IT has been a tough transition into the head coaching duties at South Gambier for Bronson Saffin.
He took over the reigns from Brett Exelby, but could not have expected the COVID-19 pandemic scenario and the subsequent chaos.
However, despite the Western Border Football League being cancelled, along with the Mid South Eastern and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara leagues, he is now keen to see his young side back on the ground competing in the new Limestone Coast Football League, which kicks off on July 18.
After all the drama surrounding the coronavirus, Saffin said the numbers were pleasing at Blue Lake Sports Park, with a keen, young group ready to go.
“We are doing really well with numbers,” he said.
“We have a young core group and everyone is pretty keen.
“We lost a few players from last year just through guys moving away mainly, but we have managed to pick up a couple of guys who have come into town.”
Some new and returning names have joined the roster, including Patrick Glynn – back from Adelaide – along with the likes of Patrick Mitchell from the MSEFL, plus new Limestone Coast resident Elliot Ben and former South Warrnambool player – now living in Mount Gambier – Kym Eagleson.
“Patty Glynn played all his junior footy at South and moved up to Adelaide for Uni and work,” Saffin said.
“He has come back for a kick.
“Elliot Ben has moved to town and Kym Eagleson moved here from South Warrnambool.
“Patty Mitchell has also come over from Glencoe for a kick.”
However, Saffin said he was hesitant to look for players from other teams in the region not playing in the new competition.
“Because we have such good numbers as it is and it could be a one-off sort of season, we don’t want to upset any of our guys by playing too many others who will just return to their clubs essentially,” he said.
“We have had a few guys come out for training, but they are under no illusion they will slot straight into the A Grade side.
“That is something we have to discuss as a club and we will make that call next week.”
While the planned Western Border season left players and clubs in limbo early, now a new league has been created and kick-off is fast approaching, Saffin said the enthusiasm had returned.
“Now that it is getting close to starting, everyone is back up and keen again,” he said.
“There was a period where a lot of us were just going through the motions.
“It was good to get out and have a kick, but with everything still in limbo there was no urgency.
“Now that it is getting a bit closer blokes have picked up the tempo and are showing a bit more intent.”
The Demons showed some of that intent late last season, as the young players continued to grow into their roles.
With the interruption to 2020 due to the coronavirus, that momentum may be hard to maintain, but Saffin is confident his side can hit the ground running.
“We felt the guys were at a really good stage last year, we built them up and there was a lot of confidence around the group,” he said.
“We hope to keep that rolling on, but a short build up makes it a lot harder.
“If you had an older group that had been around footy and together a lot longer, you could probably switch on a lot easier.
“But I guess the bonus we have with these young guys coming through is they have played a lot of footy together.”
One issue the young South brigade will face is the tough opposition, with North Gambier, Kalangadoo and Mundulla all reigning premiers in their respective leagues.
Saffin said he expected a challenging competition, which would be a good gauge of his young side.
“Even though the league has been thrown together, there are some quality sides there,” he said.
“You would like to think there will be stiff competition each week.
“It will probably be a good gauge of where we are at as a group.
“It is a good opportunity to come up against some different sides and maybe a different style of play to gauge how well we can transition and change to suit.”
Overall Saffin said it was an exciting time at Blue Lake Sports Park as the new league approaches.
“We have so many dedicated people at the club in general and have been really positive,” he said.
“The young guys are really keen, so to get back into training, the transition was really easy.”
