2024 BFL preview

WITH the Ballarat Football League season finally kicking off on Saturday 13 April, BFL coaches on both sides of the Western Freeway chatted with the Moorabool News on what 2024 may bring…

DAN JORDAN (DARLEY)

Lachlan: “Obviously you and the boys achieved the ultimate success last season. How are you aiming to avoid resting on your laurels I suppose, and make sure you avoid the dreaded premiership hangover at Darley this season?”

Dan: “The real thing you can do is focus internally on where you can improve and commit to it, and the group have been pretty hungry to do that. Where that puts us in terms of wins and losses, we don’t know. Other teams may improve, we can’t control that, and they’ll probably come hard at us.

“We don’t really put a figure on where we finish, we’re just trying to improve as a club and as a team. If you’re not going forwards, then you’re going backwards.”

Lachlan: “Could you tell me about your ins and outs in the squad this season, and who excites you most coming into 2024?”

Dan: “We’ve a had a few outs in terms of probably some fringe players who weren’t quite getting an opportunity. Bailey Young is one of them who’s gone to Hoppers Crossing, we also had some veterans from our premiership side retire who’ve given great service to the club.

“But I think that’s exciting for some of our younger guys, who’ll get an opportunity that probably couldn’t grab a senior spot last year. We’ve got Mitch Hovey from Geelong sign on who’ll probably be able to compete in the ruck for us and give us some stability structurally. But I think there’s a hell of a lot of development, especially among our 19 and 20 years old, that we’re primarily focused on.”

Lachlan: “Your boys took on Rowville in your most recent practice match – how did that go, and what strengths and areas for improvement did you take away from that?”

Dan: “We’re always happy to have a hitout against Rowville, they’re a quality side and won the flag in the Eastern Football League last year. They were a bit more fine-tuned, I think we were pretty good up until about halfway through the last quarter where we fell away and they kicked the last three or four goals.

“I think it identified a few things we need to sharpen up before the season starts. It also gave us a look at some new guys in some new roles, that they haven’t been exposed to before. Flexibility’s a big thing for us.”

Lachlan: “You take on East Point at home for Round 1 on Saturday, Preliminary Finalists last year of course. How keen are the Devils boys to start a new season?”

Dan: “The boys are pretty motivated, we’ve still got a week to go and we know we’ve got a bit of work to do to try and get to where we want to be. We’ve been preparing for that Round 1 match, there’s a few things we’ll do in the meantime.

“It’s a big match, we’ll unfurl the flag, and I always enjoy playing East Point because of my history with the club.”

Lachlan: “2023 was a great year for the Devils of course, though there were a couple of hiccups along the way…chief among those you might agree was the lead North Ballarat held in the Grand Final for most of the game, which Darley were able to claw back. What improvements are you focused on achieving this season?”

Dan: “Credit to North Ballarat, they played really well, and were arguably better for longer on that day, and we sort of just found a way to win, which is probably a testament to our group. But what I think it did do is highlight some areas where teams have identified they can challenge us, and where we need to get better as well.

“We’ve analysed the Grand Final pretty extensively in terms of what we can do better. It’s showed us that if we want to be a good, strong, sustainable club, there are some great areas to knuckle down and improve on.”

Lachlan: “Other than Darley, which team would you tip to win the flag this year?”

Dan: “I think North will have another good crack. They were so young, but I think they’ll have organic improvement with another pre-season and another year under Macca, learning the way they want to play. Melton with a change of coach and similar personnel will be refreshed as well and be thereabouts again. Let’s not forget they finished minor premiers last season and only lost to us.”

DENNIS ARMFIELD (BACCHUS MARSH)

Lachlan: “Your first season at the helm with the Cobras is around the corner, what excites you about the Cobras, and how’s the preseason been?”

Dennis: “I’m very excited for my first season at the Cobras. I think the young talent we’ve got, balanced with a bit of old wisdom, and the community aspect of Bacchus Marsh in general, excite me generally. The Bacchus Marsh/Darley rivalry is really exciting too.

“In terms of pre-season, it’s been a really successful pre-season. I’ve come in as a new coach not trying to change everything, but make little changes, and players both on and off the field have bought in. I think our committee’s really united on the same front. We’ve also had a successful all-club camp, both men and women, football and netball, and I got a lot of value out of it.”

Lachlan: “How have you settled in at the Marsh, and how welcoming have the Cobras family been?”

Dennis: “The Cobras family have been absolutely awesome to me, I think I got a little bit of a leg up having my wife’s dance studio on the corner! But I think they’ve trusted what I’ve wanted to instil and the changes I’ve wanted to make. I feel like I’m probably old news to our club now, which is probably a good spot to be in I guess.”

Lachlan: “Could you tell me about your ins and outs in the squad this season, and who excites you most coming into 2024?”

Dennis: “We’ve got a couple of blokes back who’ve left in the past – Sam Crea and Josh Calvitto – and we were also lucky to get Andrejs Everitt to follow me across which is a pleasing addition on and off the field. We’ve also got Rye Penny who’s come across from Collingwood, he’s an exciting young player with a leap that’s phenomenal, I wish I could jump as high as him.

“In terms of departures, we’ve been lucky to keep most of our talent. We’ve lost a couple due to people moving as every club does, Eamonn Ogden will be a bit of a loss, his speed on the track is pretty good. Jonathan Bissell and Josh Onderwater were stalwarts of our backline we’ve lost too, but that gives us the opportunity to flip the magnets around and give some young blokes a shot, which is something I’ve enjoyed.”

Lachlan: “2023 was a bit of a mixed season for the club, finishing in 8th but earning four wins in a row to end the campaign. What are some of your goals for the Cobras in 2024?”

Dennis: “We had a really good finish last year. I think for us to focus is being more consistent. We want to win more games, there’s no doubt about that. Where our limit is, I don’t know yet. Watching last year, the BFL is a pretty even, balanced competition. Our goal is probably to play our way for longer…we were competitive in patches last year, but we want to sustain that for longer in 2024.”

Lachlan: “The Cobras took on the Williamstown CYs recently – how did that go and what strengths and areas for improvement did you take away from that?”

Dennis: “They’re a pretty good team. We wanted to take on someone from VAFA, because it’s a quicker, polished football, and that’s what the top teams of our competition are like. We got done by a goal or two in the end, we had some missed opportunities and probably kept people in some of their secondary roles which we wanted to identify and see what happened. Some worked, some didn’t, but I think that’s what pre-season’s all about.

“I’m really pleased with where we’re at, we’ve got some good depth now. We’ve got five or six blokes playing reserves who could quite easily be in our seniors, so that’s a pretty pleasing spot to be in this time of year.”

Lachlan: “It’s Ballarat you’ll take on at home for Round 1 on Saturday, who finished one spot below you on the ladder last year. How eager are the Cobras boys to start a new season?”

Dennis: “I think all of us are chomping at the bit. We respect Ballarat, they’re very similarly placed and have recruited well. I know Hooper well, we sort of went through the system at the same time.

“I know our boys are sick of training, and are ready to actually play for some points against an opposition side. I’m sure every team in the competition is the exact same.”

Lachlan: “Other than Bacchus Marsh, which team would you tip to win the flag this year?”

Dennis: “I’ve only got a short window of what I’ve seen so far, but I find it hard to go past North Ballarat and Darley. I think Darley are going to be a team with Bewley, Myers and the likes, that can shake it up again with another year under Dan. They’re going to be a pretty powerful unit.”