By Christopher Kourtis.
Croydon North MLOC’s senior men’s side are on the board, picking up their first win of the 2024 season.
Claiming a 51 point win over Nunawading at home, the Kanga Rams jumped to 6th in the Fourth Division Seniors competition.
Having first met in Round 2, Croydon North were able to get the job done this time around, kicking 16.13-109 to overcome Nunawading’s 8.10-58.
For head coach Ben Oakes, the win is a weight off his shoulders.
“It was good, it was a relief, probably, for the coaching staff,” Oakes said.
MLOC’s on-field success is a result of the work that they have been putting in off the field, overcoming the struggles that come with a busy trade period.
“I think it’s more about the group gelling as a unit,” Oakes said. “We had; I think it was about 15 new recruits this year”.
“We’ve put extra coaches in positions and, you know, really focused hard on the bonding of the group… and getting the leadership involved” Oakes said. “It sortof all came together for that game against Nunawading last week”.
Croydon North leapfrog Nunawading on the ladder with their win. As it stands, only three teams have a better defence in the league. Coach Oakes says that it’s no coincidence.
“That’s exactly what we emphasised over pre-season – a lot of our work is defensive transition,” Oakes said. “I think defensively we’re, we’re competitive… we’re sort of at a level at the moment where we can compete, but offensively we still need to get better”.
“The opposition aren’t going to let us do that – we have to do that. Croydon North have to implement, you know, hitting the scoreboard and attacking the game of football”.
Now only one win off moving up yet another position on the ladder, Oakes stresses the importance of fostering a positive environment at Hughes Park.
“Footy is there because we all love it – it’s not a chore, it’s not a job, you do it because you love it,” he said.
“Enjoy the game of footy and the wins will come”.
