Adelaide First XVIII college footy: Scotch primed for breakthrough despite horror start

A division one college side has lost its first four games of 2022 by a combined 480 points, but its ex-Crow coach says a season breakthrough is not far off.

One of Adelaide college footy’s most prominent schools has suffered one of the worst season starts in its history but has started to show improvement on and off the field, according to its coach.

Former Adelaide and Carlton AFL player Ben Nelson believed his Scotch side was on a positive trajectory in the SAAS First XVIII division one competition, despite beginning the year with a 0-4 record and a combined score deficit of 480 points.

The school side lost a number of Year 12 players after last season and although it boasts some experienced players like Eddie Bok, captain Kyan Eagleton and Jackson Bishop, it is predominantly filled by Year 11s who lack the same level of experience.

“Being a relatively young side we’ve been a bit out-muscled at times, and probably lack that same level of experience and fitness as some of the better schools,” Nelson said.

“What I’ve seen from the guys has been quite encouraging though.

Scotch coach Ben Nelson says his senior side is showing improvement through its early season struggles. Picture: File

“Amid the adversity they want to get better as a team, and they’re understanding the work that’s required and are all buying in, so the improvement will come.”

Earlier in the year, the idea of this season moving down to division two was floated by Scotch but it was satisfied with an ultimate decision to stay in the top competition.

The school’s first test this year was last season’s premier, Sacred Heart, a match-up that resulted in a 189-point loss.

That was followed by a 14-102 loss to Immanuel in round two, a 134-48 loss to Westminster in round three, and a 21-138 loss to Prince Alfred over the weekend.

Scotch's Eddie Bok in action this season. Picture: Emma Hoppo – Snap Shot Photography

“We’ve been in the games early but we’ve had a bit of an inability to rotate the midfield as we’d like and we’ve conceded a significant amount of goals late in each quarter,” Nelson said.

“The genuine work ethic is there and the games are played a lot more competitively than the scoreboard suggests, but there are a few elements missing and at the moment we’re looking for little wins within a game — which we are hitting.”

To add to Scotch’s woes, star players Kyan Eagleton and Jackson Bishop have missed games this season due to injury and illness.

However, this has allowed players like Year 11 youngsters James Dutton and Harry Chaplin to develop in the midfield.

Scotch's Seb Crisafi takes a strong mark against Westminster. Picture: Emma Hoppo – Snap Shot Photography

“We’re going to get some guys back after this weekend’s bye which will help,” Nelson said.

“There’s gradual growth at the moment and I think once we get some of our leaders back that development will be fast-tracked.

“We’re not too focused on results right now, just improvement and gaining experience, and we’ve seen that in defensive structure as well as preparation; and soon we’ll look to improve the side’s understanding of playing certain roles and executing.”

Scotch’s next game will be against St Peter’s on June 18.