Comets sparkle as rebuilding pays off
THE former FNQ Premier League and Crad Evans Shield champions are coming for their crown.
Southside Comets dominated the local competition in 2017 and 2018 before the departure of key players and injuries decimated the squad.
Coaches Dion Readman and Chris Collins dedicated last year to the development of young players, handing several promising teenagers like Billy Holiday, Matthew Brookes and Casey Agnew their Premier League debut as they sought to rebuild.
It looked poor based on results – they finished a long way last – but there were signs on the pitch that their short term pain could become the club’s long term gain.
That theory was partly confirmed on Saturday night when the Comets romped to a 4-1 win against Marlin Coast in a friendly at Trinity Beach.
Everything went to plan for the Comets from the opening whistle.
That year’s experience has those young guns primed for a big season in the Premier League, while the returns of Nathan Paull and Matthew Barnes to the midfield will provide the experienced heads this team needs to breach the gap and make a new home in the top four.
Southside looked slick.
The ball movement was crisp, the pace created ample opportunity for goals right from the start and which could have numbered a lot more had some wildly wayward shots found their target – and the defensive pressure was sound.
Granted, it was a friendly, but the signs were encouraging for a team not as far off the pace as the league ladder indicated and who have added important pieces to key positions.
The picture isn’t as rosy for Marlin Coast, who could be in for a tough year as they rely on young talent to fill the holes left by a player exodus.
Mikhail Clement has a fair job ahead of him as coach, but it’s a position the defender isn’t too worried about.
He knows it will be a challenge to rally a team which made – and were just 11 minutes from winning – the grand final last year then was hit by a mass departure, most leaving because of work or university.
Saturday night’s scoreline didn’t flatter the Rangers, and even Clement wasn’t too thrilled about the opening half hour of the friendly, but there were several encouraging signs as the game wore on.
Ball movement wasn’t as crisp or clean as it appeared for the Comets but Marlin Coast managed to open up the Southside defence.
They found space and blitzed the flanks with passages of play which highlighted the speed some of the club’s younger players will provide, but on just about every occasion the attack broke down and they were unable to put away a clean shot at the goals.
There’s a lot to like out at Marlin Coast, and with Clement still on the prowl for new players and the side’s attacking and defensive structures not yet finalised, the team will need time to jell.