Monbulk off to flying start in division one

Starting off the season undefeated in Hallam & Bayswater Truck Centres Division One, Monbulk have been tracking along really well so far in 2021.

Last weekend, in the ‘Outer East Match of the Round’, the Hawks caused an upset to Mount Evelyn beating them by 23 points in wet, tricky conditions at Mount Evelyn Recreation Reserve.

Speaking on his side’s performance to date, senior coach Andrew Williams was pleased with the Hawks performance this year and cited marked improvements in their performances this year.

“I feel like we are improving as we go,” he said.

“We had a big challenge over the weekend where we had to fight back from a pretty slow start and I feel like we are slowly building by trying to get some consistency into our game at the moment.”

The Hawks have been well assisted by their star performers including Tom Taylor, Taylor Joyce, Lachy Beecroft, Ethan Greenall, Joel Wensley, Dylan Werts, Adam Banks, Michael Langworthy and John Hevern.

Going into the season, the Hawks set themselves with the target of playing good, consistent footy every week and one of the keys to their early success this year has been to pick a well-balanced team every week.

Good preparation and a willingness to improve every week, despite a flying start to the year, has also been a contributing factor.

“We go in with the aim to win every week, but if we can control the factor’s we can such as our effort and consistency, we will give ourselves a chance to be there at the end of the year,” Williams explained.

“I’m just pleased with the way we are winning games, but we have plenty to work on.”

With the nature of the competition seen in division one, Williams believes all teams have an equal chance of beating each other and it’s important his side are switched on every week.

“You have to be on your game to win every week and we showed on the weekend that we had to be at our best, particularly in the second half to beat a really good team,” he mentioned.

“We have some good opposition which makes for a really good competition.”

The cancelation of the 2020 season was a frustrating time for a lot of people, which brought its own challenges for the players, committee and support staff of the Monbulk community.

However, the reward for everyone in 2021 is that players and everyone in the region now have more of an appreciation for sport where local athletes get out and enjoy what they love.

Williams is particularly proud of the efforts of his players and attitudes towards their training so far.

“The efforts of all my players across seniors, reserves and under 19’s has been outstanding and I feel like we are in a good place at the moment,” he explained.

“Hopefully down the track we will have some success.”

Monbulk will now play Emerald at Monbulk Recreation Reserve on Saturday 21 May at 2:10pm.