By Caitlin Arnold - @caityclaire
It was just half a game that sat between the UNSW Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs and the finals in 2015 after Sydney University’s draw with UTS put them two points ahead by the final game of the year.
Not shying away from the emotion felt by the group following their near miss on the finals, Bulldog Joel Robbie admits that the team was left heartbroken by their sixth placing in 2014.
“We were absolutely gutted about missing out on the finals last year,” explains Robbie.
“I think if you look at our results, we lost a couple of close games and faded in the back end of some of those.
“So we have spent this pre-season doing big volumes of running and ensuring we have got the legs to carry us through games. There will be no excuses this year from a fitness perspective; we’ve certainly done the work.”
On top of missing the finals by such a measly margin, their lower grades also bore the brunt of an unlucky year at the UNSW Eastern Suburbs kennel. With only two of their six teams making the finals - those being their Division Four and Under 19s Division One teams - Robbie bemoans the toll that injuries took on his club as a whole.
“I think the club suffered a lot with the amount of injuries we sustained in Premier Division and Division One.
“Through the middle of the season we were really under the pump for numbers as those top divisions called on players.
“This year we’ve done a really good job recruiting lots of players into our top grades and we’re really confident that having that depth will mean we’re much stronger across the board.”
So to the future they look and by Robbie’s account of the pre-season, the Bulldogs are ready to bite back in 2015. Explaining that their recent practice match against North Shore has done its job to assess how they are travelling prior to the season proper, Robbie says that match fitness is key to their early rounds success.
“You can do all the running in the world in pre-season but nothing compares to match fitness.
“We’ve got a reasonably new group too, so being able to build a bit of understanding and cohesion has been really important.
“I think we learned that the work we’ve put in on the track in pre-season will stand us in really good stead and we have had some really good footballers come to the club who really fit in with the culture of hard work we have built over the last few years.”
Speaking of the recent selection of former Bulldogs Abe Davis and Jordan Foote to the Sydney Swans, Robbie applauds his club’s involvement in local junior clubs as their gateway to finding the talent they need.
“UNSW Eastern Suburbs spends a lot of time engaging with our local junior clubs, East Sydney, Maroubra and Moore Park Tigers.
“It is really great to see these two local juniors come through the ranks of Maroubra, through UNSW Eastern Suburbs and ultimately to the pinnacle of our game in the AFL.”
As a club that has produced a long list of successful AFL players such as Sydney Swan, Dane Rampe and Essendon’s Sam Tagliabue, it is no wonder Robbie finds no difficulty in listing players to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
“Kirk Lower did play a game or two for us last year but really joins our Premier Division group full time this year. He works incredibly hard, is smart with the footy and plays that midfield half-forward role.
“Pras Sayakhot looked really lively in our pre-season games off the wing, so looking forward to seeing how he goes throughout the year.
“Stewart Boyd is also a massive addition for us in the ruck and adds some genuine height to our side.
“Jack MacAnespie has been around our Premier Division group for a few years now and always been identified as having heaps of potential. He has been our best trainer throughout the pre-season and performed really well in both practise matches. I think it will be a breakout year for him where he cements a spot in our Premier Division side.”
UNSW Eastern Suburbs play the UTS Bats in their opening round match at Henson Park in the first night match of the season on Friday, 10 April 2015.
LAZIEST, CRAZIEST AND PATRICK SWAYZEST
LAZIEST PERSON AT THE CLUB?
“Tom Williamson. Fair to say this pre-season hasn’t been his best, I think he’s actually gained weight despite all the running we’ve been doing! In terms of why? Ask Izzy – she’ll know.”
CRAZIEST PERSON AT THE CLUB?
“Al Foote. Seems to lurch from one disaster/club/pub to another – Facebook provides good evidence. Usually has the best story about his weekend come Tuesday training. The truth of these stories is always questionable.
PATRICK SWAYZEST PERSON AT THE CLUB?
Kane Latham. Always first to get his rig out when the opportunity arises and can always be found with a weird hat on that he thinks is cool but definitely isn’t.
Last Modified on 08/04/2015 15:45
