By Ryan Long
Overview:
The Cougars had a fairly strong start to the year, with comprehensive wins over Croydon North MLOC and Nunawading and a very competitive performance against Silvan.
After a poor season in 2019, having just three wins for the year, the club was looking to take a step in the right direction, winning more games and closing the gap between them at the top four to five teams. Apart from their end of season loss to Croydon North MLOC, the club would be fairly positive about their approach to the year.
Ryan Goodinson proved himself to be one of the best small forwards in the division, kicking 26 goals for the year, even finding himself a spot in the EFNL team of the year. He’ll be a key figure for the club in the upcoming years if they’re looking to turn into a finals team.
They’ll take a lot of learnings out of this year and look to be a more overall competitive side in 2022.
Best win: Round 10: Kilsyth 20.12 132 def. Nunawading 6.9 45 @Pinks Reserve
A very important day for the club in their 1000th game anniversary for the club. Kilsyth was challenged early by a competitive Nunawading side but a full four-quarter performance showed their class on display, winning by a final margin of 87 points, a big improvement on their last win against the Lions.
With the side in front by 55 points at the final change, the Cougars made it an afternoon to cherish as they kicked five goals to none in the final quarter.
Ryan Goodinson was at his absolute best, kicking eight for the day while the more experienced, Simon Clarke, chipped in with four goals of his own.
Worst Loss: Round 15: Croydon North MLOC 8.12 60 def. Kilsyth 4.14 38 @Hughes Park
Although the Cougars had plenty of big losses on the scoreboard, this was the one they’ll be most disappointed with. A huge chance to see the club win its fourth game for the year, Kilsyth were haunted by their inaccuracy. Despite controlling much of the play early on, the Cougars kicked 0.5 in the first quarter before the KangaRams made the most of their opportunities in the second, kicking five goals to one.
Another five behinds with no majors in the third saw Kilsyth at a dreadful 1.12, 39 points behind at the final change. Any sort of comeback in the final quarter led to nothing, eventually going down by 22 points. Ryan Goodinson was held goalless as many of their veteran players failed to have any real impact on the result of the game.
This one will sting over the off-season, considering it’s a 126-point turnaround from their Round One battle.
Standout Player: Simon Clarke
Simon Clarke returned with a very strong and consistent year, finishing in the best a total of five times.
Clarke has plenty of experience playing at both ends of the field, something that is very important for the club who can easily move him around on gameday to benefit the team. This year he played most of his football down back as a versatile defender that can sit back in the hole and intercept the ball.
With a very inexperienced forward line, the co-captain was often pushed up forward at times to be an experienced target and to relieve the pressure from some of the other younger players such as Goodinson. He kicked twelve goals for the year including seven in back-to-back weeks against Nunawading and Chirnside Park
Off-Season focus:
Following recent years of recruiting senior players and not getting the results they were looking for, Kilsyth has started to focus on developing their younger players, having more under 19’s get an opportunity at playing senior footy.
If the Cougars are looking to continue that trend again next season, they’ll need to put a lot of time into their under 19’s and continue to give them a chance at playing at senior level. They’ve already started to look at extending on their youth by signing Mack Ayton, an under 19s forward from North Ringwood. He’ll be another scoring option up forward and may allow for co-captain Clarke to play the majority of the year in the backline, controlling the back six.
Another focus next year will be to improve on their three wins and start turning their honourable losses into four points on the ladder. They aren’t as far behind the pace of the top four as many believe, another year of senior football into a relatively young list will be important for the development of this club.
Women’s
Overview:
A massive achievement for the Kilsyth women’s team to field their first-ever women’s team that had plenty of success on and off the field this year.
There wasn’t a set goal to win a premiership, it was all about being competitive and seeing the team develop their skills. However, they quickly became one of the hardest working sides in the league, finishing second on the ladder, with a record of 8-3. The only club that stood in the way of Kilsyth and a minor premiership was Ringwood who went through the year undefeated.
Felicity Neligan joined the club from Donvale and took her game to another level, awarded with the honours of a league best and fairest.
Best Win: Round 1: Kilsyth 4.9 33 def. Knox 0.1 1 @Pinks Reserves
The side’s first-ever win was a very memorable one in front of their home crowd at Pinks Reserve.
It was a tight defensive tussle for three quarters with just one goal kicked, Kilsyth had multiple chances to extend their lead but inaccuracy kept Knox in the game. However, the Cougars were able to storm home in the final quarter, kicking three goals of their own while keeping Knox scoreless.
Lucy Milkeraitis kicked two goals while Hayley Jackson and aforementioned recruit Felicity Neligan both kicked one themselves.
Worst Loss: Round 7: Ringwood 7.13 55 def. Kilsyth 1.3 9 @Jubilee Park
With just three losses for the season, the Cougars struggled most against the minor premiers, comfortably losing to them twice.
Unlike the first time these teams met this year, Kilsyth’s forward line was under serious pressure with the Redback’s well-built defensive structure. The Cougars kicked an early goal in the first quarter before being held goalless for the remainder of the game.
Down at the other end of the ground, Georgia Fairbairn was difficult to stop as she kicked three goals of her own. Grace Ward starred for the Redbacks, earning best on-field honours with three votes. For the Cougars, Alicia Carr kicked their only major.
Standout Player: Felicity Neligan
Capping off an incredible year, Neligan finished the season as the Division Two Medal winner, a massive reward for her hard efforts across the year.
She was the biggest recruit in the off-season, coming across from Donvale where she was a premiership player and best and fairest winner. Neligan dominated for the course of the entire season, she was named best on the ground in a stunning five matches.
Not only has her performance been valuable to the success of the team, but the star has also played a big role in helping others around her improve in form.
Off-Season Focus:
To have a shot at contending for a flag, the Cougars will need to focus on finding more avenues to goal to be able to compete with sides such as Ringwood. The side had five multiple goalkickers throughout the season with Elsie Hoole leading the charge with ten.
Overall, the girls should be very pleased with the way they performed in the club’s first-ever season, there’s plenty of opportunities to develop and take this further.