SOCCER
STATE LEAGUE
by SAMUEL DARROCH
INCOMING Morwell Pegasus coach Luke Cheney has vowed to open the door for Latrobe Valley talent in a bid to rebuild the State League Division Two South-East outfit.
The 34 year-old plans to challenge the Pegasus paradigm, which in recent years has revolved around a turnstile of talented metropolitan players, and inject a local serum back into the club’s bloodline.
“I’m trying to build the foundation of the club with local based players,” Cheney said.
“Those guys will be all sitting there knocking on the door; it’s a matter of who applies themselves and who wants to push themselves to get into the first team – I’ll be giving everyone a chance.”
Cheney’s vision for blooding the Valley’s finest is two-fold.
Should players fall out of step with the Horsemen’s canter, they will bring something extra back to their Gippsland Soccer League clubs.
“It does two things, it gives them the opportunity to play at a higher level, but at the same time its going to make the GSL a better league in years to come,” he said.
After playing with Pegasus in his early 20s under local football identity Mark Cassar, Cheney stepped back to the GSL where he led Churchill through a golden era.
When he returned last season as reserves coach and top team striker, Cheney said the culture had changed.
The former Rams superstar was shunted between grades throughout the state league season, and his reserves were often forced to play undermanned and without a recognised keeper, a situation he plans to rectify by forming an all-Valley second string side with greater depth.
“Last year I got little or no support from the first team coach; my growing up as a player and what I’ve learnt is it’s a squad effort, it’s not just seniors and that’s all you worry about, you worry about the reserves and you worry about the club in general,” he said.
“Previous coaches, any sort of Valley players they just pushed them out.
“I’m coming on board, I’m a Valley coach and I’ve been there where local coaches have coached before like Sean Byrne, Gerry Clarke, and Mark Cassar… I’m just trying to grow the club and get it back to the way it was when I used to be there.”
The Horsemen began last year’s campaign undefeated through four rounds before losses began to pile up.
Then coach Dale White responded by recruiting from Melbourne, a move Cheney condemned.
“When the chips are down you don’t go and buy players, you work with what you’ve got… I’ll be working with what I’ve got and I’ll be doing the best I can to get the right results to keep us up,” he said.
While the 2014 list is still up in the air, what Cheney’s got so far is positive responses from last year’s crop, which went on a tear late in the season.
Despite big money beckoning for the likes of Max Etheridge, Jamie Prictor and Marquin Smith, Cheney said he had spoken to “pretty much all the boys and they’re all quite interested in coming back next year”.
The young coach conceded the need to retain key Melbourne-based players for their experience and quality, but firmly believes in local potential.
Armed with an intimate knowledge of GSL personnel, Cheney knows what the Valley has to offer.
Already he has contacted some 30 players from the league to consider stepping up, but was well aware of the divide in quality they must breach in order to succeed.
“There’s a big difference. I hate to say it but the Valley league is the Valley league. There’s boys that do well in the Valley and it’s now their opportunity to step up and become men,” Cheney said.
“What needs to happen next season with the foundations of what I’m trying to lay, is these guys need to step up and get an understanding of this level, because yes, it is a lot quicker… the intensity is by far a lot stronger.”
In what looms as a testing season for Pegasus, Cheney said his goals were to avoid relegation and have the reserves finish top four.
Planning to step back from his playing role to focus on arguably one of the toughest coaching gigs in Victorian football, Cheney said the squad would crystallise over the coming month for a January start to pre-season.
Pegasus had hinted at forgoing training in Pakenham in favour of a Morwell base, but Cheney said he would balance the needs of players both local and metropolitan and had not yet settled on midweek venues.
Aiming to play an attacking brand of football, Cheney is comfortable in his coaching skin and looking forward to the challenge at hand.
“I’ve done what I’ve done, I know what I know and the club’s putting their faith in me,” he said.
“It’s not going to be an easy year, but it’s laying the foundations and I just hope to get the support of the Valley.”
