By Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
2014 season wrap
2014 was a difficult year for the Sandgate Hawks. After winning their first game of the year over the UQ Red Lions, they failed to win another game for the season. They got close in round six, pushing top five side Broadbeach to within four points, but had a bleak ending to the year. With new Coach Graham Adams taking over this year, combined with strong player retention numbers from last season, the Hawks have high hopes of climbing up the ladder and being more competitive in 2015.
Who’s in?
With a heavy recruitment focus during the off-season, Sandgate have managed to sign 20 new players for season 2015. Headlining the list will be ex-Aspley player Patrick Devers, as well as Alex Craft, who has moved over from Kedron.
Who’s out?
In a huge loss to the Hawks, 2014 captain Michael Richardson has made the move over to Wilston Grange. A player of his calibre will certainly be hard to replace.
Pre-season focus
The Hawks have been working extremely hard over summer to tighten up their skills by hand and foot. Coach Grahame Adams believes if they can improve this area, it will allow them to play a more free-flowing brand of football in 2015.
Coach Graham Adams thoughts on 2015
“That’s a difficult question. The main focus is for us to be competitive every week, and I think if we can do that our wins will improve from last year. We won one game for the year last year, and I think if we can be competitive and be in game for a long part of the day we would be very happy with that.”
Who has the X factor?
Keep an eye out for Tom Overington in 2015. The dynamic, highly skilled midfielder gets his hands on the footy a lot, and can also push forward to become dangerous. If a nine-goal haul in a pre-season match against Coolangatta recently is anything to go by, Overington is in for a massive year.
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewjwiles
