2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Upper Ferntree Gully
by Victoria Halkias (@VictoriaMLH)
SOUTH Croydon has been on a rollercoaster ride since making the step up to Division 1 in 2010.
The past four years have been full of highs and lows, facing the almighty challenge of trying to make an impact and prove themselves against the strongest and most experienced teams in the EFL.
Having narrowly avoided relegation a couple of times since the step up, the Bulldogs have begun to find their groove in the premier division, evident from their 2013 performance that blew everyone away and exceeded expectations.
The Dogs won 10 of their home and away games in 2013, including a win against the undefeated Balwyn. They finished fifth and featured in their first Division 1 final against Norwood.
Despite the elimination final resulting in a loss, the Dogs proved they are ones to watch from hereon.
But can they back it up in 2014?
Skipper and 2013 Chandler Medalist Daniel King believes so.
“I think we showed that we are definitely capable. Hopefully we can improve again and see how far that takes us,” he said.
FITNESS
The Dogs will be keeping it simple in 2014, building on the foundations they have already established and only changing what needs to be fixed.
A key focus for the club is their fitness, something they have steadily been improving over the last few years.
“I think that [our fitness] has stepped up again for pre-season camp. We went to Rosebud and got a lot out of that,” King said.
“Probably our fitness is something we’ll constantly be working on to try and increase the turn over of the ball.”
Coach Damien Franken is also pleased with the improvement his troops are making.
“I’m really pleased with our fitness level and the commitment that the whole playing group has shown,” he said.
“We feel that we’ve got natural improvement from the group. We think that will help bolster our overall performance.”
Possibly the toughest challenge that Division 1 clubs face is becoming more competitive against the stronger and more experienced teams. It is something the Dogs have struggled with – until now, according to Franken.
“We’ll build on the foundations that we laid last year for becoming more competitive and working harder defensively, which certainly came to fruition in the second half of the year,” he said.
“We certainly feel that will be important again this year, particularly with a more weighted draw given our finish. We have a harder draw then what we did last year.”
BIGGEST THREATS
Skipper King, who in 2013 became the first player from outside Vermont and Noble Park to win the EFL’s highest honour since 2002, admits this season will be a tough one for South Croydon as it looks to prove itself again.
“There will be plenty of tough opponents. I think the big four clubs that finished above us last year are all going to be strong again,” he said.
“I’ve heard there have been a few good pick-ups from some of the other clubs around us. So there is going to be a lot of competition.”
The Dogs have managed to bolster their existing team nicely, adding a few beneficial new faces.
“We’ve added two or three players to bolster our forward line to make us a bit more competitive up there,” Franken said.
“We’ve got Danny Hughes, who is a half-forward and Jay Seagel as a full-forward. That was an area we identified last year where we needed to make more of an opportunity for when the ball goes forward.”
With everyone now on the track and training hard, captain King has named Liam Cox, Sam Cuthbert and Lachlan Arthurson as ones to watch this season.
“They have all been really strong. Liam is coming back from injury and Sam had a really good last half of the year and is looking really good on the track,” King said.
FINALS AGAIN?
Like all teams, the Bulldogs hope to play finals again this year. Although Franken seems more intent on having things improve steadily and not put any pressure on his boys.
“I want to build on what we achieved last year and make sure that we are more competitive,” he said.
“What that result is will basically be determined by the playing group and their discipline and dedication to wanting to achieve a final finish. That would certainly be what we are aiming to achieve,” he said.