RATHER than dwell on a lost opportunity in 2013, Diamond Creek has quickly set its sights on a rise up the Division 2 ladder in 2014.
For the second year running, the Creekers were knocked out in the opening week of the finals series, losing a tight encounter to North Heidelberg on the back of kicking a wasteful 9.18.
The result gave the club a good indication of where it sits in Division 2, with senior coach David Calthorpe believing his players learnt a lot from the 2013 season.
“I didn’t have huge expectations coming into 2013,” Calthorpe told NFL.org.au.
“It was mainly about finding my feet as a coach and introducing a different style of play.”
Calthorpe admitted last year’s six-point first semi-final loss to North Heidelberg was an opportunity lost, but remains adamant his players are better off for the experience.
“The focus over the pre-season has been centred on us being able to play four quarters,” he said.
“Our best football can match it with the best, so we need to learn to play our best football consistently over four quarters.”
With Round 1 quickly approaching, Diamond Creek is set to unveil a different looking team after a busy off-season that saw a number of players arrive at and depart from Coventry Oval.
The loss of captain Jed McQueen (moved overseas), Graham Brown (moved to Adelaide) and Andy Owen (retired) has left a couple of holes that need filling in the Creekers’ side.
Despite McQueen and Brown both missing large chunks of the 2013 season through injury, the trio departs with close to 350 senior games experience.
The addition of Division 1 players Chris Burton (Montmorency), Hugh Kavanagh (Lower Plenty), Jason Gray (Eltham) and Stefan Cosma (Heidelberg) is set to inject some new blood into the Diamond Creek line-up.
Calthorpe said he is confident the fresh faces can execute his style of play effectively.
Burton has previously played at Diamond Creek and has booted 108 goals in 89 senior games, while 21-year-old Kavanagh played 32 games over the past two seasons in Lower Plenty’s senior side.
Asked who he thought were the biggest contenders in Division 2 heading into his second season at the helm, Calthorpe said he hadn’t really given it that much thought.
“I like to just focus on my team and what we can do this year,” he said.
“If I do that well enough, then hopefully all will just fall into place.
“That’s my general philosophy.”
Diamond Creek’s 2014 campaign kicks off on April 5 against local rival Hurstbridge at Coventry Oval.
Follow NFL reporter Anthony Bitzilis on Twitter – (@AnthonyBitzilis)
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