Colt Corner - Round 20, 2018

Subiaco’s Colts have rolled to a nine game winning streak and are now one win away from securing the club’s third WAFL Colts Minor Premiership.

Colt’s Coach Beau Wardman checks in to talk about this current win streak, some of the standout performers of the current run and how he and the team feel about moving into the 2018 WAFL Finals.

This is Colt Corner.

Beau, chance for your boys to claim the minor premiership with one more win in your last two weeks of the season. Only two Subiaco Colts teams have won minor premierships before, 1988 and 1981, does it feel like it will be a significant achievement to join this group?

It isn’t something we have really looked at, as to the boys credit they have been focused on improvement each week. It would be something great for this group to tick off though. It suggests our program is working really well. The playing and coaching group have put in enormous work over the last 12-months, its great to get some reward for this.   

Nine wins in a row now, how have your boys been able to maintain consistent form for over two months, keep developing and keep winning footy games?

Our success has been built since the start of pre-season, we established some basic expectations on our team play, on-filed objectives and training standards which would lead to consistency in performance. We have developed the right behaviours and to date these have been well executed by the entire playing group. As the season has gone on we have seen considerable skill development across the squad and the coaches have been able to give the players more game education. The players have great self-belief and respect for each other which has come through our captain Madoc Plane and the leadership group.

Defence seems to be a big part of this winning run. Have conceded just 52 points per game this year, just three goals in each of the last two weeks, what has made your defence so solid in 2018?

We have a strong emphasis on our pressure to win the ball or win it back. It is a non-negotiable of the team and we train these skills at every opportunity. I value the ability to compete and tackle and the boys have bought in and are seeing the results of this. Chayse Creedy has done a great job with our backs on their positioning and working together but it is a total team defence mentality. The higher up the ground you can turn the ball over, the more likely you can score.

Your most recent win over West Perth, held them to just two points after half time, won all four quarters, was there anything that pleased you most about that win?

We set ourselves for a consistent four quarter effort so that was pleasing. West Perth came hard at us in the last quarter with their physicality and I reminded the boys to maintain our focus and not be distracted off the ball. Our response was strong. We were able to look at a few things we have been training and experiment a little bit – a few of these worked well. It gives the players something new to look at.

A couple of young boys have made the most of their opportunities the past two weeks, Abe Clinch and Trey Kennedy were both important in the win on Saturday?

Both very quiet and unassuming in and around the group but on-field they have really blossomed this year. We have recognised selection is going to be tough in the coming weeks with a high number of players performing their roles but Abe and Trey have been able to compete strongly. We are working on consistency for longer periods of time and the boys are really starting to get this right. Abe has come on with his ball winning and appetite for the contest – an area we highlighted with him, he is coachable. Trey is really aggressive, his work rate and repeat efforts really stood out against West Perth and it was great for him to get rewarded on the scoreboard – that’s how the game works.

Individually Tristan Hobley and Liam Hickmott are 1-2 for possessions in WAFL Colts this year, how impressed have you been by these boys being able to consistently hit a high standard?

Fundamentally it is their work rate. Two of the fittest members of our squad, their consistency is on the back of this. They work hard on their craft, in particular ball handling. What has been impressive is their involvement in scoring chains. We don’t want them accumulating possessions and we rarely talk about kicks and handballs. It is their positioning at contests, ability to link up and bring other players into the game which makes them important players and elevated their standing in 2018. Both boys have some things to work on in the back part of the season and that gives them great drive leading into finals.

Another one Jack Mayo seems destined to win the Colts Goal Kicking Award, that would be a pleasing result for a consistent performer in your team, Jack just keeps getting his two to three goals every week?

He has probably missed a couple he might otherwise kick in the last couple of weeks. We haven’t really focused on the goals with Jack, Nick Visser has been working closely with him on his routine, whilst Jason Hoskins has had a broader focus on Jacks repeat efforts, leading patterns and body work. We have seen improvement in these areas which will make Jack a more rounded player and hopefully a target for AFL clubs. We have been aiming for a real mix of goal-kickers, we know if this happens we are unpredictable to play against.

Your debutants continue to come, a couple more local products getting a game last week, incredibly I believe you have debuted over 20 players, while also being able to maintain winning form at the top of the ladder, how have you got that mix of opportunity and high performance right this year?

There have been a high number of players we have brought in across the season for their first games at this level – it’s the nature of the competition. It has been a real squad mentality. I suppose it reflects our training standards and education to ensure the players who come in a prepared well and play a team game understanding their roles. Sam Ashby, came in for games against Claremont and Swan Districts whilst Mitch Hendrie and Dane Webster debuted on the weekend. Mitch has been plagued by injury over the last few years, but has done a hug amount of work in rehab to earn an opportunity and he performed really well against West Perth. Dane, through our Lions Pride program last year developed strongly and played as a tall defender providing some rebound and he showcased his improvements.

Have you or the coaching staff looked ahead and started thinking about finals, or are you really focused on development and providing opportunities these next two weeks before focusing on finals?

We have needed to look ahead a little bit with player management and loading. In conjunction with Matty Olds our S&C Coach we have mapped out plans for a number of players in terms of games or trainings to miss over the recent and coming weeks. It is a long season, we started back in November, so its important to stay fresh. Other than that it is important we keep working towards our plan. Our training has changed up a little bit, sharpness in skills and decision making under pressure. We still have a strong emphasis on our pressure and tackling.

East Fremantle have been one of the form sides in the past six weeks along with yourselves, what areas do you think will be crucial in this weekend’s game?

They have been really consistent and will present a strong challenge for our players again. We will focus on our team play this week and connections, it has been critical to our recent success.

Best of luck Beau to you and all your team!