This news article was written by Tara Murray and appears in the February 4th edition of the Star Weekly.
Gisborne has lifted a gear in the pre-season as it aims to build on last year’s FV state league 5 west season.
The Sky Blues found themselves in second for much of the season in their first season back in state league 5 before fading.
For coach Carlos Grande it was a really good starting point for the group heading into this year.
“We’re looking forward to getting out there,” he said. “We’ve got a pretty good bunch that has put in the hard hards like every other team.
“They were a good bunch of boys and the mentality is good as well. We’ll give it a crack.”
Heading into his second season as coach, Grande said he had been able to step things up and further implement his plans.
He said he had the full support of the coaching group and the club.
“I was able to massage out some of the knots,” he said. “There was a lot of learning last year and I’m able to be more assertive with direction.
“We have a clear direction where we want to get to.”
The Sky Blues will have a similar side to last season, but have managed to add in some players.
One of the most pleasing things is that former players are wanting to come back to the club.
“It’s a bit of a mix,” he said. “The list from last year was competing for the league and was in second spot.
“It opened the eyes to players in the Macedon Ranges… That we are heading in the right direction.
“The senior program is attracting good qualify players back to the club and we already have a good bunch of players.
“Towards the end of the last season we had a few 15-16-year-olds do training sessions with the senior squad. We want to create that pathway into seniors.”
Grande said one of his aims was to see those younger players progress through the ranks into the senior side in his time in charge.
After having some success last season, Grande said they wanted to build on that this year.
The Sky Blues will be in action on the weekend of February 15 as the Dockerty Cup gets underway.
The Sky Blues have drawn Moreland Eagles in round one
Grande said they have set themselves a goal for the cup.
“We want to get past the first round,” he said.
