2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Vermont
GLEN Waverley Hawks Junior Football Club president Paul Hewett speaks to Ben Waterworth as his club prepares for the 2014 season.
Ben Waterworth: Overall, were you satisfied with what the club achieved, both on and off the field, in 2013?
Paul Hewett: It was a tough year off the field, because we moved to Central Reserve. It took some time to make the transition. But on the field it was a fantastic year. Our Under 11’s just finished outside the finals, while our under 14’s were able to bring home the silverware for the first time!
Approximately how many teams do you think you will field in 2014?
We’ll probably have around eight or nine.
What has the feeling been like around the club over the pre-season?
We have been very busy over the preseason, but it’s reaping the rewards now. We’ve put together a full junior committee and mapped out the year as best we can with events and other stuff we can do with junior kids.
[Senior coach] Ryan Flack has been so vibrant and given the juniors so much time. I think the link between the senior and junior club will be as strong as ever.
We’ve organised a few extra programs with some of the older kids, paring them up with some of the younger kids in a buddy system. In general, more families will be involved. We’ve also picked up quite a few new kids, who have come to the club out of local schools and are now talking about the club at their school.
If you had to pick one, which team do you think is the club’s best chance of winning a premiership this season?
I’d probably say our Under 12’s. The way they finished off the season in Under 11’s last year was great. We’ve got some great new kids in, plus most of them have played together for a while and play for each other. They started training earlier and are showing promise.
Is there a particular age group of players that you need as soon as possible to fill a team ahead of Round 1?
We could always bolster our Under 15’s Under 11’s numbers.
If any players are interested in playing for Hawks this season, what do they have to do?
Contact me [Paul Hewett] on 0416 023 030.