By Judy Kennedy
The weekend marked a milestone for the young men of the Under-17 Monbulk Rangers Salamanders – their first tilt at a championship since the team was formed four years ago.
The Salamanders defeated third-placed Knox Strikers 6-2 on Saturday and advanced to the final against Maroondah United.
“When they first got together most of these boys had hardly kicked a soccer ball and we went through the first season without winning a game,” coach Henk Nieuwesteeg said.
“The following year we won one game – our last match of the season – and then in 2017 finished sixth on the ladder.
“This year we have the final in our sights.”
A fifth-generation nurseryman, Henk was as new to the coaching game as his charges when he started.
He had, though, played soccer for 35 years in Holland and in Australia after coming here as an 18-year-old backpacker.
“I’d wanted to coach an older age group but the Under-14 Salamanders were going to fold without a coach and when they asked me, I said I’d do it, with my wife Karen as team manager alongside assistant coach Ian Willett and fitness trainer, Sonya Albert,” Henk said.
“Over the past four years they’ve become like our own kids, you really feel a bond.
“And although the first years were horrible, we kept them positive and kept them fit and gradually they improved.”
A key to the Salamanders’ success has been moving Henk and Karen’s son Kim to striker after three years as fullback.
Kim has averaged three goals a game and scored 40 of the Salamanders’ 98 goals in season 2018.
“I told him he had to be a fullback until he learned how a striker thinks, and he’s been on fire this year,” Henk said.
“We’ve also got solid defenders and some gun midfielders, with five of the team selected to represent Victoria in the VCFA Nationals in September.
“Not all of our players are talented but they certainly know how to work hard.”
The only drawback to an exciting end to the season is that the final will be goalie Angus Horton’s last game for Monbulk Rangers, as he’s moving to the United States with his family.
