Dee-termined to remain in the BFL

PORTARLINGTON coach Jesse Smith admits he would be lying if he said the thought of AFL Barwon’s restructure was not lingering in the back of his mind.

The potential prospect of relegation does not sit well with the second-year coach. The BFL will lose two teams at the end of the year, and given the Dees finished 10th last year, they are naturally in the gun.

“It gets brought up,” Smith said of the league’s restructure. “I wouldn’t say we use it as motivation, but the boys are aware of what the plans are at the end of the season. It would be stupid not to have it at the back of your mind.

“We definitely don’t want to go to Division 3, and 100 per cent our plan is to keep our heads above the water. We are Portarlington and there’s not much more Bellarine than the town of Portarlington. And the bottom line is we don’t want to play in the bottom division.”

Former captain Paul Davis, key forward Dylan Weir and past GFL Mathieson medallist Guy O’Keefe are key outs, but Smith is confident he has found replacements.

Brock Williamson returns to his junior club and has been ushered in as vice-captain, such is the regard in which he is held, while Luke Williams brings the type of electric class that could cut open BFL games. “We will be a bit different. We lost some taller stock and replaced them with smaller running players,” Smith said. “I identified we needed to improve in that area. We will be a much different side to what we looked like, being smaller and quicker.”