Demons, Redbacks to kick off new Southern league season

Springvale Districts and Hampton Park will unveil some key recruits when the ball is bounced on Good Friday.

Springy Districts recruit Riley Mayne with Kris and Matt Thompson.

It’s fair to say Springvale Districts senior coach Kris Thompson knows a bit about his new ruckman, Riley Mayne.

They’re cousins.

Mayne is a former QAFL player and came to Melbourne 18 months ago to study criminology at RMIT.

Thompson would have charged him with family desertion if Mayne had gone elsewhere to play football, which he took up after pursuing soccer, good enough to go overseas with under-age teams.

The 22-year-old will do some ruck work but he’ll also play in key positions for a Districts team out to make up for its 2019 Division 2 grand final loss to Doveton Eagles.

Since then the Demons have recruited a handful of proven senior players and Thompson believes they’re stronger for the inclusions.

Star goalkicker Darren Sheen has joined Springy Districts.

Springy Districts will unveil Mayne and other newcomers in the Good Friday clash against Hampton Park that will kick off the Southern league season.

Prominent goalkicker Darren Sheen will keep the best Division 2 defenders busy and be part of a forward that includes 2019 Division 2 competition best and fairest Matt Wetering, Stefan Feehan and Adam Reed, another signing.

Sheen is stripping fit, having lost more than 20kg.

Reed was part of the Eagles’ 2019 premiership team that defeated the Demons.

Midfielder Daniel Spence and key defender John Walker have crossed from Oakleigh District, slippery Darcy Warke, a former Dandenong Stingrays, is a transfer from the Mornington Peninsula Nepean competition, and utility Drew Stockton has switched from Montrose.

From 2019, Tom Wilkinson has moved to Queensland, and Josh Boyle and Nathan Brown have retired.

When it was put to Thompson that his players would be keen this year given that local football was wiped out in 2020, he said the Demons were still brooding over 2019.

“A lot of blokes are still hurting from that,’’ he said.

“We put in so much time and effort into what we wanted to achieve, and we felt short on the day, weren’t good enough on the day. We got our pants pulled down. Simple. Didn’t perform. And it hurt the pride of a lot of good Springvale Districts people. I guess COVID delayed what we wanted to have a crack at. It’s made the players hungrier. I honestly believe that.’’

New Hampton Park coach Nathan Wilson.

As for Hampton Park, Thompson said he expected the Redbacks to be a finals team.

They’re coming up after winning the Division 3 premiership in 2019.

Districts, of course, was promoted from Division 3 in 2019 and rose to the Division 2 grand final.

“They could do exactly what we did,’’ Thompson said. “They’ve recruited well. Liam Myatt and Russell Gabriel, they’re good local footballers anywhere.’’

While some clubs have reported light numbers, the Demons have about 100 players on their books and will be fielding three teams.

It’s a remarkable number given the club has no juniors. It relies on a “strong culture’’ to attract and keep players, according to Thompson.

And the Demons hope the formula can again take them to the first division of Southern.

They’ll host a triple header on Good Friday: seniors and reserves against Hampton Park and a Thirds match with Sandown Cobras.

Hampton Park has had a change of coach since winning the premiership, with Nathan Wilson taking over from Justin Hill, who relocated to Queensland.

Wilson, an assistant coach with Doveton Eagles in 2019, acknowledged it was a “decent jump’’ from Division 3 to Division 2.

“From what I saw, Hampton Park dominated Division 3 the whole season,’’ he said.

“To be honest, when I took the job I was pretty happy with what we were taking into the season, and then we added some top-end talent.’’

Big Russ Gabriel rucking against Brodie Grundy in the VFL.

He said the Redbacks’ goal was to play in the finals.

But they may have a slow start given their injury list: nine players will be unavailable for the Good Friday clash.

“We’ve got depth but we’re going to need it early on,’’ Wilson said.

“I’ll be happy to split the first month at 2-2, to be honest.’’

Ruckman Gabriel has been an outstanding senior footballer, at Frankston in the VFL and at local level, and Myatt also had senior matches for Frankston.

“Russ is Russ,’’ Wilson said.

“He’ll work his bum off around the ground, he’ll dominate around the ground in the ruck. Some young kids might jump over him at the centre bounce, but he’ll just work away.’’

Classy Kyle Hendy has crossed from Highett, Josh Dowling from Narre Warren, Travis Hendy from St John’s Old Collegians, Enayte Samadi and Steven Stredwick from Doveton Eagles, and Darcy Hope from Pakenham.

Leading up the ground, Dowling should be a good foil for stay-at-home forward Peter Dye. He booted 54 goals for the Narre reserves in 2019.

Hope, recovering from shoulder surgery, will be among the missing players on Good Friday but Wilson regards him highly.

“Really good young kid. A key forward, 21 years of age. Luckily enough we’ve signed him for a couple of years,’’ he said.

Corey Phillips will captain the Redbacks.