Josh Trounce booted an amazing 20 goals for the Narre North Foxes in their under-15 Division One clash with Narre Warren on Sunday. 31040By Marc McGowan
LOCKETT. Dunstall. Coleman. Fanning.
None of those superstar goalkickers could match Narre North Foxes sensation Josh Trounce’s weekend feat in their esteemed AFL careers.
Trounce, 15, snagged a lazy 20 goals – and just one behind – for the Foxes’ under-15 Division One side against Narre Warren in an unforgettable performance at Narre Warren North Recreation Reserve on Sunday.
The Narre Warren resident’s amazing goal tally was almost half of Narre North’s total of 47.12 (294).
Foxes’ team-mate and centre half-forward Billy Athanopoulos joined in the goal-kicking feast with an even 10.
Trounce could be excused for a bit of arrogance after his achievement, but instead preferred to defer to his team-mates when reminiscing his awesome display.
“I only kicked 20 because of my team-mates,” he said.
“I just kicked the goals – I’ve got to thank my team-mates for kicking it to me. It’s pretty special and I probably rate it as one of my best performances.”
Trounce’s effort was not a complete surprise.
The Essendon fan amassed impressive hauls of 14, 13 and 10 for Narre North last year and even added 11 for his school, Rowville’s Mazenod College, in another game.
Trounce racked up 11 majors by half-time and revealed he began to think about the magical 20-goal figure halfway through the third term.
But he faced one more unlikely hurdle in his race to 20 – coach Scott Slater.
“Our runner, ‘Hoggo’, came out and goes ‘Scotty wants you to come off now’ and I was like ‘why is that, I’m on 19, right?’,” Trounce said.
“And he goes, ‘he doesn’t want you beating his record’. His record was 19, so I said ‘stuff him, I’m going to kick one more’.
“I took a mark about 30 metres out and went back and put it through and as soon as I came off I rubbed it in Scotty’s face!”
Foxes president Brendan Gray said Trounce had always shown talent on the football field.
“He’s a fantastic young footballer and has grown into a fine young man and the world is at his feet right now,” Gray said.
“It all depends on how hard Josh wants to work, but I’m sure he’ll tick those boxes and progress through to the next stage of his football career.
“It really makes the club proud because those things happen once in a blue moon.”
Trounce’s father, Bernie, who is the team’s assistant coach, was also thrilled with his son’s bag of goals.
Bernie played his junior football for Gordon and believes his son’s hunger for goals might have come from his uncle Kevin, who once booted 13 in a match.
Trounce spent the summer with the Dandenong Stingrays’ pre-season development squad and hopes to make their under-18 TAC Cup team in the future.
He doesn’t want to contemplate an AFL career at this early stage despite conceding that he’d ‘love to make it’.
Trounce, who has won four best-and-fairest awards and three premierships with Narre North, idolises Hawthorn star Luke Hodge and Stingrays midfielder Tom Scully.
But his sporting prowess does not stop at football.
Trounce was also part of Mazenod College’s national championship-winning volleyball squad last year.
“The team takes it seriously and you don’t want to let them down by not taking it seriously,” he said.
“You have to be pretty disciplined to win at the Australian championships.”
