41 DAYS TO GO | EFL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2018 season with the #InFocus2018 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
By: Daniel Cencic
Twitter: @DC_EFL
Months into the top job and Warrandyte coach Anthony McGregor has seen significant buy-in from the playing group as he guides the club through his first pre-season at the helm.
Appointed in September, McGregor is no stranger in footy circles, having started his career with Collingwood in the VFL program followed by Prahan in the VFA and later Fitzroy in the AFL. Recent coaching stints have included Reservoir, Bundoora and South Morang in the Northern Football League.
A willingness to learn and improve has impressed the new coach thus far as he has settled into the role.
“It’s very exciting and they’re a fantastic group of young fellas (and) everything I’ve asked of them they’ve put their head down and done,” McGregor said.
“They’re willing to learn and improve – it’s been a great pre-season.”
PICTURE: Warrandyte president Peter Hookey with McGregor (right).
The Bloods have retained the majority of their list heading into their 2018 campaign, with the key outs including best and fairest winner James Appleby and brother Tom, who have transferred to Doncaster East.
Numbers on the track have been strong along with the mateship of the playing group, according to McGregor.
“We’ve had a good retention, we lost a couple to higher divisions which happens but the core group of young fellas who are really good friends and good teammates have all stuck and haven’t missed a beat,” he said.
“We’ve averaged about 48 at training every session and some nights getting up to close to 60.
“They drew a line in the sand themselves with the change (of coach), and they’ve really taken it onboard.
“At the end of the day, higher divisions are going to look around to see who they can add to their club as well.”
With seasoned campaigners like Tom Naughtin, Luke Dunn and Michael Cullum continuing to lead the charge on the field, along with 2017 John O’Brien Club Champion Award winner Lewis Oliver, Troy Ratcliffe and Nikoda Brooking to name a handful, the Bloods’ list dynamic has McGregor thrilled.
Warrandyte has also appointed ex-Doncaster player Luke Parker as senior assistant coach, who is looking forward to teaching and supporting a newly-energised list under McGregor.
Parker was runner-up in the Sharks’ best and fairest in 2009 and 2011, also coaching the club’s under-19s in 2009 and 2014.
“Luke has shown great leadership (and) it’s just been a good mix of older experience and young (players) as well and that’s what’s driven a lot of the excitement,” McGregor said.
“Our list is averaging 21-22 years old, so we’ve got massive growth.”
McGregor is keen to make his mark on the side in his maiden season, with the intent of playing attacking football.
“The thing that I drive into them is have a go,” he said.
“We want to play an exciting, offensive type of football – nothing ventured, nothing gained – you have a go.
“We’re willing to defend but when it’s our time for the footy we just want to go.
“It’s giving them a licence, a licence to create and try, and that’s the way we’re aiming – we can defend all day and close a game down, but we want to play footy, and we want to enjoy playing footy.
“With that comes the licence and if it doesn’t work, I’m willing to wear that.
“I’d rather them having a go, we might get done having a go but at the end of the day, I’d rather that than not having a go and getting done.”
The Bloods won just three matches in 2017, avoiding relegation to Division 4.
While McGregor believes wins and losses aren’t going to define 2018, development remains the number one priority as the club looks to rebuild.
“Everything’s measured in wins and losses, but it’s not going to determine our year.”
“We’ve gone back to basic ground-zero, so we’ve started from scratch. The measurement is going to be determined on how they develop, and how we win and lose as well.
“Last year, a few times they rolled over and just got hammered, but that was all to do with their direction.
“The club has given us some time and we hope to climb the ladder but at the end of the day, if we do or don’t make finals, it’s a great stepping stone building into next year as well.”
McGregor has instilled a mantra of ‘positive minds see success’ in the playing group this pre-season, with the aim of changing the game-day mindset.
“When I was organising the team singlets, I thought about the games I went and watched last year as a supporter and a local – I’d just seen their body language and their mindset – all of it was very negative and down,” he said.
“When I thought about what we can put on the singlets, I just thought let’s turn around all the negativity and be positive and if we can think positive things, positive things might happen.
“If someone makes a mistake, it doesn’t matter, it comes with having a go.
“If the fellas around them are positive, I’m positive, the committee’s positive and we’re all on the same page, that’s a good stepping stone forward, definitely.”
Warrandyte kicks off its 2018 season when it hosts The Basin in Round 1 on Saturday, April 7.
