35 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: Joseph Arthur
THE Waverley Blues are hoping to go one better in season 2020 after last year’s Division 3 grand final appearance.
The Blues had a rollercoaster of 2019 season, where after a slow start, the team found its groove in the second half of the year to sneak into fourth on the ladder with a record of nine wins and nine losses.
Finals were where the club made its mark as it marched through its opposition all the way to the big dance.
Unfortunately the fairy-tale wasn’t to be as minor premier South Belgrave was too much for the Blues to handle, winning by a comfortable 57-point margin.
Since the defeat, the Blues have seen arrival of first-time senior coach Tom Langford, a former assistant to Craig McRae with Richmond’s VFL outfit for the previous three years.
Undeterred by the pressure of expectation, Langford, who has 12 years’ state footy playing experience with stints across Port Melbourne, Tasmanian Devils, West Adelaide and Richmond, has made his season goal clear.
“For us, the expectation is pretty black and white – we’re expecting a premiership this year,” Langford said.
Resolute that his hopes are not unfounded, Langford said the persistence of his men is something to be admired.
“Not just the in finals series but the second half of the season, for a team to pull together after a poor start and end up losing a grand final shows a fair bit of character,” Langford said.
“We’ve got some really strong developing leaders within the club.
“The challenge for me first of all was to harness that and make sure we’re continually developing and moving forward.”
To help achieve this goal, the Blues have welcomed the returns of a myriad of key contributors with Dylan Cole, Nathan MacDonald, Paul Savage and Matt Sharpe all among the familiar names.
“Dylan (Cole) has been a top-three finisher in the best and fairest for the club previously, Nathan MacDonald…has also been a top-three best and fairest place getter in our past as well,” Langford said.
“Matt Sharpe … a very, very decorated player across the Eastern footy league – both our club and East Ringwood – he’s going to be a playing-assistant coach underneath me.
“Paul Savage, one of four club legends in our club’s history, is also returning to play full time as an assistant coach with me too.
“So, all those returning players are obviously essential.”
The importance of Waverley’s new playing-coaching core can’t be ignored as it replaces the bulk of last season’s leadership team, with last year’s skipper James Coughlan and vice-captain Jake Twycross have both departing in favour of the Bendigo Football League.
“I think having three on-field coaches will naturally paper over those cracks,” Langford said.
“I always challenge players to take charge of your club and be a good teammate … I’d like to think every player will take more responsibility from a leadership perspective.
“You’ll see a more even across the board, close-knit team in 2020.”
The fresh faces will aim to rejuvenate the already-talented Waverley squad enough to help it go one better this upcoming season.
“We’re excited about having 8-10 new players line up in Round 1, because it’s going to be a pretty handy group of players to help our club develop,” Langford said.
“Most importantly what it’s provided is depth and I’m a big believer that internal pressure is the number one most important factor to improving club standards.
“I think the players will attest to the standards being improved this pre-season and depth is a huge part of that.”
Meanwhile, the Waverley Blues women’s program has instilled Chris Dawkins as its senior coach.
The Blues missed the finals last season in Division 1 after consecutive appearances across 2017-18.
With over 16 years’ experience with the club as both an Auskick coordinator and a parent of former Blues junior now AFL footballer, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Chris Dawkins brings a wealth of experience.
Dawkins said her main goal for the season is to improve the side’s record while also ensuring the women enjoy themselves and have fun playing footy.
“As a team, certainly if we can go one better it would be good but there are a few things we’ve got to factor at the moment,” Dawkins said.
“The passion that I’ve got, I just want to see women’s football grow because I think it’s a resource that’s going to really take off over the next couple of years.
“It’s about trying to pass on what I’ve learnt, but also to have it done in a fun environment.”
The first-year Blues coach said the talent among her crop of players is at a very high level across both the senior and junior teams.
If the club can gather the numbers required, Dawkins said it will have the ability to compete and potentially see some of its players move on to higher levels of football.
“In the senior women’s … we’ve got a couple (of players) I would suggest are certainly good enough to go down to the VFL open tryouts, but I don’t want to name people just yet,” Dawkins said.
“There are a couple in our juniors as well that I’d suggest would be applicable to looking at the (NAB League) sides.”
Having been around the club for so long, the decision for Dawkins to take on the women’s role was an easy one.
“It means a lot (to take over), it’s just a great football club, it really is and it always has been,” Dawkins said.
The Waverley Blues open their season hosting Ferntree Gully on Good Friday on April 10, while the women’s fixtures are to be released at a later date.
