Moorebank are looking for further momentum as they seek a berth in the AFL Sydney Division Two finals series.
According to Senior Coach, Mark Coles, it has been an interrupted start to the season.
“Due to the large number of players who were unavailable for trial matches this year due to cricket commitments our first month was always going to be viewed as a trial period whilst we rotated players in different positions to see what each had to offer,” he said.
“Pleasing is the performance of the reserves which sees pressure put on players to perform in first grade.”
Coles, a former President, believes a dedicated pre-season will put his beloved Magpies in a good position for the latter half of the season.
“Our main focus in the pre-season was to improve the overall fitness levels at the club as it was an area we felt let us down in the past few years,” Coles admitted.
“Levih Warby was bought on board as the strength and conditioning coach and we are happy with the results so far.
“Levih has a varied sporting background with coaching experience in AFL, NRL and Wrestling so other than improving the fitness levels of the players he has also been integral in improving other aspects of the game including tackling and defensive pressure.
“From a recruitment point of view we haven’t been active in chasing players to join the club this year although it will be on the agenda for next season.
“Last season we had a high rate of injury and at one stage had 35 players unavailable and we believe that the club should be very competitive if the majority of players are fit and available.
“We have managed to retain most of our players from last season with the exception of the usual movement in players employed with the defence forces. A couple of notable returns to the club are Paul Markou after a season with Sydney Hills Eagles last year and Daniel Gojanovic after a hiatus of 18 months from the game.”
Current Club President, Paul Prepost believes the club is kicking goals off the field as well.
“In terms of our Committee, we have sustained relative continuity while also welcoming new members onboard,” he said.
“In the area of Sponsorship we are about to sign a new deal with our major partner, the Mounties Group - who have been fantastic for the support of club in the last few years and are assisting us in making our goals achievable.”
Coles wants to improve on last year where third grade (Division Five) was the only side to make finals.
“Obviously there is a burning desire to improve on last year and that desire goes across the entire club,” he said.
“Our aims for this season are to firstly make finals but to also play a very disciplined team first brand of footy.”
Prepost shares similar aspirations and wants to take the club forward heading into the future.
“The Club's ultimate aim is to compete in the AFL Sydney Premier Division, however we understand that this will take a lot of hard work and of course substantial time to achieve,” he enthused.
“In the shorter term we need to have a successful First grade side each season, underpinned by a strong Reserves squad and a competitive Under 18's team who we appreciate are the future of the Club.”
Last Modified on 16/05/2013 11:51
