By Steve White
A deeper run into the post-season is priority number one down at Bayswater Oval in 2021.
The Waters went 9-9 during the regular season last time out, finishing in 4th spot on the Division One ladder, but bowed out to eventual Preliminary Finalists Park Orchards in the first week.
Now in his second season as senior coach, Tom Roach is looking to take his side further into finals football come September. In light of the anticipation of senior footy finally just around the corner, the long lay-off between seasons has made it hard to stay focused for the new campaign at times.
“We were all raring to go in 2020 after a strong pre-season and then obviously everything got cancelled. It feels like we’ve been training for so long without playing an actual game, so it can be hard to stay motivated at times,” Roach said.
“However, the boys are looking pretty good this year and we’ve just come off two good practice matches. The first one against Macleod (NFNL) where we were very competitive and then we got a bit of a touch-up against Ringwood last week, where we didn’t play well. But honestly, I thought that was a much-needed kick in the guts.”
There have been a few departures from the side that last took the ground against the Sharks in 2019, however Bayswater have retained most of their 2019 list that is punctuated by their powerhouse midfield.
2019 EFNL Kenneth Wright medallist Kurt Lopo will again feature for Bayswater, along with Bryce and Joel Galvin. Fellow midfielders Cam McLeod, Lachie Pritchard, Mitch Grubb and Malcom McGillivray-Smith add further to their engine room stocks.
Young Vermont trio Paul Haasbroek (Eastern Ranges), Josh Doffay and Noah Burley will don the green and gold this season, along with Norwood’s Lachie Jackson.
Aaron Cotte (Box Hill) will also be available full-time for Bayswater this season, after putting pen to paper prior to the 2020 season and could potentially feature in the leadership group.
2016 premiership winner Dave Eddy has also returned after some time away from football and Roach is eagerly anticipating the contribution he will bring to the side.
“Dave came back to play in the 2020 season, and we were confident he was going to have a good season. He hasn’t trained as much as he’d like to due to work and a young family, but he’s looking really fit and I’m happy that he’s decided to come back to the club as we know how good a player he is.”
Aside from the objective of finals at season’s end, Roach will be looking to further develop his team’s on-field game, with speed and pressure out of the midfield being the main weapons at his disposal.
“Our midfield is our strength. If we get on top there, then all facets of the game flow from there for us.”
“It’s only really my second year as coach, so I think it’s also really just consolidating and getting to know the way we play and making sure we’re competitive and consistent every week.”
“If we have a mindset where we’re intent, move the ball fast and put pressure on then we’ll be really competitive. The pressure that we’ve been able to put on teams in the past is something we’ll definitely be looking to do again this year.”
Bayswater will also field an under 19’s team this year which, given the current environment and volatility of player numbers, is a testament to the club’s ability to retain players and recruit new ones.
“We will have about four or five under 19’s in our side this year come round one, so we’re going to be pretty young this year.”
“Numbers will be tested across our teams this year, but a lot of clubs are in the same boat across the league given the circumstances, so I’m not concerned about that.”
As for what to expect from rival clubs this season, the great unknown appears to reign supreme across the EFNL and Division One is no exception from Bayswater’s perspective.
“It’s been such a long time between games and given the turnover of players at each club, it’s hard to know how the season will go. It might be a bit uneven this year or it might be the same as 2019, where every game was decided with a couple of kicks.”
Bayswater open their 2021 EFNL season away to Montrose at Montrose Recreation Reserve on Saturday 10 April 2021.