Heidelberg will be looking to develop more of its youngsters as it prepares to undergo a changing of the guard in 2018.
The Tigers will tackle the new season without a host of its 2016 premiership stars, with playing-coach Charles Gaylard, 2016 best and fairest Paul Bower, Adam Symes and Marcus Marigliani headlining the departures over the summer.
But new coach Frank Raso believes the Tigers’ talented youngsters will steer the club forward under his and club president Tim Wilson’s vision to develop the future of the club.
“We’ve definitely lost a lot of experience and leadership. On the short term we feel like it’ll hurt, but long term – I’m talking two or three years – I feel like we’ve brought in the right kids,” Raso told NFNL.org.au.
“I feel like we have probably six to eight genuine senior players in our 19s squad, which is something Tim and I really worked on doing. We’ve gone a different way this year.
“Heidelberg, traditionally, are known for recruiting pretty high-profile players that are going to come and do a job.
“That hasn’t helped our 19s who want to be around and develop to be a senior player when all these guys from all over Melbourne are coming in and taking their spots, so to speak.
“It will be a change. I’m really looking to develop the 19s and first and second-year senior players to become our own profile players for upcoming seasons.”
It’s clear what path Raso and the club took with recruitment over the summer.
Among Heidelberg’s newcomers are VFL-listed quintet Jacob Page (Coburg), Christian Buykx-Smith (Williamstown), Fletcher Carroll (Williamstown), Brydan Hodgson (Werribee) and Harrison Payne (Northern Blues) – who are all 21 years or younger.
“We’ve only gone for players that are in their early development,” Raso said.
“We feel like we’ve recruited the best TAC Cup kids that didn’t get drafted. We want Heidelberg, on top of our under-17s and under-19s coming through, to be their home.
“Obviously we’re still Heidelberg – we want to win games, we want to win premierships – but that’s the model in the club.”
A disappointing 2017 campaign saw Heidelberg become the first defending premier to miss the following season’s finals since West Preston-Lakeside in 2004.
But the spirit around the club has not wavered.
“Everyone’s going to say ‘What’s going on down there? Grand final, premiers, no finals’ (but) internally I understand the injuries and the impact that had on Jason (2017 coach Jason Heatley),” Raso said.
“The amount of players Jason had at his disposal at certain times through the year was very minimal. There were a few games where they only lost by small amounts.
“We’ve had a really good pre-season and the morale has been really good. I know people are going to think the morale was down from not playing finals, but sometimes that motivates a group, and there’s no doubt it motivated this group.
“The one thing I’ve noticed is we’ve got a lot of supporters around the club.
“You have to get it right off the ground to get it right on the ground. The job of Tim Wilson in the early stages has just been tremendous. We’re going to have a vastly different reputation as a club with him driving the standards.
“We’re going to win games a different way, not through bringing in the best ex-AFL players, but from development and culture. That’s the exciting part, the new direction Heidelberg is taking.
“All I know is I’ve got a great bunch of guys that are strongly motivated to improve and that’s the exciting part of my role as coach of Heidelberg in 2018.”
Despite parting ways with a host of key players, Heidelberg still has the right mix of youth and experience to take them forward, which Raso explained has been displayed on the training track.
He named some of the club’s leaders as the pre-season standouts.
“Michael Brunelli is really setting the standard. Ryan Stone and Tom Sullivan, two of our leaders, and Sam Gilmore – they’re really putting the standard out and are driving the group,” he said.
Heidelberg begins its season with an away game at Whittlesea Showgrounds on April 14.
