See all the key list changes ahead of the 2019 A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 season.
A ninth team has been added to A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 this year, with St Mary’s promoted from Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3, while no team was relegated after the 2018 season.
The race for a top-four spot looks to be very open entering the new campaign, while sides have another season without the threat of relegation to ensure a 10-team second division in 2020.
The action begins on Saturday April 6.
The opening round matches are:
Epping vs Whittlesea at Epping Recreation Reserve (back oval)
Thomastown vs Eltham at Main Street Recreation Reserve
Fitzroy Stars vs Diamond Creek at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval
Watsonia vs St Mary’s at A.K. Lines Reserve (4:10pm start)
Bye – Banyule
Continue below to see all the key ins and outs for each A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 team ahead of the 2019 season.
BANYULE
Coach: Paul Harris (replacing Pete Davey)
Last year: 3rd (13 wins – 7 losses)
IN: Reuben Blackmore-Moore (Lake Boga), Joshua Blake (Essendon Doutta Stars), Ricky Dyson (Bundoora), Christian Farchione (Heidelberg), Luke Giles (Lake Boga), Jack Langford (Macleod), Mitch Lovell (Ivanhoe), Tim Martin (Sandhurst)
OUT: Michael Glynn (Hurstbridge), Josh Harris (Hurstbridge), Bailey Jordan (Hurstbridge), Andries Jurgens (Macleod), Jye Keath (Bunyip), Matt Yarwood
Coach says: “For us it will be about playing as good as we can. If that means we can go all the way to a grand final, then fantastic. We’re not really setting a finishing position as a target. It’s just a matter of can we improve on the footy field from last year and where that leads us, we’ll find out later on in the year.”
DIAMOND CREEK
Coach: Craig Hayes
Last year: 5th (11 wins – 7 losses)
IN: Thomas Bennett (Benalla), Sean Casey (Kilcunda Bass), Dion Fleming (return), Brent Gutterson (Old Eltham Collegians), Timothy Hall (Yarra Junction), James Marchbank (Benalla), Joel Randall (St Mary’s), Oliver Stapleton (Heidelberg)
OUT: Tim Chapman (Barwon Heads), Michael McKenzie (Avenel), Cameron Wild (Shepparton)
Coach says: “As disappointed as we were not to make finals (last year) we have been able to focus and get our house in order. Disappointing not to be playing finals for sure and we are really, truly disappointed about that. It’s probably sharpened our focus a little bit.”
ELTHAM
Coach: Paul King
Last year: 2nd (17 wins – 3 losses)
IN: Luke Ericson (Panton Hill), Max Minney (Healesville), Adam Oxley (Collingwood), Matt Williamson (Sunshine)
OUT: Jack Dean (St Mary’s), Rohan King (Kinglake), Stephen McIntyre (Kilmore), James Reid (overseas), Bradyn Taglieri (Balwyn)
Coach says: “By the time we got over (the grand final loss) and got back to training everyone had moved on and we’ll focus on this year and forget about the past. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, especially after last year, we’ll just take it one week at a time and I know that’s an old cliché. The competition is going to get a lot stronger this year. It will be a challenging year, but we think we’ve got the stocks to really push.”
EPPING
Coach: Aaron Johnson (replacing Greg Whitcroft)
Last year: 6th (6 wins – 12 losses)
IN: Thomas Burnside (East Sunbury), Shannan Ciavarella (Fitzroy Stars), James O’Brien (Moyhu), Michael Sibaie (West Preston-Lakeside), Nathan Taylor (Mernda), Dyllon Westra (Moyhu), Callan Wilson (St Arnaud)
OUT: Jake Cullen (Violet Town), Bryce Judd (Glen Eira), Kevin Kiernan (Violet Town), Damon Marcon (Greensborough), Robert Tinsley (Oak Park), Adrian Totino (Macleod), Jordan Wilkins (Laurimar)
Coach says: “It is an exciting time. It was a privilege last year to see them take on the challenge of going to Division 2 from Division 3. The main thing is they are getting bigger, stronger and faster. Especially on a big ground like Epping, to compete with your bigger bodies like Whittlesea, Eltham and Banyule.”
