FEATURE: Horsham boy Kye enjoying his time in the sun
Published Friday 17 June 2016
KYE Chapple has been a revelation since moving to Port Douglas from the cold winters of Horsham in the Wimmera region of Victoria.
The likeable 24-year-old has represented the AFL Cairns All Star team twice, been selected for the Gold Coast Suns development side, finished runner-up in the Crocs best-and-fairest and become captain of the club since arriving in the Queensland tropics at the start of last season.
He finished with 113 goals in 2015 and could repeat the feat having kicked 53 after 11 rounds this year. His 14-goal bag against North Cairns was the most by any player in any competition across Australia last week.
But it’s the lure of a premiership - not goals – that’s driving the laid-back country boy with the lethal right foot, as NEWSPORT journalist Mark Murray found out when they caught up this week.
MARK MURRAY: Is it fair to assume you’re in career best form?
KYE CHAPPLE: Yeah, I think the last couple of weeks have been some of the best games I've played. I had a slow start to the year but am slowly getting into some form.
MM: Your last few weeks, in particular, have been off the charts with 29 goals in three games. That’s a pass mark for most small forwards for a season. Have you been reminding them of that at training?
KC: We have a few young gun forwards in Mitch Bohm and Ash Davidson that I'm sure will pass that mark. But yes, I still remind the team at training any time I kick a big bag of goals.
MM: Has playing at NEAFL level with the Gold Coast Suns during the bye contributed to your form?
KC: Definitely. It was an awesome experience. Playing that quicker style of footy has reminded me of what it takes.
MM: What did you take from that elite environment and bring back to Port Douglas?
KC: Personally, I think I was being a little bit lazy on field. The quicker footy brought me back up to speed, and also the professionalism of how they go about their footy.
MM: Have you ever been a chance to get drafted to an AFL club?
KC: Not really, I spent my junior career focusing on my tennis, volleyball and other sports. It wasn’t until I was 16 or 17 that I really started focusing on footy. I missed the junior AFL system, which is the most common path of most draftees these days.
MM: Tell me how you ended up at Port Douglas, the most northern AFL club on the east coast of Australia?
KC: My next-door neighbour in Horsham, Cam Reid, played up here years ago and he kept at me about coming up here to play. I was coming to Port Douglas for a holiday and he messaged Coops (Port Douglas coach Brad Cooper) and told him I would come to training, and I did. I went back to Horsham and came up the next season.
MM: Since joining the Crocs from Tatyoon - in the Mininera and District Football League - you’ve kicked 166 goals in a season-and-a-half. What is it about playing in Far North Queensland that you enjoy so much?
KC: I learnt a lot at Tatyoon, and played half the season at full forward in a winning team, which gave me a good taste of what it's like to kick goals. I think the footy up here suits my style; the ball gets moved around a lot quicker and is in the air a lot more. I also have quality teammates that deliver it well to me.
MM: Do you consciously think about kicking another 100 goals this year or just take it as it comes?
KC: It's something that gets asked a lot. If it happens, it happens but if it doesn't, it doesn't. That’s my attitude. I’ve got four of my best mates that came up here from Horsham this year, and winning a premiership with them and the club would be a dream come true. That’s all I’m really thinking about.
MM: You were a loyal servant of Horsham United in the Wimmera Football League before they merged with Natimuk at the end of 2014. Your family was also heavily involved in the club. How did the merger affect you?
KC: Horsham United will always be my home club, the club meant a lot to my family and we were sad to see it merge, but it's what had to happen. My older brother and I played for years together in the seniors, mum was the treasurer and dad helped out at the club a lot. So it was a big part of our life. My family also spent some junior years at Natimuk, but at the time of the merger I thought it was the right time for a change.
MM: What are the major differences between playing in country Victoria and FNQ?
KC: I think the footy up here is a little quicker, and the ball is in the air a lot more. There is heaps more kicks and marks compared to down south, where I think there's more stoppages and in-tight contests. They are very different styles of footy.
