By Marcus Uhe
Club: Hallam
2022: 13-5 (4th). Lost to Lyndhurst in a Southern Football Netball League Division Four preliminary final.
Head coach: Scott Kerr
Captain: Joel Danilo
Coaching panel: Dean Kelly (Playing assistant), Darren Abel
Ins: Adam Nekic (South Mornington), Dean Kelly (Nar Nar Goon), Tom Delaney (Yarragon), Corey Davis (Longwarry)
Outs: Joshua King (Officer) Tom Bradley (Lyndale) Mitch Wood (Kilcunda-Bass) Brendon Reynolds (Bentleigh)
10 to watch: Dylan Thompson, Riley Van Eede, Joel Danilo, Matt Jerram, Jack Sharlassian, Dylan Vanderwert, Rory McIvor, Harry Sharlassian, Patrick Tatt, Jonathan Daly.
Home ground: Hallam Rec Reserve
Somewhat of a mystery to many in 2023, Hallam is making the jump to Outer East after competing in Division Four of the Southern Football Netball League in 2022.
It’s a new era in so many ways.
Head coach Scott Kerr is stepping in to the hot seat as a senior coach for the first time, having seen what’s required during his time as an assistant at Nar Nar Goon last year.
“I had a little bit of an itch that I wanted to scratch, and being an assistant for a few years and seeing how it all works, to actually running your own show in your own way, appealed to me a little bit,” he said.
“I went through the process and was lucky enough to be offered the role, so I grabbed it with two hands and away we go.”
Inheriting a young list, Kerr has brought experienced players to the Nest, including Dean Kelly, who he shared a relationship with from their time at Nar Nar Goon.
With little knowledge of his list that made a preliminary final in 2022 prior to taking the role, his players are granted the opportunity to make a strong first impression, while the side itself will be tough to scout for opponents, affording a slight competitive advantage.
Kerr, however, is focused on his Hawks, and not the vultures circling overhead.
“All we can do is go by the practice matches that we’ve played, and we’re really building,” he said.
“We’re focusing internally rather than externally, so we’re worried about how we can go about our footy and what we have to do to improve.
“We’ve changed game-style a little bit, we like to move the ball really really fast and being really fierce at the contest when the opposition’s got the ball.
“We hope that’s the way we trained through the preseason, and we hope that it stands up really well within this competition.”
The uneven number of teams in Division One has seen Hallam fixtured with three byes, along with Healesville, Belgrave and Officer, including two in the month of July.
Such is the quirkiness of their schedule in 2023, that they will not play for three consecutive weeks until rounds 14-16 in late July/August.
Fixture:
Round 1: Saturday 15 April v Berwick Springs (Away)
Round 2: Saturday 22 April v Belgrave (Home)
Round 3: Saturday 29 April v Bye
Round 4: Saturday 6 May v Emerald (Home)
Round 5: Saturday 13 May v Officer (Away)
Round 6: Saturday 27 May v Healesville (Home)
Round 7: Saturday 3 June v Seville (Away)
Round 8: Saturday 17 June v Berwick Springs (Home)
Round 9: Saturday 24 June v Emerald (Away)
Round 10: Saturday 1 July v Bye
Round 11: Saturday 8 July v Belgrave (Away)
Round 12: Saturday 15 July v Officer (Home)
Round 13: Saturday 22 July v Bye
Round 14: Saturday 29 July v Seville (Home)
Round 15: Saturday 5 August v Healesville (Away)
Round 16: Saturday 12 August v Belgrave (Home)
Round 17: Saturday 19 August v Berwick Springs (Away)
Round 18: Saturday 26 August v Healesville (Home)
