The Mustangs are entering the 2021 Division One season with high hopes.
2019 was a bizarre year for Mooroolbark, one that saw the senior side go without a win in its first seven games, before managing to turn its form around towards the end of the season and finish a respectable 7th, only two wins short of finals.
“We laid a good platform that season (2019),” Senior Mustangs coach Bret Lavars said.
“I know the start of it was very poor…but we did manage to win six of eight through the middle.
“As a playing group and as a coaching group we made massive inroads.”
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 robbing the league of a 2020 season, Mooroolbark was unable to build upon the strong finish to its 2019 campaign and its 2020 preseason went unrewarded.
However, Lavars said the enforced break wasn’t all bad.
“Having the year off, I think it doesn’t hurt us as much as some clubs with an older list,” he said.
“Being a bit younger I think it gives the young blokes time to mature into their bodies and become more familiar with game plans and game style.”
Lavars said a particular point of excitement for him entering this season is the potential the club’s younger players’ offer.
With a myriad of young Mustangs listed players training with VFL sides, as well as a number of under 19s coming through for possible senior selection, the added depth and potential for growth holds Mooroolbark in good stead for the year ahead.
‘We’re really fortunate with our kids that have come through,” Lavars said.
“We’ve just got so much talent, those under 19s who won the flag against Vermont, they’re the ones that are coming through and hopefully getting senior call-ups soon and playing regular senior footy.”
Lavars identified Hayden Mackie and Dermott Reynolds as two youngsters he expects will play more senior footy for his side this season.
“Hayden Mackie is still training down at Box Hill. He hasn’t made the list yet but from all reports he’s training really well. However, if he doesn’t make it, I think he’ll be someone who plays a lot of senior footy for us,” he said.
“And Dermott Reynolds, he’s a bigger stature of player now and will be able to play as a key defender.
“He got a taste in 2019 and we probably sent him back more for his development and I think he’s learnt a hell of a lot – he’s certainly matured as a footballer.”
As with all clubs last year, Mooroolbark was unable to provide its new recruits with an opportunity to get on the park beyond training.
Lavars said he felt the club had recruited strongly in 2020 and addressed some key deficiencies within his side.
After another successful round of recruiting early in 2021, he is confident the Mustang’s list is the strongest it’s been in years.
The addition of former Lilydale forward, Sam Baker, is one that has Lavars particularly excited.
Sam Baker has signed on from local rivals Lilydale. Photo – Mooroolbark Football Club Facebook
“We’ve picked up Sammy Baker from Lilydale, we’re really excited with Sam getting on board,” he said.
“It’s been a couple of years in the making, it’s obviously very challenging to leave clubs, especially to leave one and go to a rival club in the same division but Sammy has some great mates at Mooroolbark and I believe he leaves on good terms at Lilydale.
“He also addresses a deficiency we have, being a small forward who can put on some defensive pressure as well as hit the scoreboard.
“He’s really impressed us on the track and there will be times he goes through the midfield as well.”
Other big names set to pull on a Mooroolbark jersey for the first time are Austin Smith, Kane Durdy and Jessie Bateman.
Each is expected to suit up in Round One and will add some all-important experience to a young list.
After such a prolonged offseason it’s difficult for teams to accurately assess where it stands in terms of the competition.
Despite the uncertainty, Lavars is confident his side will make great strides in season 2021 and has his sights set on a finals berth.
“From an on-field point of view we haven’t set any limits to how high we can go and I think our best will be enough to compete with anyone,” he said.
“I think we showed (in 2019) our best is very capable and we’ve improved again and recruited to improve some holes.
“I would like to think we will give ourselves every opportunity to play finals this year.”
2020 was set to be Mooroolbark’s first foray into Women’s football with the introduction of a Master’s side.
Despite the halt in everyone’s movements and plans, the club has tried to remain proactive, bringing back not only its master’s side for 2021, but also attempting to introduce a female senior side too.
However, contrary to the strong numbers in its men’s teams,
Mooroolbark senior Women’s coach, Neil Wells, said he is finding it slightly more difficult to get players down.
“We’ve got pretty good numbers in the masters but we’re probably still scraping a bit in the seniors and need to get a hold of another eight or ten players if we can,” he said.
In the meantime, both sides are training together a couple of nights a week and Wells is looking forward to doing some more recruiting before the season gets underway.
“We’re very excited to get a women’s team on the park and I’m very excited to be coaching the senior women with Alison Fitzgerald doing the Masters,” Wells said.
With a mix of both experienced and inexperienced footballers, Wells said he has been trying to walk the line between coaching skills and trying to add a bit of game sense and tactics into training too.
“We’ve probably got a few girls that haven’t played before so it’s a bit of a harder coaching role because you’ve got some people that have played a bit of footy and you’ve got some that have played none,” he said.
Wells has been impressed with the more experienced players’ willingness to work with and guide the less experienced footballers.
“The more seasoned footballers of the bunch have been really good, they’re working well together and helping each other out and encouraging the ones that are learning,” Wells said.
With a practice match on the horizon, those committed to Mooroolbark’s Women’s program are immensely excited to get underway and take the league by storm.
Until then however, the club will continue its recruiting process to ensure both the masters and seniors have full squads come Round One.
“We’ve got at least one mixed practice match on the 13th of March and we’re hoping to get one other practice match and basically just trying to ensure we get both teams on the park,” Wells said.
Mooroolbark will host Lilydale in Round One of the Division One Men’s season (April 10) whilst the Women’s fixtures are yet to be announced (at time of writing).