Southern league 2019: Chelsea Heights hits 50 with new coach and some old faces

Chelsea Heights celebrated its 50th year of football with a ball and by naming a team of the half-century. A string of returning players will help the Demons in their milestone season.

Chelsea Heights Football Netball Club kicked off its 2019 season in style and with a milestone to celebrate.

The Southern league Demons were formed in 1969.

Last Saturday night they marked their 50th year with a ball at the Freccia Azzurra Club in Keysborough, naming five teams of the decade and one team of the half-century.

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It featured two players who have returned this season, former AFL pair Jayden Attard and Darren Walsh.

Attard was named on a back flank and Walsh on a wing.

The Heighters were relegated from Division 1 at the end of last season but go into Division 2 with great optimism under new coach Terry Brennan and with a stronger group of players.

Attard, Walsh, Brad Gilder, Patrick Morrissey, Tyler Cantwell, Jarryd Uren and James Norton have all returned, with Attard bringing with him from Toora Ritchie Jaroszczuk, who had a run at VFL club Frankston.

Jayden Attard and coach Terry Brennan.

Gilder is back at Beazley Reserve after a successful stint at Division 1 club St Paul’s — he was among the best players in the grand final victory over East Malvern last season — and will provide experience and leadership to the Demons.

“He’s a natural leader,’’ Brennan said of Gilder.

“Him and Attard and Walsh, you don’t need to tell them things. They just go and do it, and that’s what you need. There were a couple of times last season when we got lost on the field.’’

Aside from the returnees, recruits include midfielder Zach Caccaviell from Nyah Nyah West United and small forward Damian Plane from Frankston Pines.

“He’s come in and he looks the goods,’’ Brennan said of Caccaviell.

“All the reports we’ve got from up there is he’s pretty damn good.’’

Brennan said another newcomer in Brendan Morris had developed quickly and was on course to play senior football.

“He runs to the right spots, he’s got great skills. He’s right on target to play ones footy,’’ he said. “We’re rapt with him.’’

He said the Demons would “bat pretty deep in the midfield, but we’re not super endowed with talls’’.

“I’m pretty happy with how we’re shaping up. As I said at the ball, we’re not making any predictions. We want to be competitive and work our way through the year,’’ Brennan said.

Brennan was an assistant with the Demons last season, lives a short distance from the ground and has a good feel for how the club operates.

“It worked out well that I’ve been around the place, not wandering in new,’’ he said.

“It’s not a big-money club and it doesn’t have juniors so you’ve got to rely a fair bit on goodwill to get guys in.’’

Jesse Odell will captain the team.

The Heighters open their season with a home game on Saturday against Heatherton.

Ryan Flack was named in the 50-year team.

50-YEAR CHELSEA HEIGHTS TEAM

B: Rob Mallett, John Hogan, Ash Roberts

HB: Jayden Attard, Robert Green, Colin Van Summeren

C: Travis Coote, Paul Foot, Darren Walsh

HF: Phil Matheson, Steve Fanning (c), Paul Smit

FOR: Keith Robbins, Phil Smith, Scott Crow

FOLL: Paul Wineberg, Peter Oakes, Ryan Flack

INT: Stan Czarnecki, Neil Lockhart, Wayne Stewart, Hagan Haimona, David Cross, Jordan Perryman.

Coach: Peter Oakes.