By: Tash Gunawardana
SURREY PARK currently sits fourth on the Division 4 ladder and is on track to break its 13-year finals drought.
The Panthers, who last played finals in 2006, defeated Forest Hill over the weekend by 27 points as they won every quarter against the Zebras to take their season to a 4-3 record.
“I think not only with Forest Hill and a couple of other sides floating around there as well, it definitely was a tight contest, the conditions were not fantastic at Surrey Park as you can imagine,” senior coach Scott Hamill said.
“But to our boys’ credit they really fought the game out and put in a solid effort.”
The trio of Damien Frisina, Kane Henden and Mathew Dompietro continues to stand up this season.
“’Matty’ (Dompietro) and ‘Damo’ (Frisina) are new recruits to the club whereas Kane Henden has been there since under-19s,” Hamill said.
“That’s sort of the good thing we have had at Surrey Park, we have (had) a lot of good young kids (who have come through).
“Now Kane Henden he has established probably himself with 60-70 games and he’s only 22.
“As far as Surrey Park (has) gone, we are quite young but we do have players who have a lot of experience under their belt.”
With four wins, the bye before last week’s match and another bye this weekend, then Nunawading, there has been a gradual improvement for Surrey Park as the season has progressed and they have belief.
“The key point there is the belief, our past month has been absolutely fantastic, the buying-in we have had at training, the standard of training, (and) with the night game we were bitterly disappointed – I feel we lost that in one quarter of football (in) the third quarter,” Hamill said.
“With Kane (Henden) out we stuck to our structures and game plan but when the third quarter came around we went away from that and Fairpark were able to pile on seven goals.”
Hamill said that since the Fairpark match they have focussed on playing four quarters of football.
“I think that showed (in Round 6) against Silvan – they really took it to us but we were able to stay fat and were able to get the result,” he said.
Surrey Park will have a recovery session on the Tuesday and train Thursday during the week of the Queen’s Birthday bye.
“They will have the weekend off and be back the following week and look forward to Nunawading,” Hamill said.
“We are just looking to do everything right like with our structures, just trying to get everything right going forward and to spot up our targets.
“We are wanting to improve weekly and even if it’s against the bottom sides we want to stick and play the way we were able to get into that position in the first place.
“To get into that position with anyone, you’ve got to be doing something right, so that’s something we try to do and try to stick to for four quarters of footy.”
Hamill provided his thoughts on the bye in Division 4 this season.
“It’s a little frustrating to be honest, but it’s probably at a good time as well as with the mid-season bye,” he said.
“Was actually talking to Justin Scicluna (last Saturday) and feel a bit sorry for him having the bye come Round 18 at the end of the year, as they will have no say about what happens in that last game of footy, because four sides can take those last three spots.
“I don’t agree with as it is what is and that’s just something the club has got to deal with.”
Surrey Park will face Nunawading after the bye on Saturday, June 15 at Koonung Reserve.