WINDSOR Wolves players Eton Lindsay and Kieran Croft came up through the junior ranks a generation apart but both have thrived with a renewed enjoyment of the game as the club has dropped out of the NSW Rugby League competitions.
The club elected to stop playing in the Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup competitions and field teams in the Penrith Junior Rugby League A Grade competition, and it has seen many former juniors return to the club.
Croft intended to hang up the boots last season, but his brother Shane told him the club was moving back to the A Grade, as were plenty of Windsor juniors, and Croft decided to have one last crack.
“I was contemplating leaving last year but my brother decided to come back and play, so I thought I'd have one more year with him and a lot of the other local guys,” he said.
Croft played for Penrith’s Jersey Flegg team in 2001, and is still highly competitive, but said with 2017 likely being his final go round, he was making sure he soaked up his last season.
“I am just trying to enjoy it a bit more this year,” he said.
Lindsay was at Penrith much more recently. He was with the train-on squad but unfortunately was let go last season.
It was disappointing for the 20-year-old, but in a way, he said it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because he loves playing footy at Windsor.
“You were shattered but it was good at the same time. It took the love out of it. When I was at Penrith it was a chore to do it after work, whereas here, you still get flogged but it is only two nights a week,” he said.
“Hopefully something picks up but I am just as happy to play this for the rest of my life.”
Lindsay said Penrith’s training regime was quite challenging. At the time he was an apprentice plumber, and was turning up to at least two hours of training four nights a week, after having done a full day of work.
His weight ballooned up as well. The prop weighed about 115-kilos at one stage, though has trimmed down considerably.
The added weight helped him run over players, but Lindsay was blunt in his diagnosis of why he was above 100-kilos.
“I just loved food. Lasagne was probably my favourite,” he said with a big grin.
Lindsay said the difference between last year at Windsor and this year was palpable.
He said it felt like a brotherhood at the club this season, and it had not in previous years.
“It feels like more of a club team this year, everyone helps everyone. Last year we didn't really have that,” he said.
Croft said he felt the same way.
“We have a lot of local juniors playing now. It has been good to get more of the local spirit back.”
