No ceiling – the Bloods are back in William Buck Premier Men’s, but not to make up the numbers

Old Haileybury coach Daniel Ward knows his team is better prepared for top-flight footy in 2025 and is eager to see what they can achieve.

The Bloods agonisingly missed out on remaining in Premier Men’s at the end of 2023, losing three of their last four and falling just 1.62% short of staying up after 12 long years of striving to get there.

“When I took over, we were in C-Grade and there was a lot of hard work put in to get us back up to A-Grade for the first time since 2011,” said Ward.

“We were very disappointed, but I believe things happen for a reason. It told us we didn’t get everything right, be it coaching, playing, or off the field. When you fall short in life, you need to look at it and put things in place to get better. And we did.”

Ward asked his group what their objective for 2024 should be and loved the response.

“Our aim for 2024 wasn’t necessarily to get back to A-Grade. It was to win a flag with our mates. Roll up our sleeves, get to work and enjoy achieving something with our mates. That’s the most fun you can have in footy.”

He asked for – and received – some open and honest feedback from his playing group.

“We have a strong leadership group and sometimes as coaches, you can think you’re the smartest person in the room. The feedback from the players was that, because we may have felt we were outmatched in certain areas in Premier Men’s, we were too negative. Overly cautious with ball security and that sort of thing.

“So, we committed to play a more attacking brand. We remained strong defensively but went out there to score. As a player, that’s the style of footy you naturally want to play.

“We tinkered with our game plan to come up with a brand that will stack up in Premier B Finals and then in A-Grade. We also did other things differently, such as starting pre-season later, adding to the coaching structure and increasing player ownership.

“They responded to the heartbreak of missing out in 2023, which was a great credit to the group. On a personal level, I was really proud of them. A lot of these guys have grown up with me as their coach, and the reason I’ve been with them for so long is that they’re a brilliant group to work with.

The Bloods won the minor premiership with a 15-2-1 record, then decisively defeated De La Salle in the Second Semi-Final & Grand Final.

“We started 0-2 in 2024, but we responded. The result was winning that Grand Final and being well set up for 2025.”

Ward believes the confidence gained individually and collectively from their successful 2024 Premier B campaign will hold them in good stead as they return to the top-flight in 2025.

“We probably only had two or three players over 27 or 28 years old in our premiership team. We’re still quite young, and this year has provided us with great belief. Our youngsters are two years older than the last time they played in Premier Men’s. They have more confidence in their body and their ability, as well as greater role clarity.

“They have a decent handle on what they’re good at and the role we need them to play. We’re a far better group now than we were two years ago, when we won six games in Premier Men’s, defeating six different teams.

“From a gameplan perspective, we won’t change too much. It’s going to be more about perfecting it and doing it to the best of our ability. Sometimes simplifying things is easier for the group, particularly given we now know what works for us.

“We’ll prepare really well, play the type of footy we know works and have full trust in each other. Our reputation for lacking depth in our Reserves has always been a bugbear of mine and the club. We’ve known we needed to improve our depth, but it can’t change overnight, and the club has put a lot of time and effort into it.

“We put our hand up as a footy club and accepted that our past relationship with the school (Haileybury College) and how we’ve attracted players had to improve. We needed to provide a more attractive option for boys & girls to keep playing with their mates once they finish school. Our President Matty Armstrong and the Board have focused on improving our junior pipeline, and that’s starting to bear fruit.

“David Connell is stepping up from Under 19s Coach to Reserves Coach next season, so that new group of players coming through gets the continuity in coaching and expectations and our depth will be greater this year.

“Last year, we gave the players individual programs until February. This year, we’ll do three weeks of pre-Christmas training to get started because we have a large crop of new Under 19 players arriving at the club. We want to get them up and running, then give them individual programs over the break.”

The Bloods had three players retire after the Premier B Grand Final, including ruck Lachie Treverton, who is travelling overseas.

“Jack Bell will replace ‘Trevvo’ and that’s a fantastic get for our club. It was tight for Grand Final spots this year as we only had one injury and Belly missed out. But he still trained with the group and was around for every game. He could have thrown the toys out of the cot, but instead he’s joining us full-time, which is a credit to him.

“Brodie Steele retired after a lot of shoulder issues. He needs a reco but will be around the club helping out. James Magner has retired as a player and become an assistant coach for us, which is fantastic.

“Hugo Nosiara has been with Carlton VFL the last two years. He has massive upside – he’s only 20 and has already turned into one of our elite mids.

“Jase Morgan was in our 2022 premiership team, then travelled for cricket. He’s back, which is great, while Ned Conway was on North Melbourne’s VFL list and will join us full-time as a half-back/wing option.

“Plus, we’re chatting to a couple of local kids keen to play Premier Men’s as they aim to get on a VFL list.”

Ward and his group feel better placed to deal with what’s ahead of them.

“There’s no secret that all games are tough in A-Grade. Every team is well-coached and well-drilled. There are a lot of smart footy people involved in VAFA A and B-Grade, and they challenge you to try things you hadn’t thought of.

“But we know what stands up week in, week out at this level. We’re back at square 1 with valuable lessons from the last two years.

“I haven’t yet spoken to the group about our goals for 2025. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no ceiling. We’ll be underestimated, which is great.

“I have my thoughts and views on next season. I now want to see what the group says and whether we’re aligned in our objectives. But I can tell you that it won’t just be to stay up in A-Grade. If we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it properly. If we aim for the stars and just miss out, well at least we had a crack.

“We’re an aspirational group. I think they’ll come up with the right answers.”