By Tanya Steele
The Healesville football club has been training with new senior coach Ryan Webster and he is excited for the 2023 season.
Webster was appointed last year following the end of the season and is set to bring experience and a new perspective to the team.
“We’ve got a good group of players and they’ve learned a lot in a short space of time and I think we’ll play a much more exciting and structured brand of footy, compared to previous years,” he said.
Training has been going well, with many players returning to the club, notably former best and fairest winner Mick Mende and some young players from Yea have signed on as well.
Webster said Healesville is a magnificent little community club.
“It has a lot of natural organic growth with lots of players returning to the club this year, the younger players are bringing lots of energy and are really determined to play good footy,” he said.
Webster has been training with the team to bring a faster brand of football to the club.
“It’s been pretty promising so far, I’ve brought my own thoughts and ideas on how performance can be better,we’ve been able to learn together pretty quickly in the time we have been a group,” he said.
Webster and the team have been looking at ways the team can move the ball differently and how they can work on defensive transition.
“No doubt they did great last year, winning eight games and I watched them play a couple of times and they did play some very good footy, but I have been able to bring a few bits and pieces from my own coaching experience that will tighten our structures up and play a faster brand of footy,” he said.
As the season begins Webster anticipates some adjustments as the team adapts to the new style of play.
“There will be a few teething problems I imagine, I am asking them to do things they haven’t done previously,” he said.
“It’s about upskilling to the level we need to implement the way we want to play, it comes with the territory and it will just come down to forming different habits.”
Healesville finished fifth on the ladder last season with a split of eight wins and eight losses, Webster is keen for the team to do their best.
“It’s about the boys having a real red hot crack at what we’re trying to teach them,” he said.
“You turn up on Saturday you either win or lose, as long as they’re having a go and helping each other out as teammates, I can’t ask for more than that.”
