A strong second half of the year wasn’t enough for the Dockers to make the finals in 2022, missing out on percentage.
By Ryan Long
Templestowe
Ladder Position: 6th (9-9, 103.58%)
Best and Fairest: Michael Fogarty
Leading Goalkicker: Cameron Cloke (36)
Summary:
Some big signings in the off-season saw Templestowe’s finals stocks rise ahead of the 2022 season. Anthony McGregor took over the reins as Senior coach and the club brought in some highly respected talent including ex-AFL player Cameron Cloke, Michael Fogarty, Jai Hardwick and Nick Batsanis.
They started the year in fine fashion with a 104-point win over Oakleigh District. Unfortunately, injuries began to hit the Dockers hard who would drop their next five matches. They turned things around with back-to-back impressive wins against Boronia and The Basin.
In the back half of the season, they pushed hard to make amends for their early season losses. They beat Boronia for the second time of the year and defeated Ringwood at Jubilee Park. A Round 12 four-point loss to the Rams hurt the Dockers’ finals chances, letting the game slip with East Burwood winning the match off the last kick of the afternoon.
Everything had to go right for Templestowe in Round 18 to qualify for the Finals. They defeated Heathmont comfortably by 19 points in wild conditions but were relying on either the Bears or Hawks to slip up. They almost got there with Knox having a commanding lead over Boronia but the Hawks fought back to come away with a draw, leaving Templestowe sixth on the ladder, missing out on percentage.
Key Players:
Michael Fogarty joined the Dockers in season 2022 with a wealth of experience including a VFL premiership at Footscray. The star midfielder was awarded the club’s best and fairest, a Division Two Team of the Year selection and a top ten finish in the league best and fairest. Toby Ryan was just behind him in Templestowe’s best and fairest, finishing in the best ten times from 16 matches.
There was plenty of outside interest in how Cameron Cloke would perform. He missed quite a few games due to a hamstring injury but when he did play, he gave the club a massive boost, averaging 3.6 goals per game and will be one of the key cogs to future club success
The likes of Matthew Nagel, Alex Brown and Jai Hardwick all had great years for the club as well.
Best Win: Round 14 – Templestowe 8.7 55 def. Ringwood 6.9 45 @Jubilee Park
Templestowe was just one of three sides this year that was able to defeat Ringwood in 2022. Away from home in Round 14, the Dockers needed every win they could get if they were to pinch a spot in the top five at the completion of the Home and Away season.
They got out to a perfect start, four goals to one in the first quarter and another three to one in the second. With a 31-point lead at the last change, the home side fought back to make it a contest, but the Dockers were good enough to hold on by ten points and take a crucial four points.
The goals were well spread out, Malietzis and Nagel had two each and the rest were single goalkickers. Matthew Zukiewicz was key for the Dockers, named best on ground.
Off-Season Focus:
One of the biggest movers this off-season, the Dockers have already signed multiple big names from both other clubs and different leagues. This includes versatile ruckman Beau Mitchener, Rowville’s Jarrod Healy and Lilydale’s Doug Wootton.
There’s been a big focus on adding more depth to the club which is a big tick for the Dockers. Their Reserves team have come off a great finals series to make the Grand Final so they do have plenty of talent around the club.
Templestowe’s form in the second half of the 2022 season suggests they should be playing finals in 2023, especially with the announcements of key recruits to the club. If they can stay injury-free and win the games they’re meant to, there’s no limit on how far they can go next season.
