2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Eastern Lions
by Andrew Wiles (@andrewjwiles)
THERE are two words in the football vernacular that any team playing finals dreads being associated with: straight sets.
Unfortunately for the Silvan Football Club, that is what its 2013 season will be remembered for.
After finishing the home and away season in third position, the Cats were bundled out of the “Choose Tap” finals series following consecutive defeats to Ferntree Gully and Forest Hill.
However, with a new coach in Chris Murphy and plenty of fresh faces on the training track after a successful summer recruiting program, the focus is firmly on 2014.
“They are a pretty positive bunch of boys,” Murphy said.
“Besides the president [Chris MacLagan] and a few of the older guys around the club that talk about last year, the young guys are just looking forward to the year to come.”
As the days count down to the beginning of Silvan’s fourth season in the EFL, the feeling around the club is that the window is open.
“They came into the league and they had to build in stepping-stones, but they think that now it’s time,” said Murphy.
“They are pretty upset that they didn’t get as far as they would have liked last year, but they realise that it was a bit of a learning curve for the years to come.”
The expectation Murphy places on the group is clear-cut.
“We definitely don’t want to go backwards from last year,” he said.
“I expect to go one or two steps further and hopefully be playing in the Grand Final. I think we have recruited well enough to really give it a good shake.”
CATS’ BIG INS
The inclusions on Silvan’s transfer list are extensive, but there is one that has caught the coach’s eye.
“Mitch Skinner from Mount Evelyn, he’s going to be our pacey wingman that we will be looking at. His skills are exquisite and he has been burning the track up,” Murphy said.
Upon arrival at Silvan Recreation Reserve, it was no surprise to Murphy that a familiar face, all be it in a different setting, was leading the charge.
“Tyson McKenzie, who I actually played against when I was at Mount Evelyn and he was at Warburton, has really shown how much of a leader on the track he is and how much he wants to win for the club,” Murphy said.
There is however, one notable name missing from the Cats forward line in 2014.
Leading goal kicker from 2013, Patrick Rattray, has made the move to the Kyabram District Football League.
But the Cats coach believes he has found the perfect replacement.
“We have got big Nick McConnell there and I think he will fill his shoes pretty comfortably,” Murphy said confidently.
“We have got a few bigger bodies with Mick and myself and then we have got Sean Toohey who can play through there. We have got the benefit of some pace with a few small forwards that can hopefully step up.”
A new coach brings usually a new game plan, as will be the case with Silvan in 2014.
“I’ve recruited about four or five guys with a bit of pace, so we are going to be changing our game style somewhat with how we are going to be moving the ball. Hopefully we will get a bit quicker, that’s my spin on it,” Murphy said.
PLAYING-COACH
Murphy is one of many playing-coaches in Division 4 this year, an ever-growing trend.
He, like many others, spoke about how it was something he struggled with initially.
“My first year doing it at Mount Evelyn, I found it really tough. I didn’t have the support around me, which was probably mainly my fault going into a role not knowing what to do,” Murphy admitted.
So he has called on the experience of an EFL legend to control the sideline duties.
“I’ve got Brett Hartman helping me, who I’ve been coached by as well when I was at Coldstream. I think he will be fantastic. It will be tough and testing at times, but I think we can manage it quite well,” Murphy said.
BIGGEST OPPONENTS
Murphy believes the race for the Division 4 crown is wide open.
“With South Belgrave going up, I think it’s really evened out the competition. It’s anyone’s game,” he said.
The Cats will be keen to get on the board early in 2014, and put a disappointing finish to 2013 behind them.
They take on the recently demoted Warrandyte at home on 5 April, in what many pundits are already predicting to be a finals preview.