FORMER Queanbeyan Tigers' NEAFL co-coach Josh Bryce has made a "family-first" call on his football career, and will play next season in his home town of Jerilderie in the NSW Riverina.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It comes after the Tigers discontinued playing in the NEAFL competition at the end of this year's season, and will now focus on division one of the AFL Canberra competition.
Bryce also confirmed he had been offered playing roles in the NEAFL next season by the Ainslie and Eastlake football clubs, who will remain in the NEAFL for at least another two seasons, but he knocked them back in favour of playing for his home club, the Jerilderie Demons, for the first time in eight years.
The Tigers would also have added Bryce to their division one squad for next season, but Bryce told them he would commit to his home club for at least one season, then consider returning to Queanbeyan after that.
With most of his family still living in Jerilderie, he said he looked forward to seeing them on a weekly basis again.
"Most of my cousins will be playing at the club next season as well, so I'm looking forward to it. I haven't played with those guys for eight years now, and other guys I've never played with," Bryce said.
"It could be the only chance I get to go back and play with them, so I have to make the most of it."
Bryce grew up playing all of his junior football for the club, before making a move to Werribee in Melbourne's western suburbs to play in the Victorian Football League for three years, and in 2012 he made the move to Queanbeyan where he won the NEAFL Eastern Conference premiership with the club.
Having recently purchased a house in Queanbeyan and working for his own business in town, he will stay living in Queanbeyan, and he said he would like to play for the club again in the future.
"I haven't signed anything, but it's pretty much locked in that I'll be coming back to 'Tigerland'. With my business going well, I'll be in Queanbeyan for a long time yet," he said.