From pass mark down to disappointing
The first full Southern League is done and dusted. What did our local coaches think? Hayden Meikle catches up with the three men in charge to gather their thoughts.
RICHARD MURRAY Dunedin City Royals 4th, 31 points
➊ How do you sum up your season?
I thought we had a slow start but had a really good second round. We closed the gap against the top two teams, who were probably just a class above the other teams in the league, and had a couple of opportunities against them in the second round. I’d give us a pass mark. We were definitely in the top three or four teams in the competition. We had moments but just switched off a couple of times in the last few minutes, and that cost us points.
➋ Who were your most valuable players?
As usual, Jared Grove was very good in the middle of the park. Ollie Petersen was good. Sean Cooper at the back was excellent. And En Watanabe was our leading scorer.
➌ Most improved?
I thought Alex Boomer really grew as the season went on.
Will Turner and Braden Fowell, too.
➍ What’s the plan for next year?
We lose three or four players. Jared is one of them, which will be hard. But we’ve got a good foundation and some good boys coming through. We’ll work hard to push into that top two. If we stop conceding soft goals, we’re a different team. We know we can score goals.
SHANE CARVELL Green Island 8th, 13 points
➊ How do you sum up your season?
We were a little bit behind the pace in the first half. We had a couple of OK results and we were always competitive, but we didn’t really kick on. Then we had a spell in the second half of the season with two or three victories which helped us get off the bottom, which was pleasing. There was a lot of sickness, especially the flu that was going around this year. So it’s been one of those messy seasons.
➋ Who were your most valuable players?
Matt Henry and Harrison McLean were good pickups for us — young lads who came down for university. Weston Bell was a solid contributor. Christian Firth in goal came back well from a shoulder injury. And of course Adam Hewson and Cam Anderson at the sharp end were always a handful.
➌ Most improved?
Ollie Sims really kicked on this season and was valuable for us.
➍ What’s the plan for next year?
We’ve got some rebuilding to do. It’s good to know we are going to be in the league again, but we’ve got a few players leaving. So we need to do some work in the offseason. Hopefully, come 2023, we can have some competitive depth.
RORY CROW Mosgiel 10th, 9 points
➊ How do you sum up your season?
Disappointing, obviously, to be relegated. Our goal was to stay up for the first try and try to build a platform to progress. It was a tough year for us with injury. Our two main strikers were both seriously injured. I think they played only five games each and scored 1011 goals, so that showed what we could do. But the boys did well. A lot of boys were having their first crack at this level, and they worked really hard.
➋ Who were your most valuable players?
In the backline, Rory Findlay and Javier Langley were both outstanding. It’s tough when you’re losing games and quite a few goals are being scored against you, but the amount of pressure they had to soak up was immense.
➌ Most improved?
Genta Kojima was really good. One of those young guys who hadn’t had much senior football but stepped up by the end of the season.
➍ What’s the plan for next year?
The goal has to be to get back up into the league. The Southern League is really important for Dunedin football players. It’s the pathway, so we need to get up and try to compete. If we can retain the players, we’re a good chance. But this year showed you really need more depth at that level, so it’s important we reinvest into the whole club and get our coaching stocks up and youth players coming through.