2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Mitcham
by Andrew Wiles (@andrewjwiles)
A NEW season presents every team with a fresh start, a clean slate to build its campaign upon and the opportunity to improve.
For the Nunawading Football Club, 2014 is more than a new season. It’s a new beginning.
The newly rebranded ‘Titans’ have fresh colours, a new committee and a revamped playing list that will lead the club forward in its 2014 campaign.
Playing-coach Rob Kreskas believes the Division 4 club is “starting again”.
“There has been a lot of negativity coming at Nunawading in the football world. We just need to get a positive spin on the club. It’s a new club, its basically starting from scratch,” he said.
“We have put a lot of work and effort into this, we want to make some noise and make an impact.”
Initially, Kreskas was to be a joint coach of the Titans alongside Tony Rowe. But after a mutual agreement between both parties, it was decided Kreskas would be the stand-alone coach in 2014.
Kreskas is part of the ever-growing group of playing-coaches in the EFL. He acknowledges it was something he did initially struggle with.
“It’s very difficult. I won’t lie, last year I really struggled with the job, playing and coaching,” he admitted.
“It opened my eyes and I am one year better for it.
“I am a lot more experienced, I know what’s required and I know the division quite well this year, so I am not coming in blindfolded like I did last year.”
Kreskas believes the key lies in the trust that he must have in his assistants on the sideline.
“I need to have full trust in them and they have to take an active role match day while I’m playing,” he said.
Last season was a difficult year for Nunawading on and off the field. They finished in ninth position with five wins and 11 losses.
The culture of the club had come into question from many EFL pundits.
“I think the club was fractured before me and [president] Evan [Sofianos] came in,” Kreskas said.
“Past players decided that they wanted to go venture in other places, which was out of our control. That’s the road that they decided. They gave a lot of good years and service to the football club. They went through a lot of hard times and I wish them all the best.
“They are always welcome back to Nunawading.”
With those departures meant a new list to lead the club this year. But with a new list comes new player relationships.
“A number of the new guys we have brought in are good footballers. It’s just going to be time for them to actually gel, because a lot of them have come from different places, a lot of them don’t know each other,” Kreskas said.
There is one player that has got the Titans coach very excited.
“I’ve been able to secure Beau Parthenides, he is a former team of the year ruckman for Glen Waverley. He has got experience, he is a 6ft 10 ruckman and he will make a lot of noise in the comp this year,” Kreskas said.
The 2014 season is a bit of an unknown for Nunawading. There is a question mark over how the Titans will come out of the blocks.
But no one around the club is ready to mention a famous “r-word” in football just yet: “rebuilding”.
“I’d hope that we can win at least half our games or more. It’s probably a high expectation, but you have got to put a bit of expectation on it,” Kreskas said.
“But for me it is a game at a time. I like to go one game at a time slowly, but let’s go up to half way, see where we are at and go for it from there.”
When it comes to who Kreskas believes will be the team to beat, it was the usual Division 4 suspects of recent years.
“Forest Hill are the team to beat, Surrey Park will be the dark horse and obviously Silvan will be thereabouts,” he said.
Although diplomatic, there was a quiet confidence about Kreskas that could be sensed.
“I think we will surprise a lot of people, I honestly believe that,” he said.
“We have got some really good footballers that have come on board.
“We play Surrey Park [in Round 1]. If we can show a good account of ourselves I will be quiet happy about that.”