MM: You didn’t enjoy much success at the Diggers but have since played in a grand final with Tatyoon and a preliminary final with Port Douglas. How much would playing in a premiership with the Crocs mean to you?
KC: I played seasons only winning one game at the Diggers, and it taught me a lot. It was a sad end to last year with Port Douglas doing so well all year. But this year, having my mates from home combined with the friends I've made up here, and also being the captain, it would be a dream come true.
MM: Were you surprised Brad Cooper handed you the captaincy in just your second year at the club?
KC: Yeah I was surprised. The boys voted me in during pre season and it's something I thought I wouldn't be very good at, but having Coops and Wes Glass (assistant) helping me out I feel I'm slowly learning.
MM: You’re only 24 but Coops says you’ve got an old head on young shoulders. Do you agree?
KC: I like to think I make the right decisions on and off field. I'm lucky I've had some good direction from people in the past and present. There's always new things to learn.
MM: As skipper have you had to change anything about how you go about your footy?
KC: Not really, I like to push myself at training and on game day. I think the way I train is a good marker for the rest of the group, and Coops and Wes help me with any other issues I'm unsure of.
MM: Who have been the biggest influences over your career?
KC: My mum and dad are the biggest. They would do anything just to see me enjoying myself. I also spent hours playing sport with my brothers, while my sports and volleyball coach David Berry helped me out for years. All my past coaches have taught me so much, and Brad Cooper is teaching me a lot about football and leadership.
MM: Who are some of the best players you’ve played with and against?
KC: I've played with and against a fair few current and former AFL listed players, and came up against some good players during a few practice matches for SANFL club Glenelg. But Shannon Argall, a ruckman from Horsham who played with me at United is one of the best. He marked everything that came his way, even with three defenders hanging off him. Damian Cameron (Tatyoon/Horsham) is another, he can play anywhere on the ground and he taught me a lot. Brendan Fevola from Carlton and David Johns from Horsham were a couple I loved to watch and tried to mould myself like.
MM: And at Port Douglas this year, who are some of the most important players?
KC: Our backline is a class above. Declan Kelly, Jonathan Hobbs and Wes Glass can shut down any forward in the league, I'm lucky there on my team! Jesse Mawson and Pete Bury are in good form, while big Kallam Oates is popping up for a few goals each week.
MM: The Crocs are a unique club in the sense it’s so far away from Victoria yet is largely made up of players from the footy heartland. How have you found it?
KC: All the boys are up here for the same reason, they want to try something different and enjoy a better lifestyle. We have a good group at the moment and I love it here.
MM: Must be nice having half of Horsham up here as well?
KC: Yeah for sure, my housemate James Wollermann came up here with me last year, and Ross McCrae, Jonathan Hobbs and Heath McInnes all joined us this year. We’re all Horsham lads.
MM: What’s been the most unique thing about living in Port Douglas as opposed to country Victoria?
KC: Going spear fishing with Jimmy (Wollermann) has been something you can't do in Horsham, and there's something different to do every weekend. Whether it’s spear fishing, pig hunting or waterfall chasing etc.
MM: You’ve got a huge game against Cairns Saints tomorrow. Do you use last year’s preliminary final loss to them as motivation this year, or is it water under the bridge?
KC: Yeah it’s a big game. We beat them earlier in the year fairly easily but I think they will get stronger as the year progresses. I like to move on from what happened last year and focus on what's happening this year.
MM: Every club has one bloke who can be a pest but is generally the glue that holds the place together. Who is that at the Crocs?
KC: We have a spiritual leader named Cam ‘Radar’ Howlett from Primrose Sands in Tasmania. He always gets the boys up with his banter, and is the first to like anything on Facebook and is the guy that tags you in stuff. He is a Facebook genius and is loved around the club.
MM: Thanks for the chat mate and good luck for rest of the year.
KC: Thanks a lot Mark, cheers.
