EFL: Bayswater re-signs star names ahead of 2021
EFL Division 1 outfit Bayswater has re-signed a long line of its star players ahead of 2021, but senior coach Tom Roach says there may be more names on the club’s radar...
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EFL Division 1 club Bayswater has had a host of key names put pen to paper as it prepares for season 2021, but youth remains the target of this off-season’s recruiting.
Skipper Joel Galvin and reigning Division 1 comp best and fairest Kurt Lopo headline the re-signings, along with Bryce and Mitch Galvin, young gun Ben White, and midfielders Malcolm McGillivray-Smith, Mitch Grubb, Cam McLeod and Lachie Pritchard. VFL-listed names Aaron Cotte and Mitch Lewis have also put pen to paper.
Senior coach Tom Roach, who recently recommitted for two years, had previously been uncertain as to whether some of the club’s seasoned campaigners would recommit for 2021 due to the lure of working on a Saturday over playing football following the Division 1 salary cap reduction from $150,000 to $80,000.
“I was a bit nervous not knowing what people were going to do but it looks like people have really missed playing and are looking forward to getting back into it I think,” Roach said.
“The future’s looking really good and that’s where we’re going to put most of our eggs and we’re lucky to have some really good youth coming through.
“Ben White’s signed which is great, Kurt Lopo has signed and he’s an absolute gun. Every young kid that has played a senior game has signed back on which is great.”
Roach said the club had mid-November pencilled in as a potential starting date to pre-season training.
“We can’t do any contact work and I think we have to have limited numbers dispersed around the ground, so it’s a bit of a challenge logistically,” he said.
“The boys just miss each other’s company at the moment.
“We’ll lightly ease our way back into it and I think I’ve planned nine sessions before Christmas.
“Hopefully after Christmas we get a bit more direction from the league and the government in terms of what kind of training we can do and hopefully we get back into full contact and gear up for a big 2021 season.”
Bayswater welcomed back 2016 premiership player Dave Eddy for 2020, along with the addition of a handful of up-and-coming players from the top-flight including Noah Burley, Josh Doffay, Paul Haasbroek (Vermont) and Lachlan Jackson (Norwood). Roach said there were more potential recruits in the pipeline with a focus on youth.
“We did really well last year recruiting some good young talent and they’ve signed to go again,” Roach said.
“We’re speaking to a few players, mainly youth again, and mainly from those bigger clubs again where they might not get a look in at senior footy due to how strong their seniors are.”
While the leadership group is yet to be determined for 2021, Roach said the ball was in the court of league legend and long-serving captain Joel Galvin on whether he wished to lead the club again.
“Joel Galvin’s been the captain for a long time and he would have been captain this season … I’ll speak to Joel and find out whether he wants to be captain – he’s getting a bit older and whether he wants to take a load off a little bit and concentrate on footy,” Roach said.