Garfield Football Club president Gerry Cunningham can see a bright horizon for his beloved side. 77230.Picture: Russell Bennett.
By Russell Bennett
LIKE its namesake and his beloved lasagne, Garfield Football Club wants to have its cake and eat it too.
The club’s senior side tasted the ultimate success, winning last season’s EDFL grand final, and desperately wants that sensation back again.
President Gerry Cunningham believes Garfield could be on the verge of something truly special… a multi-premiership-winning era.
“I can’t see why we wouldn’t (contend again this season),” Cunningham said.
“Nar Nar Goon is going to be a big threat with Brett Dore back, Cora Lynn will be good, Bunyip was knocking on the door last year and they beat us once, and Neerim South will still be there.
“We’re not certainties at all, but if we hit our straps like the end of last season, we’re a big chance.”
Garfield has only lost one senior player from its best 22 last season, but Damien Rhind’s absence will surely be felt across the all-conquering backline.
But the club has managed to hold on to last season’s dominant ruckman Tom Marsh, despite his big top-end move.
“Tom has gone to work in Darwin but we’ve got an agreement with him to come home three or four times throughout the year and to be available for the finals,” Cunningham said.
Although he said he could not be certain the speed bumps the senior side hit at the end of the last home-and-away season wouldn’t resurface, Cunningham was confident in the club’s winning culture.
The senior side suffered two surprise losses at the business end of their season, but Cunningham, the team’s coaching staff and its playing group are all determined not to let it happen again.
“We just believed that we could do better than that, that it was not us,” he said.
“It was just one of those inexplicable slumps.
“We’ve just put it to the side and made sure it won’t happen again.”
Garfield Football Club trains each Tuesday and Thursday night and will play practice matches against Warragul and ROC before the start of their season proper.
The club is on the lookout for more volunteers, specifically “a young, computer-literate person” who can take over the running of its website.
“We want to keep people very much up to date about how we’ve gone and where we’re at,” Cunningham said.
For more information, visit garfieldfc.com.au.
