The newly-formed ‘South East Football Netball League’ (SEFNL) begins in earnest this Saturday with the nine-team competition setting the foundation for the future of football in the region. The Gazette’s DAVID NAGEL takes a close look at the hopes and dreams of all nine sides and finds out what the coaches think of their chances.
BEACONSFIELD
Coach: Clint Evans
2014 Standing: Premiers (13 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Kris Fletcher (31).
Key ins: Chris Worner (Southern), Tom Wilkinson (Peninsula), Justin Olsson (Eastern).
Key outs: Kris Fletcher (Bunyip), Brent Heus (Bunyip).
Dreams: After last year’s staggering 10-game run to a premiership, it can only be one thing – back-to-back titles. The Eagles have the best big-man in the game in Scott Meyer who could create history by winning three Norm Walker Medals on the trot.
Reality: Injury concerns to key players – Ben Kerrigan, Tyson Mitchem and Troy McDermott – so will potentially start slow before building into its work. It’s worth remembering though that the Eagles lost their first two games by a combined total of 186 points last year on their way to a premiership.
Nightmare: The obvious is a premiership hangover kicks in, Meyer goes down with injury and the replacements for youngsters Thomas Jok and Brent White don’t quite hit the mark. Jok and White injected some real enthusiasm into the Eagles during last year’s finals campaign.
Evans says – “It’s going to be a really tough year, a tough year to step up from where we were last season. Sides are going to be coming for us and we just need to make sure we’re up for it or we’ll fall back into the pack.”
BERWICK
Coach: Rhys Nisbet
2014 Standing: 5th (11 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Mitchell Johnson (48)
Key ins: Ash Smith (West Coast Eagles), Ben Kearns (Morwell), Michael Riseley (NEAFL), Michael Johnson (VAFA).
Key outs: Nathan Waite (VAFA), Daniel Harrison (VAFA).
Dreams: A midfield led by Ash Smith, Ben Kearns, Michael Harold, Madi Andrews and Paul Vanschilt dominate, feeding Michael and Mitch Johnson and Jordy Andrews with enough supply for the Wickers to finally realise their potential. Nisbet follows his great mate Evans into premiership folklore.
Reality: The loss of one of their youngest but most important players – ruckman Jake Gains to Casey – will throw an enormous amount of pressure onto the shoulders of Andrew Morozoff. Reality will hit the Wickers right between the eyes, good or bad, after their Beaconsfield, Cranbourne and Narre Warren start.
Nightmare: The top-four improve, as do ROC and Doveton, and the Wickers wilt and slide their way out of finals’ contention.
Nisbet says – “All of our recruits are experienced and have played at a higher level and bring bigger bodies into the side. We won’t be so predictable; we’ll throw things around and have plenty of options going forward.”
CRANBOURNE
Coach: Simon Goosey
2014 Standing: Runner-up (13 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Marc Holt (103)
Key ins: Chase Struth (Ballarat), Nick Morrish (Southern).
Key outs: None.
Dreams: Two of the great country full-forwards of all time, Goosey and Holt, stand side-by-side in triumph, holding aloft the first ever South East Football League premiership cup, a prize that has eluded the Eagles on the last day of the season for the last three years.
Reality: The reality is that it could happen again. The Eagles are a great side and have an undeniable chance of once again making it to the big dance, but what happens from there. Narre Warren is hungrier than ever, Berwick is ready to shine and Beaconsfield and its magnificent ruckman Scott Meyer won’t be handing over their crown in a hurry. Reality can be a bitch sometimes!
Nightmare: For these Eagles… anything but a premiership.
Goosey says – “We don’t want to rely on individuals, we want to rely on our total team game so if a player is out another can come in and play his role. Footy’s gone past the days of relying on just a few, and that’s at any level.”
DOVETON
Coach: Shannon Henwood
2014 Standing: 7th (7 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Simon Black (18)
Key ins: Russell Gabriel (Frankston), Jarrad Boumann (Wangaratta Rovers), Callum Pattie (coaching staff), Nathan Wilson (Doveton Eagles), Keith Dobson (Doveton Eagles), Sam Raru (Port Melbourne), Mitch Davies (Nilma-Darnum).
Key outs: Jake Mullen (Dingley), Ryan Pearson (year off).
Dreams: Russell Gabriel, Jarrad Boumann and 2014 ruckman Frank D’Agostino become a formidable big-man force and lead the Doves into a first semi-final.
Reality: Shannon Henwood finally gets a chop-out in the middle of the ground with Sam Raru by his side but the Doves still lack the leg-speed to trouble the top contenders. The Doves’ big-man department is awesome and will more than likely give them enough wins to claim a finals’ berth.
Nightmare: All the penny saving from last year is wasted and the Doves’ highly-prized recruits fail to fire and they finish sixth or seventh for the fifth-year running.
Henwood says – “What Beaconsfield did last year was show what can be done if everyone plays their role for the team. That’s what good teams do and we’ve used Beaconsfield as an example of that all the way through the pre-season.”
HAMPTON PARK
Coach: Matt O’Neil
2014 Standing: 10th – last (2 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Matthew Cox (22)
Key ins: Andrew Shipp (coaching staff), Nathan Carver (Noble Park), Brad Williams (Queensland).
Key outs: Matthew Cox (knee), Brodie Yapp (Belgrave).
