I reckon we could go a long way. We’ve worked hard on our game,” Lloyd said.
Personally, Lloyd is focused on fulfilling his role, do what the coaches ask of him, and hoped it was enough to help keep the Rebels campaign alive.
