Dimitri Dimakopoulos (right) and the X-Men will launch themselves at the D3 competition this season.By Stuart Teather
HEADING into its third season as a football club, St Francis Xavier Old Collegians is still on the rise.
The Victorian Amateur Football Association club is about to embark on its first season in the D3 competition after earning promotion from D4 in 2008 and there are plenty of positive signs.
Local coaching legend Joe Lenders has taken on the top job and said he was looking forward to the challenge of leading an amateur team.
“It’s a little bit different to where I’ve been – classed as amateur status – but we’ve still got to be a little bit professional in what we do,” he said.
“You’ve got to be a little bit less dictatorial as a coach because they’re all there for the enjoyment and to play the game of football.”
Lenders said the 25-28 sign-ons in the off-season had helped the squad to a healthy position heading into round one.
There is little doubt that Lenders’ profile attracted some new players to the club, with his coaching resume including premierships at Pakenham, Cora Lynn and Garfield over a 30-year stretch.
But none of that matters now as the club prepares for its debut in the D3 competition.
A recent practice match victory against fellow D3 club St John’s showed the side was ready to match it with the competition.
“That was an aim for us to make sure we beat them, to make a statement to D3 and say ‘the X-Men are here’,” Lenders said.
“Every grade you go up you have to improve and I think our list has improved in personnel and hopefully we can continue on from there.”
The club has three co-captains to lead the side this year, with Lenders’ son, Joel, Si Van Dam and Sean Harvey all sharing the role.
The club plays a final practice match against the Manningham Cobras (formerly Bulleen) at Bulleen this weekend before the start of the regular season on 18 April, where the X-Men will take on West Brunswick at McAlister Oval.
