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By: Tim Fitzsimons
Twitter: @TimFitzsimons6
There would be few places anyone would rather be for the grind of pre-season than Cheong Park after what was a fairytale 2017 for the South Croydon Football Club.
The Dogs will go into season 2018 in somewhat unfamiliar territory as the benchmark of the competition after their outstanding Division 1 premiership last season.
In what was a remarkable achievement for a club that has been starved of success for so long in Division 1 football, the Dogs will be hoping to continue that momentum into the upcoming season.
Dan King, South Croydon’s premiership captain and Cliff Tomkins medal winner for a stellar performance in the grand final believes the success had by the club last year has only driven the playing group further.
PICTURE: Leigh Adams (left) and Dan King (right) hold the Division 1 cup aloft.
“After last year it’s been really exciting so obviously the competitive drive is there,” King said.
“We’ve probably been starved of success for a little while since we’ve been in first division so we’ve certainly got a taste for it now.”
Seeing the Western Bulldogs in the AFL fall away after their long-awaited premiership glory hasn’t worried the premiership skipper and he has no doubt his teammates will be in the same boat after last year’s triumph.
“When you’ve been starved of success for so long in first division, being on the end of some real beltings you certainly don’t take it for granted,” King said.
“We’re certainly not worried about not performing, we’re more excited to try and do it again.”
A major departure at South Croydon for season 2018 is premiership coach Leigh Adams who has taken up the senior coaching role at Coburg in the VFL.
Adams has been replaced by another former North Melbourne-listed player in Luke McCormick (pictured below).
McCormick joins the club having been a playing coach at Monbulk and more recently in a senior assistant role for the Eastern Rangers in the TAC Cup.
King could not be happier with the club’s appointment.
“I was part of the group that met with Luke and to a certain extent really try and convince him to take the job,” King said.
“Since that it has just been sensational – he’s fitted in seamlessly, carrying a similar philosophy to what we’ve been trying to do over the last few years.
“He also comes in with an open mind and a couple of new things that we’ll be working on to be trying to keep ahead, or at least with the pack.”
With the appointment of McCormick and a few exciting inclusions, a slightly different playing style is on the cards for South Croydon this season.
“The biggest thing for us is we’ve had quite a few new players come with the new structure of the VFL system so we’ve been quite fortunate,” King said.
“Our best team is probably going to have a little bit of a different make up to last year so in that sense, (McCormick) has sort of brought in new faster pace than we were doing at times last year.
“Until you get to practice matches you really don’t know how it’s going so I’m sure he is going to tinker with it a bit more once he gets to know the side and how our players play and where they play best but that will come out over the next three or four weeks.”
A couple of these notable inclusions are the return of former dog in Liam Cox, who has returned to the club after a stint with Box Hill and Daniel Cooper coming across from Doncaster in the off-season.
Impressing King over the pre-season has been the continued rise of star youngster Frank Anderson, who took home last season’s Leader Young Gun award and stood up on the big stage in last year’s finals series to be a vital cog in the Dogs’ midfield.
Anderson’s emergence as one of the best young prospects in the competition and terrific standards on the training track across pre-season have earned him a spot in South Croydon’s leadership group.
King believes Anderson, along with Jason Want who was right in hunt for the best and fairest before heading overseas mid-season last year, have been leading the way as two of the club’s emerging stars.
“They’re setting a lot of the standards on the training track which is great sitting back as a bit of an older player now watching the younger guys really lead the way.”
It is the continuation of younger guys such as Anderson and Want stepping up that King feels can lead the club towards sustained success over an extended period of time.
“You’ve got to be aware that we want to stay in that top flight and we’ve worked really hard to get ourselves in this position so developing the youth from our club and juniors to come through, we can’t afford to miss out on that.”
Heading into the season as the team to beat in Division 1 isn’t the only exciting new prospect for the club in 2018.
South Croydon will also be introducing its first-ever women’s side in the Deakin University Eastern Region Women’s Competition, in what promises to be a terrific step for the club and coach Tracey Lackman is thrilled to be a part of the inaugural side.
“I think it’s awesome,” she said.
“Personally I have been around footy forever and I think it’s a really great thing for the club.
“It shows that we are a very inclusive club.”
Lackman has been pleased with the team’s development and attitude since she took on the role in late January despite having plenty of inexperienced players.
“When I started out, skill-wise a lot of them didn’t know the basics of how to drop a ball so it actually goes where they want it to go. It’s a slow progression but they are picking the skills up well,” she said.
“They are always willing to give it a go, even if they think it’s quite challenging.
“Each week we’re progressively getting bigger and bigger numbers down at training.”
Lackman is realistic about the team’s goals heading forward with a strong focus on improving skills and having a better understanding of the game in the side’s inaugural season.
“We’re not looking to win a premiership and the girls are well aware of that,” she said.
“Our main goal is just developing as a team and really working on those skills that we can certainly progress onto a strong 2019 squad.”
