The Tatyoon Hawks have had a successful 2016 season both on and off the field.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tatyoon Football and Netball club president Sue Knight said she was delighted with the year overall.
"By any measure it has been a hugely successful season for us,” she said.
"Every team made the finals in 2016 and we have had great numbers in the lower age levels.
"Winning the senior football premiership was incredible
"There was a great mix of old and new faces in the team to share it with.
"They worked incredibly hard together during the year and I am pleased to see them have success.
"There was some really good future club leaders and future coaches in that team.
“So that is something to look forward to.”
It was not all positive at the start of the 2016 season for Tatyoon.
Knight said the club had issues attracting junior players to the club.
"We did not think we would have enough players to field an under-16.5 footy team at start of the year but thanks to the hard work by the two coaches and key families, we were able to get the numbers we needed.”
The Reserves football team also struggled early in the season.
Knight said the reserves team built momentum through the season.
"To have our reserves make the prelimilary final after the initial struggle to get numbers together early in the season was great,” she said.
"Some weeks we had year eight and nine kids playing in the team against fully grown men.”
The Netball teams also showed positive signs during the season.
Knight said it was a real boost for the club.
"This was the first time in a few years that we had really competitive A and B Grade netball teams.
“It certainly added a real buzz to the club.
"We had some local girls come back and play this year which just added real strength and depth to those senior squads.”
Knight said the next task is to try and retain the talent at the club.
"We are working hard to keep our football and netball talent across all the teams,” she said.
"Isolation and travelling distance is an issue for every club.
"So we just need to work really hard to try and create a club culture that looks after families and brings people back to the club.”
Knight also acknowledged the efforts from all the volunteers during the season.
"We have developed a distributed leadership structure and a huge number of volunteers are doing plenty of work without getting much exposure,” she said.
"The club would not be anywhere near as successful without all the work that they all do.
