By Dylan Carmody
Second year Chirnside Park coach Dave Newlands says that the club is not setting goals such as wins and losses for his side this season, instead pushing that improvement in general is their main focus.
The Panthers had a rough year in 2019, failing to win a game, and only maintaining a percentage of just over 28, being relegated to Division 4 in the process.
It has been nearly three years since Chirnside last won a game in the EFNL, however Newlands is adamant that the club will see an improvement for 2020.
“It’s about improvement across the board,” Newlands said.
“What we did last year was try to play people in different positions, and see how they could adapt.
“I thought we were competitive throughout the year, and the scores didn’t really give a true indication to what was going on.
“That being said, it is a long year when you’re not winning games, but we are confident we can turn that around this season.”
Newlands has also been impressed with his men this preseason, stating that their eagerness to get back on the track and learn as much as possible to be exciting.
“They’ve been good, they’ve been keen to learn and learn the new game style.”
“The boys have been really positive, and especially after last year, it’s great to see.”
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In just his second year at the helm, Newlands could be forgiven if he was downtrodden after not winning a game, but the Panthers coach said that he had absolutely enjoyed the challenges of the job.
“I’ve really enjoyed it so far,” Newlands said.
“It’s been a really good challenge, and there were some people who had said that we may have been dealt a rough hand by the EFNL, and that we were probably playing a level a bit too high for us at the time.
“But I mean, you have to take the positives with the negatives, and by playing a division higher, we are playing against better opposition, so it makes you better as a side, and allows the guys to learn more.
“I’m very positive for what is going to happen for us this year, and am excited to get into the swing of things, hopefully when it comes.”
While the men’s side struggled throughout 2019, the Chirnside Park women’s team could not have had a better season, only dropping one game for the whole year, before progressing through the finals and thumping the Whitehorse Suns by 66 points in the Premier Division Grand Final.
Head coach Mick Carusi said that while making finals was a goal, the main focus was on his girls learning as much as they can, and improving on their skills.
“As a coaching group, we couldn’t be happier on the return numbers, and the effort that was put up, until we had to stop due to the global health situation,” Carusi said.
“Clearly our mindset, we are wanting to aim for certain goals, and all teams would clearly want to achieve finals, but first thing for us is that we want to be competitive.
“From there, we want to stay consistent in our footy season. We have a lot of boxes that we would want to tick throughout our footy season, obviously that includes making finals, and hopefully pushing to win another flag, but the main thing for us is that our side continues to improve throughout the year.
As for players to look out for, Carusi believes that Georgia Ball is one to look out for from the Panthers that is set to have a big 2020 season.
“We like to remain equal at the club, and encourage everyone the same, because we are a team, and a club, not just individuals.”
“But if I had to name one player who has stood out, Georgia Ball is absolutely one to look out for.
“Georgia has come back from the Carlton VFLW side, and she has set a very good standard for our playing group.
“She has been outstanding, and you can see her preseason has been really good. She has challenged herself, and she sets herself a very good standard, on and off the field.
“But that’s Georgia, she’s just a quality person.”
