WRFL 2018: Yarraville-Seddon Division 2 coach Vinnie Turcinovich keen to take on elite clubs
FLAG favourite Yarraville-Seddon will have no hesitation in accepting promotion to the top flight if first-year coach Vinnie Turcinovich has his way.
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FLAG favourite Yarraville-Seddon will have no hesitation in accepting promotion to the top flight if first-year coach Vinnie Turcinovich has his way.
Three of the past five Western Region Football League Division 2 premiers have opted against taking the giant leap to Division 1.
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North Footscray, which defeated the Eagles by 58 points in last season’s grand final, decided to remain in the second tier after expressing concerns about its finances and age profile of its playing list.
In the past two decades, only Altona and Deer Park have established themselves in the top grade after saluting in Division 2, underlining the enormous challenge.
The Eagles are undefeated and on top of the ladder after 12 rounds, with Point Cook and North Footscray their closest rivals.
“There’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge first with the players that we can keep, the players we can get,” Turcinovich said of the prospect of promotion.
“I’ve been around local footy long enough to know we need a couple of big bodies.
“We don’t want to go up to Div 1 and go straight back down or not win a game.
“But I’m pretty confident with another year under these kids’ belts with some maturing upstairs and the body as well, we could really be competitive in the bottom half and maybe pinch a couple against the good sides when they have bad days.
“We haven’t really spoken about it, but I definitely want to go up.”
Yarraville-Seddon last competed in the top flight in 2014 and has lost the past two Division 2 deciders.
Former Port Melbourne VFL assistant coach Turcinovich has revamped the line-up, with the side boasting class on every line.
“When I got the job, I said that I’d get you a style of play that will hopefully win you a premiership and be competitive in Division 1,” he said.
“Even though we haven’t spoken about finals … it’s definitely in the back of our minds.”
Yarraville-Seddon won the Division 2 premiership in 2012 before a two-year stint in the top tier delivered five victories.
The Eagles, who have 11 wins and a draw from 12 matches, hammered Newport Power by 62 points on Saturday.
Yarraville-Seddon laid the foundations for victory with a blistering nine-goal opening term and triumphed 16.16 (112) to 7.8 (50).
It will next meet Albanvale away from home.
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