Recruiting Manager Anthony Jackson is Two Blues' Missing Ingredient
Successful football clubs all have the same essential ingredients- sound administration, a quality coaching panel and astute recruiting.
Late in season 2016 Prahran Assumption, stung by relegation to VAFA Division 2, decided to act on its main missing ingredient, recruiting, by appointing former Prahran and Southbank player Anthony Jackson as recruiting manager.
A former committeeman at highly successful Ballarat League club Redan, ‘Jacko’ is a driven man when it comes to all things football.
Recruiting footballers can be a thankless, lonely and frustrating pastime but Jacko has managed to produce some gold nuggets.
He has delved into his Ballarat contacts, associates from his old home town of Wedderburn and thanks to Two Blues players, former Mildura based Luke Kerr and ex Assumption's Harry Taylor has followed up a host of leads to lure prospective recruits.
The results in such a short time have been nothing less than staggering.
A wave of well credentialled recruits have surfed in on Jacko's enthusiastic and inventive approach to a demanding craft. Jacko has either seen the recruits or play or trusts the recommendations from his scouts.
Jacko's creed is : first make sure they are a good person, second, if they can 'play' it's a bonus.
The care factor is Jacko's greatest attribute.
“We are in the people business,’ is his oft quoted mantra.
The footy grapevine is so well connected anyone with any ability coming to Melbourne from the country is quickly sought out.
Jacko relates with compassion to their needs, be it employment, settling into city life, or just wanting to be part of an organisation that cares about the welfare of its players.
It's well worth noting that Jacko says just three of the more than 60 players he has contacted queried the standard of Division 2 VAFA Football.
That tells a story in itself, players just want to be involved in a club that cares, has sound coaching and welfare of its players as its core values.
The list of recruits listed on this website continues to grow and the club is also mindful of not neglecting its home patch with a concerted effort to keep past junior players informed of their old club with the aim of luring some back to Toorak Park.
Prahran Assumption has a good story to tell- a joint venture between a past Victorian Football Association powerhouse, Southbank, the 'country club in the heart of the city' amateur club and the storied football production line of Assumption College.
Jacko, who also introduced inaugural women’s coach Lachlan Worthy to the club, is spreading the word and the disciples are following the path to Toorak Park.