It’s a rare position Torquay finds itself in heading into a crucial Good Friday meeting with Barwon Heads at McCartney Oval.
For only the second time – 2016 being the last – in Dom Gleeson’s ten years in charge of the Tigers, they enter Round 3 winless.
However, the experienced mentor, who tomorrow joins Steve Clark in equal second place for games coached in the Bellarine, isn’t losing sight of the bigger picture as the club enters a new era following the departure of several key members from last year’s premiership team.
“We’re really excited about the future, and (it’s) certainly not panic stations,” Gleeson said.
“We’ve had some success and we’re still chasing it -don’t get me wrong.
“But, from week to week, seeing this young group grow, we’re really excited.”
Losses to Geelong Amateur and Newcomb in the first two rounds weren’t the beginning of a chase of a hat-trick that Gleeson was hoping for or expecting.
James Ward, Zac Spargo and Harrison Goode have debuted, and Luke Wittman, Roy Dixon, Cooper Patton and Will Montebello have added to their less than five senior games experience, in a move that has gone against Gleeson’s usual modus operandi with youngsters.
“They’ve all been in our plans, but probably just playing, maybe, maximum three at a time, and ensuring that we had some security around them would have been really good,” he said.
“But we’ve had to throw them to the wolves.
“Spargo played on Mitch (Day) and (Jack) Duke, and they probably both got the chocolates.”
“But it’s a great opportunity to see them in that situation and watch them grow and tackle the adversities which they haven’t had probably at the reserve grade level.”
Torquay will be boosted by the first appearance of the season of captain Ben McNamara and Cooper Heard, while Oscar Lewis returns after missing the defeat by the Power.
However, premiership players Billy Henderson and Luke Mahony, and recruits Tynan Smith and Blake Grant remain sidelined.
Star forward Lucas Anderson is closing in on a return from a knee reconstruction but won’t be rushed by the Tigers.
The win-loss won’t dictate when he comes back.
“He’s going to come back when he’s absolutely ready,” Gleeson said.
“I see a lot of footy left in Luca; years, in fact, the way he keeps himself.”
Barwon Heads expects to welcome back co-captain Kyle Polley after missing last week’s narrow win over Queenscliff,
Geelong Falcon Angus Ford is available with the Talent League having the weekend off.
Meanwhile, in the other Good Friday clash, Modewarre hosts Geelong Amateur, with the match to be broadcast via krockfootball.live
The undefeated Ammos have been forced into three changes.
Returning big man Hamish Shepheard (ankle), Michael Banister (ankle), and Charley Green (unavailable) go out of the team that overcame Anglesea last week.
They’ve been replaced by former Werribee VFL and St Mary’s star Joe Maishman, Patrick Ryan and Xavier Muhor.
For Ryan and Muhor, it’s their first senior appearances of 2025.
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