Southern league Division 2 preview: Springvale Districts the team to chase

East Brighton, Caulfield and Chelsea Heights are tipped as the improvers in what will be a competitive Division 2 of Southern.

Sam Raru takes a kick for Springvale Districts. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Everyone is talking about Division 1 of the Southern league and how competitive it will be this year.

But what about Division 2?

Caulfield, East Brighton and Chelsea Heights should all be improved, Hampton Park, up from Division 3, will hold its own and Springvale Districts and Keysborough aren’t about to give up ground.

Here’s a run-down of how the 10 clubs are shaping up for 2021.

Chris Dove has returned to Caulfield.

CAULFIELD

Coach: Chris O’Keefe

2019: 6-12 (sixth)

The skinny: The Bears are a club transformed since 2019, with 33 new players in their squad, and reappointed coach Chris O’Keefe, the former Western Region champion, believing at least 12 will be playing in the top team in Round 1. They’ll get quite a few goals from Chris Smith, a former Old Xaverians premiership player who has more recently been kicking bags for Surrey Park; midfielder Dale Lappin has transferred from East Geelong; and James Sullivan (who was on VFL club Box Hill Hawks’ list) is a good acquisition from Strathmore in the Essendon District league. Aside from the recruits, there are returnees in Tom Heagney (Wodonga), Brandon Turner (Bentleigh), Sean Gunning (Port Melbourne Colts) and Chris Dove (Kiewa), as well as James Backway and Cam Vincent, both of whom played in Yarraville’s 2019 premiership. Dove will play at centre half forward, where he’ll be a target for an overhauled onball brigade led by class players Heagney and Lappin. O’Keefe has dropped some weight and is playing on; he’ll keep even the best players in the division busy. “We’re coming from a long way back; we got beaten by 100 points a couple of times in 2019,’’ O’Keefe said. “We finished sixth and about three or four games out of the finals, so we’ve got a lot of ground to make up. We haven’t proven anything yet. We’ve got some recruits and we’ve improved our stocks but Springy (Springvale Districts) are the team to beat.’’

Gary Carpenter (left) has strengthened the Chelsea Heights list.

CHELSEA HEIGHTS

Coach: Josh Bull

2019: 3-15 (ninth)

The skinny: like a couple of other Division 2 clubs, the Heights will present as an improved combination in 2021. Dropping down from Division 1, they finished second-last in 2019, scrounging three wins. Changes were made. Josh Bull, the son of legendary Mornington Peninsula coach Chris Bull, took over as coach and has since worked diligently to strengthen the squad. He did that by bringing in decorated Bonbeach player Gary Carpenter, as well as Joel Rippingale and Sheldon Price from Bonny, former East Malvern senior playing coach Nathan Robinson, Hastings pair Joel Williams and Chris Maloney, Tim Brook from the Ovens and Murray league, and Luke Clark from Parkdale Vultures. Bull said the club was fortunate to recruit players of the experience and calibre of Carpenter, Brook and Robinson. There are good notices about Brook, who crossed from Corowa-Rutherglen and previously had a stint in the NTFL. “He’s a pretty strong, inside-type mid,’’ Bull said. “Bit of a goalkicker too. Looking forward to what he can bring to the table.’’ Bull said he believed the Demons could improve quickly. “Training’s been really good, and as I’ve said before, I think we benefited as a footy club by having that 12-month period off. We didn’t sit on our hands. We got pretty busy and kept connected with our playing group and supporters and drummed up a few sponsors and helpers.’’

Blair Atkins (left) is a key recruit for the Vampires.

EAST BRIGHTON

Coach: Andrew Kahofer.

