By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Demons are back with a vengeance.
After a disappointing 2015 Ellinbank and District Football League season, which saw them slide from West Division grand finalists to eighth and a premature finals exit, the Denhams Road side has unveiled a string of recruits with one shared goal – premiership glory.
There are no guarantees in footy but the Demons are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for a drought-breaking senior flag with new player-coach Ben Collins signing on from Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League (YVMDFL) Division 1 outfit Belgrave for the next two seasons and bringing his brothers David and Mitch with him.
All three are senior premiership winners and at this stage of their careers it’s the quest for more grand final glory that drives them.
But the inclusions don’t stop there.
While Mitch Collins will be a commanding presence inside forward 50, key defender Brodie Yapp will bolster the Demons backline and Beaconsfield recruits Ben Kerrigan and Kane Hughes will add some genuine firepower to the midfield brigade, and non-playing assistant coach Matt Cox will be a huge asset as game day manager.
The 2016 Kooweerup side will have a vastly different look than it did this year.
Former skipper and star on-baller Luke Walker and versatile do-everything big man Shaun Marusic headline a list of outs that also includes former player-coach Matt Shorey.
But new player-coach Ben Collins can’t wait to see what his newly assembled outfit can achieve.
He left Belgrave in search of a new challenge after great mate Sean Stanton parted ways with the club. Collins admits he even contemplated retirement but in Kooweerup the 33-year-old sees the opportunity to leave the playing arena a premiership player at the success-starved club.
Collins, who captained Cora Lynn to a premiership in 2008 under Chris Toner, already had ties to Kooweerup through former Belgrave player Daniel Calteri and Walker – Mitch’s best mate.
“I kept an eye on the situation and thought why not have a chat with them,” Collins said.
“It’s a huge challenge – having been more than 30 years since their last senior flag – and I thought I’d take that head-on.”
Collins was in the crowd at Buln Buln when Nar Nar Goon knocked the Demons out of this year’s finals series.
While he admits he wasn’t all that impressed with the quality of that game that particular day, he was intrigued by the talent on the Demons’ list.
“I saw how much support was there for the Koowee boys and I could see a fair bit of talent running out there as well,” he said.
“With the players that I could bring I thought I could add a fair bit and bring to the group the sorts of things I’ve learnt over the years as well.
“That was probably the driving force that pushed me over the line and made me really put in for the job.”
Collins’s work is based out of Tooradin – another sign that he’s perfectly suited to his new role at Kooweerup.
But with the South East Football League, Gippsland League and YVMDFL all surrounding the EDFL and all of them classified as ‘Premier’ leagues under the new AFL Victoria points system, Collins knows the challenges that lie ahead for the likes of Kooweerup when it comes to attracting and retaining star players.
“In all honesty I think this points system from AFL Victoria is a good thing but I think it’s going to be a really hard thing for Ellinbank in the long term,” Collins said.
“The salary cap I don’t think is a problem but I think the points system is.
“Take Kooweerup out of it, where is Ellinbank? Where is Nyora? Where are these clubs that are struggling going to recruit from?
If they go and recruit from these major leagues, these players are three-point players and they get another point.
If they go and pick up a kid who’s won a best and fairest in the reserves at Moe, they get another point.
But if Moe goes and picks up a gun from Cora Lynn, they’re a three-point player.”
But, in all, Collins can’t wait to roll the sleeves up and get to work at Denhams Road.
“I said to the club straight away that one real strength of my coaching is that I think I can recruit really well,” he said.
“I’m not the sort of bloke to sit there and wait and see what comes. I’ll say this is what I want, and I’m going to go and get it. You have to.
“I’m not going to back away from it – I’m not here to finish second.”
Clearly premiership success is anything but guaranteed but Collins has played in five senior flags and at 33 he’s not interested in finishing fourth or fifth.
“That was probably the most enticing thing about the club – they’re ready and they’re hungry for success,” he said of Kooweerup.
“You look at Huxy (vice-president Peter Huxtable) and Crowls (new president Daniel Crowley) and you could tell in their eyes how much they want success, and they’re ready for it.”
Collins said another reason why the Kooweerup role was so enticing was the potential of the club’s juniors, with the under-18s making the finals this year and the under-16s winning the premiership.
“I’ve brought some really good senior players in and there’s already some really good senior players here, but I’m also really keen to filter that through with the kids as well,” Collins said.
“I’m huge on playing kids. At this level of footy, on big grounds, you need to have speed and the kids provide that.”
The Ellinbank league has been through plenty of ups and downs since Collins was last in the thick of it, but now that he’s back – alongside his brothers, and new Demons brothers in arms – he’s hell-bent on making an impact.
Kooweerup will hold a Meet the Coach Day at its Denhams Road clubrooms from noon on Sunday 22 November.
Coaches for all four grades will be on hand to allow all players and supporters to hear their vision and expectations for 2016.
For more on the Demons’ new committee, keep an eye on the Gazette in the coming weeks.
KOOWEERUP – THE NEW FACES
Kane Hughes
From Beaconsfield in the South East Football Netball League, Hughes has battled more than his fair share of injuries in the past but he’s a quick, hard-working midfielder who’s uncompromising at the contest.
Ben Kerrigan
Also from Beaconsfield in the South East, he’s a ‘Bull’ in the midfield with his huge upper body and hard-working mindset.
Ben is lightning quick with the ability to break games open off his own boot.
– 2015 SEFNL interleague representative
– 2014 premiership player with Beaconsfield
– 2014 best finals player
– Youngest player to ever captain Moe – at just 19
Brodie Yapp
Brodie comes to Kooweerup as a key backman who’s played on some of the best forwards in Casey Cardinia and the YVMDFL.
He’s a terrific defender who’s hard at the contest and has a real endeavour to win the footy no matter the situation.
David Collins
– Two-time senior premiership player
– Two-time club best and fairest winner
– Two-time Casey Cardinia (now SEFNL) Team of the Year member
– Played over 50 senior games with the Casey Scorpions
– Top 10 finish in the VFL senior league best and fairest count in 2012
– Playing assistant in 2014 with Belgrave
Mitch Collins
– Two-time senior premiership player
– Three-time league leading goal-kicker
– Three-time Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League team of the year member
– Kicked 137 goals in a premiership year in 2012
– Kicked more than 400 goals in the past five seasons
– Senior captain and senior playing assistant at Belgrave in 2015
