By Christopher Kourtis.
Fairpark’s senior teams were in and around the finals in 2023, but are now ready to go a few steps further in 2024
The Fairpark Senior Men’s side fell agonisingly short of finals footy in 2023, missing out by two points and finishing fifth.
Sean Stanton is set to take charge for another season and is looking to carry on the positive momentum.
“The year itself, last year, we felt was a pass mark,” Stanton said.
Despite showing so much potential last season, the Lions have struggled to retain their talent over the off-season.
“On the back of what we felt was a productive year, a year heading in the right direction, it was bitterly disappointing to lose some of our top-end talent.”
Fairpark will look to rebuild through their youth, with Coach Stanton ready to tackle the associated challenges.
“The direction we are taking this year is that we have some quality kids who want to get better… we’ve got to bank on them and invest in them,” Stanton said.
“Obviously when you play kids, there’s sometimes a level of inconsistency but I think with the mature players we have around them… we are hoping that we can build on what we were able to achieve last year.”
Fairpark will play their season opener against Upper Ferntree Gully, who were relegated from Division Two last season.
The Lions will also debut their new facilities at Fairpark Reserve, which were finished in March.
“The facilities are outstanding… we are very fortunate – we have a wonderful committee that put a lot of time and effort in behind the scenes.”
Even with the off-field excitement, Stanton and his team are focused on putting their best foot forward.
“We just need to see improvement… if we can continue to get games into our younger guys, we can continue to get better week-in, week-out.”
The Fairpark Senior Women’s team had their most successful season in 2023, finishing fourth and reaching the first round of the finals.
Senior Women’s Coach Terry Lewis is one of many at Fairpark that are thrilled, but not yet satisfied, with their success.
“We finished fourth, which was a fantastic, fantastic achievement for the girls… especially for a third-year program,” Lewis said.
“They got a taste of it last year and they’ve got that feeling – they want to play finals from now on.”
With the Top 3 teams in Division Four being promoted in 2023, Fairpark are looking to take advantage of the new opportunity to be the ‘top dogs’ in 2024.
“The girls have come back wanting to go two steps better.”
The completion of the new facilities at Fairpark Reserve is just one of many things that have kept the Lions’ momentum rolling into the new season.
“It’s a fresh start for everyone, really.”
Fairpark open their account away against Warrandyte in Round 1.
Lewis says that his game plan is set and his team is prepared.
“Take the game on. Take it on and just hard at it and keep the ball moving forward, all the time… the girls are ready and waiting.”
