Tara Murray
After taking almost all season, the Whittlesea Pacers have their full squad to choose from for the Big V men’s division 2 finals.
The dominant team of the division with just one loss for the season, the Pacers have juggled injuries and availability the season.
It took until the final week of the season for Des Radoslovic to have the whole squad available to pick from.
“It’s been good so far,” he said. ”To be 17-1 we would have taken that coming in.
“We were pretty confident that the squad would have a really positive season and be up there competing for a championship.
“The weekend was the first time we had every player available with Ash Bryar coming back from injury.
“To be 17-1 is almost a best case scenario.”
The Pacers were just two points away from completing the perfect regular season, with their only loss a one point loss to the second placed Altona Gators.
Radoslovic said looking back it was the loss they needed to have.
“Sometimes you have to have a loss,” he said. “Sometimes winning papers over the cracks.
“Until you lose a game, it doesn’t make you pay. It was a positive for us, we showed where we are vulnerable and that we aren’t invincible.”
The Pacers strength this season has been their depth. Pat Green, Gabe Evans, Jason Dirkx, Bryar, Angus Fischer and Max Stojanovic are all averaging double points per game.
The Pacers had the first week off of the finals, as reward for finishing on top of the ladder.
While some teams don’t like having the week off, Radoslovic said it was the ideal situation.
The Pacers need to win just one match to make the grand final.
He said the team would stay ready over the weekend off, with their eyes firmly focused making it to the decider.
In a change, all finals will be best-of-one, instead of best-of-three which has been the case for a lot of the finals, including the grand final, in recent years.
“It is different,” Radoslovic said. “In a best-of-three grand final series you back yourself to win two of three games and if you don’t you tip your hat knowing you were beaten by a better team.
“In one game, anything can happen.”
It isn’t just the Pacers senior side’s that have had strong seasons, with both their youth league men’s and women’s sides making finals.
The youth league men’s side finished on top of their pool. Radoslovic said they had worked really hard on that connection between the two sides and there’s plenty of good signs for the future.
