NO one doubts that Allansford assistant coach Nick Johnstone has provided Allansford with a sizable chunk of star power since coming to the club this season.
And while Johnstone is helping to give the Cats the X-factor they need, he is also responsible for adding another important element to the Allansford line-up.
Half-back flanker Kye Bunworth is making his own mark in this, his debut season with the Cats, with Johnstone a big factor in Bunworth’s journey to Allansford.
“I played all my junior football and started my senior career at Heywood alongside Nick and we are best mates,” Bunworth said.
“I played at the Thomson Tigers in the Geelong and District football league last year and when I decided to come back Nick got onto me to come out and play at Allansford.”
The success of the Cats this season is an exciting development for Bunworth who has played in junior finals but never in a senior final.
Bunworth started the season playing up forward and on the ball but is now an established member of a settled Allansford defence.
“I enjoy playing in the backline, we have all got a pretty good understanding of how each other operates so we work in well together,” he said.
Bunworth is often given the task of manning the opposition’s best small forward and that was the case again on Saturday when he had a great duel with Dennington’s Justin Chalmers.
After missing the first game of the season, Bunworth has been a consistent performer in each of the 13 games since.
Allansford coach James Byrne has been delighted with his new recruit.
“The guys down there have played together for the past three or four seasons and Kye has become a valued member of the team,” Byrne said.
“The best thing about Kye is his attitude. He works hard on his fitness and is always doing something extra at training.
“And he makes really good decisions when he has the ball in his hands, he doesn’t cough it up and he is really steady for us.
“Our backline has had the least amount of points kicked against it all year and we are very proud of that.”