2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Heathmont
by Maddi Vantarakis (@madvan_8)
FOREST Hill was arguably the fairy-tale of all Division 4 teams in 2013.
However, good fairy tales usually end with a happy ending.
Losing the Division 4 Grand Final to South Belgrave – the best team all season – in extra time is the reason this fairy tale is not yet complete.
Zebras coach Brett Shalders says the club knew it wasn’t one of the top teams last season. In his eyes, his side lacked height, not only up forward, but also down back.
“We know that we weren’t the second-best team last year, we were probably below Kilsyth who was fourth. So we were probably fifth or sixth,” Shalders said.
“All our recruitment was based on getting big blokes in. That’s where we struggled last year.
“That’s where we lost that Grand Final. We just couldn’t hold those big blokes all day. We just needed bigger, stronger bodies.”
The Zebras have definitely filled that void on paper with some outstanding recruits, led at the forefront by dual Perc James Medalist Kane Maghamez.
“He [Maghamez] is a great pickup. He’s going to help our forward power and midfield power as well,” Forest Hill president John Andrews said.
“But it’s not just him, it’s people like Brett Johnson too. We’ve gone from a very short team last year to probably one of the taller teams that are going to run out there this year.
“We’ve recruited very well in height, in both on-ballers and forwards. So guys like Gareth Britten, Brett Johnson from Canterbury, even some to bolster our backline as well.”
In contrast, the Zebras have lost star forward Michael Cardamone, who has gone on to play with The Basin this year.
“It’s never easy to replace someone who kicks 50-plus goals, but we’ve worked really hard on getting good forward structure so that we can get multiple goals from multiple areas and not just rely on one like Michael himself,” Andrews says.
“I think we’ve replaced him well with other options at this stage, but unfortunately we weren’t able to secure him this year.”
ZEBRAS READY FOR JUMP
According to Shalders, the Grand Final loss has given the club another shot at getting itself ready for Division 3 football.
He says his players would have been ready to go up had they won, but the club was not.
“If we had gone up, who knows what would’ve happened. We didn’t have the financial budget or any of that sort of stuff and we don’t really have juniors,” he says.
However he believes his team now knows they’re good enough to compete and win in big finals.
“We obviously got on a run and changed course, and almost pinched a flag. Not that we didn’t deserve it, because we played well to get there,” he says.
“What it really does is give all the young blokes belief going into this year.
“They know they’re good enough now.”
One issue facing the club is working to field an Under 19’s side.
Andrews says the club is currently in talks with Vermont and the EFL about the situation, with the aim being a combined Under 19’s team.
“We did try to set up an Under 19’s side standing on our own two feet, but we couldn’t do that, so this is the next best option,” he says.
“To work with another club and have a team out there and to build that partnership between ourselves and our closest neighbour when we don’t compete against each other…could be a good thing.
“I’d like to have that sort of feel around the club, to have an Under 19 side going out there. Whether it being in total partnership or whether it being a Vermont side – that’s up for discussion.”
BIGGEST THREATS
Looking to 2014, Andrews thinks Division 4 will even out following South Belgrave’s promotion to Division 3.
“I think it’s going to be a very even competition in fourth division this year, with the likes of The Basin and South Belgrave going out the last two years,” he says.
“It’s really evened up the competition, so we’re taking nothing lightly.
“Now that we’ve got that opportunity, we know that we’re ready to compete at the top level in Division 4. We’re looking forward to it.”