By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG JOURNAL FOOTBALL PREVIEW
KNOCKING on the door already is the return of south eastern football.
With the Eastern, VAFA and Southern Football Leagues kicking off on 9 April, it’s time to look over the lists and figure out who will shine and which teams are sadly set to fade in the 2016 premiership race.
EFL – DIVISION 1
NOBLE PARK
COACH: Mick Fogarty
INS: Mitch Gent, Will Petropolous, Sean Corrigan (Casey), Taylor Joyce, Tyson Mitchem (Beaconsfield), Adam Giobbi, Ben Giobbi, Ryan Morrison (Narre Warren), Jackson McDonald, Josh Docherty.
OUT: Shane Valenti, Trent Cody, Josh Ferguson, Daniel Galante, Chris Horton-Milne, Marc Johnston, Daniel Keely, Jake Wilson, Jarryd Plymin, Luke Mann.
COMMENTS: The ins certainly outweigh the outs. Mick Fogarty has loaded up the midfield with three from the VFL, including former Noble Park junior Will Petropoulos as well as up-and-comer Mitch Gent and a swathe of SEFNL pick-ups. Former club best and fairest Tyson Mitchem returns while the Giobbi brothers will add a lot to the wings and flanks. Add former Stingrays Taylor Joyce and Ryan Morrison at either end to give this side a ton of potential. Shane Valenti’s absence will be hard to fill – as proven in last year’s finals series – while Trent Cody is a big loss for the club’s midfield future. Nonetheless, Fogarty still has plenty to choose in pursuit of another EFL flag.
VAFA – DIVISION 2 AND 4
ST JOHN’S
COACH: Ben McGee
INS: Patrick Carr-Lehne, Guy Chuol, Brad Curry, Daniel Egan, Nathan Eres, Nicholas Silvey, Steven Sullivan, Daniel Vine, Damien Wilsnach, Matthew Bennett.
OUT: Aaron Abela, Emmanuel Jakwot, Carson Strobel.
COMMENTS: Expect excitement out of Carroll Reserve this year with Ben Mcgee getting his fill of a promising list. After a swift finals exit in 2015, the JOCs are set to be lightning-fast. Matthew Bennett from VAFA Premier C is a nice addition to counter the loss of Carson Strobel for St John’s interior forces. Aaron Abela (Endeavour Hills) is going to coach at the SFL Division 3 side while Manny Jakwot, St John’s best home-grown product, is trying his hand at VFL for Casey.
MASALA
Coach: Brett Robinson
INS: Nicholas Cunningham, Anthony Dorrington, Brandon Kelly, Anthony Maritno, David Matthews, Maurice Mills-Rolfe, Tim Moss, Jesse Yarde.
OUTS: Ben Field.
COMMENTS: Tough to see the Tigers moving up the ranks, but their involvement remains a crucial part of the Dandneong football community for their work in integration and community outreach. Ben Nugent will lead from the front again while Sam Freeman, Wayne McMahon, David Cvkevenac are part of the leadership group alongside Furkan Erkal, Declan Lee, Josh Kyle and Matthew Decarne.
SFL – DIVISION 2 AND 3
KEYSBOROUGH
COACH: Ryan Goodes
INS: Dylan Carlsson, Jake Buenaventura, Shane Cudby, Shaun Haffenden, Darren Jameson, Kristopher Jameson, Clinton King, Brandon Mather, Damon Mccormack, Kasey Mobourne, Nicholas Spryidon, Steven Watson.
OUTS: Travis Hyland, Mark Quiambao, Gerard Smith, Kiat Tut.
COMMENTS: Injury cruelled Keysy’s hopes last year with Tyson King and Corey Wilkinson lost to knee injuries. After a straight sets exit last year, the Burra has loaded up with a lot of new faces and not too many departing the nest. Steve Watson is a premiership ruckman with Narre Warren and is a big addition to the tall department and keep an eye out for promising youngster Kasey Mobourne who made the Flying Boomerangs squad in recent years. Although the loss of coach Ryan Goodes to a long-term suspension, which is being appealed currently, will be difficult to fill until his return.
SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS
COACH: Danny Rout
INS: Jack Allender, Richard Costantino, Josh Dart, Cameron Foley, Justin Lim, Marcus Scuotto, Matthew Soutter-Smith, Allan Taing, Todd Wills, Louis Greco, Ryan Oliver, Sam Blackburn
OUT: Tyson Bramble, Luke Dovaston, Brett Dunne, Lachlan Dunne, Jamie Fox, James Gough, Shelton Rosario, Daniel Wilson, Clain Whitlock-Shoppe.
COMMENTS: Changes aplenty out of Edinburgh Park as the Demons have pretty much wiped the slate. New coach Danny Rout has lost mountainous full forward James Gough, after only one year at the club, while Ben Laier and VFL prospect Shelton Rosario are also on the way out. Keep an eye out for Jack Allender, out of Noble Park/Bonbeach, Louis Greco, and big Sam Blackburn – who knows his way around a premiership flag and a best and fairest from his time at Rowville.
LYNDALE
COACH: Brad Bruni
INS: Brad Carroll, Steven Comino, Justin Doust, Troy Jordan, Trevor Kumetaitis, Ben Laier, Jayden Malek, Daniel Senior, Matthew Stuart, Daniel Wilson.
OUT: Daniel Howard, Ben Mayers, Anthony Besim, Kenneth Smart, Damien Wilsnach, Zachary Guille,
COMMENTS: Renewal and reinvigoration are on the cards for the Pumas, with new coach Brad Bruni finding a huge ins-list for his debut season at Barry Powell Reserve. Springvale Districts evergreen defender Justin Doust is one of the big pick-ups for the Pumas while big forward Trevor Kumetaitis is set to return home from Heatherton, to the place he booted 56 and 59 goals in his last two Pumas’ seasons. Doveton’s Taylor Rainey another hard-edged addition to the centre. Will they return to the days of 14 with a preliminary final? Still to be debated, but the side is much stronger than last season at the very least and should guide the Dales back up the ladder.
DANDENONG
COACH: Glenn Jose
INS: Mitchell Clark, Adam Fiander, Nicholas Long, David Westwood, Robert Witt.
OUT: Aaron Chandler, James Alexander, Kaine Bundy, Leigh Caldwell, Joshua Furborough, Jamie Gaspero, Neil Harper, Jake Hill-Buxton, Nathan Osler, Jake Ward, Kevin Stott.
COMMENTS: There’s quite the mixed bag out of Dandenong’s ins and outs. New Lyndhurst coach Paddy Cooke has enticed a fair few across from the Redlegs, but the Dandenong side still seems resilient. Difficult to see them going the distance but at least should land a couple of surprise blows this time around.
SANDOWN COBRAS
COACH: Rick Bean
INS: Michael Fitzpatrick, Douglas Slater, Jarrad Denham, Nick Maizey, Dane Maizey, Mark Perry, Michael Perry, Michael Sutton.
OUT: Anthony La Rocca, Luke Newton, Glen Burns, Matthew Singleton, Mitchell Uaongo, Dennis Hill, Christian Tzilantonis.
COMMENTS: Big outs at Sandown have left a gaping hole in the midfield. The former skipper Luke Newton and tall timber Mitchell Uaongo’s departure leaves solid holes in the Cobras’ midfield. Hard to tell where the Cobras will land. Nick and Dane Maizey have come across from Highett looking for greater opportunity while Michael Fitzpatrick arrives from the Omeo District and the Perry pair come from Lang Lang.
