Sharks’ copy and paste
SOUTHPORT climbed to the top of the mountain last year but the biggest question coach Stephen Daniel has is if they have enough desire to do it again.
The Sharks will go into the NEAFL season under completely different circumstances this year.
The side entered 2018 having won just four games and finished second last before Daniel overhauled the list, bringing in over 25 new players in his first season and winning the club’s first flag in a decade.
It was a momentous occasion in the powerful club’s history but now they face a new test – and Daniel knows it.
“Winning the premiership is the ultimate goal you can achieve,” he said.
“We climbed to the top of the mountain last year and stood at the top but as we all know in 2019 we are all at the bottom again.
“We have to climb it again with teams trying to knock us off. We know what we have to do to achieve success.
“We will pot away with little goals we have put in place and at the end of the day if we can control those then it might put us in a position at the end of the year to match it with the best.”
Southport have managed to keep most of their premiership players but have lost Wade Hancock (interstate), Tom Wilkinson (drafted to North Melbourne), Josh Clayton (interstate) and Josh Baxter (retired).
“We have added some depth to the back-end of our list,” Daniel said.
“A number of our boys didn’t get an opportunity to play last year and have moved on. We have to find 23 players now who want to do it again.”
Daniel, who has re-signed with the club until the end of 2020, sent a warning to rivals by declaring the team looked even better than at this time last year.
“Training has been exceptional and we believe as coaches we are ahead of where we were last year,” Daniel said.
“But everyone is the same. No doubt we will see a different Redlands with Phil Carse coming in (as coach) and bringing in new players from Victoria.
“They finished at the bottom in 2018 but that doesn’t mean anything. They have every right to say well Southport did it so why can’t we?”
Do they still have the want to repeat glory?
It’s the question Stephen Daniel is mulling over right now. I believe they do. Why? Because there are 25 players on the list who didn’t play in that grand final who desperately want to win a flag. They are driving the rest of the group who have attacked preseason training with absolute tenacity. They have set new records in their fitness testing and could be running away from rivals.
Have their rivals closed the gap?
The top four teams on the ladder in 2018 all finished with 12 wins, with a superior percentage helping the Sharks to the top. Judging teams before the season is a tough task but Southport have to prepare as if each of the four AFL clubs will have a healthy list. They can’t bank on winning every game against the AFL sides so it will be about winning enough against state league clubs.