VAFA: Star forward Steve Pimm crosses to Canterbury
A dual EFL premiership power forward has joined VAFA club Canterbury in a major boost for the Cobras’ firepower. Club president BJ Lashbrook explains the move...
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One of the EFL’s most celebrated forwards has landed at VAFA Division 3 club Canterbury in a significant lift for the club’s attack.
Dual premiership spearhead Steve Pimm has joined the Cobras as senior playing-assistant coach, crossing from Division 4 club Forest Hill where he booted 40 majors in 2019, backing up his effort of 45 in 2018.
Renowned as a Mitcham great where the Pimm name is synonymous, the Tigers premiership player and best and fairest winner’s career has also included stints with Upper Ferntree Gully where he debuted in 2002, as well as Scoresby where he helped lift the club to the 2006 Division 2 premiership – its first senior flag in almost 30 years.
He later helped his beloved Tigers to the 2015 Division 3 flag before a stint with Phillip Island, crossing to Forest Hill following the 2017 season. He took out the Mitcham best and fairest in 2013 in a season where he topped the Division 3 goalkicking with 72 majors on his way to selection in the Team of the Year, adding to a host of career honours.
An existing connection at Canterbury led Pimm into the VAFA ranks for season 2021.
“He’s actually played cricket with a couple of the coaches for a number of years now and we’ve been trying for a while to get him across and it looks like everything’s kind of fallen into place, and it’s a good get for us,” Canterbury president BJ Lashbrook said.
“Obviously with the experience that he’ll bring, the leadership will be invaluable for us.
“Hopefully with his network of footballers he can bring a couple more across, but we can’t really count anything until Round 1 next year, so we’ll see how we go there.”
The Cobras made the finals for the first time last year since their 2015 premiership-winning season, finishing fourth in 2019 but suffered a first-week exit from the finals at the hands of Emmaus St Leo’s.
Lashbrook said the club was building towards its next tilt for success following its return to finals last season.
“We only just missed finals the year before, and the year before that, which kind of built that hunger as well,” he said.
“Then obviously we made the first final and got defeated but we’ve had a very similar coaching group over that time but we just feel that we’re certainly pushing forward towards a bit of success and with a bit more depth across the entire playing group, it should strengthen the twos and the threes as well.”
Lashbrook is confident the club would retain its list ahead of 2021 with vast numbers expected at pre-season training.
“I don’t believe we’ve had any drop off, but it’s been a bit of a challenging year as we all know because we had no footy played,” he said.
“We actually had record numbers training with us in June when we did get that little start up again so hopefully we can keep all those guys and push forward into next year obviously creating that step from the ones and twos and into our threes as well.”
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