By Steve White
The Waverley Blues are looking for EFNL Division Three premiership success in 2021.
After a strong finish in the second-half of their 2019 EFNL campaign which saw them go down to South Belgrave in the Division Three Grand Final, the Blues have had plenty of time to focus on getting back into senior football and into the final game of the year once again.
Head coach Tom Langford and his troops have already been hard at work since November, with little need for motivation in its objective of hoisting the silverware at seasons’ end.
Langford brings an extensive senior football resume to the club with over 12 years combined playing in the SANFL and VFL, as well as completing a developmental coaching stint in the VFL with Richmond which brought premiership success in 2019.
“It’s been 18 months between games of footy which is unprecedented, but motivation isn’t an issue at all. We haven’t spent any time focusing on that, because we already have an incredibly motivated and driven squad,” Langford said.
‘I think the experience the guys took out of that grand final in 2019 as well as an increase in training standards, an updated style of game plan and natural development from the players is key this year. We have a very young squad and the team that played in the grand final was a very youthful team as well, so there doesn’t need to be a major overhaul, just a few tweaks here and there.”
There have been several departures from the side that last ran onto the ground against South Belgrave, most notably James Coghlan, Dylan Cole and Jake Twycross. In terms of additions, Nathan MacDonald has returned to the Blues this year after a couple of seasons away.
However, despite being generally quiet on the recruiting front and a side that will feature up to ten new players in the senior team this year, Langford states the club has a dearth of exciting young talent to draw on that will guide the club into 2021 and beyond.
“Even though I’ve only coached them at training and obviously not on gameday, but having worked with them for 18 months, their improvement has been huge. I’m really excited to see what they can do this year,” Langford said.
‘Guys like Sam Mier, Jaye O’Connell, Ryan McNamara and Jimi (Dimitrios) Roufos have been absolute stars on the track. With such a young group we’re looking forward to a handful of our young, talented players stepping up as leaders and some of those guys have really done that during the preseason.”
Langford will be complimented by a wealth of experience in the coaching ranks.
Club great Matt Sharpe has returned to the blue, red and white after spending 2019 in Division 1 with East Ringwood. Along with 250+ game club legend Paul Savage, he will serve as playing assistant coach and provide valuable mentorship to the young side.
The on-field coaching contingent will be supplemented by the leadership group of Daniel Playsted and Ben Turner, who will both serve as co-captains this year.
Langford also believes the club is in good stead going beyond 2021.
“We believe that we’re incredibly deep. We expect our reserves side to be very strong and competitive for a premiership also. It holds us in really good stead for the future, not just 2022 but also beyond.
‘Our goal is just to be progressive as a footy club, making sure we are making progress on and off the field. Making sure that the program we provide for the players is somewhere they enjoy, have fun and always be improving and hopefully that leads to success. We’re really conscious of not becoming a stale environment.”
Waverley Blues open their 2021 EFNL season at home to Donvale on Saturday April 10th.