WITH the 2020 Limestone Coast Football Association season on the horizon, Apollo Football Club is a hive of activity.
The senior squad has had good numbers in its first weeks of training – a promising sign for returning co-coaches Jamie Stephenson and Bruno Vadori.
Coming off a successful 2019, which saw Apollo’s reserves finish premiers and the A Grade runners-up, there are plenty of positives looking at the season ahead.
Another group of young talent will take the permanent step into senior company when they rise from the Under 17 ranks, which will cover a couple of key player losses.
Tom Inglis will be a big loss to the side, as he is currently travelling abroad with wife Aimee, before he moves to Adelaide.
Inglis captained Apollo’s A Grade team for the past three years and his leadership and expertise in the backline will be missed.
Young gun Bailey Musci is another out for 2020, but Stephenson and Vadori remain confident the pair are replaceable.
“They are two big losses, but we have a good young core and it just gives an opportunity for someone to step up,” Stephenson said.
Once again there will be a keen focus on the youngsters in the Apollo squad, with several of last year’s Under 17’s now permanent members of the senior roster.
Among those are Harry Wilson, Franco Kwibuka and Jack Donehue, while talented defender Adam Walker will play his second year of full-time senior soccer.
The Apollo youth has impressed over the last couple of seasons, where juniors have been relied upon to fill the senior ranks.
“It has definitely been an experience for these kids – in the last couple of seasons they have really been thrown in the deep end,” Vadori said.
“It was sink or swim and they are all swimming now.”
Vadori said no positions are safe in the team and he expects players to push hard for selection.
As far as new recruits go, both coaches remain tight-lipped.
“We have been contacted by a couple of good young players, which will help both senior teams,” Stephenson said.
“We are a big family club and we will open our arms to anyone who wants to come and see how they go.
“There are definitely two or three boys who we are looking at maybe including in our team who will be red-hot for A Grade, but at the moment we do not want to reveal too much.”
Both senior teams showed improvement between 2018 and 2019, with the joint coaching effort between Vadori and Stephenson showing positive results.
“Last year was a bit of a learning curve for both of us,” Vadori said.
“I think everything went pretty well for the season we had.”
Both coaches are eager to show further improvement this season and are raring to hit the park when the Steeline Cup kicks off the year on March 29.
