NEW Peel Thunder Colts coach Beau Wardman says he expects his side to move up the ladder in 2015.
The Peel Colts side finished last in 2014, winning four games out of 20.
Wardman said it had been a long pre-season starting in November last year.
“We have had an emphasis on fitness and skills along with kicking efficiency and building cohesion within the team culture,” he said. “Everyone is driving an inclusive attitude and handwork and dedication on and off the field.
“The club wants to gain more respect from the rest of the competition.”
Wardman comes to the club with a host of experience, coaching the First XVIII side at Wesley College, and serving as the assistant coach of the Perth Demons Colts and the coach of Wesley Curtin side in the West Australia Amateur Football league.
He also spent more than 10 years umpiring WAFL.
The side has already had a positive start to the season with two strong results against last season’s grand finalists in pre-season matches.
They defeated last season’s premiers Swan Districts and lost to Claremont by 21 points.
Wardman identified backman Dylan Winton, captain Sam Shackles and midfielder Noah Hura as some of the players to watch out for. “I think that is a pretty good effort against last year’s grand finalists,” he said. “We got a fair indication when we played the warm up games. “We are on the right track and our fitness and skills look pretty good. “We should move up the ladder.”
One of the reasons why the side finished at the bottom was due to their lack of scoring power.
The team scored just 942 points for the season, which equates to 47.1 points per game, the lowest in the competition.
Wardman said they want to play more of a free-flowing game in order to create more scoring opportunities and get the ball inside the 50 quicker.
“We are trying to give them freedom with the ball movement to take on the game more,” he said. “We want to play a bit old school with our forwards in traditional positions. “We want more transitions and passing the ball forward to be more exciting.
“We are encouraging a team first attitude and to play their part for the team.”
The side has also gotten older, with the average age being just under 18 years old.
Wardman said the alignment with the Fremantle Dockers has helped the youngsters and has not drawn players away.
“It has enhanced youngsters as they have the opportunity to play with AFL players,” he said. “They [Fremantle Dockers players] educate our players and benefit off-field.”
