Berwick Springs FNC – 2021 Season in Review

Berwick Springs’ first year as a united football and netball club had its challenges, with its campaign reflecting a lot of learning and improvement along the way.

With its brand-new facility at Mick Morland Reserve still undergoing construction during the first half of the season, the Titans were on the road playing all its away games to start the year while training at Sweeney Reserve in Narre Warren South.

Along with the covid interruption in May, the Titans were dealt with a few curve balls, but as club president Ashley Allison explained, it was their resilience in being able to stick together that got them through the year.

“I am super proud with the way they stuck together, and they have started to build a really strong bond as a senior group,” Allison said.

“We had a lot of obstacles thrown our way because we only received our club rooms nine rounds into the season.

“The back half of the year was much better for us given we were in our club rooms, then we got struck down by covid, so it’s been a horrid time.”

The senior football side won two games in its inaugural year and became more competitive as the season progressed to suggest they are on the way up.

The netball squads also took a lot of learning onboard with A grade winning one match, while D grade finished inside the top five with four wins.

Senior captain Jayden Malek, Daniel Ousley, Bailey Delves, Nick Williams, James Makrodimitris, Jarrod Hocking and Riley Hillman fought hard for the Titans week in and week out while the club also managed to debut several young players into the senior side throughout the year.

Leading this group of players were Kayden Buselli, Blake Simondson and Tom Nelson who were all nominated as part of the league’s Box Hill Institute Young Guns of 2021.

“We have a strong group of U19’s who are coming through, some of which are actually part of the Dandenong Stingrays,” Allison said.

“Those guys will be the future of the club so it’s important we keep them around for a while.”

As a new organisation in its infancy, the Titans have a burning desire to build a strong culture as ‘one club’ where the football and netball departments are united.

The rooms at Mick Morland Reserve are littered with family connections across both sports, which fuels the aspiration to create an organisational culture where children and families are welcome.

Looking ahead towards 2022, Berwick Springs are aiming for on-field retention of players in addition to landing new recruits and bringing players into the squad from the junior club to further promote its development.

On the operational side, the Titans would like to have further involvement from new people that bring new ideas to the committee.

The support provided from AFL Outer East to the new club through its formation years is greatly appreciated by Allison and he is proud to be affiliated with the league.

“Right from day one, we have been connected and supported by everyone from AFL Outer East,” he explained.

“We have been impressed with the level of professionalism and support they have given us and have also been really good in providing advice.

“This is absolutely the right competition for us and I am also impressed with the level of support they provide to all clubs across the league.”

Allison wished to thank everyone from his club for all the efforts they put in throughout a challenging year and spoke glowingly of the momentum building around the team for the years to come.

“A lot of people stepped up from our junior club who had no experience in senior football at all, but they did it for the love of the Titans brand,” he said.

“We have a new facility, fresh culture and offer players an opportunity to be part of something new and fresh.

“Whether you’re a coach, player or sponsor, I implore people to get on board with us and be a part of the Titans journey in years to come.”

FOOTBALL	LADDER POSITION	WINS	LOSSES
Hallam & Bayswater Truck Centres Division One	8th	2	7
Coates Division One Reserves	9th	1	8
Box Hill Institute U19 Premier Division	5th	2	6
NETBALL	LADDER POSITION	WINS	LOSSES
Kärcher Division One A Grade	8th	1	8
Kärcher Division One B Grade	9th	0	9
Kärcher Division One C Grade	7th	2	7
Kärcher Division One D Grade	5th	4	5
Kärcher 17 & Under White	6th	1	7