By Ryan Long.
2023 saw Silvan take home a historic first Netball premiership, whilst the senior men had a great first season back in Division Three, playing in this year’s finals series.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 3rd (9-8-1, 97.66%)
Best and Fairest: Matteo D’Alfonso
Leading Goalkicker: Matthew Low (58 goals)
Summary:
Great year for the Cats who backed up their 2022 Division Four premiership with a Division Three finals series appearance in 2023.
With a unique smaller ground, the Cats have made Silvan Recreation Reserve a fortress. My initial concerns that they would struggle to win on the road, quickly began to disappear. They managed to pull off some impressive performances away from home, including two wins at Warrandyte Reserve and a 53-point win over the Oakleigh District at Princes Highway Reserve.
Making the finals after finishing third on the Division Three Ladder, the Cats played Oakleigh District at Jubilee Park in the first week of the finals.
It was a low-scoring battle between the two sides with Silvan trailing for most of the afternoon. They managed to hit the front late but an after the siren shot from Jack Dobson managed to sink the Cats.
2022 Premiership Coach Trent Martin stood down at the end of the season, having a terrific run with the club and leaving them in a great position moving forward.
Key Players:
The Cats had a total of five players in the 2023 Division Three Team of the Year, Tyson Bissels, Matthew Steiniger, James Charge, Matthew Low and Matteo D’Alfonso.
Matteo D’Alfonso took out Silvan’s 2023 Best and Fairest, listed in the best a total of 14 times throughout the year.
Coming off the 2022 club best and fairest, James Charge continued his incredible form this year, being selected as the best ruckman in Division Three. One of the big reasons why the Cats had the year they did, giving the midfield group first use of the ball frequently. He finished runner-up in the club’s best and fairest award.
Matthew Low was key up forward, an impressive overhead mark and an even better kick for goal, 58 goals for the season. He kicked five goals or more on five occasions, two of those times kicking eight. Justin Ficorilli managed to finish with an impressive 28 goals while the skilful Darcy Turnbull had a breakout season, 16 goals, listed in the best 13 times.
Best Win: Round Seven – Silvan 15.13 103 def. Oakleigh District 7.8 50 @Princes Highway Reserve
A 53-point win on the road against another finals contender proved to the rest of the competition that Silvan was the real deal.
They led right from the outset, extending their lead at every change. Without James Charge for the road trip, Trent Martin stood up in his absence, playing the majority of the game in the ruck, finishing the game with the Sportsco Eastland Player of the Game.
Up forward, Matthew Low finished with five while small forward Justin Ficorilli kicked three.
Off-Season Focus:
The club is currently looking for a new senior coach for the 2024 season after Trent Martin stood down. The first order of business will be locking that in as soon as possible if it hasn’t been decided already.
When they got on top of the contest through the middle, they put a couple of sides to the sword. However, they did leak quite a few big scores as well, ranked the sixth-best defensive side in the division.
Depth has always been a bit of a concern too. The club have battled hard over the years to attract talent in that particular area. If they can add at least a couple of more recruits to their senior squad, they’ll be in pretty good shape, as long as they remain fit and available to play.
An exciting side to watch when they get going, did more than just consolidate their spot in Division Three this year. Looking forward to see what sort of season they can put together in 2024.
Netball
Silvan entered the Bendigo Bank 2023 Netball season with two teams, competing in Divisions Four and Five.
The Division Four side finished tenth with two wins for the season. Bianca Stockley finished the year with 156 goals, the most for the side. Whilst Brittany Cubitt took home the club’s best and fairest award.
In Division Five, the Cats were the benchmark of the competition, celebrating a great home and away season with the Division Five premiership. The Cats finished with 14 wins for the season, carrying great form into the finals series after six straight wins.
Finishing on top of the ladder, Silvan took on Vermont in the semi-final, where the Eagles held on for a six-point win. A week later, they met Park Orchards in the Preliminary Final, a tight contest that had plenty of momentum shifts. Despite trailing at Half Time, the Cats big third quarter set up a two-point win.
The Division Five Grand Final was a reversal of results from the Semi-Final, the Cats leading at every change to run away seven-point winners. A historic night for the club, their first-ever Netball premiership.
Georgie Haynes took home the club’s best and fairest as well as the best on-court medal in the Grand Final.
