2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Nunawading
by Dan Campbell (@DC_Sting)
TWO of the burning questions for the EFL’s 2014 season lie deeply entrenched within Division 1: Can Norwood take the next step to join the league’s top echelon of clubs, otherwise known as the “Big Three”? And will the “Big Three” become the “Big Four”?
An off-season of heavy recruiting says all of the above could become a reality.
After a second-week exit from the finals last season, Norwood stands firmly on the shoulders of giants following two strong seasons – a minor premiership and preliminary final in 2012 then a fourth-place finish in 2013.
But the weight of hype and expectation has reached boiling point for the Norsemen, with a host of ex-AFL players joining the club for 2014, including the 2009 No.11 AFL draft pick and former Demon and Kangaroo, Jordan Gysberts.
Director of Football Wayne Goble could not be happier with the club’s new recruits and overall preparation.
“[Jordan has] certainly shown during some scratch matches that he’s got some very good skills,” Goble said.
“He’s a quiet achiever and an accumulator of the football. We think that he might slot into our midfield this year. It’s an area that we thought we needed to bolster.”
However the return of Gysberts, an ex-Norwood junior, is not the only homecoming to Mullum Mullum Reserve.
Also reuniting with the EFL and Gysberts is former Melbourne teammate Matthew Bate, whose career is book-ended by stints with Croydon juniors and, most recently, Essendon in the VFL until the end of 2013.
Bate has had an immediate influence over the playing group, according to Goble.
“He [Matthew] is a very genuine sort of character. He’s fitted in very quickly with the rest of the playing group and he’s very good with the younger players in particular. [Senior Coach] Denis [Knight], in particular, is enjoying having him around. He’s just a quality person and a quality footballer,” Goble said.
An addition to the tall stocks is Connor O’Sullivan, who featured prominently in the Eastern Ranges’ premiership side in 2013 and enjoyed a ripping TAC Cup finals series.
“Denis Knight’s quite excited about Connor. He’s got great hands and we’re certainly looking forward to some big contributions from Connor during the season. He’s really impressed the coaching group,” Goble said.
And, after two seasons with West Adelaide in the SANFL, Dean Poynton, whose father played 56 games for Fitzroy, brings home his footballing genes. The club welcomes back the talented midfielder in a bid to take the next step this season.
“We’re really excited about ‘Fingers’, he’s a great mover. He’s a player that’s going to have a massive impact on our midfield. He’s played at a higher level and I think he’s benefitted from it,” Goble said.
Notably, David Trotter has headed to the Hume Football League after a strong 2013 season with the Norsemen, featuring in the best on eight occasions. Other omissions include Jarrod Spurrell and Josh Robinson (NFL), Tyler Black (Nepean FNL) and Kurt Scown (VAFA).
“We really feel like we’ve covered from any losses that we may have had last year,” Goble said.
Superstar Evan Johnson will also be missed for parts of 2014 due to traveling overseas. However Goble says the Norsemen have long been prepared for Johnson’s absence.
“He’ll be a loss, but we’ve been aware of it for quite some time and we’ve recruited accordingly,” Goble said.
Season 2014 could not come quick enough for Norwood, as it looks to join Balwyn, Noble Park and Vermont in the league’s top echelon.
The answer to two of the burning questions of the upcoming EFL season, Goble believes, could be beckoning.
“We feel like we’ve recruited to address all our deficiencies to really have a crack at it this year,” he said.