FITZROY STARS
Coach: Hayden Heta (replacing Jason Mifsud)
Last year: 7th (2 wins – 16 losses)
IN: Liam Barry (Sandgate), Jai Burns (Bundoora), Michael Clare (Swinburne University), Brodie Cook (Rumbalara), Jake Firebrace (Craigieburn), Carl Groth (Old Ivanhoe Grammarians), Peter Hood (Bundoora), Tindarra Hood (Preston Bullants), Brad Kairouz (Portarlington), Dylan Kerr (Shepparton Swans), Ryan Lovegrove-Hudson (Bairnsdale), Andrew Lovett (Port Melbourne Colts), Jared Payne (Aberfeldie), Ethan Penrith (Northcote Park), Kain Proctor (Bundoora), Joshua Saveka (Laverton), Djye Thorpe-Morgan (Port Adelaide), Kyle Thomas (Northcote Park), Corey Wanganeen (Echuca United)
OUT: Taylor Drummond (Pascoe Vale), Steven Stallion (Cobram)
Coach says: “When I got to the club a year ago they had lost quite a few genuine senior players to Division 1 or elsewhere. The biggest change between this time last year and now, is the accountability. What we have been able to do now, with the amount of players we’ve had, is actually work on a game plan. We are starting from a long way back, so we are being realistic. But the pleasing thing I have noticed, the guys are looking for structure and are really keen to implement what the coaches are pulling together.”
ST MARY’S
Coach: Fabian Carelli
Last year: Division 3 premier (17 wins – 1 loss)
IN: Jack Dean (Eltham), Nathan Jasper (Greensborough)
OUT: Adam Lucci (retired), Jesse McKinnon (Laurimar), Joel Randall (Diamond Creek), Leigh Sullivan (Torquay)
Coach says: “We have opted to go in-house with what we believe is a pretty talented group of young kids coming through. Now it allows us to establish them and give them good game time in a higher division to see if our existing group and current crop of players can be competitive at that level. It’s really good for us knowing the majority of list is going to be 25 and under and we can establish a good core group within Division 2.”
THOMASTOWN
Coach: Ben Chapman
Last year: 4th (11 wins – 8 losses)
IN: Daniel Caruso (South Morang), Brayden Plant (Macleod), Ben Nesci (Bundoora), Kane Slater (Bundoora)
OUT: Jake Grey (Lalor), Ali Khalil (West Preston-Lakeside), Michael Spooner (Sunbury Kangaroos), Josh Tonna (Yarrawonga)
Coach says: “It’s a long year and like everybody, we aim to play finals. The club as a whole has to improve – if we can get improvements as a club, that is the next step. Last season, we beat Lower Plenty late in the year and we weren’t far away from Eltham. The list is young and we had some quality periods in games, but we then had some periods where we dropped off and were easy to score against. We’ve got to work on that and make sure we’re not being hurt on the scoreboard like that. We weren’t far away, but it’s a whole new ball game.”
WATSONIA
Coach: George Lattouf (replacing Jarrad Carey)
Last year: 8th (1 win – 17 losses)
IN: Robert Carnovale (Reservoir), Aydin Dani (West Preston-Lakeside), Balin King (Euroa), Xavier Kelly (Lockington Bamawn), Tyrone Leonardis (Montmorency), Hayden Mitchell (Timboon), Vincent Nativo (Whittlesea), James Needham (Moe), Michael Perfetto (West Preston-Lakeside), Sean Smith (Montmorency), Stefan Tanti (West Preston-Lakeside)
OUT: Matthew Gibbs (Bears Lagoon Serpentine), Billy Hawkes (Bears Lagoon Serpentine), Sam Peet (St Albans), Kieran Sheehan (Laurimar), Joel Williams (West Coast)
Coach says: “I have been at West Preston for the last five years and it is like my second home. I learned a lot as a development coach and having a role with Rob (Maiorana) and the seniors as well. The time has come to explore all the learnings I have done at a Division 1 club, explore them at another club. Watsonia has a good committee and their under-19s and reserves played finals (last year). The seniors didn’t have a good year, but there’s a lot of positive things in their list management and their players.”
WHITTLESEA
Coach: Blair Harvey (replacing Jim Atkins)
Last year: 10th in Division 1 (2 wins – 16 losses)
IN: Jye Adamson (Berrigan), Lachlan Beattie (Yea), Brody Bell (South Morang), Adam Dumesny (Pimpinio), Blake Fitzgerald (South Morang), David Hussey (Broadford), Samuel Indian (South Morang), Harrison Jarvie (Yea), Jesse Owens-Draper (Mernda)
OUT: Michael Brennan (Laurimar), Brenton Briffa (Bundoora), Andrew Fairchild (Kinglake), Chris Horman (Kinglake), Connor Leslie (Karingal), Joel Naylor (Romsey), Jai Robinson (Montmorency)
Coach says: “(We’re) trying to build a side that is going to come up to Division 1 to be competitive and try and build something. I’ve sort of shied away from going to look at too many older guys. To be sustainable in Division 1, I think you have got to build a young side. Just with the points and salary cap that have come into play now, you need to have that young core group of players coming through that can stick together for 10 years, hopefully.”
