Tara Murray
Altona has made a blistering start to the Hockey Victoria men’s premier league but knows there’s still plenty of work to be done.
After five rounds, the Seagulls sit undefeated as their defence has stood strong and been really hard to score against.
Coach Greg Drake said he can’t complain at this stage.
“We are going along OK,” he said. “Being a new coach you never know how things will go.
“Pre-season was excellent and credit to the players so far, the results have been excellent.
“It’s still very early and it’s a long season. There’s 22 rounds and we’ve only played five.
“I can’t complain.”
Drake said he was surprised how well the defence has started, conceding just four goals in the first five rounds.
He said they have a completely different defensive structure this season.
“It was not on my radar,” he said. “The commitment to playing without the ball has been the key to the success.”
On Sunday, the Seagulls beat the KBH Brumbies 3-2.
Drake said it was a different match compared to their other wins this season.
“It’s the first time we’ve had to come from behind,” he said. “We’ve led in the other matches.
“We had to show some different character and we were nice and patient. We eventually got control of the game and overran them.”
Drake said it was good to see some different qualities, with challenges set to be thrown at them throughout the season.
One thing the Seagulls have had to battle is some early season injuries.
The biggest is a fractured foot to Australian squad member Connar Otterbach.
Drake said that’s a big loss for them.
“He’s had no luck,” he said. “He’s such a valuable player and a great human as well.
“You hate to see him not being able to play for us. He was there on the weekend and he was there at training.
“He’s been really supportive of us. He’ll miss three months”
While they have a perfect record so far, Drake said they were nowhere near being a finished product.
He said the results flatter them so far.
“There are some things we will look to improve,” he said. “We have to get better with the right ball movement.
“We need to balance when you attack and when you don’t.”
Altona’s next match is on Saturday against Essendon.
The Seagulls women’s side had a 2-1 loss to KBH Brumbies. The Seagulls sit in 11th spot with one win.
