The Courier|
THE charge up the statewide country rankings system is a long and arduous one, but Central Highlands Football League is taking its chances to progress under the leadership of senior coach Shane Skontra.
The Highlanders joined the championships last year, two seasons after the change to a rankings-based system, and have made it count.
Saturday's 109-point drubbing of Ovens and King helped elevate the Central Highlands to 24th on overall standings and followed a hard-fought win on the road against Ellinbank and District in 2012.
League followers have every right to feel confident of the winning trend continuing, at least in the short-term.
"It's really important, the end result, and to get that means the league gets to move up another notch," Skontra said after Saturday's win.
"We've just got to keep progressing and make it count."
Skontra, along with captain Adam Sewell, has led the senior team to both triumphs and knows the importance of taking your chance each and every year.
Unavailability and injury will always threaten the strength of interleague campaigns, but Skontra's philosophy of selecting a team of players that actually want to be there and offer good balance to the final 22 has been a winner.
"Some of these players that are playing in the defensive half just don't get the recognition they deserve," he said on Saturday.
"They are just great players, and you need them.
"I thought the balance was really good.
"There wouldn't have been that many differences anyhow in the team we would have picked (if more people had have been available), just because we base it on guys playing for each other."
And while he is yet to be formally offered the position of coach for a third term, or indicate whether he wants to continue in the role, Skontra appears the perfect man to lead the group again in 2014.
