Figtree coach Will Ryan has outlined plans to make the Kangaroos into AFL South Coast’s next powerhouse.
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Ryan’s immediate focus is ensuring Figtree earn a place in the newly-restructured top tier of six teams, when the AFL South Coast competition breaks up into three divisions after nine rounds.
But at 27, Ryan is in charge of overseeing a young band of talent develop into a serious threat the take on the likes of premiers Wollongong Lions and a resurgent Kiama.
“We want to be up there with them, that’s the plan,” he said. “And we’re confident in the way we’re going about it and what we have in place.
“Look at the Lions and the top club, they’ve got a fantastic culture, they know how to win. It’s a steep learning curve, but we’re working towards that.”
The Roos let a two-goal lead slip last Saturday, going down to the Wollongong Bulldogs by five points.
In the past decade, the Bulldogs, Kiama and now the Lions have been the most powerful force in the league.
But there have been green shoots of development in the competition, with Figtree playing in the finals last year and Port Kembla returning to first grade this season. Figtree face another stern test in their first home game of the campaign, against Bomaderry.
In contrast the Roos, Bomaderry claimed a thrilling one-point victory over Shellharbour, with Jordan Matthews booting seven of the Tigers’ 10 goals.
Ryan expects Figtree to bounce back.
“We were disappointed, but we took a lot of positives out of it as well,” he said.
“We’re working really hard on a style of footy that we believe can be successful and can develop as our young players come through.
“But we’re here to test ourselves and make into that top tier, we don’t think we’re all that far away from matching it with them.”
Matthews snapped a left-footed goal in the last minute to seal victory against Shellharbour, boosting Bomaderry’s hopes of making the top-tier, where they would be mixing it with reigning premiers Wollongong Lions. The Lions cemented their favouritism to win a third straight South Coast flag with a thumping 70-point win over Kiama.
The AFL South Coast has introduced a new structure where the top six teams will qualify for the top tier after nine round, the bottom three moving into the second division to take on the best reserve grade players.
AFL SOUTH COAST
Round three
Saturday (2.10pm)
KIAMA v SHELLHARBOUR at Bonaira Oval, FIGTREE v BOMADERRY at Figtree Oval, PORT KEMBLA v WOLLONGONG BULLDOGS at Kully Bay Oval, NOWRA-ALBATROSS v WOLLONGONG LIONS at Tom Smith Oval.
Ladder: WOLLONGONG BULLDOGS 8 (327.78), WOLLONGONG LIONS 8 (255.13), KIAMA 4 (135.14), SHELLHARBOUR 4 (98.46), NORTHERN DISTRICTS 4 (82.88), NOWRA-ALBATROSS 4 (80.65), Port Kembla 4 (64.32), Bomaderry 4 (36.76), Figtree 0 (63.87).