South Morang coach Gary Hall discusses expectations after big off-season
31 for 31: An eye-catching recruiting campaign and a strong pre-season has South Morang primed to build on last season’s semi-final appearance in NFNL Division 2.
Northern
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South Morang coach Gary Hall expects a selection squeeze to drive the club further up the NFNL Division 2 ladder in 2024.
The Lions stunned the competition last year, reaching a semi-final in their first season coming up from a Division 3 premiership.
Looking to build on that foundation, the club has only got stronger in the off-season adding several key players.
Reigning Division 2 Coaches’ MVP Tyrone Leonardis (Thomastown), Kobe and Teague van Zwienen (Watsonia), 2022 Division 2 Team of the Year forward Kyle Wheatley (Bundoora) and James Mellerick (Hurstbridge) are all on board.
Hall isn’t shying away from expectations.
“(Selection headaches) are a good thing but it definitely makes the reserves a very strong side,” Hall said.
“They’re all in or approaching their prime, so there’s no excuses
“We’re competitive as a club, so of course we want to win and that’s what we’ll strive to do, we want to improve on last year’s efforts.
“The best thing is there’s no one going on European holidays this year, so barring major injuries we should be up there when the whips are cracking.
“It was a bit of a throw at the stumps last year but this year we definitely want to improve on that.
“With the recruitment it’s just an exciting place at the moment and they’re all raring to go, they’re all there for success.”
After stellar campaigns, Lachlan Potter finished third in the Division 2 league best-and-fairest, while Tye Hall finished fourth in the Coaches’ MVP.
Gary Moorcroft finished second in the league goalkicking, while Josh D’Intinosante produced a spectacular finish to the season, kicking six and seven goals in South’s two finals.
Potter, D’Intinosante and Moorcroft were all selected in the Team of the Year.
Hall said the addition of Leonardis and the van Zwienen brothers had been seamless.
“Tyrone and Kobe and Teague have just slotted in like they’ve always been there,” he said.
“They knew a few of the boys before, so that made the transition easy, and from what we’ve seen on the track, they’re setting the example.”
After a strong pre-season Hall highlighted an injury-free James Trianou as one to watch this season.
“It was probably his first relatively injury-free season of senior football last year,” Hall said.
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“He’s excelled on the track, he’s quick and fit, he’s had a few issues with his hamstrings over the years but it looks like he’s got that under control so I think he’s in for a big year.”
The Lions will finalise preparations for the new season with a pair of practice matches.
They will tackle Division 1 outfit Macleod as well as Eastern Division 3 club Surrey Park.
South Morang will kick of its season against Lower Plenty at Montmorency Park on April 6 before a home opener against Watsonia in Round 2.
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