Some rights and wrongs

 

September 29 2009

Shepparton News

The Goulburn North East Football Association men's division one season came to an end last Sunday week with a new premier in Shepparton South.

A season of consistency from South at the top overlooked a rollercoaster below, with a number of teams in contention for the finals right down to the last kick of the home and away season.

NEWS journalist Teo Pellizzeri looks at the success and struggles of each club this season and casts an eye to what strategies teams might adopt for next year

 

Shepparton South

Premier

First place - 43 points (10-3-1), 48 goals for, 16 goals against

Top scorer: Stuart Vance (23 goals)

What worked: South's Scottish recruits Hamish Munro and Robbie Taylor hit their straps from the off to lift the Southerners' backline and goalkeeping, while Stuart Vance's switch from Shepparton delivered the goals expected.

What didn't: South's only loss was a dead rubber, while two games it looked destined to lose against Tatura and Shepparton were both saved by equalisers in stoppage time. Hard to pick faults from its season.

Next season: Recruiting will again be the big question for South, with a goalkeeper the most likely position at the top of its wish list

Shepparton United

Runner-up

Second place - 27 points (9-0-5), 28 goals for, 20 goals against

Top scorer: Fahed Alghazaly (five goals)

What worked: United hit form at its last possible chance to make finals,rode its luck at the tribunal and capitalised on out-of-theordinary conditions and lenient refereeing in the preliminary final. However, it would not have made the grand final without the spirit and belief that started the late charge.

What didn't: United used a heap of players after injuries and unavailability destabilised its squad for much of the season. Four different goalkeepers were used during the year.

Next season: A fit Fahed Alghazaly would be a huge asset to United if the striker returns, while another natural goal-scorer would be a top priority.

Shepparton

Preliminary finalist

Third place - 25 points (8-1-5), 35 goals for, 24 goals against

Top scorer: Andrew Rushbury (15 goals)

What worked: Shepparton's trio of UK imports, Marquin Smith, Andy Rushbury and Duncan Whitlam were creative and entertaining, the pinnacle being the Reds' 5-0 demolition of Tatura in the elimination final.

What didn't: The Reds overcame a card-filled start to the season and showed maturity and discipline as it recovered from seventh place to make the finals. Exactly why they lost the preliminary final will be a debate for years to come.

Next season: Who to recruit and how many players is the toughest call, with first-team regulars of past seasons such as Ayden Murdoch and Mitch Anderson spending more time on the bench after the mid-season imports arrived.

Tatura

Elimination finalist

Fourth place - 23 points (7-2-5), 37 goals for, 21 goals against

Top scorer: Spiro Vourgaslis (13 goals)

What worked: Tatura returned to finals at senior level for the first time since 2002 after its front partnership of Spiro Vourgaslis and David Turkovic delivered the goals.

What didn't: After a 6-0 thumping against Shepparton in a curtainraiser to a Victorian Premier League match last year, Tatura's 5-0 elimination final defeat would suggest the big stage is something the club is still coming to terms with.

Next season: Retaining this year's home-grown players will be a top priority, with the possibility none of the ex-radius players employed this season will return. A centre-back or ball-winning midfielder would be two positions of interest.

Cobram

Fifth place - 23 points (7-2-5), 32 goals for, 28 goals against

Top scorer: Daniel Genovesi (14 goals)

What worked: Last year's wooden spooner still finished sixth of the teams that played in the division in 2008 but significantly closed the gap on the top four. Finally got the derby monkey off its back by beating Cobram Victory.

What didn't: Bringing Frank Bazzano and Seb Fichera to the club and Carl Fannon back to the league was still not able to get the Tigers into the top four. One win from six games against the Sheppartonbased teams was the main factor in their missing out.

Next season: Cobram, like Victory, remains a club that will have to recruit if it wants to put together a premiership challenge.

Cobram Victory

Sixth place - 22 points (7-1-6), 36 goals for, 19 goals against

Top scorer: Nick Mantovani (12 goals)

What worked: Victory blooded a number of its youth team in the seniors this season and recovered from a slow start to only narrowly miss the finals.

What didn't: Victory's off-days lacked creativity and goal-scoring chances, with the club out of the picture in the final third in some games, including matches where its main attacking player Cameron Miles was available.

Next season: Cobram Victory is a tough call for next season, it will have to load up on the recruiting front to match the Sheppartonbased teams in the premiership race.

Kialla United

Seventh place - 10 points (3-1-10), 22 goals for, 56 goals against

Top scorer: Mohamed Saleh (12 goals)

What worked: Kialla United's first season in the senior competition came with an entertaining style of play and its talents such as Nasrullah Sadeqi and Francois Byamasu showed flair and creativity.

What didn't: As entertaining as Kialla is, its play was not overly successful defending and big scores were racked up against it.

Next season: If Kialla does come back for a second season in the league it will probably need to be receptive to tactics and concepts that will allow it to win games and maintain its discipline.

Numurkah

Eighth place - zero points (0-0-14), 15 goals for, 69 goals against

Top scorers: Michael Gasparroni, Denc Thuch and Mitchell Tomasino (three goals)

What worked: Numurkah was far from disgraced after stepping up to men's division one for the first time, with a number of games where it agonisingly missed out on a first win or draw.

What didn't: Clubs capable of recruiting players from Melbourne or overseas went into games with a relative level of comfort against the Knights and as the season went on, the chance for an upset result was diminished.

Next season: Retaining the playing list clearly capable of competing in division one will be Numurkah's first assignment. The chance to reduce ex-radius players allowed in the league may also be an attractive option. Clubs are currently allowed four players based more than 100 km from their club unless the players are home-grown.