November 07, 2008
From the Geelong Advertiser
LEADING VFL forward James Podsiadly is set to join Geelong\'s VFL side next season. This year\'s VFL Liston Trophy winner is headed to Skilled Stadium after stunning Werribee with the news that he was quitting the club.
Geelong VFL operations manager Ben Waller said while Podsiadly had not officially signed with the Cats yet, he was expected to do by Monday.
Waller added that Podsiadly was also joining the club\'s fitness and conditioning department, where he would work closely with Geelong\'s young AFL-listed players in the VFL side. ``It\'s great that one of the best players in the competition has agreed to join us and we think that James is someone that will really help our young playing group next year,\'\' Waller said.
With the retirement of long-serving captain James Byrne, the addition of Podsiadly to their line-up would be a welcome boost to the inexperienced VFL Cats, who slipped to 10th in the 2008 season after winning the premiership the previous year.
Werribee president John Nicol said Podsiadly, the VFL\'s leading goalkicker in 2005, had rejected the club\'s new contract offer. Nicol added that the club had given Podsiadly their ``full support\'\' during his attempts to earn a spot at AFL level. He did pre-season training with Richmond and the Western Bulldogs two summers ago.
The 27-year-old, a former Essendon and Collingwood rookie, has played more than 150 VFL games and captained Werribee for the last two seasons. He represented the VFL four times. He booted 86 goals in the 2008 season to lead Werribee to the preliminary final.
