Player buy-in revives representative footy at right time of year

AND everybody thought rep footy and netball were dead in the water.

The Dreamtime at the P football and netball weekend could not have been better received by the players and public (well, except for the weather) and it just goes to prove that representative games were never the issue; it was the design around them that was the problem all along.

Behind the scenes, we had the belief that if we could put on a spectacle never quite seen here before with a completely new format and template then we could get the buy-in most importantly from the players to make it a success.

The Central Australia Redtails played a massive part in this belief and we thank them for the enormous effort made by all involved to get them here.

However, we have learnt along the way a number of other reasons why last weekend was such a success, and essentially it was the core ethos that the Central Australia Redtails operate with: “inclusion”.

Inclusion can mean many different things to many different people.

However, the inclusion we have now found to be the recipe for the success of the Dreamtime at the P was the inclusion of the netball format, the inclusion of junior boys’ and girls’ games and the biggest one of all, the inclusion of the Millewa Football League and Millewa Netball League, as well as the Mallee Tigers’ football and netball teams.

The netballers played in a heaving atmosphere inside the stadium at Mildura Sporting Precinct to a very generous crowd, which to be honest was one of the highlights of the day for me.

However, it was the buy-in from the star players of the SFNL representative team that was most crucial and I can tell you first-hand as one of the coaches of the team that not only were the 24 selected buying in completely to this game, it was the broader squad as a whole.

We had nearly 50 players at our first open session with over a dozen apologies.

The best of the best were at training every week for six weeks and completely dialled in for this game from the moment we put the concept forward to them.

We were told six weeks was too long to train the squad, that an open squad would just water down the talent as we hadn’t selected the best players to be invited along, that players just don’t like rep footy any more in case of injury.

Nope, all wrong.

The players over the six-week training program became a close group of players, almost club-like in a way.

By the time we got to the game, this group were genuinely mates with each other.

Don’t get me wrong: all had a very strong respect for each other on the field.

However, off the field is where it became incredibly strong.

By inviting everyone to try out we got to see new talent that we may have not even considered had we simply gone in with our blinkers on.

After all, we had 13 debutants for the game and not one of them looked out of place in a Sunraysia jumper.

And last of all, why this was a success and the players weren’t thinking of injuries was the time of the year we played: the pre-season.

The best players in the comp such as Dan Coghlan, Jarrod Brander, Nick Mee, Wade Hancock and co saw this game as the perfect hit-out to enter into the season.

They don’t like rep footy during the year because they are committed to their clubs, keeping themselves fit and fresh each week in the hope of finals footy.

At the start of the year they see a rep game as the best hit-out they can have against quality opposition to set themselves up for the best start to the season.

So the key all along to the survival of rep footy was to actually listen to the players and ask them what they wanted.

After all, it is they who are most important.

I take my hat off to every player and every senior coach in our competition for their support.

Not one player or senior club coach was negative about this concept in any way, especially the club coaches as they allowed full access to their players and openly encouraged them to be a part of the process.

So for this SFNL season, I believe that Wentworth, Irymple and Ouyen will again be the teams to beat.

However, I believe the improvement will come from Mildura, South Mildura and Red Cliffs.

Robinvale Euston will also be around the mark for a finals berth.

My concerns are that poor Matt Dea just may not have the cattle at Imps this season for them to make a real impact, while injuries will be a big issue this season for Merbein.

All in all, we don’t want to see any club struggle this season and want to see great games, week in, week out.

I think that with the influx of stars in our competition that this may be one of the most enjoyable SFNL seasons for many years.