This year... The year that was

Senior Coach's Report 2011

A Season of Extremes

The numbers attending preseason training was most encouraging. Taking on board our ladder position at the end of 2010, it was obvious that the playing group were intent on improvement. This became our focus of the pre-Xmas training period. Players were challenged with the task of improving their skill levels, regardless of previous performance or level of experience. Attendance at all sessions was very encouraging. During this time John Rush, Daniel Mott and Craig Hicks made sure that training plans ran like clockwork. At the same time, Adrian Rodrigues and Luke Warnett ensured that the players were fit and lively.

Across this period, Dean Rioli had been very active with his recruiting committee with the addition of some exciting new players and the return of some players who had previously been part of our successful junior programs.

As we moved from pre-Xmas to pre-season it was clear that selection in the team would be hotly contested. The club announced the signing of exciting recruits Hayden Skipworth, Courtney Johns and Damien Peverill. This trio completed a very successful program and Dean and his support staff are to be congratulated for their efforts. The loss of Courtney to a knee injury prior to the season start was a significant setback, compounded with the serious injuries to our captain, Ryan Edwards and recruit Alistair Rae. These three players were to be sorely missed as the season progressed.

Our practice match series was also top class providing players with the opportunity to play quality games against strong opposition on first rate playing surfaces. We went into the season full of confidence and enthusiasm and the much anticipated opener at home against Taylors Lakes did not disappoint, with a 7 goal haul by Nic Cattapan headlining an 86 point win. Significantly, a hamstring injury to Ryan Allan before half time was to plague him for the remainder of the season.

As the balance of the first round of nine matches unfolded, there were many highlights. The loss to ultimate 2011 Premier Strathmore in wet and muddy conditions at Clifton Park was clearly overshadowed by:

a come from behind 3 point victory over 2011 Grand Finalist Oak Park, having trailed for three quarters and 29 minutes.
a cool and controlled Marcus Kennedy kicked an after the siren goal (our second goal in 60 seconds) to beat Keilor at Keilor by 3 points.
the biggest crowd seen at Clifton Park and possibly the biggest crowd to witness an EDFL home and away game as Jason Akermanis helped the club celebrate its 60th Anniversary of the opening of Clifton Park with a win over Avondale Heights.
most emphatic back to back wins over the 2010 Grand Finalists Maribyrnong Park at Monk Reserve and Greenvale at Clifton Park.

The second half of the season started with a 100 point win over struggling Taylors Lakes and no one could anticipate what was about to unfold over the remaining 8 games. The loss to Craigeburn the following week, conceding the last 2 goals of the game to lose by 4 points was very disappointing, with cracks staring to appear in the confidence of the group with the loss of more key players. An unacceptable fifteen goal loss to Oak Park the following week exposed a group that was struggling to maintain their high standards of the first 10 games amid eroding confidence, inexperience and tired bodies. There was much to learn from the closing half of the season. Clearly we missed some key players over the second half but more importantly, having played 45 players over the course of the season, all players are now fully aware of the persistent efforts, recovery and preparation required to maintain a position at the top end of the A-Grade ladder.

Congratualtions to our trophy winners, to Dominic Monteleone and Renn Glassford for their Best in Competition achievements, to Jacob Craven, Jess Rush, Ben Collins and Damien Peverill for their selection in the EDFL Team of the Year. Congratulations also to John Rush and Brendan Hallinan and their players for reaching their respective Grand Finals.

A big thankyou to the coaching and fitness/wellbeing staff who have supported me since the opening of pre-season and to all those wonderful volunteers that make a footy club tick. We are on a journey of improvement and if we can all find an edge of improvement it will add up to further steps forward for this great club. There is a genuine challenge for all of us as we now know that at our best we can compete with the best. Bring on 2012!

Regards,

JOHN McMILLAN,
Senior Coach
7 October, 2011