Yarra Junction FNC – 2021 Season in Review

Yarra Junction Football Netball Club endured an up and down season in 2021, with injuries in the football department denying them of fulling their potential.

The seniors finished in fifth with five wins from 10 games while the reserve managed to conjure up three wins from 10 matches.

Reflecting on the year at the Eagles, senior coach Richard Brown said while he felt his side could produce good performances, a lack of playing numbers held them back at times.

“When we had good numbers, we were competitive, and when we didn’t we were usually beaten,” Brown said.

“Overall, we were really satisfied with how the season went, obviously we would have liked to have a shot at the finals, but injury would have cut us down at some point.”

To justify this, Brown points to the Eagles performance against second-placed Powelltown in Round 12 where they were locked in a tight combat and a fair chance to knock them off until five players went down at half time.

However, this game demonstrated to the boys from Yarra Junction that they have what it takes to be competitive with anyone.

“I think a few teams would have been nervous about us if we had been able to play finals,” Brown mentioned.

The best players consisted of Ewan Wadsworth, David Johnson, Jesse Bombinski and Luke Spalding who were leaders with their running, ball use and marking ability, while Cooper Holmes and Rhys Wade shone as the young guns coming through.

“Those young boys blew me away with how well they went and to have played in every senior game and have an impact was impressive,” Brown explained.

“Cooper was really good in a tagging role and Rhys matched up well as a key defender.”

Despite dropping off in the latter part of the year and losing the semi-final to Olinda Ferny Creek, the women’s football team put in a sensational performance all year to be the standout team in Kärcher Women’s Division Two.

Playing coach Patsy Boxell, captain Jamee Cousens, Jade Mewburn, Emily Spicer, Ann Ito and Georgia Page were the standouts and featured in the league team of the year.

The netball squad also experienced an up and down season, winning five games across all four teams with Shelby Lewer featuring as the standout player as her confidence and goaling accuracy stood out this year.

Despite not producing the on-field performances they were looking for, the netball department was provided with a significant boost off the court with the addition of two brand new hybrid netball/tennis courts and lighting which will assist with training at night, as a result of the assistance of Yarra Ranges Council and Yarra Junction Tennis Club.

As the Eagles look towards 2022, they will be aiming to play finals across all teams and hope to get a full season in, with pre-season training to commence soon.

Brown thanked players across the club, the coaching staff, sponsors and committee for their efforts throughout season 2021.

“I have four assistants and a reserves coach that were brilliant this year,” he appreciated.

“The committee have been a great help to us, particularly our secretary Stacey Davis, she is amazing.

“Our sponsors have also been really good, particularly our major partner Hans On Plumbing Services, and we hope to continue with them next year.”

FOOTBALL	LADDER POSITION	WINS	LOSSES	DRAWS
ATC Traffic Division Two	5th	5	5	–
PFG Australia Division Two Reserves	6th	3	7	–
Kärcher Women’s Division Two	1st	8	1	–
NETBALL	LADDER POSITION	WINS	LOSSES	DRAWS
Kärcher Division Two A Grade	7th	1	9	–
Kärcher Division Two B Grade	6th	3	6	1
Kärcher Division Two C Grade	7th	1	9	–
Kärcher Division Two D Grade	8th	0	10	–