By Gary Stocks
The preliminaries are over. Now it’s time to get down to battle. Get the hands dirty, dig in for the next five months and draw some reward for the summer of preparation.
Senior coach David Hynes has been delighted with the pre-season; now it’s a matter of putting into practice the game plan that has been worked upon, the structures and set-ups that are expected and bringing it together in a united assault on the opposition.
For the O’Rourke Realty A-Grade, that starts with the opening round of the 2014 campaign against Swan Athletic at Percy Doyle Oval, Duncraig.
The new facility is making solid progress, thanks to the outstanding work of the City of Stirling, but the traditional is not yet ready to host full-scale fixtures. This season was always going to be about playing else-where and Percy Doyle is a great alternative.
The oval has been extended and the A-Grade will play all of its home fixtures at a venue where many of the players are familiar, having played junior football for Sorrento-Duncraig.
Certainly the players have enjoyed the opportunity to train at the venue in recent weeks and they are in good shape as the club embarks on the new season.
“It seems as though it has been a long build-up to this point and the players are ready to go,” Hynes said. “We have had a solid preparation, the boys have their head around the game plan and now it’s time to put it all into action.
“We have a talented squad of senior players, a good mix of the news and the old as well as some very talented recruits.
“Most of our senior players from last year have returned and some guys like Scott Ward and the Quinlan brothers, who have a strong connection to the club, have returned.
“There is also a lot of new faces which is exciting and we have been working on bringing all of those guys together, to unite them and have them committed to the cause. We anticipate a solid year across the club.”
Hynes announced on Thursday night that Beau Witheridge and Anthony “Chooka” Ingham would again be co-captains with Aaron Jarvis as vice-captain, while Tim Langsford will round out the leadership group.
The Credent Financial Services A-Reserves will this year be coached by Ross Jevons, who has a strong background with the Subiaco Development Squads, while Craig Dalton will again lead the colts program.
Round 1 fixtures O’Rourke Realty A-Grade
North Beach v Swan Athletic, Percy Doyle Oval, 2.30pm
Credent Financial Services A-Reserves
North Beach v Swan Athletic, Percy Doyle Oval, 12.35pm
Coast to Coast Imports Phil Scott Colts
North Beach v Swan Athletic, 10.40am
Cabling Network Solutions D1-Grade
Whitford v North Beach, Forrest Reserve, 2.30pm
Hybrid Linings D1-Reserves
Whitford v North Beach, Forrest Reserve, 12.35pm
Coast to Coast Imports Brett Jones Colts
Whitford v North Beach, Forrest Reserve 10.40am
Express Bins E2-Grade
North Beach v Coolbinia-West Perth, Charles Riley Reserve, 2.30pm
