By RUSSELL BENNETT
LOCAL gridiron outfit the Berwick Miners have ushered in a new era this season with club stalwart Mark Petana taking the coaching reins from a true legend of the sport in Australia, Mel Martin.
Petana has been with the Miners for well over a decade, playing under Martin’s tutelage, but took the opportunity to step up to the coaching plate with his former mentor deciding to take some time off.
The winds of change have blown right across Rawling Field at Sydney Pargeter Reserve in Endeavour Hills this season with more than a dozen starting players departing for other teams.
Many have opted to join start-up outfit the South Eastern Predators, a couple have joined Division 2 newcomers the Pakenham Silverbacks, and quarterback Andrew Nixon has joined the Monash Barbarians.
But Petana is thrilled with the new, exciting core of players at his disposal.
“We’ve got a good core of rookies this year,” he said.
“I wanted the change here – to get a few more positives into the club.
“Nothing against the guys who left – they were good players – but it gives these younger guys an opportunity.
“When we step out on the field – out of 35 players I think we have 19 or 20 rookies.”
To put further context to the numbers – the Miners have 50 registered players this season. The Division 1 powerhouse, and multiple Vic Bowl champion, Monash Warriors have well in excess of 100.
Much to Petana’s surprise, his young side hit the ground running in the first round this year – clinching a stunning, last-gasp 14-13 win over the Melbourne Uni Royals after at one stage trailing 13-0.
“I wasn’t expecting us to win (our first game this season) but these young guys just keep pushing and don’t give up,” Petana said.
“We practice how we play and the guys got to put it all on show.”
Alongside Petana on the coaches bench this season is offensive co-ordinator Dante Newton from Denver, Colorado.
Like Petana, he’ll only lace up the boots and don the helmet and pads this season if their young side is struck down with fatigue or injury. But that doesn’t mean they’re not both suffering from itchy feet on a weekly basis.
The Miners’ biggest focus this season is putting points on the board, with new quarterback Bradley Fraser the key to their offense.
But if the New Zealander’s knowledge of the game is anything to go by, the side is in great hands.
He has flown over to be part of a new era for Berwick gridiron this season and he couldn’t be happier to teach the side’s youngsters along the way.
Fraser has put time into growing gridiron as a sport in New Zealand and learning the inner-workings of the game, including from a Division 1 college coach.
“We were a bit arrogant – thinking we knew everything because we were the number one team in the country,” he said.
“But we actually learnt to play the game of football.”
Let the learning curve continue.
After a lean couple of weeks, the Miners will look to rebound this Saturday against the Bendigo Dragons at Henry Turner Reserve in Footscray from 10.30am.
