Whittlesea coach Blair Harvey is confident his side can this time cement itself in the top-flight as it prepares for its fourth stint in Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 in the past decade.
Last year’s A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 premiership win added to the club’s 2015, 2013 and 2010 triumphs and handed the Eagles an instant return to first division after being relegated following a two-win season in 2018.
Having bandied between first and second division over the past ten years, Harvey told NFNL.org.au the club’s performance on and off the field over the past 18 months were telling factors of his side’s intention in 2020.
“We’ve been lucky enough to hold on to 21 of the 22 that played in the grand final last year and we’ve been able to recruit four senior players, so the morale and the mood around the club has been great,” Harvey said.
“We’ve got really good numbers going to training, the boys have been working super hard on the track and are really looking forward to the challenge of not only just playing in Division 1, but also consolidating ourselves and ensuring we stay in Division 1.”
Since 2011, Whittlesea have had three separate stints in Meadows Greyhounds Division 1.
Their most recent appearance proved to be their longest stint, with the Eagles competing in the top-flight for three seasons from 2016 to 2018, in which they won a combined 12 games and never more than five in a season.
A six-time premiership winner as a player before claiming a flag in his first year as coach last season, Harvey is positive the Eagles can maintain their position this time around, believing adequate changes have been made to ensure the club is better equipped to make the jump.
“I think what’s happened over the four, five years with the club previously is that when they won their premierships in Division 2, they would go into Division 1 with the same side,” Harvey said.
“At the start of last year, we identified there had to be a bit of change and this time going back up, there’s ten new players in our team that didn’t play in Division 1 the last time the club was there.
“I think that will be important for us and will be the main difference to previous Division 1 stints.”
Harvey expects the competition to be fierce but knows how important it is to get through the first season back in the top-flight.
“We want to make sure that we’ve won enough games so that we don’t have to still fight our way out of relegation late in the season. We want to be able to say that by Round 15 or 16 this season that we are set, and we can start planning for the years ahead,” Harvey said.
“But we also want to keep playing with flair, to keep taking the game on and to learn.
“We are going to come up against some good sides and good coaches, so we are going to have to try and learn to combat the good sides.
“There are going to be days where we are up against it. It’s more about seeing how long we can last in games if that’s the case.”
Whittlesea has been able to retain most of its existing squad for the 2020 season, with Ethan Gorski the only player to have played senior football last year to depart the club, after signing with Laurimar in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
On the contrary, the Eagles have been active with their recruiting, highlighted the signing of Bailey Rice and Sam Peet, as well as Beaconsfield duo Tyson Buttie and Nick Stevanevic.
Rice played 11 AFL games with St Kilda after being drafted at pick 49 in the 2015 National Draft, while Peet returns to the Whittlesea Showgrounds after brief stints at Watsonia and St Albans, as well as one VFL appearance for Port Melbourne.
Harvey expected both Rice and Peet to have a major impact on the side’s fortunes this year.
“We wanted to get a really tough midfield this year and adding Bailey into that mix is exactly what we were after,” he said.
“Xavier Dimasi now gets another player very similar to him, that can add strength to our midfield but also depth, so we know Bailey will play a big role.
“Sam’s versatile enough to play in the forward line and as a ruck. We had Nathan Stefanile last year who played in the ruck basically for the entire year, so we knew coming into the season we had to find another big fella to give him a chop out.
“We know the ruckmen in Division 1 are bigger and stronger and that most teams tend to go with two genuine ruckmen, so it’s important that we have somebody like Sam who can play that role for us and we know it can really benefit us going forward.”
The starting 22 of Whittlesea’s 2019 premiership side had an average age of just over 22, with the club’s young brigade playing a key role in its success throughout the season.
18-year-old Zach Molloy, Brody Bell, Blake Watson (both 20) and Mitchell Andrews (21) were just some of those players who had standout seasons and performed well on grand final day.
Harvey said the trust instilled in the younger generation of players will continue into the 2020 season.
“The boys will definitely benefit again from having another big pre-season. They’re older, stronger and fitter,” Harvey said.
“What we’ve made clear is that we want to encourage them to keep playing on their instinct, to enjoy their football, take the game on. They’re going to make mistakes but they will only learn more by making those mistakes.
“During the finals series, all four of those guys were outstanding, and their confidence will be sky-high.
“Division 1 is a new ball game and they’ve all had good pre-seasons so I can’t see why they can’t go to that next level again.”
The pre-season has also been busy for A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 best and fairest winner Xavier Dimasi, who was announced as the club’s new captain.
Best afield in the grand final win over Banyule, Dimasi was vice-captain in 2019 but ended up with main role for most of the season as Riley Dyson recovered from an injury sustained in Round 2.
Harvey believes Dimasi has already learnt a lot about leadership from last year’s experience and has set himself for new heights with his preparation during pre-season.
“Having the title now by himself, his training has lifted, his morale around the football club has lifted, the things he’s doing off the field has been amazing,” Harvey said.
“I think his game will go to another level and with the guys we’ve recruited around him, he’s excited for the season.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him have a massive year in Division 1.”
