By Marcus Uhe
As the sun sets on Outer East Football Netball Premier Division football season, we reflect on the year that was for those whose seasons have come to a close.
OFFICER: 7th (7-11)
Percentage: 86.9
Points scored per game: 57.3
Points conceded per game: 65.9
Best win: R2 v Mt Evelyn
Worst loss: R16 v Gembrook Cockatoo
Leading goal kicker: Mark Seedsman (33)
Best players: Jake Gains, Brenton Hillard, Josh Westra, Kyle Haggar, Brent Moloney.
Preseason prediction: 8th
Grade: B+
2024 sure was a rollercoaster for the Kangaroos.
The boys from Starling Road defied early expectations and benefited from a handful of winnable games in the opening half of the season to make impressions and push for a spot in the top six for much of the year.
An early win on the road against Mt Evelyn proved they would be no pushover, and at 4-3 after seven weeks, looked likely to shock the competition and qualify for an unlikely finals berth.
Then the losing started.
Between rounds eight and 14, Officer only beat Berwick Springs, and suffered a four-game losing streak to return it to the chasing pack.
While not winning matches, Officer won admirers with its ability to push Woori Yallock to a three-point loss, hold Wandin to nine goals at Wandin and keep Narre Warren to seven goals in torrid conditions at Kalora Park.
But where they excelled against the better sides, the reverse was also true, displaying some of their worst football when expectation was off.
Losses to Mt Evelyn at home, Gembrook Cockatoo on the road, proved disastrous in its push for a finals place, and ultimately led to the decision to not extend the contract of Daniel Charles at season’s end.
In its simplest form, if the Kangaroos were offered being three points away from finals at the beginning of 2024, having earned promotion to Premier Division as a result of the competition’s restructure, it’s hard to imagine that they would not have signed up for it in a flash.
In 24 months, the club went from a basket case with an average losing margin of 80 points in Premier Division in 2022, to plucky and pesky banana peel in 2024 after failing to hit the heights in 2023.
And yet Charles is now a man looking for a coaching role, having been advised of the committee’s decision with two matches remaining in the season, to the surprise of Charles, and the shock of the Outer East community.
A B+ grade even seems harsh, given the seventh-place finish, but clearly there was more to the club’s performance than wins and losses that led to the decision.
Time and time again Officer struggled to score, consistently let down by the foot skills of its midfielders and failure to hit targets inside 50.
Too often Mark Seedsman was left with too much to do on his own, with Brent Moloney moving to a wing and Troy Tharle limited by injury, having built chemistry and cohesion during the 2023 campaign together.
Jake Gains and Brenton Hillard were recruited to bring seniority and leadership to Officer and fit the brief to a tee, perennial standouts in the middle of the ground and showing their class from stints at higher levels.
Moloney grew into dynamic onballer and wingman, Josh Westra held the back six together despite being one of the youngest players in the senior side, and while Sam Hoghton fought his body for continuity and fitness in 2024, when he did play he delivered in spades as one of the side’s most consistent performers.
Whoever is chosen to lead the club beyond Charles will inherit an enviable list chock-full of young talent, from Brodie Snooks and Riley Wierzbicki, to Jordan McGeagh, Bowen Johsnton, Ben Gilberto and Jeremy Valentine, all who earned exposure at senior level in 2024.
Should the nucleus stick together at Starling Road in the wake of the baffling decision to move Charles on, expect plenty of names to throw their hats in the ring to lead the club into a new era.
