PROFILE
After breaking a 12-year finals drought last season, the Lake Boga faithful will be hoping their club’s rapid improvement continues in 2023.
The Magpies exceeded outside expectations last season by not only making the finals, but also winning one – defeating Tyntynder by 24 points in the Elimination Final.
With joint coaches Shawn Filo and Angus Monfries re-committing, the Magpies have also managed to secure a majority of last year’s playing list. For Monfries, that was his club’s number one priority, with consistency of message bringing stability to the club. He now hopes to build on the momentum from the end of the 2022 season.
“We had a bit of a discussion at the end of last year around getting some good numbers on the track over the pre-season, building on the momentum that we had from last season and recruiting well – and that’s exactly what we’ve been able to achieve so far,” Monfries said.
“The development and the experience that a number of those local kids gained through playing finals last year was invaluable and will hold them in good stead – hopefully we can keep building on that and see that improvement continue.”
“The reality is we know that the higher you get up the ladder, the harder it is to stay there – we just want to win as many games as we can and put ourselves in a position to go really deep into the season.”
To help aid their improvement, Lake Boga has bolstered a couple of key areas of their playing list, with a distinct focus on both midfield depth and marking options inside their forward fifty. Ricky Wild returns after a stint at Quambatook, winning the EG Hunt Medal last season, and he should slot seamlessly into one of midfield rotations. Joining Wild will be Maroochydore’s Jake Warren and another former Lake Boga junior in Marty Parsons, covering the loss of Matthew Filo and young gun Dustin Burns.
One of the Magpies’ biggest deficiencies last season was their inability to convert forward entries into shots on goal, with a dearth of marking options inside their forward fifty more often than not the main culprit. Monfries played a lone hand at times inside attacking fifty and was often double and triple teamed – but with a couple of new recruits arriving during the off-season, the former Essendon and Port Adelaide forward was hopeful his sides forward half woes would be left behind them.
“Dave (Gourdis) will be a great addition for us, along with Lochie (Laing) and both will help straighten us up,” Monfries said.
“I think the addition of those guys will give us a few more avenues to goal which we really needed if we are to challenge the likes of Kerang and Cohuna.”
“It probably won’t change too much in terms of the way we move the footy, we like to move it quick and take it up the line and get it into one-on-one contests – but having the two big guys down there will be a big positive, because we were forced into hitting up the short target too often last year because of how undersized we were at times.”
FROM THE COACH
“Every club wants to win the flag – and while we’re realistic that there’s some really good teams that we’ll be coming up against, at the same time we don’t want to put a limit on what we want to achieve. Stepping up from where we finished last season would definitely be expected, from our opinion.”
INs & OUTs
INs
David Gourdis (Keilor)
Ricky Wild (Quambatook)
Jake Warren (Maroochydore AFC)
Lochie Laing (Maroochydore AFC)
Marty Parsons (Strathfieldsaye)
Angus Jones
OUTs
Jarrod Taylor (Nullawil)
Matthew Filo
Dustin Burns
John Harvey
Rhys Healey
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023
Anything less than another finals appearance and 2023 would have to be considered a failure for the Magpies. They’ve improved their playing list from last year and the addition of tall forwards Gourdis and Laing will give them plenty of avenues to goal alongside Monfries and Jayden Lonergan. Their defence is sound and the way they structure up around the ground is solid, which will give them every chance to go deeper into September this year – providing they can keep their best twenty-two on the park more consistently.
KEY PLAYER
Jacob Simpson
Perhaps the recruit of the year in 2022, the match-winning ruckman will once again don the black and white stripes in 2023. Won the LJ Hooker Player of the Year award last season with his physicality in the ruck and contested marking around the ground a highlight of his game. Is the Magpies barometer and encouragingly rose to the occasion against the better sides in the competition. Will have a big say in how far Lake Boga can progress over the next six months.
BIG IMPROVER
Rory Colville
Has had an enormous pre-season by all accounts, including setting some impressive times during the time trials. Has improved his aerobic capacity out of sight and will likely be rewarded with first crack on the wing and more midfield minutes. Played 14 senior games last season – including the Magpies’ Semi Final loss to Woorinen – and in his third year in the Magpies senior system, is ripe for a breakout season.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Do Lake Boga have the midfield depth to compete with the big three?
While the Magpies would appear to have fixed their forward line woes – on paper at least – the question now turns to whether they have the depth through the midfield to compete with the league’s elite clubs on a weekly basis. The Lake Boga engine room will certainly have a different look and feel to it in 2023, with Matthew Filo and John Harvey departing – while also adding Ricky Wild, Jake Warren and Marty Parsons into the mix.
They will join Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, Rory Colville and Tyle Williams, who was undoubtedly one of the most underrated players in the Central Murray last season – with contributions from Josh Cruse-Filo and Daniel Dzufer, with the Queensland pair set to each play just half a season plus finals in the black and white. But is that enough to compete with the class of a Kerang or Cohuna?
LAKE BOGA PREDICTED BEST 22
B. Brady Hogan – Matt Taverna – Taylor Johnstone
HB. Marty Parsons – Lincoln Frost – Daniel Dzufer
C. Nathaniel Holmes-Brown – Tyle Williams – Rory Colville
HF. Ricky Wild – Lochie Laing – Cameron Johnson
F. Angus Monfries – David Gourdis – Jayden Lonergan
R. Jacob Simpson – Jake Warren – Josh Cruse-Filo
INT. Ryan Fox – Jacob Murley – Lachlan Burns – Oliver Rohde
