Cardiff Seniors: 2019 Preview

PRESIDENT PREVIEW
Cardiff Hawks have been working hard as a collective in the off season and have several exciting things happening within our club. The new facility at Pasterfield is a pleasure to train on and will have a massive impact across our whole club as we start to use all it has to offer. On field we have several new recruits and off field we have been working hard to add to our sponsors list. We are excited to see our overall club plans unfold in the coming months.

How’s Preseason going?
With access to the new facility at Pasterfield Reserve, the positive energy amongst the playing group has been very high. A great mix of new recruits, young, developing players and some old heads returning to the nest has created a real excitement.

Biggest surprise packet in 2019?
Luke Griffiths is a big unit who had an interrupted season in 2018. He has been a strong contributor on the park so far during the 2019 preseason, with some impressive skills and effort in fitness drills, as well of plenty of banter to go with it. We’re looking forward to him having a big impact on our 2019 season.

 

CUP TEAM PROFILE
2019 represents a wonderful opportunity for the club to achieve a number of goals. The Pasterfield Complex provides proper club rooms that our club, community, and opposition can enjoy during and after matches. A new unique coaching structure has brought together the individuals who each bring different skills and attributes to the club, a structure which is working well so far and has been well received by the playing group. We are excited with the year ahead and look forward to success on field and off field.

Who has been lighting up preseason/which player is the one to watch in 2019?
Jack Lennon has had a full preseason, and is in outstanding condition. His strong season last year has been rewarded with elevation into the Senior Leadership Group. Jack’s humour and energy has a real positive impact on the morale of the group, and he is set for a big 2019.

Big Ins: Scott Pierce has recently moved to Newcastle from Sydney for work as a civil engineer. He has enjoyed a solid career with the East Coast Eagles in Sydney and we’re looking forward to seeing the 6’4” forward ply his trade for Cardiff.

Patrick Delaney has also made the move to Newcastle, heading north from Southern NSW where he has played for Osborne in the Hume League for the last 3 seasons. Patty is a rugged midfielder who will add toughness and skill to our middle.

Declan Hoy-Maroney is another in who will land in Newcastle prior to Round 1. Dec has taken a role with Cardiff Hawks club Physio, and has just completed a summer season in the Northern Territory. He has also had winter seasons in the Ovens and Murray League and will add further depth to our strong list.

Big Outs: Tom Yensch is a huge out for the Hawks in 2019. Tom has returned to his native Albury after being a dominant force in the Black Diamond Cup over recent years. A League Best and Fairest, and last year’s Representative Captain, it is a gap we may need many players to fill.

Lachlan Price has been given an amazing opportunity to play in Adelaide with SANFL Powerhouse Central Districts. We wish Lachie all the best, and will need to cover his goal kicking prowess.

Who is the team to beat in 2019?
Newcastle City are the reigning Premiers and by default are the team to beat. They have been at the top of the tree for a number of years and we will be measuring ourselves against them this year.

 

WOMEN’S TEAM PROFILE
After  a strong finish to the 2018 campaign we believe we should be able to continue that form into the 2019 season. Everyone is very excited to have a fantastic new facility to train and play on in the Pasterfield Complex. So far our training is coming along nicely with good numbers attending every session. While we have lost a couple of players we have also welcomed some new players to the squad which we think will develop into quality players over time. It’s always great to introduce new players to our great game. Given an even run with injuries and continued level of commitment we believe we can go one better this year and sneak into the finals.

Who has been lighting up preseason/which player is the one to watch in 2019?
Minerva Bailey has been in great form at training. She is fast, skillful and really committed to her footy and she really loves it. I can’t wait to see the best of Min.

Big Ins: The return from injury of our captain Sheree Vukovich who suffered a nasty broken collar bone will be massive for us. Tracy Patton and Nicole Avis look very promising.

Big Outs: Spiritual leader and club favourite Nicola Breward will be sorely missed and goal kicker Faith Lewis will also be hard to replace.

Who is the team to beat in 2019?
City will again be very hard to beat.

 

MEN’S PLATE UPDATE
Season 2019 will be a year to for our Plate team to focus on development of young players, and provide real pressure for spots in the Cup team. The culture and morale around the club is high at the moment and we want to build on that to ensure all players are enjoying their role and are personally better at the end of the year than they were at the start of the year, on field and off field. From a team perspective, after finishing third last year, we will be looking to improve on that and are confident of pushing deep into the finals campaign.

Who is the team to beat in 2019?
Similar to the Cup League, Terrigal by default are the team to beat. Undefeated last year and eventual Premiers, we look forward to our first encounter with them.

 

PRESEASON GAMES
The Women and Men’s sides both played against the East Coast Eagles on March 9 in Sydney. The Eagles have been a powerful side in the Sydney AFL and NEAFL over the past ten years and it was good to test ourselves against them. Their women’s team has also just been promoted to the Sydney AFL Premier Division, which was a great opportunity for our women to play against quality opposition.

The Men’s team also took on Singleton on March 16 prior to our Season Launch.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Hawks would like to thank the generous support of our continued club sponsors The Duke Hotel, Jayco Newcastle, Rams Home Loans, Conplant, PSC Insurance Brokers, Recruit Now, Ryno’s Asbestos Removal, KCE, Jesmond Fruit Barn, Macquarie Physiotherapy & Cottons Glass.

We would also like to a huge welcome our new club sponsors for 2019 IronBark Hill Brewhouse, Hunter Health Insurance, Boz Designz Kitchens, Cardiff Dental, Body Beyond Limits Gym & Meat You At The Cheese Platter.