Tara Murray
Gisborne might be sitting on top of the Bendigo Football League ladder, but its coaches are realistic about the season so far.
The Bulldogs have played some impressive football in the first six rounds and are the only undefeated team.
Bulldogs coach Rob Waters said they were happy with the start, but know the hard work is only just beginning.
“We’ve had a few injuries here and there, but we would have taken the start at the start of the year,” he said.
“We’ve only played one team in the top five, Strathfieldsaye. We played a good team on the weekend in South Bendigo, which was cherry ripe for the picking.
“Myself and the other coaches are realists with where we are at. We’re only one injury away from it changing, it’s a fickle business.”
Waters said what had impressed him early on was the ability of the side to handle different players coming into the side.
Several key players have missed multiple matches, which in the past they might not have been able to cover.
“One week we had six players out,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of kids get games and players who would normally play reserves and they’ve fitted in well.
“Them coming in is not disturbing anything. We’ve got really good depth and we’re all on the same page with the 18s, reserves and seniors all training together.”
Matthew Merrett, Harry Thomas, Jake Normington are among those who have come in and held their spots.
Matthew Panuccio is another who has impressed Waters.
“He came to us from Riddell,” he said. “He had a really strong pre-season and got his body right.
“He did a lot of rehab. He came to the club and was in a rush. He is bearing the fruit of all his work.”
Waters said they were likely to get a few players back after the break. The Bulldogs had the weekend off, having played in the first week of the split round.
Pat McKenna and Jack Scanlon are expected back this weekend, Ethan Minns and Dan Davie, who is yet to play a game, are a few weeks away from returning
One player who won’t be on the field this season is former skipper Jarryd Lynch, who is the heart breaking story so far for the Bulldogs.
After partially tearing his ACL in the pre-season, he was cleared for training. His knee collapsed in the lead up to round six, with a fully torn ACL ruling him out for the season.
“Not only do we lose an ex-captain, but we lose a good person. He’s just a ripper bloke.”
Waters said they could get more of an idea how they stack up in the next few weeks, starting against Kangaroo Flat next Saturday.
“It will be a big game,” he said. “They beat us last year. We should have a few back and so should we.”
