By KRISTEN ALEBAKIS
AHEAD of Saturday's Division 3 Grand Final, hear from the Seniors and Reserves coaches ahead of the premiership decider.
Division 3 Grand Final - Newport Power v Parkside - Wootten Road Reserve, Tarneit, 2.15pm
NEWPORT POWER’S WHIRLWIND SEASON
Newport Power’s senior side trained for the very first time as a group in November last year.
From that first session not many would have predicted the Power could rise through the ranks and ultimately find themselves playing in the Division 3 Grand Final, but that is exactly what they will do.
Coach Mark Williams said while the past few months has been a whirlwind for the Power, it has also been a rewarding year.
“The boys only started training as a group in late November, so they had limited time to get to know each other's playing style and the game plan I wanted to implement,” he said.
“In saying this, to the boys’ credit they have listened and adhered to every piece of information the coaching staff and I have given to them which has been a huge reason for the clubs success in our inaugural season.
“We have a great group of young, enthusiastic boys who play for one another as much as they do for themselves.”
Newport finished the season on top of the ladder, dropping just two games. The Power reached the decider with a one-point win over Parkside two weeks ago.
Williams said winning the flag would be a great way to cap off an already successful first season.
“It would be a huge reward for the amount of effort not only myself, but the entire footy club - coaches, trainers, supporters, sponsors, administration and of course the players who have put in to get Newport up and running in 2016,” he said.
“It would give the boys belief in themselves and their abilities and hopefully silence any critics we may have had.”
Williams said the entire Newport community had thrown their support behind the team.
“The community and supporters have gotten behind us, the junior clubs all the way from Auskick to the Reserves have shown great support throughout the year which is really pleasing to see,” he said.
“The boys are pumped, but also focused, they know they have to play at their best to win the Grand Final, it's a privilege to play in the last game of the season so they need to make the most of it.”
Finally, Williams wanted to thank everyone involved in Newport’s inaugural season.
“The boys and I really appreciate the community support of Newport this year.
“Our sponsors and supporters took a punt and came along for the ride in our first season and hopefully we haven't let them down.
“I can't thank Steve Martyn, Kate Mathison, Marwin Abou-Zeid, the junior football committee, coaches, Auskickers and my assistant coaches John Rayner and Bill Koustoumbas enough for having faith in me and the playing group and taking care of a lot of the administrative side of things so we could just focus on the footy.”
YOUNG GUNS ARE THE FUTURE OF PARKSIDE
Parkside senior coach Nick Condos returned to the Magpies this season with the hope of bringing some success to the club.
After 18 rounds of the home and away season and an impressive finals campaign, Parkside finds themselves playing in a Grand Final.
“We have had a good season overall having both sides making the Grand Final,” Condos said.
“It has been a hard year trying to set up the club for the years to come, but we have had a number of young players step up which is really important for our club’s future.”
Last season, the team fell short in the Grand Final decider, losing to Albanvale.
This year the face the prospect of playing Newport Power, a team that defeated them just two weeks ago, by one-point, in this year’s Grand Final.
Condos said playing in Grand Finals and winning premierships is what footy was all about.
He said everyone at the club was feeling good about Saturday, particularly because Parkside’s Reserves side also reached the final game of the year.
Condos said fans at the game should watch out for Dylan Kline, Igor Bera and Clinton Hunter, who have all had impressive seasons.
Finally, the senior coach wanted to thank Parkside’s committee, volunteers, sponsors, support staff and supporters for everything they have done in 2016.
Division 3 Reserves Grand Final - Tarneit v Parkside - Wootten Road Reserve, Tarneit, 11.30am
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OPPORTUNITIES: EVANS
Cameron Evans’ message to his players before the Division 3 Reserves Grand Final is to make the most of your opportunities.
Evans and his team was well prepared for the premiership decider, saying the depth of their list has been one of the main reasons why Tarneit is where it is.
“It has been an exciting year, to see this group of players develop both on and off the field,” he said.
“We have faced some good competitive football teams this year and the player’s preparation at training and on game day has gotten us to where we are today.
“We have had some players that have had bad luck with sustaining season ending injuries, but this has also given opportunity to others who have stepped up.”
Evans said it was important for his players to soak up everything that comes with playing in a Grand Final, but also says his team knows they still have a job to do.
“The boys celebrated well after our first final win which I encouraged, but things quickly come back to reality when attending training,” he said.
“As a coach we all like to keep things normal leading up to a Grand Final with training and routine, but it is important that the players enjoy the excitement that comes with a Grand Final because we never know when this opportunity might happen again.”
Evans said it would mean a lot to everyone at the club if they were to get their hands on the premiership cup.
“We have so many amazing people behind the scenes at our club and to see them get enjoyment out of winning a premiership it would be great,” he said.
GRAND FINAL WIN THE PERFECT SEND OFF
Parkside coach Mark Folwell believes a Grand Final win on Saturday will be the perfect way to farewell some of the club’s stalwarts.
Folwell says that some of the Magpies’ reserves players will hang up the boots at the end of the match and says he hopes the team can reward them for all their effort over the years with a Premiership.
“There is a real buzz around the club, some blokes are playing in their first grand final which is really exciting,” he said.
“We have a few older boys playing their last game of footy so there is plenty to play for this weekend.”
“It would be a fantastic result (if we could win the Grand Final), we have worked really hard for this opportunity and it would be a fitting way to send the old fellas out.”
Folwell, who has been involved with the Parkside Football Club for 27 years, said he has kept the lead in to the Grand Final as normal as possible.
He said having the same routine will keep the team in good stead.
“We have had a good year, we didn’t play finals last year so our aim was to finish top two,” he said.
“That has given us an opportunity now to go on and win the big one.
“Like all clubs we have had to manage our list through injuries, work and family commitments.”
Folwell wanted to thank his coaching panel, support crew, club volunteers and players for all their efforts in 2016.
Last Modified on 31/08/2016 12:27