Three Williamstown CYMS players are among the squad of 49 players selected for the Victorian Amatuer Football Association Big V premier B-division 3 men’s initial squad ahead of the clash against the Bendigo Football League at Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo on Sunday, July 13.
Former Big V player and Fitzroy coach Luke Mahoney has taken the reins for a second consecutive season, having led the side to a thrilling 13-point victory at Elsternwick Park in 2024.
The team represents five different sections of the VAFA men’s competition from premier B to division 3.
Mahoney and his coaching panel found this year’s squad selection even more challenging than last year.
“We got there in the end, but it wasn’t easy because of the increase in talent, especially in our divisions, which really stood out to us. There were a lot more options this year,” he said.
“Being our second year doing the exercise, we had a better starting point with our whole coaching group on board again. We have a clear understanding of how we want to play, so we knew who to target and why, which was a big advantage for us.
“We grouped players into the roles we know we need – for example, running backs, inside mids and outside mids. We then saw plenty of footy live and on tape and worked our way through those groups.
“We’re very happy with where we’ve ended up, given the quality we’ve got. It’s a good, well-rounded, balanced squad.”
Mahoney also has a better understanding of the opposition.
“Bendigo surprised us with their launch ability off half-back last year,” he said.
“They got a lot of momentum from their rebounding defence, which caught us unawares a bit. They got their transition going, so we have to be mindful of that on the longer ground at QEO, which is suited to more run and carry.
“We’ll adjust accordingly and also have some very good running rebound defenders to consider – the likes of Nathan Ligris and Matt Clarkson – that could perform a similar function for us.
“Our overall mantra is fit, fast and flexible.
“We know Bendigo’s midfield will likely be a strength for them and ours will be for us too. We have three very handy rucks in our squad – Alex Mirkov, Jack Sheridan and Boston Dowling. So we’ll have some big decisions to make about how we structure our ruck division. Our forward line set-up might partly dictate that.”
Mahoney has a healthy mix of returning players and fresh faces in his initial squad.
There are 24 players selected from the premier B competition.
That includes the CYs Jordan Busuttil, Zachary Provest and Will Bokma.
There are also 10 players from premier c, eight from division 1, four from division 2 and three from division 3.
Training begins this week and will include five sessions between now and gameday.
