Saints prepare for big season 2023

WHILE many of us might be thinking of relaxing over the festive break, now is the perfect time to get on board for Heathcote Football Netball Club’s 2023 journey.

Both the footy team and senior netballers are holding pre-season trials in the next few days and senior coach Andrew Saladino said the Saints were ready to take the next step.

“Going forward with the list we have and guys we’ve brought into the club, finals is the expectation,” he said.

“Without putting too much pressure on the guys I think people are now expecting the Heathcote footy club will be back playing finals.”

To get the seniors into the post-season for the first time since 2013, Saladino said it’ll take more than just on-field strength.

He said positivity across Heathcote FNC, from the change rooms, to the social club, is one of the Saints’ biggest strengths.

“It’s a really good place to be around at the moment,” Saladino said.

“We’ve got really good culture at the club and obviously off-field is just as important as on-field.

“We take footy quite seriously, but footy is an outlet for some people and a place where everyone can get a break from their normal life.

“When you come down to Heathcote we make it fun and enjoyable but also serious at the same time.”

A Grade netball co-coach Brooke Bolton agreed, saying the feeling and positivity around the club was one of the Saints’ best qualities.

“The club is moving in a really good direction,” she said. “Every side at Heathcote last season did better than the year before.

“The committee is fantastic and they’ve been super supportive and there’s a really nice club environment going on at the moment.

“The football gets around the netball when we have wins, and the same with netball supporting football.

“It’s a really exciting club to be at and it’s nice to be somewhere that perhaps has been a little bit unsuccessful recently, but is starting to see that success and it means so much more to the club, community, players, and everyone involved.”

With the senior footballers missing post-season action this year by one win, Saladino said hopes were high around the club.

“We missed by a game, which I guess externally we probably exceeded expectations,” he said.

“Internally it was a little bit disappointing in the end as we were sitting in the top five all year and then lost a couple of games late.

“We lost four games by a goal, so we were really competitive against some of the top sides.

“Going from two wins the previous year to seven was a big jump for us.”

In preparation for going further in 2022, Saladino said the club had been recruiting well, but that didn’t mean there weren’t opportunities for locals to get a game.

“We’ve brought in some really good players, some quality from around Melbourne and in the Riddle footy league,” he said.

“But we also have quite a fair few locals play in our senior’s side. I’m big on getting locals into the club.

“Obviously every club has to recruit a few outsiders, but I want to get back to a place where we do have a lot of local guys playing for us.

“We have a number of locals playing in the senior side and about 15 in the reserves.”

Likewise, with four senior netball squads, Bolton said there was a lot of opportunity to run on court.

“A lot of our players are retuning, which is great, but we defiantly still have some holes,” she said.

“We do need some more players. At this stage we’re probably lacking up either end, there’s often a lot of mid-court players and you struggle a little bit for the defenders and shooters.”

As part of preparations for season 2023 football pre-season begins on Monday, 5 December at 5.30pm while senior netball try-outs will take place on Sunday, 4 December at 4pm.

Both will take place at the Saint’s home ground at Barrack Reserve.