New coach Lee Vernon confident Nerang are building towards a successful Premier League season
Nerang coach Lee Vernon believes his newlook Gold Coast Premier League squad is building nicely for next month’s season opener as they apply the finishing touches to pre-season preparations.
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NERANG coach Lee Vernon believes his new look Gold Coast Premier League squad is building nicely for next month’s season opener as they apply the finishing touches to pre-season preparations.
Having brought a number of Broadbeach United players with him to Glennon Park over the off-season, Vernon watched on eagerly as the Eagles dismantled 2018 Brisbane Premier League champions Grange Thistle 4-1 in a trial game earlier this month.
With their Round 1 battle with Coomera on March 6 looming, they will now host Samford Rangers in another trial at 3pm on Saturday that will double as the club’s official senior season launch.
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While Vernon was quick to point out it is early days in his Nerang reign, the early signs are promising.
“Nerang’s a very proud club with a lot of history and we’ve certainly got our goals this year,” said Vernon, who was at the helm of a Broadbeach side that dominated the Premier League for a decade.
“It’s a long way to go – they don’t hand out trophies in February – but one step at a time and we’re very pleased with where we are at the moment. The lads know that there’s people fighting for spots and they also know there’s people coming back from injury and lads coming into the squad as well, so everything is up for grabs.
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“You need to have multiple players in multiple positions and a bit of versatility and everyone fighting for their spot and being on their toes every week. That creates a winning culture and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve.”
Vernon said the win over Grange Thistle, which included a double from new signing Luke Marsh, was another step in the right direction.
“I thought there’d be a danger of us falling apart in the back end of the second half, but we actually went over the top of them. With fitness, pre-season is always an evolution and we were looking to get 75 minutes out of most of the lads and we did that,” he said.
“As far as being a little unstructured, that’s what pre-season is all about. We’re still trying to finalise players and the squad.
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“(We were) playing people out of position to see what they can do. It’s all part of the learning process.
“(Grange are) a great club to play in a pre-season environment but for us, it’s all about us trying to create our own history this year.”
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