By Ryan Long
Overview:
A new coach marked a new era for the Mulgrave Lions who showed plenty of positive signs despite ending the year with a record of 2-10.
Former Vermont star, Ryan Webster had to wait a year to finally test out a faster type of game style that was much different to their 2019 playbook and inn patches throughout games, this worked really well and resulted in plenty of scoring. However, the strength of the top teams in Division Two had the eight sides practically divided in two, leaving a big gap between fifth and sixth.
After winning two of the first five games of the year, the Lions went on a losing streak for the remainder of the season, seven losses in a row. On their home deck, they were a lot more competitive, coming close to knocking off both Boronia and Ringwood in the last month of the season.
The two wins they did have his year were by big margins, 54 and 55 against Templestowe and Knox. The last time that Mulgrave had won by this big of a margin was back in 2016 when the club was in Division One.
There’s still a lot of experienced players on the list, veteran star Adam Booth played his 250th game, all as a one club player. Alongside Dean Siakoulis, the six-time club best and fairest winner, who consistently dominated through the middle of the ground once again. Mulgrave also put plenty of focus into getting senior games into their younger players such as Tilyard, Gervasoni and Carden.
Best Win: Round 5: Mulgrave 15.14 104 def. Knox 6.13 49 @Mulgrave Reserve
Mulgrave’s biggest win in the last five years came in Round Five when the Lions took on Knox at home, winning by 55 points.
It was a tight contest for the first half before the Lions broke away in the third, kicking six goals to none. True to Ryan Webster’s promise, it was an exciting fast brand of football that resulted in the Lions highest score of the season.
Thomas McGowan starred with five majors but the Lions didn’t rely solely on the key forward, having ten goalkickers, the most they had in any game this year. Conor Tilyard in his first year of senior footy found plenty of the ball and gave Lions fans a good preview of the future of this club.
Worst Loss: Round 12: Knox 11.7 73 def. Mulgrave 7.11 53 @Knox Gardens Reserve
A reverse of fortunes when the Lions travelled to Knox later in the season, with Webster’s side going down by 20 points.
The Lions has plenty of the ball in the first quarter kicking 3.5, but they failed to add to that on the scoreboard in the second quarter as Knox broke away to an 18-point lead. It proved to be the prominent turning point of the match with the second half being an even contest.
Homfray and McGowan had three goals each but with just three goal kickers for the afternoon, they struggled to find many other scoring options. At the other end of the ground, Harrison Greaves had a day out kicking four goals while Goyne and Stuckey combined for five.
Standout Player: Dean Siakoulis
The veteran club legend had another really strong year for the Lions, consistently leading the side front the front in a challenging year for Mulgrave.
In the twelve games he played in, Siakoulis finished in the best a total of seven times. He polled six votes in the Division Two league best and fairest with six votes, including a three-vote game against Templestowe in Round 10. It’s no surprise to see Siakoulis polling well in the votes, the star midfielder won six consecutive club best and fairest awards proving the durability he has as a player.
Signing on for the 2022 season, the club legend will be vital in not just the future success of the club but the development of the younger players around him.
Off-Season Focus:
The depth up forward is something the Lions should consider going into the 2022 season. Unlike some of the opposition clubs in the division, Mulgrave are a little more one-dimensional inside 50.
Thomas McGowan was a lone hand up forward, kicking 31 goals for the season but the Lions next highest goal scorer had just 12 majors.
If they want to stay in Division Two and compete with the likes of Ringwood and The Basin who have strong defensive structures, the Lions will need to find more avenues to goal and become a lot less predictable with their inside 50 entries.
They’re a fair way off challenging for a finals spot in such a highly contested division but Mulgrave will certainly be looking for a more consistent year that sees them knocking on the door of that top five.