They claimed the wooden spoon in 2022, but Wollongong Lions head coach William Judd remains confident that his club's talented youth can guide the team back into finals next year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Judd last week showed faith in the Lions' system after announcing he would remain at the club in 2023, following his inaugural season at the helm in the AFL South Coast competition.
It was a tough initiation, results wise, as the Lions claimed just two wins in their first campaign after the departure of veteran mentor Ray Burgess in January. However, Judd saw enough promise from the club's youth to get him excited for their prospects next year.
"We just need to build from where we left off at the end of this season. It was a struggle to start with, as the losses piled up, but the boys stuck with it. About halfway through the year we decided that we needed to get our enjoyment back in footy, and the results started to come," Judd said.
"We've got a few promising juniors coming up from the under 17s this year, so I'm hoping to see them get some senior footy quite early in the year. Our biggest build will be internally, as we just continue the improvement from the boys that we've had the last two or three years.
"When I was under Ray, you could see those boys starting to build at quite a young age from senior footy. But being with them over the past two years as a player and then a coach, I'm super excited for what they can achieve.
"I'm setting that goal that we can achieve finals. Realistically, we were only one or two games off it this year."
The Wollongong men won't have to look too far for inspiration, after the club's Lionesses claimed the Women's Division One premiership this year. The Lionesses had got close to tasting title glory before, but Ben Hyndes' team took that next step when they defeated the Figtree Saints by 20 points in September's grand final.
"They really carried the momentum of the club this year, and we tried to feed off that energy as much as we could," Judd said.
"We trained with them and supported them as much as possible, which brought our game and spirits up during the year."
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say.
Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Sign up for our breaking news email
Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
