Albion is on its way to its first finals series since 2011 in the Western Region Football League.
The Cats who sit in second spot within division 2 have had a strong season under new coach Blake Richards, who was still playing at the club the last time they participated in the finals.
“We’ve had a pretty good playing list with some serious depth,” Richards said.
“We’ve been able to combat any injuries throughout the year and players have reacted to the different level of training, and they really care about the footy club and they care for each other and results have gone that way.”
Two of the club’s young guns who have helped them soar back into the top four include Darcy McPherson and Benjamin Doll.
McPherson has been named in the best players every game he has played this season, to go with 27 goals for the year.
Doll is the league’s leading goal scorer with 36 majors from his 11 outings.
“(McPherson) is probably the opposition’s biggest focus, he gets hit very hard every week and the kid just continues to get up, get up and get up,” Richards said.
“His effort and loyalty to the jumper is next level. He trains really hard, he prepares correctly. He’s a ripper.
“(Doll) is an extremely talented footballer, he reads the ball incredibly well, he’s hard to play on, very crafty around the goal, makes the most of his opportunities.
“The best part about those two boys is they’re Albion juniors and they’re very young, only 22, 23, so they’ve got some good footy ahead of them.”
With the bye the week before finals, Richards said he was thankful their win against North Footscray last round was a tough game to prepare for what is ahead of them.
“I think if it had been the other way and we beat them by a big margin, we might have brought some bad habits into the finals,” he said.
“We’re still going to train pretty hard this week, get the legs ticking over to gain a bit of fitness but still manage our injured players as well.
“And the chance to have two weeks to plan for one week, which is going to give me some more time to get everything correct.”
With Parkside set to face the Cats in a semi final on the weekend, Richards said if his side brings their intensity and effort they can match it with anyone. The winner will be straight into the grand final and the loser will play in a preliminary final.
“It’s about coming with the right mindset and getting everyone right at the right time, which looks like it’s happening.”
Harper Sercombe
