BULLS BACK IN BUSINESS
see last year that things were getting better.”
While the clubrooms are becoming more vibrant, Sheedy admits it’s a far cry from the halcyon days.
“Every Thursday and Saturday night was like a reverse raffle,” Sheedy said of the early 2000s.
“There’d be 80-90 people here and everyone would get kicked out at 10 o’clock. It was just awesome.
“A lot’s changed and it’s sad. The downturn started about 10 years ago and then we had a brief resurgence. Around 2013-14 a lot of players left and we’ve struggled since then.
“It’s about keeping the core group of players around, getting their families involved, let everyone have fun, be mates and create something to build from.
“There’s potentially 15 and 20-year players here, and if we can keep everyone together, then the future’s bright.”
While disappointed to be forced into B Grade last season, Anderton admitted it was a good move for a club.
“We couldn’t just take that huge leap and go back into A Grade,” Anderton said.
“It was going to be little steps, and having that extra year in B Grade, we were able to work on the one percenters, doing the little things and trying to get everyone on board with it.
“It’s still a work in progress. I wouldn’t say we’ve bounced back and we’re now a club like East Belmont, South Barwon or Thomson, but we’re heading in the right direction.
“I know a lot of the clubs struggled with the concept of A1 and A2, but we were right on to it. We know what it can do for us. We can build on that.
“We consider ourselves an A Grade team, and it might take a couple of weeks to get going, but I think we’ll be right up there this year.”