EFL: Ringwood looking to move on from shock Eastern Football League grand final defeat
Ringwood coach Brett Rowe will address this year’s shock grand final defeat with his playing group in the new year as the Redbacks prepare for another premiership tilt.
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Ringwood coach Brett Rowe will address this year’s shock grand final defeat with his playing group in the new year as the Redbacks prepare for another premiership tilt.
Ringwood lost its first game of the year in the grand final when Boronia claimed the Division 3 flag in an upset.
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Rowe said some players were still “umming and ahhing” about their playing futures after two preliminary final defeats and a grand final loss in the past three years, but predicted the list would remain similar next year.
The Redbacks have lost four of their past five finals by a combined 32 points.
Ruckman Ben Power, who won Ringwood’s best and fairest this season, will leave a void in the club’s key-position stocks when he goes travelling next year.
Rowe said there was a chance players could have walked out after falling short of the ultimate prize in three successive seasons, but the group remained united in winning the club’s first flag since 2005.
“It does drain on the guys because you are constantly going to the well to get the victory and unfortunately we’ve fallen short the last three years,” Rowe said.
“The challenge is to try get yourself up and motivated again. I think Vermont is a good example that they got beat a couple of years there and all of a sudden they got their reward.”
James Parker (Park Orchards) and Ryan Warren (Boronia) are the only additions of note.
Rowe said the club would discuss the grand final disaster after Christmas.
“I just think we’ve got to have an open discussion about it and where they think it went wrong,” he said.
“I’ve got a fair idea what went wrong but it’s always good to hear it from the playing group exactly what they think and once we’ve discussed it, we’ll look at what we do to improve.
“To be honest, I still haven’t watched it. I’ve gone to watch it and think ‘I can’t look at it’.
“Of course it burns, you just think of the missed opportunity because it really was a great opportunity for the club and we let it slip.”
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