NICK DILLON
RECENTLY appointed Berri Football Club A grade coach Brian Gates is turning to the club’s successful under 18 program in a bid to resurrect the Demons in 2021.
Demons’ supporters have been starved of senior wins over the past three years, with just seven victories coming in that time.
However, the club’s junior program has been thriving, led by its under 18 squad which has played in the past three grand finals.
It is with these kids that Gates believes Berri can build future success and add to its total of three A grade premierships in the past 40 years.
Not only will the Demons rely on their junior talent, they’ll mould their gameplan around them.
“When our season was cancelled I engaged myself with the under 18s straight away, helping (coaches) Dave Dayman and Brenton Woolston,” Gates said.
“I also looked at the styles of games played in the under 18s and really liked the football that Berri played.
“It was bold, brave football so we’re going to change the way we play.
“We’ve got 20 coming through the system from the 2019 premiership side and the losing grand final from this year.
“They bring a different dynamic to our playing group so we’ll have to adopt a style of play that will suit those players.
“A lot of our senior players haven’t won a lot of football either and sometimes you can get stuck in a bit of a rut.
“But the influx of the under 18s that won games and come with confidence and that chest-out, shoulders-back mentality, I certainly think that will flow through our core group.”
The impact of the under 18 players is not limited to talent or the team’s game plan either, with Gates and his team electing to put locals over potential recruits.
“We had to weigh up whether to blood say, a full forward, locally or look outside for one,” he said.
“So we’ve looked within and then looked outside to top up.”
The club brought in only three players ahead of the 2020 season – Sedan-Cambrai’s Jacob Grieger, Renmark’s Shay Hawkins and Balaklava’s Lachlan Mosler. None of them are superstars, but all add something to the A grade team’s dynamic.
Critically the Demons have been able to retain star midfielder Luke Teasdale, despite the attention of other suitors, while up-and-coming ruckman Brody Thompson will return after spending time with SANFL club Central District in 2020.
And while Berri is still on the hunt for a couple more recruits, judging by the excitement in Gates’ voice when speaking about the club’s juniors, he would be happy without any more outside assistance.
“We’ve seen the likes of Jordan Marr and Isaac Woolston play a little bit of senior football in 2019,” he said.
“They’re growing into the game and they’ll be around the mark.
“Even the likes of Charlie Holtham coming back. In 2019 he had a shoulder injury and had this year off, so he’ll be keen to go. He was a stand-out in the under 18s three years ago.
“His younger brother Archie as well. (He) Probably hasn’t got the skill set, but has the endeavour and tenacity.
“We’ve got the juniors coming through and a lot of them have work here now so we could potentially have some 200-game players for the club in that core group.
“I think we’ve only got two travelling players at the moment which is fantastic.”
Gates has also revamped his coaching group, with Tim Kruger stepping up as an assistant, Paul Stewart returning to be involved on game days and Craig Holtham as the runner.
Berri’s pre-season will kick off in January.