St Kilda’s debut season in the inaugural Robert Rose Foundation VWFL has been an enormous success for the Saints.
Marcus Sander’s Saints finished third on the ladder after the 10-game season, missing out on a Grand Final berth by just two games.
“It’s been a fantastic first season for us,” Sander told saints.com.au.
“It hasn’t been short of its challenges, it’s taken the team a while to gel and work as a unit, but as captain of the team, I’m very happy with the way the team’s performed throughout the season.”
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After a relatively slow start to the season, the Saints found their mojo in Round 5, comfortably beating Hawthorn for their second win before losing just one more match for the season.
“We had a solid finish, we came home strong towards the end of the season,” Sander said.
“We were the only team to draw with the undefeated Collingwood, so it’s only going to stand us in really good stead for Season Two, so very happy with the team.”
Saints skipper Marcus Sander instructing his teammates
And Sander is confident that the sport’s fast-paced and dynamic nature will only further grow the league.
“As far as other clubs participating … I’m positive that there may be another two to three teams that might be jumping on board for Season Two, which would be fantastic,” he said.
“They’re only too happy to try and get involved and get a team on board as well because the sport’s fast-growing.”
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The inaugural captain of the Saints side also implored those interested in the game to explore the possibility of playing next year.
“What I’d say to get people involved is to log on (https://dsr.org.au/afl-wheelchair), have a look at the information, come and try it out at the open skills session days and see if you like it,” Sander said.
“If it’s for you, there’s room to progress. It’s a fantastic sport, and the opportunities are endless; you can play for an AFL club like St Kilda like I am, it’s been a fantastic experience and opportunity, so I’d love to see more players jump on board next season.”
The Saints play the Bombers for third spot next Sunday 2 September at Balwyn Leisure Centre.
