In October 2014, the Coburg Football Club’s Administration were occupied with tasks for the upcoming season. While at it, messages left on the answering machine were listened to, consisting of “I’m just wanting to know when pre-season training begins.”
Those messages were left from Richard Bamblett.
One of the clubs best players in its 2012 Development League season where it won the premiership in an upset win over the Box Hill Hawks, Bamblett, alongside premiership team mate David Fahey, soon after departed City Oval to take up an offer with Essendon, who were fielding a side in the VFL for the first time since 2002 after ending a 10 year affiliation with Bendigo.
Both were told they had an opportunity if they performed well enough with the VFL side, they would be drafted to the clubs AFL list. However, it didn’t go to plan. Bamblett hardly got on the park in 2013-injuries ruining his season, and only managed the last three games with his interchange club Strathmore. Bamblett then returned to Fitzroy Stars for 2014, the club he spent a year at prior to joining Coburg.
Originally from Heywood and the North Ballarat Rebels, Bamblett is a proven talent. A former Indigenous Scholarship holder who toured South Africa, he also represented Vic Country at Under 16 level, and represented his school St.Patrick’s, Ballarat in the Herald Sun Shield. He also attended his state’s screening session in 2010, in the lead up to the drafts that year.
We, the Coburg Football Club are delighted to announce that after two years in the wilderness, Bamblett will be returning to City Oval in 2015 and has signed. He will be more than determined to add to the one senior game that he managed in 2012, and with the club being reinforced with the standalone status, he has a much greater opportunity to add to that tally.
