By Mikayla van Loon
Mooroolbark Football Clubs’ senior side has had a dream run in the first half of the season, winning nine from nine and sitting on top of the ladder.
Coach Bret Lavers said the stellar start has even come as a bit of a surprise to him knowing the competition standard of the other sides in division 1.
“[Winning nine games] definitely wasn’t on the radar. As a coaching group, you’re always striving to win more than you lose and we had plans to improve on the previous year, that’s what we set out to achieve,” he said.
The winning streak has created an exciting energy around the club and Lavers said it has been a good driving force for the playing group to play their best footy.
Moving into the second half of the season, beginning with a special Queen’s Birthday weekend match against local rivals Montrose, Lavers said replicating what the team has been able to do already will be the focus.
Being successful on the ground starts with a good club culture, something Lavers said Mooroolbark has been working towards and ensuring recruitment matches that messaging.
“We made some good additions to our squad, the recruiting was tailor made for the positions we thought we had deficiencies in.
“The boys are quite a tight knit group and I think they’re all working together. They’ve bought into what we’re selling as coaches and it’s a really happy place to be around.”
With former AFL player Aaron Mullett on board as a playing coach, his experience has been invaluable both on and off the field.
Lavers said “when he speaks the boys listen” but there are other leaders also taking on key roles in the side, like Austin Smith, Kane Noonan and Ryley Monkhorst.
“It’s a collective across the board who are all contributing on the day, which is helping us get these victories.
“Every club’s got their star players but it’s your bottom six who probably help push you to these wins and I feel that we’re probably getting more out of them than maybe some of our opposition clubs, which has helped us in our first half of the year.”
Lavers knows clubs like East Ringwood, Mitcham, Croydon and Montrose will bring the challenges again in the second half of the season, with tight games already played.
“Division 1, it’s an exceptionally strong competition as it always is and I think on any given day the vast majority of sides can beat anyone…you can’t take any side lightly at the moment.”
Coming up against Montrose this weekend, Lavers said the last time they played each other, it was an exciting and attacking game from both sides.
“It’s a local derby. We’ve only played them once in recent memory, which was earlier this year and I think that excites a lot of people when you get those derbies back.
“From a playing point of view, we’re just hoping that our boys can go out and play the brand of footy that has been successful for us in the first half of the year and they put up a good account of themselves against some quality opposition.”
