By ADEM SARICAOGLU
FOOTY clubs can come a long way in 12 months – and the rise of Hillside in 2013 is testament to that.
The Sharks were one of six Essendon District Football League clubs relegated into Division Two halfway through last season.
Senior coach Alan Ezard was sacked soon after and replaced by former Western Bulldog Steve Kolyniuk, who through shrewd recruiting has led Hillside’s revival in 2013.
This Saturday the Sharks will have all three of their senior teams go to Windy Hill in their quest for a Division Two treble after winning a combined total of 50 out of 56 games played this season.
A win for the seniors on Saturday will also mark the club’s inaugural senior premiership.
Kolyniuk told Star last week it was an exciting time for the club ahead of its date with destiny at Windy Hill.
“It’s exciting and obviously the 18s, reserves and seniors will all go in as favourites,” Kolyniuk said.
“So we’ve just got to make sure that we prepare properly for the day and if things go all to plan we should have three sides successful.”
Kolyniuk has every right to be confident, considering his Sharks booked their place with an emphatic 106-point belting of Moonee Valley – the only club to have beaten Hillside this season.
However, Kolyniuk knows all too well the perils that come with over-confidence going into the big one, but is sure his players won’t become complacent when it matters most.
“I think you’ve only got to look at Strathmore last year,” he explained.
“They were the dominant side in Premier Division and they lost the grand final.
“I was involved and saw first-hand Greenvale go undefeated all season and Keilor beating them in a grand final and I’ve played in a team at St Albans which was undefeated all year and lost the grand final.
“There’s a lot of talk that we’re the best side and we are the best side, there’s no doubt about it, but on any given day you’ve only got to be off your game a little bit and the other side’s going to be up for the challenge.
“But we’re pretty confident that we’ve got things in place and even if we’re not playing at our best – we still think that we’ll be good enough to mentally get up.”
The Sharks will face Moonee Valley – who knocked off East Keilor on Saturday – in the senior decider.
