EFL 2019: Doncaster in planning for 2020 after horror season
Doncaster has endured a horror year of injuries and unavailabilies, but Sharks coach Stewart Kemperman details why there is reason for optimism at Schramms Reserve.
Local Footy
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Doncaster’s finish to the EFL Premier Division season has given it cause for optimism for 2020.
The Sharks have featured in the competition’s top-flight finals for the past three years but will be September spectators this season.
They started the year 1-7 but have been much more competitive in the second half of the campaign.
Stewart Kemperman’s undermanned side pipped Norwood by one point in Round 9 and have pushed Noble Park (six points), Rowville (14), Blackburn (five) and kept Balwyn to one of its lowest scores of the season in Round 15.
Kemperman said there had been positives to draw from the season.
“Once you’re out of finals contention, it’s easy for some people to throw the towel in and just write it off but we’ve been very keen to continue on with the learning and growing of our players,” Kemperman said.
“It’s showing through the games and it does provide a really good platform for next year.”
Doncaster has been missing a core of its team through injury, overseas travel and unavailabilities for most of the year.
It also forfeited its reserves against Vermont in Round 11.
“We’re still looking at eight or nine from our best side that are out,” Kemperman said.
“It’s still a large chunk and what it does for us is it highlights the need to continue to work on our list and look to load up again next year.”
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Doncaster improved its record to 4-12 after an 11-point win over North Ringwood on Saturday.
Kemperman said the Sharks’ improvement had come from a consistency in effort.
“As a result of that, we’ve kept ourselves in games a lot longer,” he said.
“We’re hard to play against when we play this way and while we haven’t had the wins to vindicate that, we have had some really strong performances.
“We’ve been close in those games but not been able to get across the line and that’s probably where that polish and next level of development in some of our players is … to make sure we take full advantage of the opportunities we create.”
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