A CHANCE to play senior football with his older brother encouraged Will Templeton to join Nirranda in the off-season.
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Will, 23, crossed from Hampden league club Koroit - one year after Isaac joined the Warrnambool and District league powerhouse after a distinguised career in red, white and black.
Will - the youngest of five brothers - won the Lew Kelly Medal as the Hampden league's reserves best and fairest in 2018.
Isaac is also on the honourboard as a two-time Maskell Medallist.
The Warrnambool-based Will said family ties and a fresh start lured him to Nirranda, which is aiming to win back-to-back premierships.
He said it was hard to leave Koroit "but Isaac is older now and if I ever want to play games with him, it's easier to have a year at Nirranda".
"I am loving it. It's a good bunch of lads and everyone is good mates out there and my age as well which helps too," Will said.
Will has swapped his midfield-forward role for a spot in defence.
He is occupying a half-back flank spot with teammate Brayden Harkness filling the opposite side.
"We played a practice match against Alvie and I was on-the-ball for three quarters and they changed it up and put me down back for the last quarter and I didn't go too bad," Will said.
"They kept me there in a practice match against Simpson. There are a lot of onballers at Nirranda and I don't know if there was a spot there for the taking."
Will said he had embraced the change and was enjoying playing alongside Harkness, Luke Weel and Mathew Lloyd in the Blues' back line.
"I am loving it. I like the challenge at the minute," he said.
"I have never really played there before. Everyone back there talks well and communincates well.
"It makes it a lot easier being told where to run and when to run there as well."
Will said he'd noticed the different playing styles between the Hampden and Warrnambool and District competitions.
"You've got to win your own ball a bit more, it's more contested footy," he said.
"You can break a team open if you start using the ball a bit better."
Will joined Johno Benallack as new faces at Nirranda this season.
Both were among their best in the Blues' 149-point thumping of Dennington on Saturday.
"He's an inside mid and goes forward as well," Will said.
"He's got good skills and a handy player."
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