 The message coming out of Laharum this pre-season is all about momentum and improvement. Demons’ footballers had an up and down Horsham District league season in 2022. The club’s young brigade surprised a few sides during several quarters throughout the season, but as most younger sides often do, missed goals on turnover. Incoming Laharum president Brian Burke has taken the top mantle this season and reiterated the club remained opportunistic, yet realistic, about potential strides its senior side could make on its journey towards the top six. “We always look for success in every season,” he said. “This year will be about continuing the improvement we saw from the group last season. “We don’t start this season off with expectation about where we could be in 16 rounds. “As a club, our focus will be on education, communication and co-operation – from the playing group right through to the committee.” Returning senior coach Glenn Doyle said there had been no loss to the playing group in the off-season, while its large core of young, senior players had added another full season to their game totals. “The upside for us is that 60 to 70 percent of our group has an average age of about 20 years-old – so there is massive room for growth,” he said. “Our experienced players have all returned and started pre-season in good condition, too, given they will be crucial in guiding the group this season.” Doyle said he expected senior players including Hayden De Graaf and Alec McCallum, who returned to the field after football hiatuses, to take an extended step this season with a second pre-season under their belts. “We have increased our young talent pool and spent our time developing our core group of young players who we know can be the centrepiece of Laharum’s next successful era,” he said. “Apart from that, we strive to offer a great environment for our players to improve as people, and as footballers – and that comes down to development of a strong club culture.” Doyle said he placed no outlandish expectation on what the group could achieve in 2023, and while positive results always built momentum, the continued development of young talent was always a priority. “Our young players are driving themselves to improve, to realise what they can offer when they reach their peaks,” he said. “With no losses to the group, we know we are on the right path and serious steps toward the pointy end of the ladder shouldn’t be too far away. “If we can limit the opposition’s damage on turnover and continue to drill down our structures, we should make some good inroads into where we want our senior football team to be in the future.” By Michael Scalzo at the Weekly Advertiser
https://www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au/articles/2023-hdfnl-countdown-laharum-strengthening-a-young-core/
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