Belmont plans a dashing start to pre-season
BELMONT will use the Run Geelong on November 19 to kick off its pre-season after appointing premiership coach Steve Lewry as its strength and conditioning coach.
New Lions mentor Ash Witney was assistant coach at the Panthers last year when Lewry guided the club to GDFL success.
“Stoofa (Lewry) is on board to do our strength and conditioning for us ahead of our camp after Christmas,” Witney said of Lewry’s appointment.
“Our first day of the preseason will be the Geelong fun run and a majority of our boys are available for that.
“We’ll do the recovery on the Monday while going through the club philosophies and going through the standards.”
“It’s been really good to see the players want to change the culture and a couple of them are already regulars at Stoofa’s gym now.”
It will be a new approach at Winter Reserve after the Lions waited until January to kick off last pre-season.
Witney has also appointed his brother Dylan as midfield coach, while Scott Pickett will take charge of the forward six and former Panther assistant Andrew Atchison will oversee the Lions’ backline.
The incoming coach said recruiting players was his next task, with former Bell Post Hill star Will Kelly committing to the Lions.
“I reckon I’ve been to about 100 meetings so far from oneon-ones at club to other places with recruits as well as our recent under-18 side,” Witney said.
“We also have Alex and Adrian Hann from the Colac Imperials, who are not just good footballers, they’re genuinely good blokes as well.
“They’re also bringing Alex Jolley and there was one CDFL game where he recorded 28 tackles, so you’ve got to have those role players when you’re putting together a team.
“I had a chat with him (Jolley) earlier on in the piece and he already knows what his role is.
“He’s already working hard for the team. Jordy O’Dwyer from the Colac Imperials and Matt Weise (Bell Post Hill) are the other names at this stage but we’re also going to build from within.”
Witney said juniors such as Jordy Edwards, Kyle Hay, Matt Boal, Brent Watkins, Layne Baker and Andy Wylie would help take the club up the ladder after it finished 11th last season.