In its second season in Division 2, Upper Ferntree Gully embarks on a new era today under incoming playing-coach, Joel Perry.
Club president Robyn Lawson says the club is excited about the year ahead, with outgoing coach Chad Rogers leaving his legacy at the Kings.
Joel Perry (pictured below) returns to the club after playing his juniors at Upper Ferntree Gully, along with a stint at North Melbourne in 2006, and more recently, East Ringwood and Vermont in Division 1.
The Kings finished fifth on the Division 2 ladder last season with nine wins, just missing the finals after their promotion to the second tier off the back of winning the 2016 Division 3 flag.
“We’re very excited about 2018, Chad (Rogers) left us in a good position on field,” Lawson said.
“The jump to second division was good and we finished the season off strong so that put us in good stead.
“It’s really nice to have Joel Perry back – he played in an under-16 premiership and has good family people at the club – his mum’s a life member of our junior club.
“He always said that he’d extend or finish his career at Upper Gully, so we’re really pleased to have him back.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge and professionalism towards our club, and it’s a breath of fresh air for us as a club.
“Joel by nature is more of an unassuming person, and I think he leads by example more than fire and brimstone.”
The Kings have also seen a changing of the guard this off-season, with Tim Riseley stepping aside as skipper, paving the way for Liam Gellie and Andrew Godfrey to serve as co-captains, with the duo announced on Thursday night.
“He (Riseley) was considering retiring altogether but we talked him into staying on, but he didn’t really need the added pressure of the captaincy – it was his decision to step aside in that regard,” Lawson said.
“Both (Gellie and Godfrey) have come through our juniors and we look forward to them and their leadership on and off the field.”
The club has retained the majority of its list, while also bringing in quality on-baller Daniel Reid from Vermont, along with Ethan Grose (Rowville) and Nathan Bardsley (Scoresby).
Finals are well on the agenda at Upper Gully after the club’s promising 2017 season.
“We do fancy ourselves if everything goes right for us, we would expect to be up there in the finals,” Lawson said.
“We only missed out by percentage and we lost a couple of close games, so things could have been different for us last year.
“That’s a tribute to Chad (Rogers) who got the premiership for us and led us into second division.”
Women’s football is also booming at the Kings, with the club again fielding a senior side in the Deakin University Eastern Region Women’s Competition.
The team will be coached by Jo Van Mourik, who represented Victoria in 1999 and has close to 150 games of experience across Ferntree Gully, Box Hill, Melbourne Uni, and Yarra Valley.
Van Mourik will be assisted by fellow 1999 Victorian representative Donna Moore, who will also be pulling on the boots this season, along with Jacqui Kyezor, whose career spans across Box Hill, Melbourne Uni, Eastern Lions and Yarra Valley.
Upper Ferntree Gully celebrates its 70th anniversary this season, with a long weekend of activities from Thursday to Sunday planned across the junior and senior clubs in June, followed by a gala dinner later in the season.
The Kings kick off their season today against Mitcham at Walker Park.
