By Christopher Kourtis.
South Belgrave are just three games away from going unbeaten in the 2023 Division One Home and Away season.
Sitting at the top of the table with a record of 15-0, only Mooroolbark (6th), Lilydale (10th) and Croydon (9th) sit between them and a flawless Home and Away season.
Promoted from the Second Division Seniors last year, South Belgrave coach Luke Galliott was confident that his side would carry their form into First Division.
“We knew if we had our best group available, we were going to be really hard to beat,” Galliott said.
He wasn’t wrong.
While the coach applauds the ability of any one of his players to step up and play a role in the team, Galliott stresses the importance of his team’s super stars.
“Those three guys [Timothy Smith, Mitchell Garner, Sean Bartels] are ultra consistent.”
“Everyone knows how good Tim is… most clubs would say [Garner] is the best ruck in the comp… Sean Bartels is just a super talent.”
South Belgrave produced possibly their best performance yet over the weekend, fighting back from a fifteen point deficit at three quarter time to beat second place Mitcham 12.10-82 to 11.7-73.
“At three quarter time I was bullish that we’d find a way because the group just doesn’t like losing,” Galliott said. “The guys, they play to win.”
With confidence at South Belgrave hitting new heights, Coach Galliott knows that there is no room for complacency when they travel to Heights Reserve to take on Mooroolbark this Saturday, describing the fixture as a “real danger game”.
“We certainly don’t think we are unbeatable,” said Galliott.
“At their joint, we’re expecting a huge game.”