RDFL 2019: Macedon chasing replacement for Errol McConnell
FINDING a classy midfielder to replace premiership hero Errol McConnell will be the off-season priority for Macedon coach Ben Tankard.
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FINDING a classy midfielder to replace premiership hero Errol McConnell will be the off-season priority for Macedon coach Ben Tankard.
McConnell, who was best afield in the Cats’ drought-breaking 2017 grand final victory, has crossed to Essendon District club Pascoe Vale.
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Tankard said McConnell was “probably our best midfielder”, conceding his influence in the engine room would be missed.
“We are looking to replace him and maybe a bit of outside class, a wingman and a small forward,” he said.
Planning for his second year at the helm, Tankard said Macedon’s skill level needed to improve for the club to return to the Riddell District Football League summit.
“The key area in most of our losses this year was turnovers,” he said.
“We turned the ball over in the wrong parts of the ground and that hurt us.
“We were the No. 1 defensive team in the competition.
“We are definitely looking to find … two or three more goals a game, which we did in our first two finals.
“That’s probably what our best football looks like.”
While Macedon had the best defensive record in the RDFL during the regular season, its average score of 83 points per game was dwarfed by Riddell (120 points), Diggers Rest (118) and Rupertswood (110).
“There’ll be a major focus on performing consistently every week and trying to add 2-3 goals to our already strong defensive systems,” Tankard said.
The retention of 2017 Bowen medallist Jason Cooke and influential defender Jae Wilton has given the Cats a significant boost, while two-time EDFL premiership player Karl Staudt, a half forward/wingman, has crossed from Ocean Grove.
Macedon finished fifth at the end of the home-and-away campaign, hammering Wallan and Rupertswood in finals before succumbing by two points to eventual premier Diggers Rest.
“Probably finishing fifth has cost us in the end,” Tankard said.
“Injuries really hurt us and were probably the reason we qualified so low.”
Tankard said the club was confident it would be a premiership challenger again in 2019.
“There’s a couple of little things that went wrong (this) year that we think are really fixable and we think we will be pretty hard to beat again,” he said.
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