2019: 5-13 (seventh)

The skinny: the Vampires made a blazing start to the season by stitching up Heatherton on Good Friday, a result that went some way towards confirming they’re a resurgent club. There were 14 newcomers, including Blair Atkins (Ormond), Daniel Taberner (Balwyn), James Farley-Smith (AFL Cairns), James McNamara (Echuca), Henry Burke (VAFA) and Tom Larby (Tasmania), as well as the returning Kai Love-Linay. And there was a new game style, attractive to watch, as the ball was moved quickly. It reflected new coach Andrew Kahofer’s efforts to build a “new-look’’ East Brighton. The Vampires will look even better when they have 203cm Liam Reidy in the side. He’s joined Frankston VFL and will play for East when not selected by the Dolphins. Former St Kilda star Steve Milne has also linked with East Brighton and will play a few matches this season. “We were rounded; there weren’t any passengers. Everyone did their job, everyone knew their role,’’ Kahofer, a reserves premiership coach at Ormond, said after Good Friday. “We’ve got to prepare for next week now. You put a win like that on the board and people are going to have a look at you. But we’re not one of the top sides. We’re just making our way. We just want to get a bit of respect back to the club.’’

Guy Timms (right) will carry the ruck load for the Hammers.

HAMPTON

Coach: TBC

2019: 11-7 (fifth)

The skinny: The first task for ther Hammers before Round 1 is to appoint a new senior coach. They’ll have someone locked in soon to replace Matt Ferguson, who stood down for personal reasons. “The football club has set some strong foundations and with a blend of experienced senior players and a young and exciting list the club is set improve in the coming years,’’ Hampton said in advertising the position. “We are seeking a passionate, well organised, enthusiastic leader who has a record of providing leadership and working with a leadership group.’’ Ferguson had replaced Craig McIndoe, who took Hampton to the finals in 2019. Inclusions for this season include tall forward Billy Govan from the Murray league, midfielder/forward Leo Grenville from the VAFA, onballer Matthew Care also from the VAFA, backman Jacob Gown from Garfield and midfielder Ilya Fridman. And Daniel Guiry returns from Black Rock. The Hammers are hoping to stitch up another four players this week. The newcomers will go with a senior core of Aiden Gaganovic, Jake Timms, Corey Smith, Nick O’Donovan, Guy Timms and Luke Hayes.

Kyle Hendy is a quality recruit for the Redbacks.

HAMPTON PARK

Coach: Nathan Wilson

2019: Division 3 premier

The skinny: The Redbacks made their Division 2 debut on Good Friday and lost by seven goals to Springvale Districts, but they had quite a few players unavailable and new coach Nathan Wilson says his team may take some time to settle. The Parkers have recruited well, bringing in two former Frankston VFL players in ruckman Russ Gabriel and tough onballer Liam Myatt, as well as Kyle Hendy has crossed from Highett, Josh Dowling from Narre Warren, Travis Hendy from St John’s Old Collegians, Enayte Samadi and Steven Stredwick from Doveton Eagles, and Darcy Hope from Pakenham. In fact, the Redbacks had nine players wearing the jumper for the first time on Good Friday, including young Wade McDonald, who has impressed Wilson. The coach knows the jump from Division 3 to Division 2 is steep but he’s confident Hampton Park can manage it. “From what I saw, Hampton Park dominated Division 3 the whole season,’’ he said. “To be honest, when I took the job I was pretty happy with what we were taking into the season, and then we added some top-end talent.’’

Heatherton newcomer Dan Gormley.

HEATHERTON

Coach: Shayne Sheedy

2019: 2-15 (tenth)

The skinny: The Tonners started the season on Good Friday and were stitched up by the new-look East Brighton. But they’d had only one practice match and reappointed coach Shayne Sheedy says his side will take a week or two to get into stride. The Tonners have brought in some good players, including Dan Gormley and Scott Foster from the Mornington Peninsula Nepean league, former Sandringham Dragon Jackson Hannah and classy forward Dave Velardo. And big Ben Ingham, about whom the term “red-hot crack’’ could have been coined, has returned from Moorabbin and will carry the ruck division with Callan Brinkmann. Gormley made his name at Mt Eliza and is serving as an assistant coach and Sheedy’s successor at the end of the season. In 2019 he was a fly-in player for Merbein in the Sunraysia league, finishing third in the club best and fairest. Recruited from Oakleigh District, Velardo is in the veteran class these days but his left-foot kicking and goalkicking remain as sharp as a butcher’s knife. He’ll go into the midfield on occasion. “If our grunt boys can get it out to him, he’ll finish their work with his foot skills,’’ Sheedy said. The Tonners finished on the bottom in 2019, but gained a reprieve when Doveton Eagles went to Division 3. There’s no reason they can’t rise a few rungs this year.

