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By: Daniel Cencic
Twitter: @DC_EFL
A challenging year on the field in 2017 has seen the Bayswater Football Club rally around returning senior coach Paul McCormack.
In a year which saw Bayswater win just two matches for the season in the top-flight after its Division 2 flag in 2016, the club is ready to tackle the EFL’s second-tier again with McCormack at the helm.
After announcing in August that he’d be stepping aside as senior coach, a unique synergy with the playing group played a major part in the 2016 premiership coach leading the club again.
“It was a pretty tough year last year,” McCormack said.
“We had a lot of close losses (and) that was really tough on the boys – I thought maybe I’d done my dash but the boys got together and had a good chat and they were keen for me to stay.
“It’s great If you get endorsements from the playing group
“I’ve been around the game for a while and unless everyone’s behind you, forget it – the committee are behind me which is great.”
Bayswater president Gary Galvin celebrates the 2016 flag with sons Mitch, Bryce and Joel. PICTURE: Steve Tanner
A number of injuries, the retirement of full-back Sean Leach and an overall lack of confidence saw the club relegated after its first Division 1 season in 14 years.
“That made it really tough and they (the players) probably didn’t have the confidence that they should have had,” McCormack said.
A new-look coaching panel has been assembled for season 2018, which includes Paul Giannopoulos and Mark Hickinbotham who will again coach the reserves.
With a number of players who also may be coaches in waiting, including skipper Joel Galvin who will be a playing-assistant this year, McCormack is confident of the structures in place at the club.
“I thought to myself, it’s the perfect time to be involved,” McCormack said.
“When I got there, we were very much a bottom of the road second division club and now we can hopefully be a side that plays in the finals, at least in second division.
“Joel Galvin will be a playing coach this year (and) guys like Matt Cunningham and Wayne McInerney and Jess Moore – they’re all experienced players and they’ll probably all want to be coaches in the future.
“We’ve set up some good structures that’ll hopefully carry on for years.”
The club has also re-introduced an under-19s side, which McCormack believes will significantly help bolster the Waters’ depth, along with creating healthy competition for spots in the senior side.
“It’ll be the best thing that’s happened to the club for 10 years – we’ve got some really, really talented under-19s players,” he said.
“Darren Mays is coaching the under-19s and he’s put a heap of work into recruiting kids.
“It’s really tough without 19s to have sustained success – it’s massive for the club.”
The Waters have welcomed a host of new names to the club, with Aaron Cotte earmarked by McCormack as one to watch out for.
Cotte played 10 games with the Casey Demons’ in the VFL’s now-defunct development league last season.
“He (Aaron) will probably be our number one recruit – he played at Casey for a number of years (and) he’s an outside running mid – we targeted him as we need that run and carry.”
David Velardo returns to the EFL after eight seasons away, playing with Devon Meadows in the Mornington Peninsula league, along with Highett and more recently Oakleigh in the Southern league.
The renowned goal-kicker last played in the EFL in 2009 with Noble Park.
Defender Anthony Lorusso has crossed over from Coldstream, along with young-gun Ryan Gains who has joined the club from VAFA side Parkdale, having previously played with the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup and Frankston’s development team.
Former Casey Demon Mitch Lewis has also joined the club and looks set for a promising season, with club stalwart Wayne McInerney having “his best pre-season I’ve seen him have” according to McCormack, who believes the year’s expectations will be based on development of game-style.
“We want to be a bit more offensive – we’re a good defensive team – it’s more about our game-style than results oriented.
“We’ve got to improve our leadership, and that’s something we’ve been targeting this pre-season.”
Bayswater will host Mulgrave at Bayswater Oval on Saturday, April 7.
Meanwhile, Bayswater’s senior women’s side will be out to defend its title after winning the inaugural premiership in the Deakin University Eastern Region Women’s Competition last season.
Zoe Alston looks set to again captain the Waters’ women’s side, after a stellar end to her 2017 campaign which saw her named best on ground in the club’s grand final win over the Waverley Blues.
The club has also welcomed new coach Glenn Murray, who coached rival Mt. Evelyn last season.
Murray believes the Waters’ have the hunger and desire to back up last year’s triumph.
“It’s one of those things, you talk at training about wanting to go back-to-back, but you’ve got to put in the effort and you’ve probably got to work three times as hard now than what they did last year,” Murray said.
“They’ve got the hunger, but they’ve got to put in the work.”
PICTURE: Zoe Alston won last year’s Blue Ribbon Medal for best on ground in the grand final.
A myriad of new players have taken to the training track this pre-season to form strong numbers, where Murray has seen fitness, leadership and skill development take priority.
“We’re working on fitness and we’ve got a lot of new girls – there’s a few girls who can’t play this year who played last year,” he said.
“We’ve got a list of about 27-30 – we’ve got to work on our skills and we’re going to develop them into a decent side.
“At training they’re actually starting to get involved and they’ll probably be better leaders this year I think.”
