Hoppers Crossing has not been spooked into deviating from its plan.
The Warriors are looking on their heavy loss to Deer Park in the WRFL division 1 grand final as a mere bump on the long road to success.
It may seem like a mere consolation now, but the Warriors improved this year, as they did each season prior to that under coach Steven Kretiuk.
So the Warriors have backed Kretiuk’s blueprint with a two-year contract extension.
“I’ve got no doubt that we’re headed down the right path,” Kretiuk told Star Weekly.
“We’ve gone down this path to success and sustainability in a different way that some other clubs have for a reason.
“We’ve really wanted to give our guys opportunities to shine and to grow as footballers.
“It’s pretty rewarding for us as senior coaches, that we can see the improvement in players and see them progress.”
There was no time for Hoppers Crossing to wallow in self pity after the 114-point walloping from Deer Park.
The Warriors spent the last hour of grand final day living with the reality of a failed grand final attempt, but once they were back at Hogans Road, a celebration took place to salute the reserves team, which made it back-to-back premierships.
The 50-point triumph over Deer Park was further validation to Kretiuk that Hoppers Crossing can be a force for years to come.
“When we walked away from the ground, we were disappointed, shattered, but we didn’t downplay what the reserves did,” he said.
“We’re a close-knit group and we’re not going to let our disappointment dampen a really good year and a really good outcome for our reserves.
“Our reserves have a really good quality list – we’ve got seven or eight guys that could easily step into senior footy next year.”
As much as people have made the senior grand final about the haves and have-nots of Deer Park and Hoppers Crossing, Kretiuk is not going to give his team an excuse to accept mediocrity on the biggest stage in western suburbs footy.
Sure, the Warriors were out-classed by Deer Park, which had a more mature list with big-game match-winners on every line, but they were also physically worn down by the end of the game.
Kretiuk has implored his players to do everything they can to better prepare for blockbuster games, but that plea is going through one ear and out the other with some players.
“We’re a fair way off where Deer Park are, but so are most other clubs – and we’re a fair way off where they spend their money as well,” Kretiuk said. “Good luck to them – they’ve got the flag hanging up in their rooms.
“We’re still quite young and raw and quite small … when we were lining up against Deer Park for the national anthem, it was like an under-14 team against an under-18 team.
“Deer Park have a really good side. But I know for a fact a lot of their players are members of gyms. They get to the gym three times a week … get their bodies into a shape where they can really dominate games.
“There were quite a few of our [senior] players who didn’t prepare themselves well enough over preseason … [they] had a year that showed if you don’t prepare your body properly and do the right things outside of footy, you’re not going to have as much impact.
“If we’re going to match the Deer Parks, we need our guys to do those things outside of footy. If some of these senior guys don’t do the right things, they’re going to find themselves out of the team.”
