Bendi Addy...go huntly!!
A NEW-look committee is excited by the challenge of leading the Huntly Football-Netball Club into a new era.
The Hawks have struggled for on-field success in the Heathcote District Football-Netball League for the past six years, but the new committee, led by president Gavin Rule, is determined to see the club turn its fortunes around.
Joining Rule on the fresh executive of Huntly is vice-president Mick Talbot, who this year played his 400th game for the club, treasurer Aaron Milsom and secretary Graham King.
Among the other changes at the Hawks are Shane Hamilton being appointed as the club’s new senior coach, taking over from Mark Billings, who will stay on as a player.
Hamilton played VFL-AFL football for both Geelong and the Brisbane Bears, and was a member of the Cats’ side that lost to Hawthorn by six points in the 1989 grand final.
He has set a target of six wins for next season.
If Hamilton can achieve that goal it would be a massive improvement for Huntly, which has won just five games since 2002.
As part of a new coaching panel, the Hawks have signed ruckman-forward Ashley Beriman, who played with Bears Lagoon-Serpentine this year, as an assistant coach. Rule believes crucial to Huntly’s revival is the building of social rooms at Strauch Reserve.
Huntly is the only club in the district without social rooms, costing the club a valuable income stream.
However, the club does have a grant from the State Government and City of Greater Bendigo for the social rooms, and it’s hoped they will be built by the start of next season.
Plans are with the council at the moment.
‘‘Those social rooms will be a really big boost for the club,’’ Rule said.
‘‘We reckon the lack of social rooms has been one of our hold-ups as far as making new people comfortable around the club.
‘‘So once that gets up and running, we will have another income and social avenue for us.’’ The Hawks last played in the senior finals in 2001, when they lost to North Bendigo by 31 points in the elimination final.
Since then, the club has finished on the bottom of the senior ladder every year.
‘‘It has been a vicious triangle for us,’’ Rule said.
‘‘Having no success means having no money, having no money means having no players, and having no players means having no success.
‘‘The secret I guess is to land a bunch of blokes in the one hit who can all play footy, and then once we have done that and get some success on the board, we believe it will steamroll from there.’’ The new committee taking charge of Huntly comes four months after the club held a community meeting in August to discuss its future direction.
Following the meeting, attended by about 70 people at the HuntlyPrimary School, the community was resolute in the club remaining in the HDFL in 2008.
‘‘We are determined to make sure the juniors become more involved with the seniors, and vice-versa.
‘‘One of the things we have agreed on as a committee is that when the juniors become members of the junior club we are going to give their parents a senior membership to try to encourage them to come to the footy.’’ Tomorrow night the junior and senior clubs will have a joint Christmas function at the Huntly Hotel from 6 pm.
Training for Huntly will start on January 9, followed by a barbecue.
Huntly will open its 2008 season with a home game against Lockington-Bamawm on April 12
It's not very often i'm wrong!!!
