NAROOMA LIONS 2017 REVIEW
NAROOMA LIONS FC
The 2017 season didn’t finish the way that the Lions would have liked although the club is set up to be competitive in all grades again in 2018 and beyond. The Lions were the only club this season to make finals in all grades with three of those sides making it to the decider. The Lions are heading in the right direction as a club doing plenty of things right which was evident from the club claiming the club championship this season. Look for Narooma to be ultra-competitive again in 2018.
Seniors
2017 Prediction: 3rd
2017 Finish: Runners Up
Review: Although the 2017 season ultimately ended in the Lions falling short on grand final day against Pambula, the season will be looked upon as a success for the Lions and a season to build on. The season started well with the Lions claiming the Lightning Premiership in a win over Tathra before claiming the minor premiership with their only loss coming against the Panthers in round 6. After a tough major semi-final win against Pambula the Panthers outplayed the Lions in the years decider with the Lions unable to consistently string together attacking plays in the tough conditions. The closest the Lions got was early in the third quarter where Jamie Dufield kicked two quick goals although the minor premiers were unable to continue that momentum late in the game. The growth of Narooma’s younger players like Zac Martin, Nick Carter, Luke Wiggins and Liam Clothier was a positive for the side while Jordan Lang (Best & Fairest) and Simon Mackie (Goal Kicker) claimed individual league awards. Jeremy Sly claimed the clubs best & fairest whilst midfielders Luke Talty and Jason Sauiluma put together note worthy seasons for the club.
Key Player: Jeremy Sly, in a year where the Lions claimed the minor premiership and with several key contributors for the season, it is a huge achievement for 17-year-old Sly to claim the clubs best and fairest. A smooth mover, Sly utilizes the ball well in every match and will only get better in future seasons.
Women’s
2017 Prediction: 4th
2017 Finish: 4th
Review: The Lions were on the outside looking in at the conclusion of the 2016 season and 2017 saw the Lions break into the top 4 to participate in their first finals campaign. The Lions took care of business outside of the top 4 claiming wins against the bottom 4 sides although the Lions were unable to break through to claim a win against the top 3 sides. Their task wasn’t made any easier with star recruit Madelyne Czubara sustaining injuries that contributed to Czubara playing only 6 of the Lions 15 games. Zalie Betts continued her positive development with a solid season for the Lions whilst also making positive contributions for the Sapphire Coast Youth Girls side. Rachael Kinkaid and Meagan Mackie provided a good one, two punch up forward with the two forwards kicking 56 goals between them. Lara Stephens, Kirby Mackie and Hollie-Kae Betts were fresh faces in 2017 with all three playing key roles this season. Look for Narooma to build on a successful season in 2018.
Key Players: Zalie Betts, Betts progression through junior football to senior football has been on an upward trend and it does not look like stopping any time soon. The 15-year-old has plenty of growth until she reaches her best where she should become one of the best players in the women’s league.
Development
2017 Prediction: 4th
2017 Finish: Runners Up
Review: What a difference a year makes in the development grade. The Lions finished last in 2016 claiming just the one win with the Lions second in 2017 with 8 wins to their name. It was always going to be tough knocking off the undefeated Panthers this season although Narooma gave it a decent crack with the side going down by 3 points in the major semi-final before finally falling by 26 points in the decider. The Lions benefited from senior depth with Narooma gaining good seasons from the likes of Luke Gardiner, Tyson Mikolic, Joel Lansky and Josh Stokes.
Key Player: Luke Gardiner, Gardiner battled with some health issues throughout the middle part of the season, although was superb for the development side once returning towards the back end of the season. Gardiner made a difference for the Lions and finished with 23 goals.
Under 16’s
2017 Prediction: 3rd
2017 Finish: 4th
Review: It was a year of transition for the Narooma under 16 side with the majority of the team being bottom age and the sides inability to gain the likes of Liam Sweeney, Connor Breust and Kaleb Moritz into the team consistently due to rugby league commitments. The Lions finished the season with 5 wins beating northern rivals Bermagui on three occasions whilst also upstaging the Giants at home in a convincing display and the Panthers in a catch-up game where both sides went into the contest understrength throughout the season. With a very young squad in 2017 the Lions will be big improvers in 2018 with the likes of Harrison Bromwich, Tom Hodge, Jack Westoll and Jakeb Booth gaining valuable experience at under 16 level. The year finished on a tough note for the Lions failing to provide much resistance to the Giants in the minor semi-final.
Key Player: Tyson Mikolic, Mikolic had a tremendous season at under 16 level with Mikolic head and shoulders above his teammates being the Lions most important player. Mikolic’s form was good enough to see the young Lion play at senior level in 2017 playing 9 seniors and 11 development games for the year.
Under 13’s
2017 Prediction: 5th
2017 Finish: 4th
Review: The Lions finished fourth in 2017 with the side confident of causing an upset in the under 13’s finals series, although Narooma eventually fell to premiers Pambula in the minor semi-final. A 7-win season saw the Lions claim comfortable wins against Bega and Eden whilst the team played two memorable matches against the Giants claiming 4 and 3 point wins in games that could have gone either way in nail biting contests. The highlight of the year was claiming the four points against Pambula at home where the Lions caused an upset and shook up the race towards the finals all but ending the Panthers chances of finishing top two. Jake Mikolic was important up forward for Narooma kicking 28 goals for the season playing across half forward whilst Matthew Parker was also important to the side in the ruck due to his ability to get around the ground. Thomas Druhan played a key role for the side at full back in a season which had plenty of positives.
Key Player: Kurtis Carlson, although Carlson is one of the smallest players in the league, he plays with plenty of heart week in and week out. Carlson kicked 5 goals for the season and was regularly among the Lions best players. Carlson also had a solid junior representative carnival.
Under 11’s
2017 Prediction: 5th
2017 Finish: Runners Up
Review: The Narooma Lions were unable to defeat their bogey side in Bermagui in 2017, falling to the Breakers on 3 occasions with one of those matches being the penultimate match of the season. Although the Lions weren’t able to make the most of the wind in the grand final, Narooma can hold their heads high as one of the big improves for the 2017 season. The Lions finished in 6th place in 2016 and improvements from their younger players saw Narooma rise rapidly up the table this season thanks to a remarkable regular season. The side claimed both wins over minor premiers Merimbula as well as some scintillating performances for the season where the side dominated possession and forward entries.. Jarrah Weston performed admirably in the ruck for the Lions all season being the most dominant big man in the grade and was named best on ground in a grand final loss. The Lions gained solid contributions from the likes of Koan McElroy, Tom Wilson and William Tiffen throughout the season whilst key forward Ryan Simper kicked 13 goals for the season. With many of the Lions squad remaining in the under 11’s in 2018 look for the Lions to remain at the top end of the table and challenge for the 2018 premiership.
Key Player: Logan Allison, Allison suffered from a knee complaint for the majority of the 2017 season and although this was the case, the young midfielder kept battling week in and week out regularly being one of the Lions best. Allison also put in another key performance at the Shoalhaven representative carnival.
