CAPTAIN COACH 2017 SEASON REVIEW
In a nutshell
It was a season of progression and improvement, not only for the Club but also for all players as individuals. The senior side managed to defeat every team at least once besides the two-grand finalist. After round 2, the senior side lost only 5 games in the remainder of the home and away season by a total of 40 points including a 1-point loss at home to the premiers Leongatha and two 3-point losses to Maffra. The senior side were knocked out of premiership contention in the semi-final by Maffra resulting in a 4th placed finish for the 2017 season.
What we said in the pre-season
Although at the completion of the preseason external opinions of our senior group were poor, internally we were confident that we had a strong enough list that could push to play finals football in both senior grades. The aim of the group was to play finals football.
What worked
Our successful junior program started to flourish into the senior ranks with 5 of our 2016 under 18 team being regular players in the senior side while 9 under age players provided depth into the senior squad as they were all given the opportunity to debut in the seniors in 2017. Early in the season, the move of Darnell Grech from the backline to full forward provided a strong marking target. The offseason recruitment campaign was also a success with Dylan Farrell and Ash Dugan both impressing throughout the season.
What failed
Injuries to key players toward the back end of the season forced various selection reshuffles and challenged the depth of the playing list leading into the finals. Michael Farrell and Bryce Collings both experienced season ending injuries during round 14 vs Drouin while Mitchell Stanlake injured his hamstring at training in the week of the qualifying final vs Morwell. Col Sanbrook and Ryan Farmer were both also carrying injuries leading into the finals which resulted in them playing well below 100%.
The senior group also suffered severely from the local downturn in employment opportunities with many players being unable to commit one hundred percent to the club, Karl Mutke, James Heslop, Matthew Hibbs, Michael Camillieri, Daniel Risol, Jacob Wood and Ben Morrow were some of the players who were impacted by the high unemployment rates in Latrobe Valley. Joel Bragagnolo was forced to resign from his football commitment with the club after several months of unstable casual employment lead to him taking a full-time job opportunity in Darwin.
Overall rating: A
Although ending on a sour note with a heavy loss to Maffra in the semi-final the Club earnt an enormous amount of respect from the local football community. The Club and everyone involved is finally receiving external recognition for the tireless work that has been put in over the past 6 seasons to rebuild the Club.
The leaders
In the past the senior group has been criticised for displaying a lack of leadership by losing games that the club should have won, although in 2017 this changed with the senior side winning several games when their backs were against the wall including running over the top of Wonthaggi at home in round 7 and coming back from 33 points down against Morwell in round 9. Several times, the more experienced players such as Peter Ainsworth, Thomas Long and Jacob Wood willed the side to victory.
Although it should be noted that there was also leadership shown by a group of younger and less experienced senior footballers at the club. Toward the end of the season Mitchell Stanlake started to lead from the front by working extremely hard on the training track and setting the standard which lead to him playing career best football while throughout the season James De Virgillio and Jai Massesse also displayed their leadership qualities with their ‘never give up’ attitudes.
MVP
Dylan Farrell – In in first year at the Club, Dylan showed he had the ability to bring teammates into the game by playing selfless team orientated football. Dylan’s ruckwork, contested marking and goal kicking abilities made him a significant factor to the team’s success and overall progression in 2017.
James Blaser
Last Modified on 02/11/2017 09:49