By JARROD POTTER
BRAND new facilities will match Doveton Eagles brand new premiership pennants as this week the Eagles return to Power Reserve for the first time this season.
Doveton Eagles have put the past well and truly to rest with the completion of its new change rooms, improved lighting and the resurfacing of Power Reserve, all in place for its inaugural SFL Division 2 home clash.
Eagles’ president Jenny Davis said the redevelopments will help bring the club up to present expectations and make sure everyone can enjoy Eagles’ football in the future.
“It’s been 40 years and it’s going to make a big difference,” Davis said.
“The guys love it and everyone is rapt with it all.
“We’ve been here since 1980 and this place had been here before us, so it is really good to see it fixed up.”
The club will host its Past Players Day on Saturday and club legends Cameron “Worm” Womersley and Mick Labinski have urged all former Eagles to make an effort and get back to support the club in its first home game this season.
Labinski said coming back when the club was struggling was important for him as it helped turn around the club for successful campaigns in 2012 and 2013.
“We’ve been through the ups and downs – we’ve rebuilt the side a couple of times. Last time we left they were winless and getting beaten by 20 goals every game,” Labinski said.
“We decided to come back and chip in… only decided to come back three weeks before the season started and we scraped into the finals that year after being winless the year before… then there was the success of last year.
“We try to encourage them (past players) to come back down and get involved – jump back on board and support us a bit.”
Doveton Eagles has also started a netball team in the SFL Netball competition and Auskick will start at Power Reserve on 4 May from 11am-12pm.
The SFL Division 3 seniors and reserves premiership flags will be raised at the club on Saturday when the club faces former Division-3 foe Moorabbin in a triple-header from 9.30am.
