Cup taster for hungry Eagles
A SURPRISE entry to the FFA Cup will serve as a catalyst for the Atherton Eagles’ rise to the FNQ Premier League.
That is the long-term plan of the Tablelands club, who along with Queensland’s other entrants will today learn their path for a fairytale run in the national knockout.
While the Eagles are unlikely to win their way to a date with an A-League club in the Round of 32 – though if the FA Cup has taught us anything it’s never say never – coach Richard Ames said the club was aiming high.
A focus on quality over quantity is part of the plan, with Ames admitting the club may have stretched too thin when they fielded two teams in last year’s competition.
But that doesn’t mean Ames and club officials have lost focus of the end goal: building a big enough squad and presence to compete and succeed in the Premier League.
“We want to take the team up to the Premier League so the club is really keen and excited for the FFA Cup,” Ames told the Cairns Post. “Everything is on track. “We’ve kept the same group as last year’s seniors but we’re hoping to recruit a few more players before the season starts.”
Depending on the scale of those recruits, it might be a multi-year process for the club to land in FNQ Football’s highest quality competition, but Ames said the club was in a good position.
“(From a club perspective), the grounds and change rooms are all on track, but it’s building up the players and consolidating those numbers.
“The idea is definitely to grow. This is my third year here and last year we tried to squeeze out two teams. We’re trying to sustain those teams.
“We want to grow the numbers – we don’t want to step up if we can’t compete – but it’s about getting them in and excited about the club.
“It’s about offering good coaching opportunities as well.
“We’ll be going for the second division this year, but the skills are certainly there to push further.”
Atherton has a strong junior base – FNQ Football administrator Alex Srhoj highlighted the under-10s through to 12s – and a growing focus on retaining those players as well as attracting more juniors could help the Eagles achieve their dream of soaring into the Premier League.
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