Shake-up aided Sharks
SOUTHPORT football manager Jarrod Field says the Sharks are regaining the respect of their NEAFL rivals after putting themselves back on the path to becoming a powerhouse once again.
Field has opened up about the dramatic turnaround of a club who were forced to build their list and coaching ranks from scratch after managing just four wins in 2017.
Southport lead the competition with eight wins going into today’s Round 14 game against the Brisbane Lions at Fankhauser Reserve.
“We didn’t set any lofty goals at the start of the year,” Field said.
“We wanted to be competitive and get some respect back from the competition which we probably lost after last season’s performance.
“Sides are certainly looking more closely at what we are doing and how we play.
“It’s a great improvement on where we have been but we won’t be happy if we get to the end of the year now and have still won eight games.
“We have to start setting the goals a lot higher with where we are positioned.”
One of the biggest Australian rules clubs in the country had battled leading into 2018 and Field, who re-signed at the end of last year, knew some tough decisions needed to be made and a bold recruitment strategy had to follow.
Former Suns AFL player Nathan Bock left his senior coaching position and was replaced by Stephen Daniel who immediately brought on Matthew Lappin and Aaron Cornelius as assistants.
The list was overhauled. Twenty-five new players were signed, while Hayden Kiel, Dylan Mutu and Rob Clements are the only three who remain from before the start of Field’s tenure in 2016.
“It’s a results-based competition like all footy competitions are so we weren’t getting the results and needed to make changes,” Field said.
“We turned the list over again searching for the right mix.”
Field conceded the culture at the Sharks had deteriorated in recent seasons but believed their priority of recruiting players on attitude over ability had enabled them to set new standards.
The amount of new faces worked in Southport’s favour as the group bonded over a shared new experience.
“More than anything you needed blokes with the right attitude who wanted to play at NEAFL level,” Field said.
“Sometimes if it’s a 50-50 call you might go for the guy who has a bit less ability but he is going to give you a 110 per cent. He is going to turn up to play every week, do the
extras in the gym and will be super fit and I think that’s what we have got.
“They are pretty tight this group too, they have bonded really well. They are certainly playing good team footy and playing for each other and the coach.”
“When you have 25 new blokes, everyone is on a steep learning curve and they have gone through that together.”
Eight wins were enough to reach the finals in 2017 and with seven games and one bye left in the regular season, Southport could position themselves to win their first NEAFL premiership in what would be a fairytale for a club that was at its lowest less than a year ago.