Last year’s first semi-final loss to Eaglehawk won’t be a motivating factor for Strathfieldsaye in Saturday’s round three clash at Tannery Lane.
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The Hawks ended Strathfieldsaye’s 2016 campaign when they upset the Storm by six points in a thrilling first semi-final.
“We were disappointed with the semi-final because Eaglehawk were probably hungrier than us,’’ Storm coach Darryl Wilson said.
“We haven’t made a huge deal about it because we have a different list this year and so do they.
“We have huge respect for the way Eaglehawk goes about their footy and we know they’re going to have a big crack at us.”
The return of midfield duo Kallen Geary and Jamieson Sheahan has strengthened a Storm midfield group that was outplayed by Golden Square, particularly in the first half.
“They (Geary and Sheahan) didn’t have any match practice over the summer, so we gave them a run in the reserves last week,’’ Wilson said.
“They could have played seniors last week, but we thought it was better for them to play in the reserves.
“They got through that well and they come back into the seniors now to give us some more structure through the middle.
“They’re probably two of our top five players as far as quality and our valuable they are.”
Geary and Sheahan’s return comes on a day when Eaglehawk has lost star midfielder Brodie Collins to injury.
The Hawks still have several top line midfielders, but the Storm probably bat deeper in the on-ball brigade.
“We’re well aware of their midfield quality, particularly with Bowey (Josh Bowe) coming in, but we’ll back our midfielders in,’’ Wilson said.
“First use of the ball will be crucial.”
Despite having several key players injured, a win on Saturday would give the Storm a more than acceptable2-1 record after matches against last year’s top three teams – Sandhurst, Golden Square and Eaglehawk.
With the draw about to open up, plus the return of those injured players, the Storm will be well placed to set up their season if they can get over the Hawks.
“Sam Hevayside, Jayden Donaldson, Brad Rohde, Brad Stringer are out injured and Vinnie Flood and Ben Lester are progressing well in the reserves.
“We’ve still got some depth to come back in and the team does look a lot better on paper when those names are added.”
We’re well aware of their midfield quality, particularly with Bowey (Josh Bowe) coming in, but we’ll back our midfielders in.
- Darryl Wilson
