Catch up on all the key list changes ahead of the 2018 Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 season, which kicks off on Saturday.
Nine teams will again compete in third division this season, with Panton Hill and Lalor replacing 2017 premier Banyule and Epping.
The action begins on Saturday April 7, with a standalone round for Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
The opening round matches are:
Kilmore v South Morang
Panton Hill v Mernda
Reservoir v Lalor
St Mary’s v Heidelberg West
Bye – Laurimar
Continue below to see all the key ins and outs from each Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 team over the off-season.
HEIDELBERG WEST
Coach: Gary Cutler
Last year: 7 wins – 9 losses (6th)
IN: Daniel Bailey (Glenroy), Michael Celestin (North Heidelberg), Owen Donaghey-Arrowsmith (North Heidelberg), Nicholas Guthrie (Montmorency), Stuart Guthrie (Montmorency), Sean Kelly (North Heidelberg), Luke McKenna (South Morang), Mike Meade (Eltham Collegians), Alex Purtell (Ivanhoe), Lachlan Reinke (Montmorency), Josh Smith Thompson (Macleod), Dean Warren (North Heidelberg)
OUT: Liam Pender, Adem Samsa (Greenvale), Jayden Shirreff (Quambatook), Ayden Young
Coach says: “With the list we have built in the last two seasons, we are talking anything less than a top-four finish would be pretty disappointing. I know that’s pretty funny coming out of the year we just had, but we set our goals pretty high and we think we are capable of achieving those if we can keep a fit and healthy list.”
KILMORE
Coach: Nathan Phillips
Last year: 8 wins – 8 losses (5th)
IN: Brent Bailey (Doncaster), Michael McCulloch (injury), Kieran Moran (Lancefield), Daniel Rebbechi (Lancefield), Robert Rowe (Bonnie Doon), Matthew Swindells (Bonnie Doon), Scott Swindells (Lancefield)
OUT: James Atkinson (Corowa Rutherglen), Brandon Austin (Craigieburn), Matthew Bulluss (Dunnstown), Luke Chapman (Craigieburn), Rick Kimberley (Watsonia), Michael Marrett (Girgarre), Liam Middleton (Craigieburn), Hayden Phillips (Craigieburn), Nick Sheldon (Echuca)
Coach says: “This year our focus is to beat every side at least once if we can. We would be pretty disappointed to lose to a side twice throughout the year. We want improvement and to build on the year we had last year. We definitely don’t want to go backwards and improvement means we could go onto that next step but we won’t put a ceiling or limits on ourselves.”
LAURIMAR
Coach: Justin Sherman (new)
Last year: 2 wins – 14 losses (8th)
IN: Bradley Deed (Diamond Creek), Ben James (Lower Plenty), William Ratje (Hurstbridge), Mitchell Thompson (Hurstbridge), Josh Williamson (Hobart City)
OUT: Caelan Anderson (Craigieburn), Jacob Bateman (Whittlesea), Craig O’Neill (Dunolly), Damian Pywell (Kinglake), Lance Whitnall (retired)
Coach says: “I guess our main focus over the summer was to improve our fitness. We couldn’t focus so much on our fitness last year as the club’s main goal was to just to field a senior and reserves side. Now that the bond with all our players is strong, we feel like our fitness is the main focus so we can run out four quarters once the season starts.”
LALOR
Coach: Dean Grainger (new)
Last year: 3 wins – 15 losses (relegated from Division 2)
IN: Brandon McRedmond (Ganmain Grong Grong Matong), Daniel Moore (Bullcreek Leeming), Isaac Edgar (St Mary’s), Michel Jacobson (Therry Penola), Robert Todd (St Mary’s)
OUT: Jhye Baddeley-Kelly (North Heidelberg), Ben Curtiss (Officer), Beau Delcus (Bundoora), Kaine Digney (Bundoora), Shane Jacobs (Bundoora), Jarrod King (Bundoora), Harley Nancarrow (Rushworth), Shannon Smith (Craigieburn), Terrence Upoko (Craigieburn)
Coach says: “As a club the goal is to be competitive and hopefully win games along the way and improve along the way. You could say we are starting from scratch. We’ve got a lot of new faces at the footy club, added to the eight to ten senior players that have stuck around. My expectations are that we win a few games along the way and these guys develop into good footballers and hopefully in the next couple of years we can make our way back up to where the Lalor Football Club should be.”
