X-men into new zone

By Paul Pickering
IT’S strange to hear St Francis Xavier Old Collegians coach Joe Lenders talking about a new era for his X-men.
After all, the club is entering only its fourth season in the Victorian Amateur Football Association.
But Lenders, who took the X-men to a preliminary final in their first Division Three campaign last year, says the club has entered a necessary transition phase.
Gone are about a dozen of the stars from 2009, including gun spearhead Ben Spencer, Daniel Pabts, Ed McNally, Glenn Pearson and the brothers Russo and Van Dam.
Their experience won’t be replaced, but Lenders is hoping that an influx of younger players will bode well for the future of the club.
“It’s a transition year for us,” he said.
“The club was formed three years ago and a lot of the guys who came to play had finished main-stream footy or had hadn’t played for a few years.
“(Now) we’ve picked up a lot of good kids, and hopefully they’ll be there for years to come.”
Some of those new faces are just out of the school system, while about nine others arrived as last-minute transfers from Bulleen-Templestowe a fortnight ago.
Lenders is unsure what the season will hold, but he’s looking forward to the challenge.
“Our list is young and enthusiastic, and we’ll have a lot more run than we did last year,” he said.
“It’s a very teachable team, which I’m enjoying, and I was quite impressed with both of our pre-season games.”
The X-men will begin their 2010 campaign with a trip to Albert Park to face Power House this Saturday.