By ADEM SARICAOGLU
A YOUNG and inexperienced Western Crusaders outfit did well to finish their Gridiron Victoria season with a 7-5 record.
However, it wasn’t enough to clinch a play-off berth, with the Crusaders finishing two points short of third-placed Croydon by season’s end.
Disappointing as that may be, Crusaders coach Kriss Guidotti knows the upside of his team’s progress in 2013 will hold them in good stead going forward.
“We worked in a couple of new schemes this year and we had a lot of players leave from last year to this year and we ended up with a lot of rookies, so considering that we had a fairly good year,” Guidotti said.
“A lot of the secondary and defensive line was full of rookies and the line backers were fairly new.
“There were only two experienced players there – so when I think back on it, with the defence that we had from last year to this year – to come out and play and get 7-5 was a good effort.”
As most young teams do, the Crusaders struggled to maintain a level of consistency throughout the year.
When they were on, though, the Crusaders “showed signs of brilliance”, according to Guidotti.
“Basically, our season was like our games – two halves of a game,” Guidotti said.
“We’d play one half fantastically and the other half poorly and we couldn’t put four quarters together, and our season was the same.
“We got a few injuries, and everyone does, but our commitment and desire sort of dropped off a bit this year.”
Starting quarterback Brent Weeks was one of those key injuries to hit the Crusaders’ roster throughout the year, but for Guidotti, it was his side’s poor handling of their tricky schedule that led to their downfall this season.
“We played four second division teams in a row and we sort of lost a little bit of lustre,” Guidotti said.
“We played those second division teams and when we came out of that stretch our skill levels went down (and) our timing went down.
“So when we came back up into playing the first division teams we were a little bit lacking.
“But all in all the team actually stepped up this year and I think the longer they stay together, the better they’re going to get.”