Harley Balic playing for the Dockers against Fremantle.

KEYSBOROUGH

Coach: Chris Smith

2019: 15-3 (semi-finals)

The skinny: after steering clear of the SFNL clearance register, Keysy put through a string of transfers on Tuesday and among them was former Fremantle midfielder Harley Balic, who last August opened up about his mental health issues. He’s a talent and he’ll be one of the best players in the league if he lines up with the Burra. They’ve also secured former Hampton player Michael Ashman, who booted 32 goals from 17 games in 2019, Dylan McKenzie from St John’s in the VAFA, Shannon Marsh from West Gippsland and Ben Kanka from AFL Outer East. But top defender James Anwyl is 50-50 about playing on, former coach and AFL player Chris Bryan has retired, and Riet Pal is trying his luck at Noble Park. Bryan, Pal and Anwyl were among Keysy’s best players in 2019, when they slipped out of the finals in straight-sets, albeit with narrow defeats to Murrumbeena and eventual premiers Doveton Eagles. Big Bryan’s 53 goals won’t easily be replaced. Still, the Burra will have again a good core of senior players to set the standard: Geoff Humphrey, Michael Downie, Ryan Goodes, Anthony Brannan and Bryce Sutton. New coach Chris Smith knew what he was taking on when he was appointed, having worked as an assistant under Matt Ferguson.

Wade King has stuck with Murrumbeena.

MURRUMBEENA

Coach: James Ray

2019: 15-3 (semi-finals)

The skinny: It’s been a tough few months for the Lions, with an exodus of players leaving them light on for players. The pre-season had started with the brilliant news that decorated TAC Cup/NAB League coach Justin Wenke had been appointed coach to replace Paul Howroyd. But soon after he took a position at Wesley College and had to withdraw. Andrew Ray, who assisted Wenke at the Northern Knights, took over but a lot of players took off. Two weeks ago vice-president Freddy Hargrave said only two players remained from the finals team of 2019. The Beena have picked a few, including Marcus Higgins from Balwyn. But forget about finals: the focus for the Lions this year is on getting up two senior teams, trying to be competitive and hanging in there. Hopefully the Under 19s can give the faithful something to shout about.

James Holland Burch (left) has switched to Skye.

SKYE

Coach: Luke Martin

2019: 4-13 (eighth)

The skinny: there are plenty of numbers – they’ll field three teams – and a fair degree of optimism at the Bombers as they look to move closer to the top five in 2021. Into the side come Tom Heuston from Upper Ferntree Gully, Reece Stewart, Jayden Goldsmith and Jordan Frawley from Frankston Pines, James Matthews from Mornington, James Holland Burch from Tyabb and Andrew Knight from Longwarry. Jason Ward was a walk-in-off-the street signing and at 17 is showing a lot of ability. “Our aim is to try to sneak into the finals,’’ Martin said. “If we win 50 per cent of our games, that would be a good achievement. We just want another good year of development. We finished off 2019 strong. We thought we were in a really good position last year until COVID but we just need to progress again.’’

Springvale Districts key forward Matt Wetering.

SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS

Coach: Kris Thompson

2019: 15-3 (runner-up)

The skinny: started the season being commonly tipped to win the premiership and defeated Hampton Park by seven goals in the Good Friday clash at Newcomen Rd. As coach Kris Thompson sees it, the Demons are still peeved at their 2019 grand final performance and are eager to make up for it. “We put in so much time and effort into what we wanted to achieve, and we felt short on the day, weren’t good enough on the day,’’ he said. “We got our pants pulled down. Simple. Didn’t perform. And it hurt the pride of a lot of good Springvale Districts people. I guess COVID delayed what we wanted to have a crack at. It’s made the players hungrier. I honestly believe that.’’ He also believes his squad is stronger this year, having recruited big man Riley Mayne, century goalkicker Darren Sheen, another top forward in Adam Read from Doveton Eagles, as well as Oakleigh District pair Daniel Spence and John Walker, nippy Darcy Warke from the Mornington Peninsula and Drew Stockton from Montrose. Put them with names like Matt Thompson, 2019 league medal star Matt Wetering and Sam Raru, and there’s little doubt the Demons are the side to defeat.