By Jonty Ralphsmith
Up then down then up then down.
That was the story of Southern Football Netball League Division 2 club Endeavour Hills season, a typical narrative for a young side.
The Falcons capitalised on a soft draw to start the season 3-0, before being exposed against some of the best sides in the competition.
They then went on a five week stretch where they had a string of close finishes, set to harden the group as they look to take the next step in 2025.
The season finished with a disappointing whimper, sandwiching a competitive showing against Murrumbeena with heavy defeats against Doveton and St Kilda City.
“We’re proud of what we did going up a division,” said coach Matt Peake, who is set to continue next year.
“I think there was a lot of unknown and apprehension from the playing group about whether we’d be able to compete.
“I was always bullish about the young talent.
“I thought they could keep stepping up but the young group means ups and downs so it is just about constantly learning each week and hopefully building on that next year. It is an achievement to stay up and that was a box we wanted to tick and we have a number of teams playing finals which shows we have a lot of depth on the list.”
The senior side, led by Luke Peters and John Rafferty, played a resilient bind which opposition clubs regularly commented on.
Many teams had more talent; far fewer had the tenacity and will to stay in the contest.
The Falcons finished in seventh spot, three games and percentage outside the top five, but victories over Highett, Caulfield and East Malvern will give them great confidence about the future.
Players who won’t be part of that include Nathan Reid and Travis Hall, the former bowing out as a premiership skipper and stalwart whose last season was interrupted by injury.
“He’s been amazing,” Peake said.
“He basically is another on-field coach and you couldn’t ask for anything more from a skipper.
“Him and hisco-captain Ben Holland are very good at making other players on the ground better players and that’s when you know they’re very good leaders.
“He will be sorely missed but we’ve talked a lot about driving the next leaders up.”
Another blow for the club is that premiership ruck Sean Van Velsen’s availability is unclear next year.
Travelling for much of 2024, he played one reserves game when he ruptured his ACL.
The club is, however, buoyed by the likely reintegration of Baron Grant into the lineup – the older brother of Jacob and Mitch.
Adding forward firepower is the next step for Endeavour Hills, which scored the second-fewest points in 2024 behind only the winless Skye.
At times they appeared to lack a focal point, highlighted by midfielder John Rafferty leading the goal kicking.
They averaged just 6.5 goals in their 10 games against top five opponents, winning two of those matches.
Another area of growth will be adding more size around the ball, via a combination of recruits and youth development, but the bones of a successful style are in place.
“When we got our footy going, it held up,” Peake said.
“When we were going through our down period, we had lapses and the higher level you play, the more your lapses get punished.
“We just didn’t get our game going for long enough periods and we figured out we couldn’t kick enough goals so didn’t hurt sides enough when we had momentum.”
