AFL Outer East: Pakenham’s young Lions continue to develop one week at a time
Pakenham knocked off unbeaten AFL Outer-East ladder-leader Monbulk, coach Ash Green saying it was down to a young developing list focusing on doing that little bit better than last time they played.
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Pakenham may have ended Monbulk’s unbeaten run and breathed some life back into the Division 1 premiership race but for coach Ash Green it was just another step on the development road his young squad is travelling.
That and reward for sticking to the simple philosophy of doing that little bit better every time you play a team.
When they last met, at Monbulk in round 5, the Hawks tamed the Lions to the tune of 51 points.
This time at Toomuc Reserve, Pakenham booted six opening-quarter goals and was never headed on the way to a 68-point win that has it just a game adrift of the Hawks at the top of the ladder.
“The boys played really well,” Green said. “We were poor the last time we played Monbulk and, as you get deeper into the season, all you want to do is improve on the last time you played a team.
“I don’t know if we’ll play Monbulk in finals but, if we do, we’ll try to improve again.
“To be honest, we’re not looking much further than Belgrave this week.”
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After a few years in the wilderness in the old South-East Football Netball League — the Lions finished sixth, sixth, eighth and seventh from 2015-18 — Pakenham has embraced the AFL Outer East with a young developing list likely to experience finals football this year.
But it’s been a long haul.
“This is the youngest team I’ve ever coached,” Green said. “But we’ve got some really good kids in the seconds and under-18s that haven’t played seniors yet.
“When I first started we lost the majority of our senior players. So we heavily focused on recruiting good local players. But we’re a work in progress.
“You want kids to be rewarded for their hard work, both in development and with wins like that.”
On Saturday Pakenham was rewarded in spades with 15-year-old Ben Green — “no relation” coach Green was quick to point out — making his senior debut. The Gippsland Power under-16 captain and Vic Country representative booted two goals to be among Pakenham’s best.
“We thought there was an opportunity to give him a go,” Green said. “We had no expectations.”
Pakenham, currently a game and percentage behind Monbulk, plays host to Belgrave at Toomuc Reserve on Saturday before having the following week off as part of the split round. The Lions then make the long trip to Warburton Millgrove’s Mac Sparke Oval on Saturday, August 10 before another pre-finals rehearsal against Doveton at AJ Robinson Oval on August 17.
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