By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE task ahead of the Nyora Football Club would be a daunting one for most, but not for president Peter Levey and his tightknit committee.
They know how far back they’re coming from – with just one senior win in the 2015 season – but they’re focussed on the future and their rise back up the ladder.
“We’re a lot ahead of where we were last year in regards to recruiting and our committee,” Levey told the Gazette on Sunday.
“Our captains have already been appointed and all of our coaching positions are filled.
“We’re having a go.”
As for the rumours that surface every pre-season – that the Nyora Football Club may struggle to stay afloat, along with one or two other battling EDFL clubs – Levey emphatically knocked them on the head.
“The greatest thing for us is there’s no more rumour and innuendo about Nyora being finished, and no more about Poowong being finished. There’s none of that talk,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to numerous people who’ve asked the question and I’ve told them – you’ve actually spoken to the right bloke. I’m the president, and I’m going to tell you right now – it ain’t happening.”
Levey said the Saints had realistic expectations for next season. They know they need to improve their spine and bring in some genuine experience to help out their group of promising youngsters.
“Two of the guys we’ve recruited are 6’3” or bigger,” Levey said.
“We’ve also identified that we needed some older blokes on our list and that’s what we’ve recruited – guys in that 28-32 bracket.”
The Saints have also welcomed back the likes of Aiden Cumberland and Ben Levey, who weren’t playing in 2015.
Former Nyora premiership player Fia Tootoo has also returned to the club, while Sean Lindsey has come across as a playing assistant coach to Scott Clark.
The Saints are also bullish about their junior set-up moving forward, with a particular emphasis on strengthening the under-16s.
Levey said those currently on the Saints’ committee were involved for one key reason.
“We only want our kids and other people’s kids to have exactly the same opportunities that we had,” he said.
“You’ve got to have a positive outlook – to look at the glass half-full, not half empty. “It’s the old saying – don’t look about what they’ve got, worry about what you’ve got here. Charity begins at home – look after your own first and foremost.”
The Saints’ key loss at this stage is undoubtedly a massive one, with league MVP Dylan Heylen off to test himself at Port Melbourne.
But Clark, who has committed to the Saints for the long-term, said the club couldn’t be happier for the opportunity Heylen has at this stage of his career.
When it comes to Clark’s own aims for the Saints in 2015, they’re clear: “We’ll be very competitive against the bottom seven or eight sides. We want to get there against the top eight.”
