MPFNL Division 1: Heavy player losses but Dromana ‘ready to hunt’

Dromana has lost seven players from its grand final side but coach Ben Holmes explains why he’s “super excited’’, and names the next crop of talented Tigers to watch out for.

Reece Wilde is one of many Dromana players who have trained strongly over summer. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Dromana coach Ben Holmes has a message for his MPFNL Division 1 rivals ahead of the 2025 season.

“We’ll be having a crack, make no mistake,” Holmes declared.

Dromana — after falling to Mt Eliza by 23 points in last season’s grand final — has lost key players, most notably ex-AFL Tiger Jake Aarts, who’s joined Beaconsfield.

“We’ve lost seven from our grand final team,” Holmes said.

“And we’ve lost a bit of depth as well. Some players who were on the fringe…you understand why they move because they couldn’t crack it (for a senior game) so they commit early to other clubs, and they’ve left.

“We probably would have lost them if we had have won or lost (the grand final), they just wanted to play senior football.”

Holmes looks at Dromana’s situation through a glass-half-full lens.

What an opportunity, he says.

Holmes thrives on a challenge. He’ll play the kids.

“We’re just going back to the drawing board,’’ he said.

“Dromana has done it time and time again where they go back and invest in the kids. We’ve got a great crop of kids who we will just teach our program to and try and blood them that way, get them ready.

“I’m not sure where that has us sitting for 2025.

“We thought we were the best team in it all year but we didn’t get it done on grand final day obviously. How far it brings us back to the pack with those seven gone will be anyone’s guess.”

Sam Geurts. (Photo by Josh Chadwick)

Importantly, Dromana still has some of the best players in the MPFNL — reigning league medal winner Billy Geurts, the brilliant Sam Fowler, captain Billy Quigley, gun defender Ryan Morrison and premiership star Josh Geurts among them.

Recruits? Dromana has a few.

“We’ve had some experienced heads who’ve seen who’s left…these guys have come back to help out the culture and re-set the standards in Dan Geurts, Dan Marchesani and Jack Fowler, who hasn’t played footy for nine years,’’ he said.

“We went after some players but players are chasing ridiculous money and we’re just not going to pay it.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have had a lot of very, very good local footballers play for well unders what they can get elsewhere.

“We’ll just invest in the next crop of kids, mate.”

Dromana players celebrate a win in 2024. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Holmes says the notion of a challenging season ahead has the Tigers “hungry again”.

“We can kind of go back to what we do really well,’’ Holmes said.

“The years when we’ve won it we were kind of underdogs. We like to hunt, so with a bit of luck teams may not be chasing us quite as hard as they were and allow us to get back to hunting.

“From a coaching point of view I’m super excited because that’s where you get your excitement out of blooding the new kids, and also watching the development of our current list.

“I mean, we’re still super young, our average age was 23 and a half last year. And we’ll probably be younger again this year.

“And you’ve still got the likes of Josh Geurts and Toby Geurts, who’s had a massive pre season, bulked on a lot of size and is looking great.

“Heaps of development out of that group of boys...Reece Wilde, there are so many kids who are between 20 and 24 who we know we are going to still get growth out of as well.

“Ben Tovey has had a very good pre season…

“Reece Wilde has trained unbelievably well.

“Some young kids have been super impressive…Sam McGennisken, he played U19s two years ago, didn’t play at all last season, had knee surgery…he comes back.

“Lachie Aquilina, he’s six foot three, and he will add a lot of run and dash to our side, we are looking forward to developing him.

“Phoenix Brown only managed one game last year, he did a job for us at YCW on (Christian) Tsiampas, he will take a role as a small backman this year.’’

Ben Holmes.

Sam Fowler.

Dromana also has a new-look coaching panel, with Emerald premiership coach Sein Clearihan and Lyndhurst premiership coach Jae Williams coming on board. Williams will coach the reserves.

Dromana won’t field an U17 side in 2025, with seven or eight kids of those players to play U19s.

“So we’re going to be super young, super raw in that space,’’ Holmes said.

“But you take the positive out of that, these kids should be able to get to play three years together in that program.

“So looking ahead in years to come we think we can really benefit from that.’’

DROMANA

IN: Dan Geurts, Dan Marchesani and Jack Fowler (all returning)

OUT: Jake Aarts (Beaconsfield), Jordan Andrews (Berwick), Taylor Davidson (North Ringwood), Tate Dennis (Rye), Connor Wallace (Rye), Jack Austin (Rye), Ethan Johnstone (Heidelberg), Harry Cook (Karingal), Dean Waugh (Coreen Daysdale Hopefield Buraja), Jon Ristrom (Coreen Daysdale Hopefield Buraja), Daniel Gormley (Coreen Daysdale Hopefield Buraja), Jack Arceri (Aberfeldie)