TIME TO TURN ON THE POWER
Coach sees 2018 as a year of paybacks
RORY Nicol has dubbed it: Operation Payback.
And the third-year Newcomb Power coach has put the acid on his players on the eve of a new season, urging the senior group to lift the standard after years of mediocrity.
“It comes back on the players, this season,” Nicol said.
“The onus falls back on them. Are the 22 blokes who run out on Saturday competitive footballers individually and collectively?
“It’s time to play Bellarine footy. The guys who have come from other clubs, the guys who have been around for two or three years, it’s time to deliver.
“It’s probably a line in the sand moment for the playing group. Can you play this standard of footy or not?
“I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us, it’s time to step up. It’s ‘Operation Payback’ for the football club now.
“We’ve invested in them and we’ve done the right thing by them with gym equipment, strength and conditioning coaches and things like that and it’s time for them to step up and do something for the club.”
With a handful of ins and a handful of outs, uncertainty surrounds the development of the Power.
Nicol expects improvement, but he knows it will take time for the club to climb from ninth.
“I’m confident we can be (better than last season),” Nicol said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take and it’s a bit of an unknown. We’ve got a few players coming in and chemistry takes time.
“I’m expecting improvement from what we’ve already got and I’m not relying on the new players to come in and take us to another level.
“We’ve changed the way the leadership group works, which I’m really happy about, and on Saturday we’ll have 22 blokes out there who are invested and deserve to play senior footy at the Newcomb Football Club.”
Nicol will select the senior side “based on culture” and will make decisions in the best interests of the club.
“In the last couple of years I’ve picked the best side based on ability,” Nicol said.
“Because we’ve got depth, I’m able to pick the side on players who have put the work in and those who deserve a game. That’s the pleasing thing for the club ... we’re making decisions based on culture and it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.
“It may hurt us early, because we might have some good players running around in the twos, but I’m all about culture and if it costs us, it costs us.”
With the relegation axe hovering over Newcomb’s head, Nicol stressed he wouldn’t be daunted by external pressures and that things wouldn’t change “with relegation around the corner”.
“I’ve got a road map of what success looks like and I’m not going to change things because I’m scared about relegation,” Nicol said. “I’ll just stick to my guns on what good culture looks like and it will be what it will be. I’ve done a lot of work with the junior coaches this summer.
“I’ve written them a 33-page handbook on philosophies and how they should be coaching the kids and we’ve put a lot of work into the netball.
“Hopefully the under-19s will be in Division 2, which would just be amazing. It’s all part of it.”
The beltings of the past were few and far between last season, but Nicol is not about to rest on his laurels.
“We need to stop the hidings,” he said.
“Last year we were competitive with Torquay for a half and we got beaten by 90 points. We’ve got to stop that situation where a side kicks three goals and we look at our boot laces. We’ve got to grind it out to be a 30 or 40 points loss.
“That’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking to close the gap.
“The first year I came to the club the average losing margin was 253 points and I reduced that to 92. I couldn’t tell you what last year was but we had a win, a draw and we were competitive in a lot of games.
“Now I’m looking to be competitive every week, and I’m not just looking at pencilling in wins against sides like Port. We’ve got to have that belief that we can go out and upset sides every week.
“Why not? It’s a risking game when you’re pencilling in wins and it does your our head in and sets you up for disappointment. sappointment.
“We’ve got t to go out against Barwon Heads ds on Saturday and be competitive. etitive. That’s our aim.” m.”
‘It’s time to play Bellarine footy. The guys who have come from other clubs, the guys who have been around for two or three years, it’s time to deliver.’