LANGWARRIN coach Gus Macleod will be at the helm of the State 1 South-East club for a record 17th straight season and sees ‘Hoogs’ as a key component of a championship challenge.
“He’s an important part of our plans,” said Macleod. “Michael has won championships with Pines which shows you that he’s a winner and we need to get that mentality back at Langy if we’re going to have a dip at it.
“He was outstanding last season against us and against Mornington and that says it all.”
Hoogendyk is a fierce competitor and the towering defender is expected to bring a hard edge to his new club.
“I definitely want to bring that hardness to the team, especially with my size,” said the 25-year-old.
“Some of the players I grew up with were very physical, in-your-face players and it’s something I’ve always brought to my game. If I don’t have the ball I pretty much want to kill you to get it back.”
Hoogendyk joined Ringwood City when he was six then switched to Knox when he was 14. It was a move that was to have a profound effect on him.
“Yeah that’s when I first met Danny (Verdun) who started off coaching me as a junior.”
Hoogendyk made his senior debut when he was 17 and a few years later joined the Verdun renaissance at Pines.
“Danny has been a massive father figure to me,” said Hoogendyk. “He’s been my mentor and he’s had a huge influence on me not just as a footballer but as a person.”
Verdun stunned local soccer at the end of last season by announcing that he was leaving Pines and shortly after was re-appointed senior coach at Knox.
“While it would have been easy to follow him back to Knox he told me that it was time to move on and that if I wanted to progress there was no point in going to a second or third division club.”
State 1 South-East champion Mornington is also believed to have shown interest in Hoogendyk so why did he finally settle on Langwarrin?
“A new challenge really. Not that I’m old but I reckon I’ve only got a few years left of high level football and I want to win leagues.
“I spoke to Gus and he’s very determined to win the league so we’ve got the same goals. I reckon Langy’s the sort of club that a lot of footballers want to play for and once I got the opportunity I kind of jumped at it.”
But it wasn’t a decision taken lightly and a difficult one given the close bond formed with Pines.
“I love Frankston Pines,” he said. “Probably the best part of my football career so far has been at Pines and I was really proud to captain the club.
“When you look back at the past few seasons Pines is a pretty big success story but I don’t really know what the future holds. It does concern me that so many players are looking to move on especially that core group of boys we had there.”
Hoogendyk won’t be the only major signing for Langy’s 2016 title tilt.
The club is negotiating with a key midfielder and has been in touch with contacts in the UK so may bring in some overseas players, a ploy that has been successful for Mornington recently.
Craig McKenzie
