Reservoir coach Aaron Collins is remaining optimistic about what his club can achieve in the near-future, despite its 124-point loss to Banyule in Round 1 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
It was the club’s first hit-out since winning the Division 3 premiership in 2015, after going into recess during the 2016 season.
While it ended in a heavy defeat, for Collins the day meant much more than what the scoreboard read.
“Even with the scoreboard, we got a lot of congratulations from a lot of people,” Collins told NFL.org.au.
“A lot of the blokes who have been there for years, they were just happy to have a side there.
“They can watch their Reservoir run out on the field on a Saturday afternoon.
“They did miss that a lot.”
While enticing new players to the club for the 2017 season was a step in the right direction, there may still be a while to go before the team begins to gel and string together consistent performances.
For Collins and the Reservoir committee, it was important for the club’s future to be the number one priority as opposed to immediate on-field impact.
“To get a senior side back after you fold these days is extremely hard,” he said.
“We have managed to do that and now we’ve just got to work on being a competitive club.
“We have so many blokes that have never played footy together.
“We’ve got a three-year plan of where we want to be. We’ve got a lot of 19-20-year-olds that are relishing the challenge.”
It was the idea of rebuilding a club which lured Collins into the role of head coach.
As someone who was keen to take on the challenge, he wants to impart the same mentality into his team.
Understanding that the results early in the season may discourage their young players, Collins remained adamant the club is heading in the right direction.
“Hopefully we’re extremely competitive (in two years) and pushing for a grand final. That’s exactly where we want to be and I won’t shy away from that.
“My goal is to win a grand final and get to Division 2 where they should be, or Division 1.”
Reservoir plays Mernda at Waterview Recreation Reserve this Saturday. It is a clash Collins goes into confidently if his side can replicate its pre-season form.
“We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be a tough game,” he said.
“We’ll go out and try and be as competitive as we can. That’s the attitude we’ll come in with every game.”
