Balmain
How their year went
The writing was on the wall early for the Dockers when they lost their first two games by a combined margin of 179 points. They had a brief respite with a win over Sydney Hills before only winning one game for the next two months. Their three-point win over the Eagles again in Round 12 was their last for the season.
What they need
Off-field issues dogged the back end of their season. Sorting these issues will ensure they can get onto the task of fielding a competitive side in 2014. More depth is key in terms of their on-field roster.
Shining lights
Selby Lee-Steere was arguably their best player this year and was called upon to fill a number of gaps in defence this year. He was well supported by Leigh Conway and Matthew Round.
Season defining moment
Round One showed they had fallen a long way from their Grand Final performance the previous year. The 117-point loss to Manly-Warringah proved to be start of a year that only yielded three wins.
Players on the rise
Wayd Blackburne won a Rising Star Nomination and showed some promise in the forward line. Brad Plug again played some games with the Swans Reserves in between his outings with Balmain.
Grade
E
There weren’t many positives that can be drawn from this year. Lost ten more games this year and have more issues than most clubs to sort over the off-season.
2014 prediction
It is hard to tell at present with the club needing to sort out issues off the field before actively recruiting as they had in previous seasons. It is hard to see them featuring in the finals series in Premier Division in 2014.
Last Modified on 30/09/2013 13:18
