By Ryan Long.
Warrandyte celebrated the success of their first-ever senior women’s team, whilst the senior men battled a difficult year, trying to maintain keeping their best 22 on the field.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 7th (5-1-12, 72.89%)
Leading Goalkicker: Lachlan O’Brien (24 goals)
Summary:
After the highs of 2021 and 2022, Warrandyte faced a few curve balls in season 2023, unable to achieve the same feats of those previous seasons.
Coming off the back of a Preliminary Final appearance, many thought the Bloods were bound for a Grand Final spot and a crack at the premiership. Unfortunately however, they were never able to get their season rolling, facing an injury crisis and missing players due to international travel.
The club had a total of 50 players to play at least one senior game this year, unable to retain the same 22 in consecutive weeks. Some of the notable outs in key periods of the year included key forward Ryan Phillips, the leading goal scorer for 2023, Lachlan O’Brien, Lachlan Guymer and Adam Brovedani.
The Bloods started the season 0-4, having two losses by less than a kick, before they opened up their account in 2023 with a six-point win over the Lions.
Warrandyte Reserve, referred to as the ‘Blood Bank’, had fans on their toes all season, with six of their nine home games decided by less than two goals.
They’ll be quick to move on, setting their eyes on season 2024.
Key Players:
One of the club’s big recruits over the off-season was Zak Carroll, moving across from Mitcham. Carroll was consistent all year with multiple best-on-ground performances. He finished in the best 12 times from 16 games, also having 12 goals for the year. In multiple games he finished with 40 or more disposals, adding an important piece to their midfield.
Chris Tout and Kieran Malone were both influential in season 2023 and were two of their key players who managed to play the majority of the season. Malone’s a perfect swingman, having the ability to play multiple different roles on the field.
Lachlan O’Brien was important in the absence of Ryan Phillips, leading the goal-kicking with 24 majors, playing just 13 games, and missing the end of the season.
Having played an important role up forward, Quinn Clark was also used down back in patches for the season, playing in new positions.
Best Win: Round 13 – Warrandyte 11.8 74 def. Ferntree Gully 10.12 72 @Warrandyte Reserve
Plenty of games decided by less than a kick this season, but their two-point win over Ferntree Gully may be their most memorable of the bunch.
In Round 13, they took on a talented Eagles side who had already locked up their place in the finals. The game had multiple momentum shifts, including a five-goal to two second quarter from the Bloods that saw them 16 points up at Half Time. It swung again in the third term with Ferntree Gully getting on top of the contest, keeping the Bloods scoreless. But Warrandyte fought back from an eight-point deficit to hold on for a two-point win in a thrilling finish.
Zak Carroll was phenomenal, with 41 disposals, 8 clearances, 6 marks and 162 ranking points in the Bloods win. Up forward, it was vintage Ryan Phillips, four goals and five marks. Unfortunately, he was back out of the side the following week due to another injury.
The win against one of the top sides of the division reminded us of what Warrandyte are capable of at their best.
Off-Season Focus:
There are plenty of reasons to believe that Warrandyte can turn things around next season. They’ll be eager to have everyone back on the park for a full season, especially someone like Ryan Phillips who struggled with constant injuries this year.
Although their injuries were a curse this season, it did give the opportunity for the club to play more of their younger players, including their Under 19s at senior level. It should help the club going forward in the long run. The Under 19’s went on to win the premiership this season, back-to-back flags for the Bloods in that particular age group. Their reserves side also managed to make a second consecutive Grand Final, just coming up short again.
It’s been a very even division over the last few seasons so making finals is a challenge in itself. But if the club holds onto their list, whilst potentially adding a few recruits over the off-season, I’d think they’d be back in contention once more.
Senior Women
Ladder Position: 6th (2-9, 37.41%)
Leading Goalkicker: Grace Lloyd and Zoe Greenhill (4 goals)
Summary:
One of the highlights for the club this season was the introduction of Warrandyte’s first-ever senior women’s team. The side was coached by Tom Woodward, playing an important role in the development of the senior women’s program at Warrandyte.
The side had a great mix of those who had experience playing footy and those who were new or were transitioning across from other sports.
They competed in Division Four, managing to win two games, a great achievement for a side in their first-ever season. After a grading period, their first win came against Wantirna South in a tight tussle before a big win over Boronia in Round Nine.
Key Players:
Rebekah Cullen-Hall led the way this year for the Bloods, nine times in the best from all nine games she played in. This included a best-on-ground performance against Wantirna South in Round Two, the club’s first-ever win in the competition.
In front of goal, Warrandyte had multiple key players such as Lloyd, Greenhill, Ryan and Hodgson.
Best Win: Round 9 – Warrandyte 11.9 75 def. Boronia 4.4 28 @Warrandyte Reserve
Coming off a tough result to Mitcham the week prior, where they were unable to score, Warrandyte returned in Round Nine to put together their best all-round performance of the season.
They kicked 11 goals, had 20 scoring shots and won by 47 points on their home deck. Grace Lloyd capitalised in front of the big sticks with four majors while others such as Trewella and Callow finished with multiple goals.
A great team performance and a great look at the future of the club.
Off-Season Focus:
A huge achievement to get the club’s first-ever senior women’s program up and running. The most important focus of the off-season is to keep their playing group at the club and further develop their skills in the pre-season.