18 DAYS TO GO | Rowville junior coordinator Rachael Barlow spoke to EFNL Media ahead of the 2020 season, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
Overall, were you satisfied with what the club achieved, both on and off the field, in 2019?
Rachael Barlow: Absolutely satisfied. You only have to see the smiling faces of kids after they play in the brown and gold to know what a great club this is to be part of. We have had very few transfers out of the club this year, and that is a reflection of the hard work everyone put in last season.
Five out of six of our competitive teams made finals, with one flag coming home from our under-15s 2019 group, which was an awesome effort.
The downside was that we failed to field an under-13 and under-14 boys’ team last season. We recognise that that was a problem, and I am proud to say we have filled one of those gaps in 2020 with a brand new under-15s side. Incredible effort from everyone involved in getting that team up. We will be working hard again for next season to try and fill that last gap.
Our girls program continues to grow and gain momentum. I’m not going to sugar coat it and say it has been easy, because its been a learning curve for us all. But our girls coaches for this season are so passionate and dedicated, and I cant wait to see how these teams go. It’s exciting times.
Approximately how many teams do you think you will field in 2020?
RB: At this stage, we are looking promising for 12 teams. Ideally, would love to field 14 teams.
What has the feeling been like around the club over the pre-season?
RB: We have a small, but awesome, group of volunteers who have been working tirelessly in the off-season to get ready for Round 1. Positivity is the name of the game at Rowville Hawks, and we think the more we preach that, the more people will want to come and join us. We have a lot of new families coming into the club, which is testament to hard recruiting work by our coaches, our registrar, our club president and families from within the Hawks who have been incredible. We also have a number of new sponsors on board, who along with our ever loyal sponsors from previous years, have been fantastic in getting our message out into the community that we are the club of choice in 2020.
If you had to pick one, which team do you think is the club’s best chance of winning a premiership this season?
RB: You’re asking me to pick my favourite child here!
If I had to pick one from the girls, it would be under-12 girls. Dallas and his team have been preparing hard for this season, and the experience a lot of these girls gained from playing in a grand final last season will hold them in good stead for this season.
On the boys front, I’m going with under-13 boys. Scott, Niall and their team have been ready to go since October. They have a really strong group of players who have come up from under-12s, and have recruited a couple of others so they will be the ones to watch.
There are still places left in both those teams, so if you want to be a part of it, contact us for training times.
Is there a particular age group of players that you need as soon as possible to fill a team ahead of Round 1?
RB: Under-11 boys (those born 2009) have an awesome coach in Scott Cartledge. He has a real footy head on his shoulders, and is preparing hard to coach this team. For your first year of competitive footy, you couldn’t ask for a better coach than Scott. So jump on board and register now. Scott and the boys are waiting for you to join them.
Under-17 boys this season are running two teams, which is fantastic. So if you are keen to come along to a club who can take you beyond Juniors, then come across to this team. Rod, Wayne and their assistants are brilliant with this team, they are an amazing group of boys and the skies the limit for this group.
Also, girls, girls, girls!! We need you. We have a dedicated group of girls coaches, I call them the ‘D’ squad, purely because all of their names start with D. Dallas, Dean and Darren were amazing last season with the girls, and if your daughter is interested in footy, then this is the squad who will develop their skills and love for the game. We are looking to field under-10, 12, 14 and 16 girls teams, so contact me for more info.
If any players are interested in playing for your club this season, what do they have to do?
RB: They can contact me on 0433 194 565 or email rowvillefc@rowvillefc.org.au. I will point you in the right direction, get some information out and send you your coaches details. Our coaches are the ones to talk to, and I back them every time to get kids across and interested.