2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Coldstream
by Sam Gastin (@samg186)
A SWARM of fresh faces have arrived at the Blackburn Football Club in 2014.
With a transfer list long enough to fill an entire team, the Panthers will no doubt take on a new look this season after winning just four games in 2013.
There is also a new captain and president at the helm, with gun forward Ben Fraser taking the reins on the field and Garry Connolly stepping up off it.
With a proud history and strong off-field culture, many external sources would argue that change was a necessity at Blackburn.
However coach Peter Banfield believes that despite the fresh personal, the club’s attitude and mindset will only build on what was achieved last year.
“People from outside the club can sit down and say that Blackburn hasn’t been great. But I think if you look at it from a coaching point of view… although we finished second bottom last year, we weren’t that far away,” he said.
“When we’ve been in games, we haven’t been able to win them because we haven’t had enough experience out on the ground.
“So I think if the senior blokes we’ve recruited can come in and play good footy when they have to, that’s going to help the group enormously.”
With this in mind, Blackburn worked frantically in the off-season to recruit experienced players who could take a heavy load off its previously young list.
“We’ve been a very, very young team and for our young kids to go forward, we needed to go and recruit guys who are around 25 years of age,” Banfield said.
“The focus of our recruiting has really been to try and recruit some players that can lead and show our young blokes what they need to do in big moments of the game.”
NEW RECRUITS
And the Burners arguably landed their men, with former VFL duo Kyle Matthews and Heath O’Farrell arriving at the club over the summer.
Another key recruit on the lips of everyone at Blackburn is 21-year-old Max Otten.
After a year at the Sydney Swans and a short but successful stint at Donvale, Otten will don the red and black for the first time in 2014.
“I’ve been around footy a while and have coached some really good players, but he [Otten] kicks the ball as good as anyone I’ve seen,” Banfield said.
“He moves really well and he’s a lovely height. He can play in the midfield as well as up forward.”
New captain Fraser also added to the praise of Otten, highlighting his leadership credentials as well as his on-field talents.
“He’s been really impressive. To have a brand new guy opening his mouth and being a leader as well has just been great,” Fraser said.
With the help of Otten, as well as vice captains Anthony Fagan and Ryan Toohey, Fraser’s new position as captain will no doubt involve a smooth transition.
And while he describes the achievement as a “real honour”, his focus is squarely fixed on finding success at Blackburn in 2014.
FORWARD STRENGTH
The key to success in Division 1 is arguably a star-studded forward-line. Think Barker, Gobbels and Broadhurst at Balwyn or Greig, Van Unen and Froud at Vermont.
Fraser believes this winning formula can be replicated at Morton Park.
“We thought we had a pretty handy forward-line last year, so I think it can be a focus again this year,” he said.
“If the likes of Jake Hammond, Damon Arezollo, myself and other guys can work it out and gel together and work cohesively, we’ll be alright.”
With this in mind, the attitude of Blackburn in 2014 is no doubt optimistic.
“We’ll be aiming for finals footy. The top three or four sides have obviously been pretty consistent over the past couple of years, so we want to challenge that,” Fraser said.
Banfield agrees.
“The great thing about our club is we’re not an old team on the way down, we’re a young team on the way up and that’s exciting,” he said.
“We’re really looking forward to the year and seeing if we can bridge the gap between those top clubs.”
The Blackburn faithful won’t have to wait long to see their new-look team face its first challenge.
In just 23 days, the Panthers will face the all-conquering powerhouse of Balwyn at Morton Park.
