40 DAYS TO GO | EFNL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2020 season with the #InFocus2020 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
By: Davis Harrigan
MOTIVATION to go one step further will be an important part of Blackburn’s 2020 campaign.
The Panthers may have gone down to powerhouse Vermont in the 2019 Premier Division grand final, but that isn’t stopping coach Brendan Allen from bringing the same intensity and output from his list to a new season.
Entering his third year at the helm at Morton Park, Allen is confident the players will be able to deliver against all the top sides, but at the same time ensured that the team is forward thinking.
Blackburn coach Brendan Allen.
“It’s going to be another year of progression; we’ve got from preliminary final defeat to grand final defeat. We’ve still got stuff to improve on, so the hope is we can fix those areas and go one better,” Allen said.
“Everything resets this year; we have to put last year behind us and start again.
“If you keep dwelling on 2019, 2020 can fade away pretty quickly if you don’t pull your socks up in the first four rounds.”
The “big picture” is a driving force in getting through the season; however, Allen said this must be balanced with not just long-term thinking, but being able to look at the week-by-week scenario.
As a coach, he says being able to combine both at the EFNL level is a must-have in the coaches box.
“If you don’t have a combination of both, you’ll fall by the wayside,” Allen said.
“If you’re too short-sighted, you might be okay for a year or two, but we’re not a club that does that.
“We have to have an eye on the development of the list, and the long-term health of the list. We’re looking at our junior program and forward planning to these kids coming through.”
Blackburn has been active on the recruiting front this off-season, as well as retaining the list its continued to build over previous seasons.
Allen highlighted the quality that’s coming through the club can match anyone in Premier Division.
“I think our top end is arguably as good as the top teams in the competition,” he said.
“I think where our growth comes from is the mid-tier list, and they’re developing along quite nicely – we’ve had quite a few players influx from the under-19s, and the competition for spots is pushing training to new levels.”
Allen also pointed out that the increased training intensity and battle for a place in the starting team has brought out a better standard of football.
“There’s a new level of professionalism throughout the club and it is doing wonders; the hope is that if we get injuries, we have players that can step straight in and fill the void,” he said.
Julian Soccio has departed the club and is headed back to VAFA outfit Old Xaverians, but the club has picked up a “son of a gun” as Allen described in Ryan Sparks.
Sparks, formerly of Gippsland Power, is the son of club-great Anthony, who played 268 games for the Panthers and is a life member of the club.
Meanwhile, Koroit young gun Connor Hinkley has also joined the fold.
“(Connor) just missed out on the AFL draft with Melbourne; he’s a kid that we’ve come across that played in Koroit’s grand final team last year,” Allen said.
“He’s a really good size, half-back wing and very athletic,” Allen said.
“We’ve also picked up Andrew Wall from Wentworth in the Sunraysia league.
“We didn’t want to put too much pressure on our list as we want room to move, as the building blocks were already there and our mid-tier players are on the up.”
After featuring in finals the last three seasons, Allen is aware that their rivals in Premier Division will be out to create pressure and attempt to knock Blackburn off again, especially in a 10-team competition.
“There isn’t any easy games, at all,” he said.
“We set-up ourselves last year with early wins, and it’s going to be really important that we do the same thing again.
“We have a tough draw to start off with three of the top four (of 2019) in the first four rounds, but it doesn’t matter; we have to play everyone twice – every game is going to be a battle and you will have to show up.
Meanwhile, Blackburn women’s coach Leeann Gill is optimistic about what her side can deliver this year, after also making it to finals across the past two seasons.
Experience has been added to the list, and skills are high on the agenda to improve and hone as the season edges closer.
“The biggest difference from previous years is the new players that have joined the team have played football before,” Gill said.
“Our strength in previous years was the fact we played as a team, but our weakness was really our skills, in particular foot skills.
“We’ve concentrated really hard on foot skills pre-season and a lot on fitness, but one of the biggest things is the players we’ve attracted to come and join us this year have played before.
“I always try and coach in an attractive and attacking style of football, and hopefully that’s what we can bring.”
Headlining the recruits is Serena Kuo from Waverley Blues, who featured in the 2018 Deakin University Team of the Year, however Gill noted it would be one of Blackburn’s own that would make the biggest move this year.
“The big improver will be Jade Wise – she broke her leg against Chirnside Park the first round (of last season), but she’d never played football until last year,” Gill said.
“She’s going to be a really good footballer. We’ll also have a few from the under-18s come through from their very successful teams.”
Blackburn will be spurred on after last year’s semi-final loss, highlighted by the fact the side “met expectations” for the season.
“That was the first time I’d seen the team really upset,” said Gill.
“They gave you effort week after week, and last year, the view of the players was we’d met expectations up until that final.
“They truly believe that they could have performed a little bit better on the day, and not making it to the next step, we underachieved – I don’t think they did, but that was what the players were saying.”
Blackburn’s first task of the season is hosting the annual Good Friday clash against Balwyn at Morton Park on April 10, while the women’s fixture is to be released at a later date.
