It’s all coming good for Joeys
Strong availability, in-form personnel and a focus on defensive efforts over attack are paying off for St Joseph’s.
Joeys remain one of three undefeated GFNL teams after four rounds, as they look to extend their run against a 4-0 Bell Park side on Saturday. Coach Ron Watt has made only one change for the away clash at Hamlyn Park, small forward Ollie Hanneysee set to return for his first match since round 1 following a hamstring injury, with Fin McCombe to come out.
With St Joseph’s sporting a relatively short injury list after four rounds, it has been the injection of several returnees or recruits which has Joeys off to a flying start – Luke Webb, James Gow and Liam Betson among their best players in three or more games this year. While Watt was pleased with his team’s start, he insisted it would continue to respect its opposition after missing last year’s final series by a game.
“The first month of the season, if you said this is how it's going to play out, we’d take that every day of the week,” he said.
“We’ve dabbled a little bit with some slight changes with how we want to play this year, and it’s been dictated a little bit by the three or four players we’ve been able to bring in. “We don’t have too many tricks with what we do, it’s just pretty honest, great attitude and strong effort, and trying to use the ball as well as you can. We probably try to favour defensive efforts before we attack.”
Opening away wins against St Albans and North Shore were percentage boosters for St Joseph’s before tough victories over South Barwon and Newtown & Chilwell strengthened confidence around Herne Hill Reserve.
“They’ve been fairly strong teams over the last few years, and with South Barwon last year, they had an exceptional year, so for us to play as well as we did against them, we were thrilled with that,” Watt said.
But it will be the next month that will increasingly test St Joseph’s resolve, their Dragons fixture followed by matches against reigning premier Leopold and ladder leader St Mary’s.
“I saw Leopold play a couple weeks ago ... I think they looked a lot better team than they did this time last year,” Watt said. “They’re going to be hard to top.”