Baskaya back for second crack

By Paul Pickering
HAMPTON Park is bullish about its prospects of returning to the MPNFL Casey Cardinia League finals fold in 2011 after a big month of off-season dealing.
Redbacks president Chris Simpson this week positioned his club as the likely big-improver of next year, following the signing of two-time reigning Nepean league goal-kicking champ Kerem Baskaya.
Baskaya, who along with brother, Kain, and Jack Besley will return to Hampton Park from Pearcedale, has booted 154 goals over the past two seasons and will bring some serious swagger back to the Robert Booth Reserve.
Simpson said the returning trio – which filled three of the top four spots in Pearcedale’s best-and-fairest this year – would add considerable class and flexibility to his side, which finished seventh in 2010.
The Redbacks have also added young Frankston YCW on-baller Matt Gibbs – an interleague under-18 captain two years ago – and Mitch Dickens from the Frankston Bombers in the wake of former Lang Lang mentor Clint Evans’ recent appointment as senior coach.
“We’re really excited,” Simpson said of the impressive arrivals.
“(Kerem Baskaya) has won the last two goalkicking awards in the Nepean, so that speaks for itself. We’ll probably play him 40-50m out – because he can still kick goals from there – and still have Kevin McLean at full-forward.
“That will free (Matt) Shorey up to go back, where we’ve been struggling for tall timber, which will give him a new lease on life.”
Simpson said he had been “working on” the Pearcedale trio during the season and eventually encouraged them that coming back to Hampton Park would be “a perfect fit”.
He also revealed that the Redbacks had made no secret of their desire to replicate Narre Warren’s successful model of building a close-knit group of young players to challenge for a premiership.
“That’s the kind of thing we’re striving for,” he said.
“We appointed Boofa (Evans) because we wanted a teacher – someone who new the game and can teach our kids.
“We’ve got a really young side and they’ve all got the same intensity, they’re really close mates and all want to play in a flag together.”
Simpson said Evans, who arrived after Josh Taylor’s departure for Emerald, has brought a “relaxed approach” to the club, but is in no doubt about what is expected of the emerging outfit.
“We’ve told Boofa that it’s a two-year plan, and finals next year is 100 per cent on the radar,” he said.
“Anything worse than that it unacceptable by our standards, then we can fill any holes for the next year (2012) and hopefully have a tilt at (the premiership).”
Hampton Park also has a new reserves coach in club stalwart Hayden Reynolds and a new football manager, Mick O’Brien, for its 2011 campaign.