By Josh Ward.
Both South Croydon sides will be looking to bounce back following a year filled with injuries to key players.
After a preliminary final appearance in 2022, the Bulldogs men’s side dropped off in 2023, finishing in 10th with only five wins for the year.
With Marcus Buzaglo departing, South Croydon have turned to former Blackburn coach Brendan Allen to push them back up the Premier Division ladder.
“Both (are really) good clubs and I’m privileged to have coached at both,” Allen said.
Since taking over the head coaching role at the Bulldogs, Allen put a particular emphasis on improving the side’s fitness after last year saw key players such as Max King and Daniel Cooper played only a handful of games.
This focus has seen Lachlan Evans take over as strength and conditioning coach, with Allen saying their fitness program has been taken to a whole new level thanks to Evans.
“We had a really good preseason…they haven’t been this fit in the last seven or eight years so (we’re hopeful) it translates onto the footy field.”
The Bulldogs football department was also app to top up its list with some inclusions, including the return of Chris Jones after three years in Western Australia with state league side Swan Districts and Jason Want after a season with Fairpark.
Others from outside the club have also joined, including ex-Monbulk player Tom Taylor, midfielder James Fasan along with Nathan Kenny and Timothy Tegg from AFL Sydney outfit St George Dragons.
“Jones and Want are South Croydon through and through, they’ve fitted back in seamlessly. Kenny has previously played for Southport, Tegg has also been Team of the Year up in Sydney so there’s a couple of nice additions there.”
Kenny made his South Croydon debut, alongside ex-East Ringwood tall Trent Marotta, in the Bulldogs opening round loss to the Roos at home by 51 points, with Jones also making his return to the fold on the day.
While life as Bulldogs coach may not have gotten off on the right foot, Allen is hopeful that the side will get back into a finals position.
“That’s the aim, to get ourselves into a position where we can play finals, (with a) top five it’s going to be harder this year so you’re probably going to need your 10 or 11 wins. And then (if you make it) we’ll reassess from there.”
The next two games for the Bulldogs will see them face Noble Park at Pat Wright Senior Oval before facing Allen’s former side Blackburn on ANZAC Day at Morton Park.
South Croydon’s women’s side had a similar tough run with injuries last season. Despite this, the side still managed to make finals and finish in second with eight wins.
Long-time mentor Simon Hammersley returns to the helm, with Hammersley saying the side has had a much calmer offseason.
“It’s been good, we’ve had players return from being away, players that have come back from injuries and picked up a few extra. We’re pretty happy with where we’re at,” Hammersley said.
Among those returning faces includes Brooke Curren, Abbey Marshall and Caitlyn Adams, with all travelling overseas in 2023 having last played in the 2022 Premier Division Grand Final. New faces into the side include VFLW-listed players Eloise Chaston, Sophie Molan, Charli Granville and Georgia Booth.
While acknowledging that ex-AFLW players Chaston and Granville, along with Molan, will play majority of their seasons at the state league level, Hammersley said they’ve still had an impact whenever they’ve come down to the club.
“They’re all going to be playing VFLW footy all year, but someone like (Chaston) comes to training every week and helps out with a few different things and brings some different drills (and) ideas. It’s been really great for the group.”
Despite the side gaining additional depth after playing 34 players in their senior lineup last year, Hammersley has also focused on installing a system that stacks up if their depth is tested once again.
“They all compete really well, we’ve got a (development) team now, and obviously the purpose of the second team is to keep building players. But ultimately we thought our system of play didn’t stand up when the list depth was tested.
“Hopefully as the season wears on we have a system that allows us to be more competitive when we are interchanging players in and out of the side.”
With a new system in place and more depth added, Hammersley says he’s eager for the side to respond and make an emphatic return come finals time.
“By the time finals came we were probably making up the numbers, that’s certainly not our intent this year. We want to be contending with the top teams.”
