Run, run, as fast as we can
Hold onto your hats! The style Kalkee is likely to adopt for the approaching Horsham District football season is going to be about running, running and more running.
And from what a pre-season buildup is suggesting, the traditional competition powerhouse will have the players to pull off this exciting type of game.
Stuart Farr, in his third year at the Kees’ helm, readily admitted that Kalkee might struggle to match other outfits in the competition if drawn into a stop-start, kick-to-pack formula this year.
But he was also confident his newlook midfield would rate as one of the best in the competition.
“It’s no secret we won’t beat sides in the air, which means we will be relying heavily on quick ball movement and keeping play out in the open,” he said.
“This means we’re going to need to run games out strongly to win.
“We want to be the type of side that if we’re in a good position at half or three-quarter time we can push on strongly and put opposition teams away. It’s going to be about staying in as many games we can and then backing our legs.”
Farr has done almost a complete about-face in his pre-season training methodology in working towards his plans for the year.
Instead of the long pre-season preparations stretching across several summer months of which he is renowned, he has opted this year to give his playing list a lengthy spell.
“I gave the boys a rest and the hope is that it freshens the body and mind up and then we can be up and away,” he said.
“Blokes were getting burnt out and we were hit with a lot of injuries last year. We finished seventh, a game or game and a half off second spot and the players were tired, so I’ve done the full circle with pre-season training and it seems to be working.
“We’re training very hard for three days a week and the boys are responding well.”
Backing up Farr’s belief the Kees will have a potent running division is the injection of highly rated incoming players Deek Roberts, Matt Magee and Andrew Seers.
All are skilful former Wimmera league premiership players, leaders and potential match-winners and add critical depth to the Kalkee list.
Magee returns from domestic football in Sydney to take on an assistant-coaching role, but Roberts and
Seers are free to concentrate on playing duties.
“These blokes coming in helps lift training intensity and works well with the exciting young blokes coming through,” Farr said.
“When you have young players such as Tom Glover, Colby Ledgar, Jordy Motton, Lachie Pfeiffer and Jonah Connelly coming through the system and training hard it is like having new recruits.”
Farr said injuries always hurt teams lacking depth and he hoped the Kees would be free of the handicap this season.
He said players hampered by injury last year, including Hamish Exell, Xavier Hobbs, Carl Campbell and Harvey and Jasper Gunn, are all looking good at training.
“We’re going to be eight to 10 players deep in the midfield and not many sides would possess that, especially this sort of quality,” he said.
“We’re hoping with a bit of luck and hard work to go up the ladder. Those three inclusions combined with players back from injury and the young blokes coming through means spots in the team are up the grabs.
“If someone takes the foot off the gas they will end up in the reserves.
“The blokes, especially the ones who have been at the club for a while, were very disappointed in where we finished last year, so there is also plenty of motivation there and we’re definitely aiming for the finals.”
The Kees have been training at Horsham Sunnyside Oval on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings and will shift out to Kalkee shortly.
The club also has practice matches planned during the next month.