Tarrawanna Blueys FC

This could be a tricky season for Tarrawanna, as they reorganise under new coach Peter Willis. For much of 2015, the Blueys sat in Play Off positions in the IPL ladder, but they tended to struggle against other teams at the top, and finished the season down in seventh spot. In Wandi Jajaw, they had the IPL’s second top scorer in 2015. He scored 18 of his side’s 51 goals tally for last term, but he has now left the club and will play with rivals Wollongong Olympic in 2016.

Willis has the pedigree and the experience that could transform Tarrawanna in double quick time, though. He was part of the world-beating Leeds United set up in the 1970s, playing alongside England (and Scotland) stars of the time, and more recently has put in time with Wollongong Wolves, leaving their coaching set up at the end of 2015. He has brought in several of the Wolves’ youth squad players to mix it up with some of the Blueys’ more experienced players. How this blend of youth and experience works together will decide the Blueys’ season.

Players to watch

New coach Peter Willis brought with him two of the Wollongong Wolves under-18s he coached last season. Captain Bryce Dolinscak (defender) and Matt Mazevski (midfielder) will know what their coach wants from them, as will former Wolves under-20 star Sam Isabella. Dolinscak’s consistency, Mazevski’s dead ball skills and Isabella’s pace seem to provide a nice balance across the park. Tarrawanna’s other youthful new signing comes from Bulli’s Grand Final winning Youth Grade side of 2015. Jarryd Mortimer captained his Bulli side that day. Match these players with new boy Daniel Chapman, who was an ever-present in Wollongong United’s IPL set-up in 2015, and Jacob Fryday (Bellambi’s top scorer in 2015). Throw in Blueys midfielder Rick Goodchild together with Sam Chapple (former Wolf) and the experience of Darren Stone and Willis may have the recipe for a team to challenge for the play offs.

Season expectation

So much of Tarrawanna’s season depends on how the youth players blend in with the more experienced heads under Willis’s leadership. The loss of Jajaw may well blunt the Blueys in front of goal, and it’s not clear who can step up to the plate and get their names on the scoresheet with the same regularity. Willis’s wise head may help his new side perform better against the top teams than they did last season, but it’s hard to see the Blueys improve on that seventh slot they achieved in 2015.

By Simon Duffin