By Marcus Uhe
The young talent at Mick Fogarty’s disposal has him maintaining his end of season enthusiasm from 2022 about Beaconsfield’s prospects this year.
Having worn some bumps and bruises in their first season in the Eastern Football Netball League last season, the squad now has a better sense of what’s expected from them, and where they need to improve.
Opening their Division One season against Mitcham on Saturday, Fogarty believes an exceptional summer on the track from players such as Matt Wilson, Jack Docherty, Tyler Stokoe, and Hayden Brough will hold them in good stead.
“We’re pretty excited to kick the year off again and I couldn’t be happier with the boys,” Fogarty said.
“It takes a bit of time for these guys to find their feet at a really strong division of football.
“They came back fitter than ever last year and they understand what Division One looks like, in regards to competition evenness and staying in the game longer, which gives you an opportunity to really close-out those close games that we lost last year.”
Avoiding those lapses in games where teams could apply scoreboard pressure will be the primary focus for the Eagles.
Where other sides were able to field a collection of more experienced players in their mid-20s who knew the rigours and rhythms of games, Beaconsfield’s younger crop were made to pay for switching off at stages in their six-win season in 2022.
In former St Kilda players Brandon White and Darren Minchington, Fogarty has a pair of Swiss army knives on his coaching tool-belt that he expects to throw in just about any position if required.
It’s a homecoming for White, a local product returning to the club after a season with Devon Meadows in 2022, in the hopes of recapturing the magic of the 2014 premiership he played in as a teenager at Beaconsfield.
“To have Brandon back is terrific get for our footy club,” Fogarty said.
“We obviously missed him last year but he’ll make an enormous difference to us and the way we’ll be able to set the ground up.
“Darren Minchington, again, it’s just strength around the footy. I think last year around the footy it probably wasn’t great, we got exposed by the opposition’s bigger bodies and we’ve added those two.
“They’ll both go through the midfield at stages, so they’re both going to benefit our footy team through that area that we lacked last year.
“They’ve come from the highest level so they’ve already ingrained good training habits, standards, culture and leadership.”
Other returnees, in Jake Cameron and Josh Mounter, headline the inclusions, and are expected to help the Eagles run their opponents off their feet with their fast, aggressive game style.
While in Sam Merrick, Sam Mackiner and Declan Curran, the future is bright.
“I’m really positive and I think this group, going forward, is going to, I believe, challenge,” Fogarty said.
“Last year and this year, we’re just building, and we’re just getting more games into the group.
“They’ll be ready in the next year or two to take their footy to the next level, these kids.
“There’ll be times we might take some hits this year but we understand the evenness of the competition. It’s a really positive outlook for the group.”
