By LIAM TWOMEY
ANYTHING less than finals will be a disappointing result for Williamstown CYMS in the Victorian Amateur Football Association.
That is the message from the club’s first-year coach Mathew Montebello who replaced Ian Rickman in the off-season.
Williamstown has enjoyed a solid pre-season with 95 players attending training throughout the summer.
Montebello said the club is looking to build the foundation now for a rise up the ranks of the VAFA from Division to Premier status.
“This year the minimum expectation is to play finals,” he said.
“I think if we don’t play finals this year, it will be a disappointment.
“We are trying to put the structures in place so that over the next four years we are knocking on the door of B-Grade and over the next two years, we would hope to be pushing into C-Grade.”
Williamstown will begin its Division One season against Old Mentonians before its first home game of the year in round two against .
Before taking on his role with the senior side, Montebello was coach of the CY’s under 19 team and has seen first hand the exciting talent on the way through in the coming seasons.
With a relatively young group, Williamstown added some mature heads to its playing list during the break while its senior side continues to develop.
“I think we have a good balance of youth and experience,” Montebello said. “Our core senior group is between the ages of 20 and 27. There are a lot of blokes within that middle range there.
“We have recruited some older blokes because we are trying to top up that top end a little bit with some more hardened footballers who have been around a lot longer and have played a lot of senior footy.
“We have got some kids coming through who are ready for senior football but in saying that they are kids so you need those older bodies to be able to look after them and show them the way a little bit.
“Over the next couple of years there are a whole bunch of great kids coming through.”