Dreams: The Redbacks, now with a spine to aim at, hit their twin targets (Andrew Shipp and Nathan Carver) going forward, they convert, and they win four or five games for the season.
Reality: From what we’ve seen, with three practice match wins and a competitive performance against Doveton in the season opener, the Redbacks will be far from easy beats this season. They’ll still cop the occasional thumping, but all the heartache and the pain of the last three seasons will finally start to subside.
Nightmare: Matt O’Neil has done a wonderful job with his young side, building structures and the like, but this is the strongest depth we’ve had in the league for some time… it might be hard to find a win!
O’Neil says – “We just weren’t fit enough last year so we started training in October. Last year was all about reducing margins but this year we expect to be a lot more competitive and hopefully surprise a few sides.”
NARRE WARREN
Coach: Chris Toner
2014 Standing: Top (17 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Kerem Baskaya (112)
Key ins: George Angelopoulos (Karingal), Jarrod Anderson, Andrew Hunter, Ben Giobbi, Jack Besley (Vermont -former Hampton Park).
Key outs: Nick Scanlon (Clayton), Justin Marriott (Alberton).
Dreams: Driven by an extreme hunger that they haven’t experienced in two years, the Magpies catch fire, remain unbeaten, and give Toner the perfect send off.
Reality: The Magpies were proven to be human during last year’s straight-sets finals exit and no longer have the same level of invincibility or aura about them for the other top sides. Having said that, their best football is played with a high-level of physicality and some teams are going to pay heavily for last year’s fadeout. Only injuries will stop them from being there on the final day of the season.
Nightmare: Another straight sets disaster could see the empire start to tumble.
Toner says – “It was all about attitude last year, we thought we had it but we let things go that went undetected and we weren’t pushing as hard as what we were in the past. We’re very, very hungry at the moment.”
PAKENHAM
Coach: Steve O’Bryan
2014 Standing: 4th (13 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Daniel Fry (51)
Key ins: Damien Holmes (Kilcunda-Bass), Beau Wheeler (Wangaratta).
Key outs: Kym Jones (AFL Barwon).
Dreams: The Lions continue their improvement from 11 wins in 2013, to 13 wins last season, to 15 wins and a qualifying final engagement against either Cranbourne or Narre Warren. From there… anything’s possible.
Reality: While all other teams in the competition seem to be getting taller the Lions have dramatically shrunk in size. The loss of 200-centimetre ruckman Kym Jones puts enormous pressure on youngster Jarrad Cavalot to stand up and take on the number-one role in the ruck. The Lions will need to run like the wind to make their qualifying final dream come true.
Nightmare: In a way, the nightmare has already begun. Jones was the last bloke the Lions needed to lose and throw in the absence of their best player, Dom Paynter, until half-way through the season, and things could get pretty tough.
O’Bryan says – “I think our running game is a massive strength and can make us one of the best sides in the competition. We had some good results last year that has built our belief that we can beat anyone on our day.”
ROC
Coach: Brad Jones
2014 Standing: 6th (7 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Matthew Clarke (38)
Key ins: Sean Roach (Mooroolbark), Matthew Ford (Mooroolbark), Chris Larosa (Warragul Industrials), Nathan Brewster (Warragul Industrials).
Key out: Andrew Logan (Stony Creek).
Dreams: The Kangaroos’ money-ball approach to their recruiting pays off and an exciting band of runners, led by James Canty and Tom Marks, scorch their way into the finals.
Reality: Brad Jones has built a side that, on its day, can match it with the best. The problem for the Kangaroos has been producing that level of performance on a consistent basis. The inclusion of two massive units, Matt Ford and Sean Roach, and a handful of likely types, should flat-line the Kangaroos and have them knocking on the door for a finals berth.
Nightmare: ROC has been building nicely in recent times and looks set to break into the big-time in the next year or two. A backward step from its seven wins last season would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Jones says – “Our best football is played being fast, being hard and being clean. We have to break the lines, create overlap and take the game on. We’ve got the leg speed and ball movement to do that.”
TOORADIN
Coach: Lachlan Gillespie
2014 Standing: 8th (6 wins)
Leading goal-kicker: Patrick Chin (32)
Key ins: Ben Hallas (AFL Cairns), Ryan White (AFL Mount Isa), Kyle Van Der Pluym (Eastern), Rory Gilliatte (Alberton), Andrew Proctor (Kooweerup), Justin McGrath.
Key outs: James Cottrell (Tyabb), Brent Scarcella (Chelsea).
Dreams: Ryan White returns to the Seagulls’ lineup to partner Matthew Wade for the first time since 2012… when the Seagulls played off in a preliminary final. Why can’t it happen again?
Reality: Lachie Gillespie’s influence on his young group was clear for all to see as the Seagulls won three of their last four games in 2014. Gillepsie has now had a full pre-season with his charges, has recruited diligently and brought in some wise old heads for experience. They’re harder to read than Chinese-arithmetic the Seagulls… they could be the bolter!
Nightmare: For all the positives its worth remembering that only Hampton Park finished lower than the Seagulls last year… if they improve… look out!
Gillespie says – “It’s almost boring but the best way for us to move forward is too play to our structures and our game plan. It sounds simple but if we can do that for four quarters instead of two I think we’ll be very hard to beat.”
