Goulburn Valley Suns’ brightest young gems were at their polished best at a recent Diamond League event.
The Suns sent teams to the major Melbourne tournament on July 4-6 to compete in five of the six age divisions, of which 114 teams were entered.
To say they impressed is an understatement.
Among the likes of A-League and National Premier League academies, the Suns’ under-13s finished second in their group, while the club's other teams matched it against some of the best in the state.
Suns’ pre-NPL technical director David Davkovski was chuffed at how the club represented itself in “definitely the hardest comp we have been to”.
“It was very good exposure for our children on the quality and level of competition out there,” he said.
“Most of our teams were super competitive and it was again an absolute pleasure to watch our teams mix it with the best of the best.
“There is a gap between the competitiveness and quality, especially in the earlier age groups (ball mastery), but my program over the last six years has been very focused on this.
“The under-13s who came second place in the group were evidence that we are certainly on the right track.”
Davkovski lauded the Suns’ coaches, who train their players only once a week, while some of the Diamond League opponents have access to full-time coaches.
He also thanked the other Shepparton-based clubs for continual support of the Suns’ junior pathway, helping to unlock the door for the region’s juniors to step into the elite game.
“Again, I will thank the local clubs for supporting the initiative and hope we continue the positive collaboration for many years to come,” he said.
“I will also thank the parents for travelling with us for the three days — the support is nothing short of amazing, we have such an amazing bunch of parents, the overall culture is very healthy.
“Exposing our children to this level of competition will only benefit them in the long run.
“My focus of this program for the last six years is preparing the children for senior football — it’s not a scoreboard, result-driven environment at all and never will be.
“Providing a solid player foundation base is where it’s at, fact.”
Davkovski has always advocated and pioneered youth development in Shepparton alongside figures such as Tommy Giuliani.
He knows a club’s focus should be on its youth stocks and, after the Diamond League success, it’s clear the hard work is starting to show through at the Suns.
“The under-13s who are currently on top of division one Metro north are an exception who do train twice a week — to come second in their category is proof that the investment in youth should be at the very top of any local club,” he said.
“You reap what you sow — these kids are proving to a lot of people we can compete with the best.”