Back-to-back chase for Hawks
Back-to-back flags will be the overall focus for Tatyoon in Mininera and District Football League this year.
However, even after a 15-goal victory in last year’s grand final, the Hawks are not taking their preparation lightly.
Coach Adrian Pilgrim said he believed the competition was even and expected more sides to be competing for finals this season.
“We are under no illusions that we need to take our game to the next level if we want to be competitive and in the hunt at the business-end of the season,” he said.
Although the Hawks are no strangers to success, it will be a new-look team that steps on the field this year. There have been several departures, so there are spots that need to be filled.
After a relatively slow build-up through preseason, Pilgrim said it would take a few more weeks for the team to fully hit its straps as team leaders tinkered with style and structures.
Key departures from the premiership team so far include tall Arthur Armstrong, who will be tough to replace, 2014 league leading goal-kicker Steve Butler, who was again the highest goal-kicker on 72 last year, along with John Butler.
Also moving on are Harry Ganley and Zach Louder as well as Tatyoon’s 2016 star recruit Josh Fraser who, although only playing six games, managed to average more than 7.5 goals a game to end with 46 for the season, eight of which came in the grand final.
These positions will be tough to fill, however with the inclusion of Shaun Fuller from Avoca, where he has consistently featured in the best-players list, the Hawks are on their way to filling the ranks.
Losing players is never desirable for a club but with the depth and quality of players that Tatyoon displays, it will not want to be taken lightly by opposition teams.
Players such as the ever-reliable Sean Mcdougall, along with coach Pilgrim, who both had good seasons last year, are continuing with the club this year.
Mitch Cronin and Jarrod Blandford are another two key players who will continue to play massive roles on the field.
These players were the top four best players in last year’s grand final and have proven their worth time and again.
With its grand-final replay scheduled for round two after Easter, Tatyoon will be keen to get a better start to the season than it did last year.
The team’s only two losses came in round one and round six. With this in the back of their minds, the Hawks’ focus will be on the opening round against Ararat Eagles and getting their changed list and structure running smoothly.