MELTON South coach Travis Hodgson said he is hopeful his club will be able to retain the services of a host of former AFL players that made their debut for the club in Saturday's BFNL clash with Redan.
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Former Carlton and Melbourne star Jeff Garlett, Gold Coast Sun and Fremantle Docker Harley Bennell and GWS and Western Bulldogs player Sam Darley all had big impacts for the team at the weekend as the Panthers showed a huge amount of promise, despite going down by 53 points in the senior clash.
For Hodgson, the star power of the trio, alongside side Tiwi Bombers skipper Brandon Kantilla, was a key factor in giving some joy to fans who have suffered through a number of long winters in recent years as the club rebuilds from the bottom.
The club did manage to win two of three football games on the day, including a victory in the under-19s, the club's first since June 8, 2019 or 1785 days.
"It was a really good day for the club despite the result in the senior match," Hodgson said.
"To be honest, we felt it was probably more a five or six goal loss, a few things went against us and they kicked one after the siren, so for us to be able to compete for the four quarters was a great effort. It was great to be in a contest for 120 minutes, our players are going to get some huge benefits from it.
"It was clear the difference the players made, Bennell kicked his two, Darley I thought was our best player by a long way and Garlett chimed in with a couple of goals and set a lot up for us, they all brought a fair bit to the table.
"They brought a big crowd with them too, it's a huge success and if we get the chance to do it again we will."
Hodgson said while the players were tied to other clubs, it just happened that they all had byes this weekend, so he hopes all will be available to against East Point on Saturday.
"Bennell is based in Western Australia and technically could play every week if we were able to, but obviously that's something that's probably not sustainable all year," he said.
"Kantilla and Darley would both be free to play next week if they were able to, it would just be a case of three games in eight days for some of them, given they played on Anzac Day for their clubs as well.
"We'll probably wait until Wednesday to see how they are feeling, but I know they are keen to play next week, so we'll just see what happens."
Hodgson said the benefits of having experienced, quality players around could only benefit his young side.
"I've coached a long time and to see guys who have played a lot of AFL footy be prepared to come and help out the young players, it's great for their development," he said.
"Particularly Darley and Garlett have got some great leadership qualities, it's a good insight for our players to know where we need to get. It's amazing the difference a few players like that can make.
"It's enjoyable to have that talent at my disposal, we wanted to have a good day for the club and they've provided that for us."
