Diamond Creek coach Andrew Tranquilli is not limiting expectations heading into the 2021 MC Labour Division 2 season.
The Creekers have narrowly missed finals in each of the past two seasons, since losing the 2017 grand final to North Heidelberg.
A two-time premiership winning coach at Doncaster, Tranquilli was named as Craig Hayes’ replacement at the end of the 2019 season but is yet to coach the Creekers in a match for premiership points following last year’s cancelled season.
He believes the club needs to aim high in what looks to be a very competitive MC Labour Division 2 competition – which has expanded to 10 teams and a top-five finals series in 2021.
“The first goal is to get more wins than we did in 2019. If we can establish that we know that is going to give us a good chance to go as far we can,” Tranquilli told NFNL.org.au.
“You’re always aspiring to get as high or far as you can into the season. We’ve got a lot of learning to do but we’re not far away in being able to play some good footy.
“If we are able to make the grand final and elevate ourselves into premier, that’s the aspiration, but there’s a lot of work needed to get there.”
Tranquilli was pleased with the way his playing group returned after the long COVID-19 layoff, allowing for a greater focus on game play this pre-season.
“Fitness-wise was not as big of an issue. Health-wise and fitness-wise, the players were probably ahead of where they would normally be pre-Christmas,” he said.
“We were able to focus straight into skills and game play pretty quick.
“Being the second pre-season in theory because of the COVID one, we are sort of fast-tracked a bit that we’ve learnt our game style and a couple of tweaks quicker than normal and now we are able to put it into practice with the practice games.”
Diamond Creek will be hoping an injection of new talent can help it rise back up the ladder.
Among the new faces set to represent the Creekers this year are North Heidelberg premiership ruckman Michael Florance, Glenroy goal kicker Jayden Walker and Taylors Lakes utility Trent Forbes – who finished fifth in the Lions’ best and fairest in 2019.
“Walker and Florance, they’ve come back into this pre-season, so they’re pretty excited and pretty healthy. They’re keen to work well for the club,” Tranquilli said.
“This year young Trent Forbes has come on board. We hope he can provide some more outside run and a marking option at either end of the ground.
“We’ve got a good group of young kids coming through, such as Joel Randall and Nicholas Barro. There is a really good group of young kids who are putting some good genuine senior selection pressure on.
“Our couple of kids who have tasted some senior footy in the last year or two are now just getting that bit more mature and growing into their own personal development.
“We’re excited with what our depth hopefully can bring with our youth.”
Diamond Creek may need to work hard to find a replacement for star player Jacob Booth, who has signed with Collingwood’s VFL team.
The 23-year-old claimed the Creekers’ best and fairest in each of the past three seasons and was named in the Division 2 Team of the Year in both 2019 and 2018.
“To have a definitive answer on how many games [he will play], it’s a week-by-week proposition. We’ve just got to wait and see,” Tranquilli said.
“He’ll be ready for Round 1, whether it’s with us or it’s with Collingwood.”
Tranquilli was pleased with his team’s effort in its first practice match against Eastern Football Netball League top-flight club Blackburn.
“It was good for our boys. If they are aspiring to play at the highest level that they can, that’s the kind of competition that they are going to have to get used to,” Tranquilli said.
“It was a good hit out. We put up a good show of ourselves.”
The Creekers are travelling this weekend to play Goulburn Valley outfit Tatura, before facing Tranquilli’s former club, Doncaster, on March 27.
Diamond Creek takes on Panton Hill in Round 1 of the 2021 MC Labour Division 2 season.
