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By: Daniel Cencic
IT’S a new era at Nunawading as changes on and off the field have swept the club this off-season.
In a season where the Lions snapped their 62-game losing streak in the opening round, 2019 saw a seventh-placed finish in Division 4 with three wins and 13 losses.
The new era is led by incoming senior coach Ryan Dobson, who was appointed last September after serving as the Lions’ reserves mentor for three years.
“Having a good rapport with the players I think was one of the major draw-cards to keeping me on and giving me an opportunity at the next level,” Dobson said.
“The guys have got behind me and nearly everyone on the list has stuck around and re-signed, and we’ve managed to add a couple to the list along the way. They (the players) have responded really well.
“We’ve worked really hard and we’ve got a pre-season camp coming up going down to Lucknow, sort of down in Bairnsdale in one of the bushfire-affected areas, and we’ve got a practice match on the 14th of March.”
Nunawading celebrates its drought-breaking win over Kilsyth in Round 1 last season.
The club has signed Blighty duo Josh Peers and Tyler Amor-Beale from the Picola & District Football League.
Peers played in Blighty’s 2019 senior premiership side where he was named best on ground and is set to boost the Lions’ midfield this season.
“Josh Peers is probably our most important signing in the off-season,” Dobson said.
“He had a really good year last year and it’s no secret our midfield’s been pretty average – we haven’t had the resources to recruit guys like Josh over the past few years.
“Part of my ethos when I went for the (senior coaching) job was to bolster the midfield stocks.”
Running half-back Amor-Beale crosses over after a season with Blighty and previously Deniliquin, representing the Murray Football League at under-18 interleague level in 2015.
“He’s a solid defender but he’s got plenty of pace and a good size,” Dobson said.
“He’ll give us some drive off half-back and a good overhead mark – he’ll be a real asset for us this year.
“He’s had a bit of an interrupted pre-season with some surgery but he’s tracking well and we’re hoping still for a Round 1 debut for him.”
Meanwhile, centre half-forward Ben Tomazic has returned to Koonung Reserve following a three-year stint with VAFA club Manningham Cobras from 2017-19, and Kilsyth in 2016.
Dobson says bringing personnel back to the club has been a priority as the 33-year-old Tomazic brings a wealth of experience to the young Lions squad.
“That’s been one of my major things that I’ve focussed on is trying to get those people back into the club whether they’re ex-players, current players at other clubs, ex-committee members and he (Ben) is one of the guys that I see his name on the honours board and you hear his name mentioned around the traps,” he said.
“He’s mature and we’ve got a really young group.
“(Ben is) a good overhead mark, good on the small ground and will probably give us a chop-out in the ruck as well.”
Former Mooroolbark junior Josh Hill has also signed on after last playing for Kew in the VAFA in 2017.
The 22-year-old has impressed on the track this pre-season as he looks set for more senior opportunities.
“He’s probably been in our best trainers through pre-season and he’s only a young fella,” Dobson said.
“I’ve got really high expectations for Josh this year … I think he’ll play a bit on the wing.
“He’s an outside player but he’s not scared of going to get his own ball … he stood out in our intra-club (practice match).”
Dobson has seen a significant rise in the club’s professionalism, marking the new era for the Lions.
“Having very little success for so long and the guys stuck around through that, and finally breaking through as a senior group and getting the three wins – they needed it,” Dobson said.
“They really needed some sort of a release and some sort of a reward.
“I think we almost tapered off towards the end of the year because it was it was such a big crescendo to Round 1 (last year) against Kilsyth.
“Going through all that, they want to get better.
“The transformation the club’s made in the last four years – it’s gone from a bit of a social club where we’ve had a good time but not really at the level that you need to be to compete in this competition.
“If you’re not being competitive then it’s just not worth it (and) the guys that have stuck around are the guys that are committed to seeing the club succeed.”
Nunawading opens its season when it hosts Croydon North-MLOC at Koonung Reserve on Saturday, April 4.