Nurturing Leeton-Whitton’s Next Generation

“With such a young list, sometimes you have to put up with honourable losses. If you can build your game and build your club from that, it means that when the tide starts to turn, it will turn.”

That was GWS Giants coach Leon Cameron a fortnight ago. He could’ve been talking about Leeton- Whitton.

While Crows coach David Meline doesn’t like the suggestion that he or his team would ever be happy with a loss, he would understand the sentiment. Footy is a numbers game and often it’s the statistics beyond the scoreboard that tell the story.

Meline is in charge of a team full of teenagers… 13 players have had their first taste of senior footy this season; seven of them aged just 16. And that’s only half the story.

“As well as all those debutants, we’ve still got a few guys who are only 18 or 19 – they’ve only got a season of first grade themselves under their belts,” says Meline. “Against Tigers, 14 guys were 19 and under. It’s a big chunk of the side.”

Meline took the reins at the Crows after spending the best part of a decade coaching junior footy. “I guess that was a direction the club had chosen to take: to develop the current crop of juniors, that I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of exposure to,” he says. “We’ve always had pretty reasonable underage sides, and we always lose them coming into first grade. We had a fair turnover in the offseason, so we thought it was a good opportunity to blood these guys.”

“It’s not a rebuilding phase,” says president Mick Fraser. “It’s just that with the kids we had – he’s coached them all and he wanted to keep working with these kids. And we thought he was the right man for the job.”

Fraser played under Meline in his last stint in charge of a senior team – as captain-coach of the Leeton Redlegs before the merger with Whitton. “He’s always been a leader. On the field and off it, everyone has always respected him.”

Meline played 245 games with the Redlegs and the Crows. He wishes he knew then what he does now. Or that he was on younger legs. “I’m a lot more experienced coaching now. But unfortunately you can’t be out there with them. You’d like to with a young side.”

What he offers instead is now ledge and understanding of the players he’s bringing through. “I’ve had a fair exposure to these guys. I wouldn’t be throwing in kids for the sake of it. The guys that have all stepped up have shown they can handle it. This particular group of 16 year olds – they’ve been a strong age group for a while. They’re good mates and keen on their football. They’re like a breath of fresh air in the place, and a few of the older guys have been freshened up by them too.”

Captain Daniel Sullivan says Meline is a good communicator, who knows how to inject confidence into his young players. But concentration and consistency will only come with experience. “We talk about breaking the game down quarter-by-quarter. Our best quarters we’ve matched it with anyone, but consistency is the difficult thing to develop.” Victory over Narrandera in round one remains the Crows’ only win, but the coach says assessing the season isn’t straightforward. “With so many young guys and not strong bodies yet, what I’m looking at is improvement in all the individuals. Because we had such a turnover, it’s hard to gauge on the team, because it’s just about a new side. I’m just looking at improvement within the team. I think we’ve been competitive in almost every game. It’s challenging. But to the guys’ credit, they’re not dropping away. There’s still plenty of enthusiasm.”

In Leeton – where rugby league, rugby union and soccer all compete with Australian Rules – the Crows are proud of the strength in their juniors. “That’s been a highlight,” says Meline. “Seeing the development of our club through good numbers and good structures. We had to get our junior club structured well, and merged with the senior club. And I think that was the first turning point. Now we’re looking at facilities and infrastructure, and making sure we push the family involvement in the club, with things like same day football.”