With the 2023 season just around the corner, EDFL Media will be previewing each club heading into Round One. Next, we chat to new Avondale Heights coach Richard Little who provides some insights on their 2023 campaign.
2022: 8th (4W, 14L, 75.27%)
Coach: Richard Little (first season, replacing Patrick Byrne)
PRE-SEASON FOCUS
"Our biggest focus this pre-season has been on creating a positive but competitive environment. One of the best things about last year’s group was their ability to stay engaged through a tough first half of the season, which allowed for good growth to occur in the second half. We’ve really looked to continue that growth by nailing a set of principles around the way we want to play.
"We’ve been prepared for training to be messy and we haven’t shied away from full intensity at any stage. Off the back of last year, we’re also looking for a fast start to the season. We believe we’ve been able to create a tight enough group early on to get some early wins on the board."
LIST SHAPE
"In general with our recruits we have looked to continue to add quality younger players, which suits the rest of our young list. While overall we are very young, we have some very experienced older leaders around the club in Matt Darby, Matt Cravino, Justin Morris, and Tom Russell. The level of footy knowledge within this older group is huge and we’re really looking forward to our large U22 cohort learning from these experienced players and developing quickly."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
"We’ve got a number of players still eligible for U18s that will play the majority of games in the seniors for us. The first being Luca Papsis, who played basically every game last year in the seniors as a bottom age U18. His development last year from start to finish was huge and I’m really looking forward to seeing him go up another level again. We’ve got another couple of young players in Ethan Guy and Jack Murphy who have come to Melbourne this year and are new to the club, but also new to senior footy. Both have good size for young blokes and we’re really keen for them to show what they can do at EDFL Premier level.
"Aidyn Johnson has missed a heap of footy over the last few years with a serious knee injury, but brings AFL experience and also AFL intensity, which has been great for us. There’s also a group of blokes including Bailey Williamson, Ned Timms, and Cam McLeod (who is on Werribee’s VFL list) who played their first season of senior footy last year and look ready to go to a new level this year."
2023 OUTLOOK
"I think our goals really come back to what we’ve focused on over the pre-season, creating a really positive and competitive environment. Building trust in that environment and a bond of mateship within the group comes first for us and when we achieve those, winning games will look after itself. It’s not limited to our club, but players moving on means we’re continually trying to replace rather than grow, so building a super tight group and a feeling of progress around the club is massively important this year.
"With the group that we have and the development that they’re capable of, I and the other coaches are excited to see them take on and challenge themselves against the powerhouses of the competition."
LODGED TRANSFERS
In: Lucas Olivieri (Sunshine Heights), Jack Murphy (North Warrnambool), Tom Hird (Essendon), Ethan Guy (Wangaratta), Anthony Tiricola (Taylors Lakes), Amir Bardeng (Caroline Springs), David Simpson (Panton Hill) & Aidyn Johnson (Echuca).
Out: Dylan Murnane (Apollo Bay), Alexander Pingitore (Maribyrnong Park), Luca Gangi (Braybrook), Alexander Byrne (Monash Blues), My Yen Au (Caroline Springs), Dante Palermo (St Bernards), William Shem (Doncaster), Hamish Murphy (North Heidelberg), Aaron Gundry (Doncaster), Timothy Garisto (Glenroy), Ruairi Cleary (West Coburg), Donnacadh Cleary (West Coburg), Ian Fisher (Coburg Districts), Andy Di Lorenzo (Parkside), Reece Desira (Epping), Patrick Rose (North Ringwood) & Anthony Alicandro (Braybrook).
EDFL MEDIA SAYS
It took until Round 11 for the Heights to get in the winner's column in 2022, where from there, they were able to challenge against Keilor, East Keilor, and Pascoe Vale while registering a further three wins to round out the season. They'll lose the Cleary brothers, as well as Hamish Murphy, Patrick Rose, and Jack Watkins with the latter two playing no games and three in 2022 respectively. With that in mind, new coach Richard Little has outlined a clear focus on blooding youth this season, which might indicate the Heights' position on the ladder mightn't see a significant jump. On paper however, there is still plenty of talent to challenge the top sides as they've proven in the past.
2023 FIXTURE
