The Williamstown CYMS Football Club has made all the right moves in the off-season for a successful 2012 as club president Peter Welsh, centre, is joined by players Matt John, Cody McCracken, Daniel Carmel-Orrand and Jack Gray. 76891 Pictures: JOE MASTROIANNI
By LIAM TWOMEY
THE Williamstown CYMS Football Club is hoping it has the right balance of youth and experience to begin a climb up the ranks of the Victorian Amateur Football Association.
The club has been nurturing its junior talent and with director of coaching Mathew Montebello at the helm, the hard work is paying off.
Montebello was named the Western Region Coach of the Year last year. Williamstown football manager Bill Deller said it was great to see the juniors working hard.
“The strength of the CYs playing a good standard of football in the future will come through the juniors and that is what we are looking to do,” he said.
“We want to create a good career path for them. We have been working hard with the local boys and it’s looking good.”
This year Williamstown will have under-18s and under-19s teams as well as home grown players such as Josh Newton and Sean O’Shea-Korbut set for key roles in the seniors. With more fresh talent expected to break into the seniors throughout the year, new head coach Ian Rickman will have an exciting playing list to work with in first season at the CY’s helm.
Rickman played AFL for the Western Bulldogs and is a favourite son of Williamstown Football.
“When we advertised for the coach we were delighted that Ian applied and we grabbed him because of his experience,” Deller said.
“We are rapt with the way that he has fitted in. He has got the guys really going flat out at the moment. We know he can take us to where we want to go.”
Deller is confident that under Rickman and Montebello, the club is developing a squad capable of competing with the top sides in the competition.
“We have finished fifth the last two years but what we are aiming to do this year is to develop a different style of play,” he said.
“Our better players are around 23 or 24 years of age and we have to develop the skills of those players and a game plan that is appropriate for them.
“It’s no good us going up and not being able to match it. We want to be able to compete when we get there.”
