A ninth-placed WRFL finish might not look like much for Albion, but 2014 could go down as a turning point in the club’s history.
This time last year, the Cats were $100,000 in debt. The introduction of a new committee, led by president Gavan Taylor, has helped turn the club’s fortunes around.
The Cats have cleared three quarters of the debt and expect to polish off the rest
by Christmas.
“Off the field, I feel like we’ve taken major steps,” Taylor said.
“At the end of the last year we owed approximately $100,000. The people on the committee at the time hadn’t had a lot of experience and didn’t really know where to start. We just needed to get things started and get things into order.
“I think the spirit of the club itself is much better than it was last year.”
The club is also building a better future on the field. Led by new coach Aaron Tymms, Albion has turned to youth in a bid to climb the table.
The Cats have played many players in their teens or early 20s this season.
The early signs have been positive, with the club winning one more game than last year and, once again, avoiding relegation.
Taylor said Tymms, who will continue as senior coach next year, had done an outstanding job.
“He’s been terrific. He went into the season as a first-year coach and was probably hoping to do a little better than he has. But we fully understood the position he was in.
“You can’t run around with 12 or 13 18-year-olds and make the difference that he hoped they would. What I think he has done is teach them really well.”
The Cats have no plans to slow down, eager to reclaim their position as a WRFL powerhouse.
“I think we have always been a really good club for our people,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘If you are an Albion person, we will always look after you and I think that is why our kids stay.
“What I want is to improve on that, be financially stable and, whether it be off the field or on the field, get back to being the power that Albion was 15 years ago.”
