8 DAYS TO GO | EFL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2019 season with the #InFocus2019 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
By: Tash Gunawardana
KNOX senior coach David Madigan is keen for his young players to take the next step this season to support the club’s experienced brigade.
Last season the Falcons finished 12th on the Division 1 ladder with one win and 17 losses.
The club was relegated alongside East Ringwood and will compete in the Division 1, the second tier of competition under the EFL’s competition restructure.
Madigan (pictured above) believes his team has had a steady pre-season.
“Players have been positive and worked really hard,” he said.
“Normal issues with ground access you deal with in pre-season, but other than that it has been pretty good.”
A host of players have joined the Falcons in the off-season including the return of 2017 Division 2 premiership players Jared Lepore (Ferntree Gully) and Joel McGown (East Burwood) after a year away.
“We have recruited reasonably well (with) Jordy Smith who played some under-19s footy a couple of years ago with Vermont, Jake Murdoch, Liam Riley, Jayden Hill and Damien Byrne from Mazenod.
“Daniel Clarke (is) returning to the club from Mitcham and other than that we have pretty much retained most of our list from last year.
“We are really looking to build on last year’s list.
“We played about 42 players I think last year and a lot of those were younger guys, so they stepped up again this pre-season.
“I feel like we have added a bit of depth overall.”
Departing the club is 2017 premiership player Declan Forbes and Adam Stein who have linked up with South Belgrave.
Madigan believes the players learnt resilience from a development point of view in Division 1 last season.
“I think when we were exposed to some of the best teams in metropolitan football, I think you learn some lessons the hard way and also see the way some of those clubs go about it (with) their brand of footy,” he said.
“For our young guys that was a pretty steep learning curve, but if they are willing enough to embrace and take on those challenges then they will be better footballers.”
Jack Beech and Marcus Jordan will be the co-captains this season.
“A lot of young guys have stepped up into leadership roles in Ryan Johnson, Ethan Murray, Ryan Wilson and Harry Greaves,” Madigan said.
“It has not changed much since last year, only John Rafferty joining this year.”
There are a number of Falcon players to watch in the season ahead.
“We added some depth to our midfield to (support) Ryan Wilson (who had a) terrific season last year,” Madigan said.
“Harry Greaves (after the) most uninterrupted pre-season has done very well and Ryan Johnson (has) put injury behind him and (is) set to have a big year as well.”
Madigan is hopeful the club will have a more settled year this season.
“(We’ve been) up and down with divisions,” Madigan said.
“It’s a really important year for the football club and what it stands for and what it wants its brand to be.”
The club is looking forward to its young team led by its senior players to have an improved season.
“We haven’t really sat down and looked at the season as a whole, every time we get a young guy who can cement a spot in the team or push up as a senior footballer those are the wins that we measure a footy club,” Madigan said.
“What those add up to at the end of the season takes care of itself, but I think if we can continue to develop our young list and our relative experience players will step up into their leadership roles.
“I think we will be a pretty competitive team.”
Meanwhile, Knox president Jane Barbanti is excited about the upcoming Deakin Uni Eastern Region Women’s season, as the women will have greater inclusiveness within the club.
Last season, the women’s team competed in Division 1 and finished fifth on the ladder with eight wins and seven losses, missing the finals on percentage.
“The pre-season has been really good (and) the girls are really looking forward to Saturday’s (practice) game,” Barbanti said.
“It will be interesting to see how they perform on Saturday.
“We only just managed to secure a coach last week (ex-Olympian Dean Barton-Smith), so it’s obviously going to be a bit of a learning curve and it’s great to be having a practice match so he can get to know the girls and they can get to know each other and how each other play as well.
“We have got quite a few new girls who have joined the team and some girls who have never played footy before, but they are all just really keen.
“They have been putting in a lot of hard work, they have been doing work with our strength and conditioning department and they are just really loving that and they are just loving being involved in the club.
“We have done sort of a restructure over the summer break as the girls were pretty much a standalone down at Schultz Reserve, so we’ve now fully put them under our umbrella and just to make them feel more included and really part of the club.
“So going forward they will be around the club a lot more, they will be training at Knox on a Thursday night and then they will stick around for dinners and team selection, there will just be a lot more involvement and lot more inclusiveness.
“Instead of it being three clubs with under-19s, reserves and men’s there will be four teams.
“We really excited it’s gonna be great for the club and great for the girls.”
Incoming coach Barton-Smith was Australia’s first deaf Olympian, competing in the 1992 Summer Olympics in decathlon, also representing Australia at the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games.
Over the pre-season, the focus of the team has been to get the girls on the track, to have fun and to get the girls involved in the sport.
The leadership group has not been formed yet but Barton-Smith will decide that in the next coming weeks.
Barbanti said there are a trio of experienced players to keep an eye on in the season in Lisa Walshe who has played 200 games, Jess Ashmore, Emily Vine and Monica Fortunaso.
The Falcons have one of the stronger women’s programs and the development has gone well over the pre-season.
“I think bringing the girls under the banner of the Knox Football Netball Club has meant that they have got access to more resources, as they have access to all the club resources and the strength and conditioning department I think that will make a huge difference,” Barbanti said.
“Then also with the flow through from the junior club we have got a fantastic relationship with our junior club and I think that will improve the flow of girls coming from the junior club to the senior club just with our new structure.
Barbanti said they have placed no huge expectations on the team.
“Obviously it’s fantastic to win a few games but at this stage having such a young and new group,” she said.
“It’s basically just getting them out there and enjoying the game of football.
“Having fun, enjoying being around the club and being part of the Knox community.”
Knox will play Wantirna South at Walker Reserve in Round 1, with the women’s fixture to be released at a later date.
