By LIAM TWOMEY
CAROLINE Springs has continued its steady improvement up the Western Region Football League ladder.
The Lakers finished the division two season in sixth place with an 8-10 win/loss record. After hoping to secure a finals berth going into 2013, club president Dean Ellis said there were still a number of positives to take out of the season.
“Halfway through the year when we knew finals were out of the question we sat down and said, what do we want to get out of the year?
“The players said they wanted to finish sixth and to their credit we did.
“We were hoping to sneak into the finals. We fell a couple of games short. We lost a couple of games this year against Braybrook and Sanctuary Lakes which really put us back early in the season.
“That cost us a bit but in saying that we have improved every year since we have been in the competition which is a good thing. We are moving forwards.”
Planning is already underway for an improved 2014 season with the Lakers hoping to finalise their coaching panel by mid-September.
The club has advertised the position of senior coach which this year’s head coach Gary Turner has re-applied for.
Ellis said Caroline Springs will also be looking to bring in a few new faces to fill key roles.
“We want to maintain the players that we had this year and look for a few more,” he said.
“We aren’t going to go crazy or anything. We will see what’s out there and see what best suits our club.
“Our ruckman from the last few years has retired so we are going to need to bring in a ruckman.”
While its senior side missed out on the finals, the news was a lot better in the junior ranks. Two Caroline Springs junior sides won premierships.
“That was fantastic and a great day for the club,” Ellis said.
“Both were able to come from behind and get over the line. The boys were happy and as president, I couldn’t be any more proud of them.”
