Sport
14 February, 2024
Bears building new balance
NEW Bears Lagoon Serpentine coach Jake Wilkinson wants a balanced team taking to Loddon Valley Football League grounds this season. The appointment of Wilkinson, who had been with Sandhurst in the Bendigo league, was one of the surprises in early...
NEW Bears Lagoon Serpentine coach Jake Wilkinson wants a balanced team taking to Loddon Valley Football League grounds this season.
The appointment of Wilkinson, who had been with Sandhurst in the Bendigo league, was one of the surprises in early post-season recruitment news.
He steps into the shoes of Justin Laird who steered the Bears to a preliminary final berth in a season that had the Serpentine outfit enjoy more than a few purple patches.
Laird relinquished the coaching role but has been retained for 2024 in a line-up that will be more hungry for ultimate success.
Wilkinson said summer recruitment had brought in players of quality and experience to further boost the Bears’ stocks.
“I want the players on the same page for structure, fitness and game style,” he said after Sunday’s first all-club training run of the year.
“We’ve added guys who we think can play a part ... in defence and in attack, being the best players they can.
“We haven’t gone for superstars. Being well balanced will be our greatest strength against other sides.”
While Laird did most of the grunt work last season, the Bears have picked up players to share the workload.
Ruckman Nathan Twigg and Darcy Hawker have returned to Janiember Park after a couple of seasons with Boort in the North Central League.
And there’s Wilkinson himself who was in Sandhurst’s reserve flag side last year and has previously played with Echuca and Numurkah.
Serpentine says Wilkinson’s ability to act as the general down back and agility to run off his opponents and turn defence into attack will see him “take the Loddon Valley league by storm”.
“His knowledge of the game coming from high level football is a massive asset for our club moving forward,” the Bears’ heirarchy has proclaimed.
The major loss for Serpentine is ruckman Aiden Brohm who has headed off to Heathcote league club North Bendigo.
Brohm returned to football last season after four years off, making Serpentine’s best list in 11 of 18 games.
Serpentine has also re-signed veteran Andrew Gladman who still makes his presence felt up forward and in occasional wanders back to his former dominant defence territory.
Doolan Nihill, best on ground in White Hills’ reserves Heathcote flag, is tipped to strengthen the midfield and back up Charlie Gadsden while grunt is expected from Tyler Miles who crosses from Maiden Gully.
But it is that new strength and balance that Wilkinson hopes will see Serpentine play on into the action of 2024 a further week than last season.
“We’ll be calculated, things will be explained and we will be prepared,” he said.
“We’ll make our decsions based on evidence and structures,” Wilkinson said.