By DAVID NAGEL
THEY will lock horns chasing the ultimate prize in football at Starling Road on Saturday, but Cranbourne coach Simon Goosey and Berwick skipper – and now Norm Walker Medallist – Madi Andrews have come together as the two leaders of the 2015 South East Football Netball League Team of the Year.
Goosey has had an incredible impact in his first year at Cranbourne, moulding a side that was searching for discipline and direction in 2014 into the tightest unit in the league.
He has implemented a new game-plan, with the ‘Goosey-Press’ taking the Eagles from fourth on the list of points conceded per game (66) in 2014, to the top of that pile (58) this season.
Considering the three teams the Eagles have leap-frogged, Narre Warren (47 to 65), Berwick (56 to 64) and Beaconsfield (60 to 69), have all slipped in this area of the game – it’s a pretty impressive stat.
Doveton, with its coach Shannon Henwood named in the Team of the Year, is the only other side to improve, going from 84 points conceded to 78 this year.
As for Andrews, well he has taken his leadership levels to a remarkable new high, with seemingly no impact to his impressive ball-winning ability in the middle of the ground.
With a default setting of fearless, Madi has grown as a leader with his verbal communication to his young side a real sign of maturity. He’s four quarters away from his greatest triumph!
There are 13 first-timers in the side, with Goosey and Berwick’s Ash Smith, Ben Kearns, Michael Johnson and Michael Riseley making the team in their first year in the league.
Others have had to wait a while for their first gong, like Cory Lenders, Luke Bee-Hugo and Shannon Henwood, while Matt Lee, Max Gearon, Nathan Allen, Taylor Joyce and Tim Gunn are a rising crop of stars rewarded for the first time.
Champion trio Marc Holt, Michael Collins and Daniel Mislicki earned their tenth, ninth and eighth selections respectively, while Kerem Baskaya and Mat Fletcher have moved to four.
Brandon Osborne, Dylan Quirk, Scott Meyer and Andrews all received their third consecutive picks, while Cranbourne livewire Michael Theodoridis has backed up his first award from last year with another.
Adam Galea and now dual Norm Walker Medallist Russell Gabriel have made the team for a second time.
MEANWHILE, The Narre Warren husband and wife duo of Greg and Jade Heinrich has been selected as co-coaches of the South East Football Netball League Team of the Year.
The team, which was announced at the SEFNL Presentation Night on Monday, includes four players from Hampton Park, three from both Beaconsfield and Narre Warren, and one player each from Doveton and Pakenham.
All nine coaches in SEFNL select a starting team of seven from opposition clubs, with the votes compiled and 12 players selected for the Team of the Year.
Jade, who was also selected as starting centre in the side, said she had thoroughly enjoyed her first year in the league.
“I’ve played in a few different competitions but this is right up there with how competitive the girls play their netball,” she said.
“You have a look at the girls up on stage now, there’s just so much talent there and I think this team would pretty much coach itself.”
Jade’s partnership with Greg is a match made in heaven.
“I’m probably more of a technical coach and Greg basically looks after everything else,” she said.
“We basically met on a netball court, we love the game, and that’s why we are so heavily involved.”
Greg and Jade are directors of Inspire Sports Group, which not only assists individuals, clubs and leagues with coaching, but focusses heavily on personal growth and development.
