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By: Daniel Cencic
Twitter: @DC_EFL
Mooroolbark will be looking for a third-consecutive top four finish this season, under the tutelage of new coach Heath Black.
Appointed in September, Black played 192 games across Fremantle and St. Kilda from 1997-2008, and is familiar to the EFL playing a season with Division 1 powerhouse Vermont in 2012.
Black, who takes over the coaching reins from Paris Harvie, said he has always craved the opportunity to coach in the EFL.
A family connection sees a strong emotional tie to the club, with the 38-year-old’s father and uncle both playing at Heights Reserve in the 1980s, while his step-mother’s parents helped build the social rooms in the 1960s.
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for the EFL, and I wanted the opportunity to coach in it,” Black said.
“It’s a big club and we’re tapped into a lot of juniors with a great pathway with a lot of players playing in the Eastern Ranges.
“There’s a lot of upside to the young guys, they’re going to be like recruits in a way.”
Mooroolbark finished fourth on the Division 2 ladder at the conclusion of the home and away season last year, before going on to record a stirring two-point victory over Lilydale in the semi-final.
A 47-point loss to Doncaster East in the preliminary final would end the Mustangs’ season.
The club faces a tough opening month to 2018, playing 2017 runner-up Doncaster East first up, followed by Wantirna South, Upper Ferntree Gully, Mulgrave, Bayswater and Lilydale.
Black admits the opening six rounds will test his side.
“Everyone thinks they’re going to go OK at this time of year – our first six rounds are really important because we’ve got a really tough draw,” he said.
The new coach is keen to make a mark on his new side, with an emphasis on a more attacking brand of footy this season.
“Paris (former coach Paris Harvie) did a really good job with the defensive aspect of what he brought into the club, (and) the hard-nosed edge is something that he taught,” Black said.
“I’ve now concentrated on opening the boys up and trying to kick a score.
“The defensive aspect is done, which can take years to actually perfect and now we’re concentrating on that forward half and hitting the scoreboard.”
The Mustangs have welcomed back premiership player Matt Polkinghorne from Wandin, along with key defender Troy Wright (Montrose), who last played for the club in 2008.
Other additions include former Noble Park and Vermont midfielder Dean Kelly – the half-brother of Black, who played at Narre Warren last season, full-back Andrew Hunter (Narre Warren), hard-nosed midfielder Judd Darby (Bonnie Doon) and Paul Thatcher (Croydon).
Black is confident his new recruits have added significantly to the line-up, with finals the clear expectation for 2018.
“On paper, our backline would be arguably the best in the comp,” he said.
“The expectation for me would be if we don’t make finals then something’s gone wrong.
“The rapport that my assistant and myself have got with the group – I can’t see too much going wrong from personality clashes or anything like that – we’re all getting on.
“In an ideal world, you want to finish top two – everybody wants to.
“Finals is non-negotiable – I’m more than happy to say that if we don’t make finals, then I haven’t done my job.”
The Mustangs will be without key forward Kire Talevski this season, after he received a shock cancer diagnosis in January that stunned the wider community.
Talevski topped the goal-kicking in Division 2 last season, booting 64 goals to be named in the SEN Division 2 Team of the Year at full forward.
An icon at Heights Reserve as well as the Wandin and Vermont football clubs, Talevski will serve as Mooroolbark’s forwards coach this season as he undergoes treatment for bowel cancer and lymphoma.
Mooroolbark and Wandin football clubs will host a joint-fundraiser on Thursday, March 29 at Heights Reserve with all proceeds going to the Talevski family.
“Just to see a bloke tackle it that way he has, he’s to be commended – the community has rallied around him,” Black said.