MERNDA
Coach: Paul Derrick (new)
Last year: 4 wins – 12 losses (7th)
IN: Tim Blacker (Roxburgh Park), Brad Dimech (Westmeadows), Thomas Dowse (Lower Plenty), James Duclos (Whitehorse), Brendan Egberts (Roxburgh Park)
OUT: Joel Carter (Epping), Damon Earp (Box Hill North), Conlon Gunn (St Arnaud), David Hutchinson (St Arnaud), Thomas McEwan (Roxburgh Park), Jake Stavrevski (Watsonia)
Coach says: “We should be a lot more competitive compared to last season, but that’s footy clubs they go up and down and everyone knows that. Realistically we will be aiming for a top-four spot and as we should as our sights are set on a premiership. But we will be focusing on a return to the finals and whatever comes from there.”
PANTON HILL
Coach: Steve Layt (new)
Last year: 1 win – 17 losses (relegated from Division 2)
IN: Rhys Boyden (Greensborough), Tim Duckworth (Lower Plenty), Luke Ericson (Eltham), Nicholas Parks (Diamond Creek), Lachlan Pearson (Eltham Collegians), John Pritchard (Greensborough), Brent Ryan (Seymour), Callum Stubbs (Montmorency)
OUT: Thomas Blake (Lower Plenty), Michael Linton (Diamond Creek), Chris McCabe (Whittlesea), Oliver Wilson (Lower Plenty)
Coach says: “It was important to have a completely different mindset this season, going from a survival mindset to a winning attitude again. The entire approach by the players, as well as the confidence levels of the whole group, has lifted by sharing their knowledge with each other. They’re helping each other and they’re leading together.”
RESERVOIR
Coach: Aaron Collins
Last year: 1 win – 15 losses (9th)
IN: Blake Charles (Montmorency), Tyrone Charles (Braybrook), Ashley Cluney (Thomastown), Justin Cluney (Jacana), Paul Cluney (Jacana), Trent Gleisner (Moonee Valley), Tylar Joseph (Moorabbin), Taylann Luckman (Black Rock), Samuel McDowell (Maryborough), John Perichon (Watsonia), Matthew Perichon (Black Rock), Craig Poynter (Jacana), Paul Rametta (Tullamarine), Thomas Stoneham (Braybrook), Shannon Turner (East Warrnambool), Jordan Williams (Craigieburn)
OUT: Ryan Docherty (retired), Liam Killey (Moonee Valley)
Coach says: “We had a lot of young kids in the middle last year who were slight bodies, and although we have recruited bigger bodies to rotate through the middle, we have also been able to get our midfield group to a point where they are fit and ready to go in hard. A lot of work has been done to make sure our players, in particular our midfielders, are putting their head over the footy and going in hard.”
SOUTH MORANG
Coach: Gary Hall
Last year: 16 wins – 3 losses (runner-up)
IN: Paul DiSanto (Old Paradians), Nicholas DiSanto (Old Paradians), Nathan Mittica (Hawthorn AFC), Nathan Moro (Hurstbridge)
OUT: Lachlan Buckley (Warrandyte), Mitch Buckley (Warrandyte), Anthony Capeci (Thomastown), Nick Johnston (Warrandyte), Wayne Pavitt (Dookie United), Jake Potter (Montmorency), Raafat Rachrache (Hillside), Jordan Steele (Montmorency), Nathan Tassell (Watsonia), Daniel Watson (Watsonia)
President says: “There’s probably some people out there that have written us off and I don’t mind that either. There’s no expectation there. But internally we are hoping to be very competitive. Every club is looking to play finals and once you make it the rest is up to yourselves. We are developing quite a good, young list and as long as they hang around we will be able to take care of the next 2-3 years by retaining our players and growing them.”
ST MARY’S
Coach: Fabian Carelli (new)
Last year: 10 wins – 7 losses (4th)
IN: Matthew Cresp (Collegians), Jordan Galea (Bundoora), Blaze Jordan (Bright), Ben Mossuto (Greensborough), Chris Petroro (Sunbury Kangaroos)
OUT: Isaac Edgar (Lalor), Bart Walsh (Leitchville Gunbower)
Coach says: “The club has been in a very good position the last two years thanks to Con, who has set the club up very nicely with what he has brought to the table. The group has stayed much the same compared to last year and there are certainly some exciting young kids coming up which gets me pretty excited and I think we could be in for a very good year from what I have seen so far.”
