RASO ON THE RAMPAGE

After a disappointing season in 2002, Northern Bullants midfielder Frankie Raso knew he needed to change his attitude towards football. From the first pre-season session in November, Raso has been intense on the training track and has reaped the rewards in the first six games of the season.

The ‘crash and bash’ midfielder has been in stunning form this season. Seeing Raso burrow into packs headfirst and come out the other end with the ball is something that inspires teammates. The driving motivation for the 23-year-old is to get a second chance at AFL level. Raso is well known for being shy and modest. The only time he stops biting his fingernails and speaks in a forthright manner is when he states, “I definitely want to get picked up by an AFL side”.

Raso was an outstanding junior hockey player who chose to concentrate on football at age 17. After being drafted by Collingwood where he played 19 games in two seasons with the Magpies, Raso was sacked at the end of the 1999 season. While Raso was disappointed, it was the wake up call he needed. “It's (being de-listed) one of the best kicks in the arse I’ve ever had. It made me realise I had to work harder, train harder, improve my skills and fitness if I wanted to play AFL”.

After a losing the first four games of the season the Bullants, led by Raso, have won their last two games against Werribee and Frankston. The new alignment with AFL club Carlton started disastrously for the Bullants with a lack of input from the Carlton end, however Raso thinks the team is slowly starting to come together. “We didn’t jell together as a team because we weren’t training together so it’s taken us a month or two to get to know the Carlton players. There’s still heaps of improvement in us but we really believe we’re good enough to be a top four side”.

This week’s game against the Bendigo Bombers is crucial to the Bullants. A win will most likely propel them into the top eight. “We really need to win three in a row. It will give the side a lot of confidence, rather than being up for a week or two and then down again,” Raso said.

With at least three players coming back into the Essendon AFL team, the Bendigo Bombers will field their best team for the year. “They’ll be a lot stronger, but we’ve got a good side so that’s by no means a disadvantage to us. Bendigo having players back will probably pump us up a bit more” said Raso.

The game will be televised on the ABC, and the Bullants with Raso starting the charge from the centre square, are keen to make an impression. “We want to show the footy world that we’ve improved”.

By Nathan Ryan.

Graduate in Journalism

La Trobe University