Photo credit: Mooroolbark Footy Club Facebook page.
By: Joseph Arthur
AFTER a slow start to the season it appears the Mustangs are finally starting to gel and put new senior coach, Bret Lavars, plans into action.
Over the weekend Mooroolbark went home with four points for the first time in 2019 defeating Park Orchards, but the Mustangs had been on the precipice of victory for a couple of weeks, only just missing in Round 5 with a draw.
PHOTO: Mooroolbark Footy Club Facebook page.
Lavars said he felt relieved to get his first win at the helm but was happier for the team who were finally rewarded after a gruelling off-season.
“It was mixed emotions, it was definitely a relief to get the first win but so satisfying for the boys, they’ve put in so much hard work over the pre-season and were so close a couple of weeks ago,”Lavars said.
“We took a lot of positives out of that draw with Wantirna South and applied ourselves for four quarters and were lucky enough to get the win, it was fantastic.”
Despite a tough start, Lavars said he has “loved every minute” of being a senior coach, welcoming the challenges and utilising Mooroolbark’s support to overcome them.
“I’ve absolutely loved it, it’s definitely had its challenges as a senior coach, you don’t realise the amount of work that gets put in away from the club,” Lavars said.
“The support I’ve had from fellow coaches, players, committee and family has been amazing, so very challenging but very rewarding after the win.”
Lavars has looked to the team’s leaders for counsel throughout the early rounds of the season in former AFL player, Aaron Mullett, and Mustang veteran, Matt Polkinghorne in particular.
“Aaron, obviously we all know his pedigree having come back from playing AFL football but I can’t speak highly enough of him on and off the field, not only with the playing group but with the coaches,” Lavars said.
“He (Mullett) has been amazing.
The evergreen Matt Polkinghorne “just continues to give his all”.
“He (Polkinghorne) has been a champion of that club for a long time and he’ll go down as one of the legends of that club that’s for sure,” Lavars said.
Mooroolbark has seen lots of turnover in personal from last year’s campaign to this one, putting specific emphasis on bringing in and developing its youth.
A point of focus for the club has been the younger players coming into the senior line-up and Lavars said that a strong development program will put the club in good stead for the future.
“It’s definitely a focus area that we identified last year,” Lavars said.
“We have had a turnover of playing stocks from previous years but I’ve been really impressed with their attitude at training and wanting to learn.
“We know that with a young group the margin between your best and your worst is probably a little bit larger than you would like but I can’t fault the kids for wanting to learn, it’s been amazing to see the growth in them.
“Hopefully with such a strong junior program the years ahead are very fruitful for us.”
Mooroolbark faces Lilydale at home this weekend, and with the Falcons currently sitting third on the ladder, it will be a true test for Lavars’ men.
After struggling at home thus far, the Mustangs are looking to turn that reputation around, starting with this week.
“Hopefully by the back end of the season that home ground becomes a fortress and we can make it a challenging place for opposition sides to come and visit,” Lavars said.