Season 2020 Out Of Bounds

By Nicole Fraser

The first Saturday in September would’ve seen season end to the Heathcote and District Football Netball Leagues with the 2020 Grand Final showdown, however due to COVID-19 along with many other sporting affiliations, league fixtures were scrapped, junior games subbed in and out and passionate committed sporting teams and local communities left up in the air in what was an unprecedented start and sudden end to the season.

Leitchville/Gunbower Football Netball Club President Gary Kervin reflected on what the season looked like when the HDFNL pulled the pin due to the pandemic, teams that got a guernsey and how it will play out for the next year with current team selections, new recruits, coaching leadership roles and COVID-19.

Roll on 2021…

“Well this season that wasn’t, was going to be a challenging season for us. We had a bit of trouble recruiting a new coach. We had to go far and wide to get the coach that we finally got.

“All the way through this year, Cam Van Florestein has always been upbeat even though it looked like from an early point there was not much to be upbeat about for this season.

“This year would’ve been a challenge for him. We had a very large list turn over and so would’ve been a very young side. 

“Cam all the way through has been very good in trying to fill up our lists best he could. It’s very hard with Leitchville Gunny being far away as you can get for the HDFNL, very hard to attract players to it.

“He and virtually a whole new recruiting crew from the start of this season have been working tirelessly, even though there was no football this year and the proof is in the pudding.

In a social media post last week the LGFNC announced the following coaching reappointment.

“It’s with great pleasure the LG Committee reappoint Cameron Van Florestein. 

The LGFNC has reappointed Cam as the ‘playing’ Coach for season 2021.

Cam has been working over the past year with our group of recruiters, signing and re-signing players for both the cancelled 2020 and upcoming 2021 seasons.

Having previously coached Heidelberg West FC in the Northern Football, Netball League, Cam’s experience as both a player and coach will be an asset as we continue into 2021.

Cam has also played in the Eastern Football League for Kilsyth, Warrandyte and Croydon. The LG welcomes Cam, Renata and boys into the club and communities, as we head into unprecedented times for club sports.

Gary went onto share more team details for the 2021 season.

“We’ve had some interesting names to reveal on our Facebook and hopefully we will have a few more.

“Our oldest boy Lee Pollock said he’s already keen to go again and Ayden Walton was a bit of coup getting him to put his hand up for a leadership role as an assistant coach. He was in the leadership group in 2019 and really went ahead in leaps and bounds in my view as a leader and it was a really nice progression to make that commitment to put his hand up in supporting Cam and the club.

“We did have a little quick season for our juniors this year. It was a 2 week season in that window of opportunity. Our 12’s and 14’s were our normal crew but the Bendigo competition that we played 2 games in 16’s and 18’s is something that we can’t really find the numbers for so that was an amalgamated effort with Lockington, ourselves and drew a few from Cohuna and over the border. That was all very exciting running around having a kick then it was shut down pretty quick.

It was still worth the effort.

“The upside of that little window of the juniors was to see the enthusiasm was still there amongst the kids. I considered to be a great game. We had a full roll up and they were all ready to go. They knew they didn’t have a guarantee of much going on but they were there. The enthusiasm was there and that was important. 

“Our netballers tried hard to get a bit of local comp going, they had a fair few training runs and looked like they were going to put sides in different places but they also came to a grinding halt as well.

“So the season that was, that wasn’t was still a lot of work in some ways and not as much work in others. Very strange, a very strange year.

“We’ve had a few committee meetings on a club level. There’s a lot of good ideas about doing things, but no one can get too excited because we don’t know when we’re allowed to do anything.

“I would suggest if that if anything opens up to be able to have a social function before Christmas, I think our club will be in there boots and all because that’s one of the main things people miss, the community side of things to get everyone together. We can’t plan anything can you because we don’t know what we are allowed to do at any given time. To touch base to see how everyone is going would be good.

“We have had league meetings and other meetings to sort out a few things and have had a curly one that the league have snapped in with an under 18, which doesn’t suit our club at all but working through the best we can.”

The road for LGFNC heading into next year is a winding one, looking at options on how it will be played out if circumstances change.

“I’ve still got some reservations about where we are going to be at the bounce of the ball next season, but hoping there’s going to be a break through. If not, we will be looking at other avenues like this year.”