Sport
16 August, 2024
Noradjuha Quantong young gun scores big in post-COVID football return
The Bombers' Judah Hobbs has kicked 53 goals in the 2024 season.
Noradjuha Quantong's Judah Hobbs has been enjoying his return to football while making it rain goals as the Bombers' forward target.
At the end of the 2024 HDFNL regular season, the 21-year-old sits second in the HDFNL's goal scorers list, having struck 56 majors through the year.
"I can't say it feels bad, that's for sure," Hobbs said.
"Being able to come back and have a bit of an impact in the team, that's always good."
When the COVID-19 pandemic took the 2020 HDFNL season away from the Wimmera's footballers, Hobbs was supposed to be playing his last season of under-17s.
The Noradjuha Quantong junior missed a year of development and faced the prospect of dropping straight into the club's senior ranks upon his return, without the purposeful transition most promising juniors are afforded.
He feared he 'wasn't quite ready' to step up to seniors football and instead, like many of his age, chose not to return to the sport.
But, while work commitments kept him away, he couldn't ignore his passion for the game for too long.
"You get to the middle of footy season and you watch it on TV and you hear about it and you miss it a bit," he said.
In 2024, he returned to Noradjuha Quantong, donning the red sash as the Bombers' key forward target, and he has relished the opportunity.
"I haven't played for four years ... so it's just good to be getting back here with a bunch of good fellas who enjoy their footy," Hobbs said.
"It's a good group to be around .. its a bunch of cheerful guys who enjoy their footy."
Noradjuha Quantong currently sits third in the HDFNL, but a recent win against the second-placed Swifts fired a shot across the bow of the top teams.
As the team gears up to play finals, Hobbs is hoping he can play a part in seeing the Bombers finish the year strong.