INFOCUS 2021 – NUNAWADING

By Matt Fotia

New Nunawading Senior Coach Ryan Dobson will be focusing on the processes in 2021, as he looks to build a culture of long term sustainability for the boys in Maroon and Gold.

2019 was a step in the right direction for the Lions, who won three games to finish third bottom on the ladder, with their superior percentage – compared to other cellar dwellers Kilsyth and Croydon North MLOC- enough to see them wind up seventh.

Things were looking good for the momentum to carry on into 2020 and then 2021 at Koonung, before a transfer bombshell from (ex) skipper Jordan Winter – to rivals Surrey Park- left Dobson no choice but to head back to square one.

“Obviously we lost a few guys to Surrey Park including our captain Jordy Winter, so the (extended) off-season was a bit of the kick in the guts, but what it has done is create some opportunities for the next group of leaders to step up and it’s been really positive so far, a lot of guys have naturally fallen into leadership roles and it’s given some younger guys more of a chance.”

“Looking at it from the outside, people would see that we’ve lost a few senior guys and we’ll be back to square one, but it’s given me to impetuous to start fresh and build the culture that the club needs to be sustainable,”

“So, we’re trying to focus on building that positive culture rather than just focusing on winning two to three games a year and getting that monkey off the back like we were in 2019.”

Dobson says the focus on personal development and rising from within is being done with the aim of creating an environment at Koonung where people don’t need to be convinced to play for Nunawading, they just want too.

Nunawading have lost a number of players

“It’s (pre-season) been all about focusing on player development and getting growth from the guys we’ve got,”

“When you do that, people start wanting to come to training more, they tell their mates and you get the right people to the club,”

“Once you say this is a clean slate and explain that new focus, you start to find that they’re seeing it as a really good place to be and everyone feels a part of the club.”

“It’s been amazing so far and ironically despite losing some blokes, we’ve had better numbers that I’ve ever seen in my five years at the club,”

“That’s testament to what we’re doing, we’re building, we’re getting more and more guys down each week, training’s been good, with good energy, the skills are slowly building so everything is on that gradual incline.”

At the end of 2019 a focus on wins and losses for Nunawading would’ve seemed the next logical step on their journey back from the doldrums, but in 2021 the folks at Koonung will concentrating on their own work once again, not that of their opponents.

“We can’t control what other clubs are doing,”

“We haven’t put a ceiling on what we can do, but all we keep saying is the harder we work and the more we focus on what we’re doing, you could be surprised where we end up.

Nunawading open their season by hosting Surrey Park on the 17th of April.