Grubbers put faith in youth
OCEAN Grove will be without four of its most experienced players in 2020 but is hoping that its emerging group will form the club’s next successful era.
The playing future of dual club best and fairest James Linton remains in limbo, and Justin Carey and Kelly Williams have linked with GDFL club Geelong West.
Peter Hardy has also departed after three seasons at Ray Menzies Oval.
“We’ve probably lost about 400 games in senior experience,” incoming coach Pete Davey said.
Colac premiership player Linton is recovering from significant hip surgery and may not play this year.
“We’re not factoring him in, particularly in the first part of the year,” Davey said.
“It’s a bit up in the air at the moment what he’s going to do.”
Ocean Grove will introduce a host of its under-19 players from last year’s premiership team.
Tom Richardson, Kobe Annand, Josh Lange, Max Sutton, Fletcher Long and Ben Bennett each played in the grand final side and Davey said the six would be asked to become senior players this year.
He said Ocean Grove was in a transition period after a rugged year, which included the sacking of previous mentor Jordan Jones midway through the season.
“There’s been a bit of a move on of older players,” Davey said.
“We’re just concentrating on getting some of these under-19s players, which won the flag last year, playing senior footy and getting them used to the physicality they’re probably going to face playing senior footy.”
Andrew Jarvis returns to the club after a year at South Barwon, while Harry Dalton (Newtown & Chilwell) and David Stretton (Shepparton) have also signed.
Stretton played in Shepparton’s 2018 Goulburn Valley league flag and the experienced midfielder, who claimed a VFL reserves best and fairest during his time at Williamstown, also had a stint at Avondale Heights.
But Davey, who was appointed coach in September, said the club’s priority was with its young talent.
“We want to give every opportunity to those guys,” he said.
“We’ve spoken to, I would say, 30 potential recruits, and as a committee and as a coaching group, we sat down just before Christmas and identified what we wanted to get into the club and the direction we want to take the club.
“We want to set the club up for long-term success.
“We’re not prepared to go and pay big money to transient players that may come for one or two years and move on.”