By Wil Spence
It’s been a rollercoaster season to date for Norwood, with the Norsemen suffering several close losses, and a poor hand on the injury front, but the 2014 Premiers have been able to develop their young players who have received a wealth of education about the game.
From outside the club’s four walls, the EFNL community is quick to jump to conclusion that it has been a poor season for Norwood. However, coach Marty Pask is excited with the direction the club’s heading towards.
“We have had to adjust and pivot, but there’s been some exciting things come about, we have seen through injury comes opportunity.”
An astonishing 10 players have been blooded this season for Norwood and they’ve played well over 30 players this season. Pask can’t deny the endeavour of his squad and in particular the youth of the group who will only grow and develop with each game played.
“We have debuted 10 guys this season and we’ve played over 30 players this season,
“Continuity and consistency in the line-up are what we would’ve liked, unfortunately that hasn’t been the case, but the pleasing thing has been the effort and the performance of the guys, we’ve always maintained a competitive approach to every game.”
Norwood’s season started off strong with a win against Doncaster, but according to Pask the following game against Vermont was when the storm arrived with some key injuries and a four-game losing streak added to their carnage.
“We got off to a good start against Doncaster, we had a reasonable side on the park with a lot of experience playing. It was probably from Vermont when we lost Tristian Tweedie to concussion, he then missed again with COVID, Daniel Beddison did a hamstring and unfortunately redid it,
“Our ruckman Michael Wenn went down with a knee and missed eight to nine weeks. Lochlan Dickson has been out for a good five weeks, and Blake Pearson missed two weeks with a broken finger”.
Pask is more pleased with the exposure his younger players received playing against some of the powerhouse clubs of the competition then he is disappointed with the injuries that have occurred.
“Over the last month we have averaged 10-12 players under 20 senior games so there’s been a great opportunity for growth and senior football”.
“We’ve had guys like Hayden Kemp, he’s played every single game, [Hayden] Paterson’s played a lot of footy, [Michael] Cramp and [Griffin] Evely have done well down back and young Callum Spurrell is an emerging young ruckman will be a player we keep developing,
“They’ve [young players] tasted some wins as well which is important, but then they’re also learning a lot, like on the weekend against Noble Park.
“They’re an experienced team and what they did in key moments was a great learning experience for these younger boys”.
Apart from the positives of blooding young players and the exposure that comes about. Pask couldn’t be happier with three senior players in particular who have strived for improvement all season long.
“We’ve got three senior guys who have played some consistent footy, Rhett Jordon has had a great year, and captained the club, Alexander Calder has been important, and Jamie Bennell has made an enormous impact,
“All three players have been cornerstones for this year and have put us in a good position for next year.”
When wins aren’t coming as consistent as you would like, enjoyment levels and motivation can be difficult. However, Pask has tweaked a few styles as coach and has enjoyed playing a major role in the development of his players. The goal for the remainder of the season and to take into season 2023 is teaching the standards required to be senior footballers.
“You have to change your mood around the club, you have to change your style as a coach, I have really enjoyed seeing and helping these guys on their senior journey and am responsible for how they play. It’s about making sure we maintain our standards as a team and that we will always give effort,
“The best teacher is certainly winning; we want to teach the guys the standards and the expectations of every time you put the Norwood jumper on what we’re about,
“It’s about understanding the measurements that we value and the measurements we value when we play for the football club.”