42 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: Steve White
A RETURN to finals football is priority number one for The Basin senior coach Justin Stanton.
The Bears finished their 2019 season in sixth spot behind Templestowe with five wins, 11 losses and a draw in a tight Division 2 competition.
Despite finishing out of the finals picture, the Bears played some competitive football with notable wins over Heathmont and Templestowe, a thrilling draw with grand finalist Ringwood and some hard-fought games against Boronia and Mitcham decided by a kick or less.
“Without a doubt our goal is to return to the finals where we were in 2018,” senior coach Justin Stanton said.
“Pre-season has been really positive.
“We’ve had excellent numbers, the boys have been going for several weeks now and we’re getting about 55-60 on the training track with no injury concerns either, which always a good thing.”
The Bears went with youth in 2019, in a side that often featured 15-16 players under the age of 20 on the park each Saturday.
That trend will continue in 2020, however many of those players will now have a season of senior football under their belts.
“Our younger guys have all trained really well so far – we estimate that the average age of our squad this year will be about 21,” Stanton said.
“Last year we lost eight games by 10 points or less and we’re hoping the maturity of the group will have learnt from those losses last season.”
The Basin has managed to retain most of its 2019 senior list with several key additions.
Lachie Cripps returns to Batterham Reserve after spending 2019 overseas. Jayden Gee has come across from Noble Park, while Tom Weir returns to the club after spending last season with South Croydon. The Basin has also landed Deon Boavida and Brent Bredin from Rowville.
Meanwhile, Brandon Mills has signed from Woori Yallock in the AFL Outer East competition as well as Beaconsfield’s Riley Boland.
The club has also landed former Southport and Gold Coast Suns’ listed player, Ryan Maetam.
“We’ve addressed our lack of depth that we identified last season, so we’re hopeful that we will be a lot more competitive and more consistent this year,” Stanton said.
Long-time skipper Trevor Mills will share the captaincy duties with Shane Davidson this year, after Davidson served as vice-captain last season.
Davidson (left) and Mills (right) will serve as co-captains this season, as Mills becomes the longest-serving captain in the Bears’ history. PHOTO: The Basin Football & Netball Club Facebook page.
Division 2 in 2020 is also shaping up to be just as competitive as 2019, with two new teams in the mix.
“It’s going to be extremely tight,” Stanton said.
“With the addition of South Belgrave coming up from Division 3 and Knox coming down from Division 1, I don’t think there is going to be an easy game all year.”
The Basin women’s teams are also set for action this year under newly-appointed senior coach Matt Bailey and reserves coach Con Halamoutis.
Bailey played his junior and senior footy with East Ringwood from 1999-2013 and served as the back-line coach under outgoing senior mentor John Hayhurst last season, while Halamoutis led the Bears’ inaugural under-18 girls team to a flag in 2018.
The Bears’ Division 1 side finished atop the ladder in 2019, narrowly going down by just four points to South Croydon in a thrilling grand final. The South Division side finished fifth with three wins and 11 losses.
Spearhead Julia Baker enters 2020 off the back of a stellar 2019 season, topping the Division 1 goal-kicking with 43 majors on her way to Deakin University Team of the Year selection and the club’s senior women’s best and fairest award. Ang Glass took out the club’s women’s reserves best and fairest award, closely followed by Molly Waayers, while Dani Phillips led the goal-kicking.
The Basin opens its season against Knox at Knox Gardens Reserve on Saturday, April 4, with the women’s fixtures to be released at a later date.
