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#INFOCUS2018 | CROYDON

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20 DAYS TO GO | EFL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2018 season with the #InFocus2018 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.   

By: Brett Beston 

Twitter: @Brett_Beston  

 

Turning promise into results is the challenge for the Croydon Football Club heading into the new season.

The Blues have shown some good signs in the last two years and while results are important, coach Morris D’Alessandro believes they aren’t the only indicator.

“We identified last year that the club needed to take a different pathway and we decided that youth was the way to go,” D’Alessandro said.

“It’s probably not a short term thing but we’re really confident in what we are doing and that it will work out well in the long-term.”

That plan started towards the end of last season with Croydon out of finals contention, with a number of young players given an opportunity to step up to the senior side, a philosophy which is set to continue in 2018 with the exit of some experienced players, including senior playing-assistant and under-19s coach Trent Martin (Silvan), Brendan Weinert (Park Orchards), Alex Bull and Hayden Lovat (Kilsyth).

Former playing-assistant and under-19s coach Trent Martin will coach Silvan in 2018. PICTURE: Stuart Milligan 

 

“We’ve definitely lost a few experienced boys and you don’t want to lose anyone from your club, but they had things they wanted to move on with,” D’Alessandro said.

“We wish those guys all the best but as a footy club we realised we wanted to take a different path and I think it’s worked out well for everyone.”

Weinert in particular, a focal point up forward, is a big loss meaning a change in game plan.

“We’ve looked at our list and realised that we probably don’t have a really prominent goal kicker with Brendan leaving, so were looking for more of a spread of goal kickers,” D’Alessandro said.

“I think that’s the way football is going. It’s more about sharing it around and not necessarily about an individual, but rather about the whole forward line functioning, kicking goals and getting the job done.

“The game’s changed – it’s all about quick ball movement, defending when you have to and scoring at the other end.

“Obviously our skill level was a little off last year, so the boys we have recruited have a high level of skill and a good work ethic, so we’re just hoping to improve on last year.

“The main thing for us will be quick ball movement; we’re pretty young and enthusiastic, so that will influence our game style. It takes a little while with a young group to develop, but they’re coming along nicely.”

With the new breed coming in combined with a host of talent from last year’s premiership winning reserve-grade and under-19 sides, the future is looking bright.

“Bailey Hotker is looking quite promising along with Matt McKenzie, a couple of midfielders from Vermont who have had really good pre-seasons,” D’Alessandro said.

“We’re really excited too about our reserves and 19s from last year, having both won the flag – obviously winning two premierships was a good thing for our club and just shows the calibre of young players coming through.

“Last year we played six under-19 players and the year before there were five that played at senior level, the likes of Kane Doueal, Josh Mutsaers, Harry Dempster and Adrian Ficorilli.

“So there’s quite a group of younger guys who have been exposed to senior level (and) we’re really hoping that they can take that next step and become really good players for us.”

But importantly there’s still plenty of experience to help guide the young brigade.

“We have a great bunch of top-enders starting with our two captains from last year Matt Wilkins and Josh Bolton who should be prominent again. Kyle Maher is an emerging leader along with Justin Ficorilli,” D’Alessandro said.

Croydon has followed a similar path to many other clubs, in terms of its pre-season.

“We started again in early November and have been working pretty hard since then. We’ve had a practice match against Rosebud, we are playing North Ringwood on the 24th then it’s Easter and then we are into it,” D’Alessandro said.

“Adam Ruissett, our conditioning coach, has had a fair bit to do with pre-season getting the boys fit. Otherwise it’s just been a case of working on our skills and structures.”

There are also some new faces joining D’Alesandro in the coaches’ box this year.

“We have a new coaching team, Tim Cook who took our reserves to the grand final last year, Pete Muscat who has coached Warrandyte and had some involvement at Norwood and Brent King who has coached Scoresby and Ferntree Gully, so we have a really good team,” D’Alessandro said.

The coach himself in just his second season in the top-job was always destined to return to Croydon Oval.

“I was assistant coach in 2009 under Greg Freemantle who had a health issue so I took over for 2010 before heading to Box Hill for three years, did a bit of recruiting at Hawthorn and then the club approached me again,” he said.

“Croydon is my club; I played all my football here so I have a vested interest in them. I like the fact it’s a long term thing, if success comes quickly that’s great but if it takes a little while that’s good too.

“Last year was my first year as senior coach and the club’s been fantastic. We mapped out the pathway we wanted to take and there were no real questions and we all just got on with things. I have their full backing and we are all committed to the cause.”

Helping the Blues in their quest for a good start to the year will be a run of early home games but D’Alessandro is under no illusions as to the toughness of this year’s campaign.

“I don’t think there are any easy games in second division,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic competition and any team can win on its day. We need to take advantage of the early home games.

“We‘re hoping to win maybe five or six matches out of our first nine, something like that would be fantastic.

“Our main aim is to improve on last year. With our young list you can’t really put a gauge on it, there’s no real ceiling.

“Everyone is aiming to play finals, but importantly, as long as we are improving we’ll be happy.

“The beauty of a lot of our young players is that they have already been exposed to senior level and I think the young players know what to expect and how to get themselves to a level where they’ll be competitive for the whole year, not just half the season.

“We know there’s plenty of hard work ahead but we believe success isn’t far away.”

The Blues kick-off their season on Saturday, April 7 against Lilydale at Croydon Oval.

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