Despite being in the top five for majority of the season, an end of season slump saw the Blues just miss out on a place in the finals.
By Ryan Long.
Croydon
Ladder Position: 6th (9-9, 94.96%)
Best and Fairest: Billy Dickson
Summary:
Although the Blues were in the top five for most of the season, Croydon lost five of their last seven games to miss out on this year’s finals series.
The club started well in 2022, with five wins from their first six matches. They weren’t averaging high scores at the time but were doing enough defensively, keeping their opponents in the first six weeks to an average of 49 points per game.
A final game against Montrose saw the Blues in a battle with Montrose for the last spot in the top five. They did lead at multiple stages of the afternoon, including an eleven-point lead at three-quarter time. Unfortunately for the Blues, Montrose ran over the top to take a seven-point win and the last spot in the top five.
Key Players:
Billy Dickson had a fantastic season for the Blues, winning the Senior Best and Fairest. The club’s co-captain had a great season spending time down back and in the midfield. Dickson earned himself a spot on the Half Back Flank of the EFNL Division One Team of the Year.
Finishing runner up in the Best and Fairest was Matt McKenzie, constantly finishing in the side’s best each week.
Other members of the leadership group such as co-captain Jordan Lynch and deputy vice-captain Andy Carter were important for the club in 2022, they finished tied in third place of the club’s b&f.
Riley Britton was key for the Blues up forward, with 29 goals from 18 matches, featuring in the best six times.
Best Win: Round 4 – Croydon 11.11 77 def. Wantirna South 11.6 72 @Walker Reserve
One of their best wins came early in the year when the Blues took on the Devils away from home. They were challenged early with Wantirna South getting out to a 27-point lead just before Half Time. Things turned around in the third quarter when the Blues kicked five unanswered goals. They were challenged again late in the game but managed to hold on by five points and start the year with three wins from their first four games.
Billy Dickson was a standout over the afternoon, as he was in most games this year while the goals were well distributed with eight players hitting the scoreboard.
Off-Season Focus:
Scoring was an issue for the Blues at times this year, scoring more than only Bayswater and Upper Ferntree Gully across the season. Part of that was due to injuries the side had this year such as Riley Costantino, managing just the eight games for the year. They have recruited quite a few names already, most of which are young players from Vermont and Mooroolbark. That list includes Bailey D’Monte who’s a viable option up forward to add to the scoreboard.
Another great pickup for the Blues has been Callum Spurrell, coming across after a very solid year at Norwood. A nice versatile option that can be used in the ruck or a key position down back.
There’s no question that they’ll be eager to return to playing some finals footy. If they can build up that forward line, they’ll look a lot more dangerous come August-September next year.
Netball Review
Croydon (Section One)
Ladder Position: 2nd (14-3, 128.10%)
The Section One Croydon team were a powerhouse across the season in Section One. They won a total of fourteen games during the regular season and finished in second place, three and a half games ahead of East Ringwood in third. They moved into the top section after a very strong three weeks in Section Two at the start of the season.
The Blues went on to face East Burwood in the first week of the finals. They stuck with the Rams for most of the night but fell short by just four points. It meant Croydon had to take on East Ringwood in a Preliminary Final to make the Grand Final. Unfortunately for the club, the Roos got the jump early and they would eventually lose by six points.
Genevieve Abbott had a standout season, awarded the Section One Leading Goal shooter award with 633 goals in the regular season. Abbott was also named Captain of the Team of the Year alongside teammate Annie Hannah who also featured in it. Hannah would also be named as the club’s best and fairest winner in season 2022.
Croydon Juniors
The Croydon Junior FC continues to develop with the club fielding four sides in 2022. The two competitive sides both had great seasons, the Under 12 side made finals and the Under 14 side narrowly missed. The exciting growth in the non-competitive age groups means the club will continue to grow and develop in 2023.