With a major squad overhaul and a new Head Coach, Bentleigh might just be the biggest unknown heading into season 2023 of NPLM Victoria.
The Greens are coming off a terrific 2022 campaign where they claimed the Dockerty Cup in dramatic fashion, scoring a late winner against rivals Oakleigh Cannons. Strong showings in both the Australia Cup and league followed, where they made the Round of 16 and finished fifth respectively.
On the eve of the new season though, those results will be firmly in the rear-view for Bentleigh fans as new Head Coach Peter Tichy aims to lead the club into a new era.
“When the opportunity came up, it was a big pleasure for me as an aspiring coach to be able to take this opportunity,” Tichy told the club’s media team.
“I don’t take it for granted, and I want to make sure that I prove the Club made the right decision in trusting me with this role.”
Tichy formed a part of the coaching staff that secured a Dockerty Cup triumph and finals football in 2022 and had a hands-on role in the club’s recruitment during the off-season.
“We’ve brought in a bunch of good, young players that complement what we already had,” he said.
“We have that proven experienced, mixed in with some guys in their early-to-mid 20s who have a bit of experience and then some youngsters who will be looking to make their mark when they get a chance. It’s a good, healthy balance.”
Bentleigh have made dramatic changes to their squad, adding a mix of experience and youth.
South Sudan international Jackson Morgan is one of several players who have made the switch from the NPLWA. Having had experience in Victoria’s topflight in 2018 with Hume City, Morgan is known as a tenacious defensive midfielder who is comfortable on the ball.
The versatile Thiak Kuel, who can play as a box to box midfielder or across the backline and the dynamic Manase Abandelwa also made the long trip east, both arriving via NPLWA’s Inglewood United.
With plenty of interstate talent joining the Club, NPLM fans will also see plenty of familiar faces joining Bentleigh’s ranks.
Classy midfielder Mario Barcia makes the switch after recent stints with Avondale and Oakleigh, while experienced defender Scott Hilliar and goalkeeper Bon Scott arrive via Avenger Park.
Forward Luka Ninkovic (Heidelberg) and shot-stopper Kane Runge (Dandenong Thunder) add further established quality and depth to Tichy’s side.
“Every good team needs a balance of experience and youth, so we wanted to strike that balance as well as keeping in mind what we were looking for in terms of their individual strengths and what they can bring to the overall unit,” he said.
“We’ve got a strong core of experienced players from our goalkeeper and the centre of defence and into our midfield, so that gives us some great qualities to build around.
“In the wider and attacking areas, we have some younger players with that raw creativity and that fearlessness I want our team to have going forward.”
Despite having plenty of incoming quality, the Greens have lost a host of key players heading into season 2023. Jack Webster, Mitch Hore, Jack Painter-Andrews, Ajak Riak and Pierce Waring to name a few, leaving plenty of opportunity for the new signings to make their mark.
Over the pre-season Tichy explained he had two distinct philosophies he wanted to impart to his players.
“In defence, I want to make sure we’ve got good distances between our lines, and we’re compact,” he said.
“But when we win that ball, I want us to be able to build our attacks from the back and progress into a fearless attack so that we’re attacking on the front foot.
“I like my teams to be proactive and get at their opponents when they’re out of shape.”
Tichy was full of praise for his players and the manner in which they have handled the changes at the club over the off-season.
“I don’t want to single players out because I think it’s been a collective effort, but as a group, I’ve been so impressed with the professionalism the players have shown and the effort they’ve made to gel with one another,” he said.
“We’ve built some of that into our training sessions – by having a more social component to some of our warm-ups – and we’ve ensured to get the boys together for some dinners and lunches, because I’m a big believer that the better the boys know each other and get along off the pitch, the harder they will work for each other on it.”
A chance for early silverware is on the cards for the Greens as they kick off their competitive fixtures tonight in a tantalising matchup against Oakleigh Cannons for the Community Shield, with matches against the two newly promoted to follow.
ANNOUNCED TEAM NEWS
INS: Daniel Lucente (Pascoe Vale) Alec Mills (Kingston Heath), Jackson Morgan (Perth SC, Luka Ninkovic (Heidelberg), Gavin O’Reilly (Shamrock Rovers) Kane Runge (Dandenong Thunder), Mitch Rooke (Lambton Jaffas), Mario Barcia (Oakleigh Cannons) Aydin Mustedanagic (Pascoe Vale), Thiak Kuel (Inglewood United), Manase Abandelwa (Inglewood United), Bon Scott (Avondale), Scott Hilliar (Avondale)
OUTS: Jack Webster, Yagoub Mustafa (Hume City, Mitch Hore (Melbourne Knights), Corey Sewell (Melbourne Knights), Danny Kim (South Melbourne), Jack Painter-Andrews (South Melbourne), Ajak Riak (South Melbourne), Pierce Clark (Perth Glory), Pierce Waring (Green Gully)
OPENING FIXTURES
Round 1: Bentleigh Greens v North Geelong Warriors
Round 2: Moreland City v Bentleigh Greens
Round 3: Bentleigh Greens v Green Gully