By Lance Jenkinson
Wyndhamvale is setting the standard both on and off the field in the Western Region Football League division 2.
First-year Falcons coach Chris Moreland has been impressed with his players commitment from the first day he set foot in the club.
Moreland is adamant the professionalism shown by the Falcons players in team preparation and post-game recovery is what is leading to impressive results on the field.
The undefeated Falcons are a game and a hefty wad of percentage clear of the rest of the field and so far the team to beat.
“I’ve brought a GFL [Geelong Football League] standard into the club,” Moreland said.
“The GFL has been rated No. 1 league for a number of years now and I’ve brought my standards from there and it’s what I expect.”
More importantly, the Wyndhamvale players have bought into the blueprint set out by Moreland.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wyndhamvale vs Parkside
There have been no fractures in the group so far when it comes to meeting Moreland’s lofty expectations.
“When I first got there, when I signed in the pre-season, there was 60 guys on the track and I thought numbers might drop off a bit, but they haven’t really dropped off,” Moreland said.
“They’re a really tight bunch and I could see that when I came down to watch them last year.”
Relegated from division 1 last year, Wyndhamvale set about bringing a positive vibe back to the club.
A perfect 4-0 start to 2019 is just what the doctor ordered.
Wyndhamvale trounced Parkside on the road at Henry Turner Reserve by 81 points on Saturday.
The Falcons registered 34 scoring shots to 13 in a dominant display.
“We wanted to get that winning culture back to Wyndhamvale and try and get all the supporters back, so it’s been good,” Moreland said.
The foundations of Wyndhamvale’s early season success can be found in its defence as no team has scored over 50 points against the miserly Falcons this season.
Moreland doffed his cap to his defensive unit, led on Saturday by captain Alex Hamilton, half-backs Jordan Montalto and Nathan Bisset and lock down defender Mitch Gough, who was best-on-ground for his nullifying job on Parkside’s star forward Brent Kelly on Saturday.
“They haven’t sort of just rocked in before round one,” Moreland said.
“They’ve all put in a huge pre-season.”
Ditto for the onball unit when it comes to hard yards in preparation for a big season.
Tyler Tessari, Liam Scarborough, Jayden Wood, Daniel Smith, Jack Tessari and Joel Russell are still burning up the training track before playing major roles on a Saturday.
“The midfielders are the ones that set the standard at training on Tuesday,” Moreland said. “They’re doing extras and when you’re so well driven like that success will come.”
Wyndhamvale will play Point Cook Centrals at Featherbrook Reserve on Saturday.
MORE WRFL NEWS
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/point-cook-is-on-song/
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/yarraville-seddons-inflict-a-thumping-close-in-on-top-four/
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/albion-fights-with-pride/
