Coburg will have a very different look when it steps out for Round 1
The winds of change are sweeping through Coburg with some new faces showcasing the shift in the club’s culture, standards and expectations ahead of 2021.
Victorian Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victorian Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The winds of change have blown strongly through Piranha Park since the end of 2019.
Coburg has undergone a drastic makeover on and off the field and will take a new look physically and mentally into Round 1.
After just five wins in the past four seasons the club enters 2021 with credible finals aspirations ahead of a very different VFL season.
Coburg has a long history of identifying and developing elite talent from suburban footy but has struggled to attract it from AFL or VFL clubs.
However, in the past 18 months the Lions’ recruiting team has secured arguably the strongest recruiting class of any VFL club.
Corey Ellis (Richmond/Gold Coast), Jack Maibaum (Sydney) and Tom McKenzie (North Melbourne) have jumped on board fresh out of the AFL system.
Since the end of 2019 Jacob Ballard, Tom Silvestro, Luke Nelson, Charlie Thompson (all Richmond VFL), Nathan Boucher, Nelson Lane and Nathan Mullenger-McHugh (all Box Hill) and Jhye Baddely-Kelly (Williamstown) have crossed from VFL rivals.
Ryan Sturgess is still in the sights of AFL recruiters and two-time best-and-fairest Lochie Dickson returns after stepping away in 2020.
Combined with existing stars Sam Lowson, Marcus Lentini, Peter McEvoy, Ryan Exon, Jesse Corigliano, Harry Nolan, Luke Bunker and Josh Guthrie and new coach Andrew Sturgess is facing some major selection headaches.
Coburg’s 2019 list didn’t contain a player with AFL experience, it now has five, including Ballard who was vice-captain of Richmond’s 2019 VFL premiership.
Luring Ballard and Silvestro last season then Nelson and Thompson out of a successful AFL-aligned program has fast-tracked Coburg’s shift.
“Coming in, Silver and I last pre-season, we were coming into a young up-and-coming team so having experience and playing in a successful team we just wanted to bring those high standards,” Ballard said.
“We wanted to up-skill guys, whether it was gameplan or footy smarts, the type of things you only get playing lots of seasons.
“Coming from a team where that level of knowledge is high across the board we asked how can we get them to that level as quickly as possible.”
Nelson joined this pre-season and said small changes could have a big impact.
“The main thing I learnt in my one year (at Richmond) was the culture, the connection they had,” he said.
“The way the players got around you from the start, it was like a second home, which was pretty cool.
“Coming here I’ve been really impressed, we can implement some new things but I think they’re already on the right track, which drew me here.”
Securing ex-AFL talent has been the cherry on top.
Ellis was pick No.12 in 2014, playing 31 AFL games for Richmond and Gold Coast, and looms as an attacking weapon off half-back.
Maibaum will slot into centre half-back after leaving the Swans giving Coburg a strong one-two combination in defence alongside Nolan.
McKenzie had signed with North Melbourne’s VFL team in 2020 but crossed to Coburg when the AFL clubs withdrew and has decided to remain a Lion in 2021.
That culture of connection is what drew him to the club.
RECRUIT: EX-TIGER, SUN ELLIS SET FOR VFL MOVE
LEADER: GET YOUR VFL FOOTY NEWS HERE
LIONS: 2021 A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS FOR COBURG
“Looking from the outside in, Coburg has looked like a young, talented, tight-knit group that are going to go places and that is something I really wanted to be a part of going forward,” he said after signing.
Of course, proof will be in the pudding when the team takes the field but with the 2020 season cancelled Coburg’s vast improvement has certainly raised expectations.
“We definitely want to play finals, I think that’s clear among everyone in the group,” Ballard said.
“Even though over the last few seasons Coburg has been low down the ladder, looking at the talent we have, the talent that was already here, we have a lot of belief in our ability to make finals and we’d be disappointed if we didn’t.”
Beaconsfield to the big time? Inside VFL bolter’s stunning rise
Matt Johnson did not come through the traditional football ‘pathway’. But through talent and tenacity he’s made his way onto the radar of AFL clubs at Frankston.
Demon Desire: Reborn VFL star’s AFL ambition still burns
At age 28, Kye Declase is back in the VFL and the former Melbourne rookie is not yet prepared to give up on his dream of playing AFL, as Paul Amy finds out.