By Colin MacGillivray
A PROMISING season for Kilmore’s senior footballers was cut short on Sunday when the Blues lost a disappointing semi-final against Old Eltham Collegians.
The Blues and Turtles had played a series of thrilling contests that went down to the wire across the past two seasons, but Old Eltham pulled away after half time on Sunday to snare a 12.6 (78) to 7.9 (51) victory, sending Kilmore tumbling from the finals race.
Playing at Whittlesea Showgrounds, the Blues trailed by only 10 points at half time with the same number of scoring shots as their opponents.
But Old Eltham opened up a gap that the Blues were unable to claw back, booting five goals to two after the long break.
Turtles forward Nick Milne stole the show with six goals, while Kilmore half forward Michael Fenech was his side’s only multiple-goal kicker with two.
Brothers Chris and Ciaran Barton were standouts for the Blues, working hard through the midfield, while James Atkinson gave good service in the ruck, but the team was ultimately overwhelmed.
With the club’s reserves and under 19s also losing their semi-finals by less than a kick, Kilmore president Paul Maher said it had been a disappointing day.
“The senior team being eliminated is a great disappointment. Our aim was to win a final, and the big picture was to win a premiership, so to dip out without winning a final is extremely disappointing,” he said.
“The boys fought hard, and unfortunately Eltham was too good on the day.
“We’re proud of their efforts. They never gave in, and unfortunately we just didn’t come home with a win. We were still well in it at three-quarter time, but we couldn’t convert.”
Maher said Kilmore remained in a strong position as it prepared for a changing of the guard, with senior coach Nathan Phillips last week announcing his intention to step down after six years at the helm.
With Maher also stepping down as president, he said fresh leadership would reinvigorate the Blues.
“Paul Derrick was recently named as our new senior coach for the 2023 season. Paul has a wealth of experience, having previously been a senior coach at both Roxburgh Park and Mernda,” Maher said.
“He’s got his two boys Ethan and Bailey playing in the seniors at the club.
“He’s got a lot of contacts in the football community and a great knowledge of football, so we’re confident we’ll continue to be successful and take that next step next year and get that elusive premiership.”
Maher said there could be ‘a couple of retirements’ from the senior playing list but said he expected the majority of the team to return next season.
“We’re already on the front foot and we’ll be looking at recruiting. We’ve got a bunch of young players coming through the ranks, but we won’t be remaining stagnant – we’ll be sourcing players we think can take us to the next level,” he said.
Maher thanked Phillips for his service as coach.
“It’s been a huge sacrifice for him and his family and he’s done a sensational job to help turn the playing fortunes of the club around,” he said.
“I sincerely thank him for those efforts, and also those of his family.
“I also haven’t had anyone put their hand up to take on the presidency yet, so I’d like to remind people that we’re still looking for a president for the 2023 season.”
People interested in the Kilmore presidency can call Maher on 0415 754 324.
