Eagles look for improvement
Although Ararat Eagles have struggled with success in Mininera and District Football League it certainly has not deterred the club from continuing to build its team and striving to improve.
In 2016 the Ararat Eagles managed only one victory, which came at the expense of Great Western in round 14 by 19 points.
There were also a couple of other occasions where the Eagles were close to scoring wins.
However, at the other end of the scale they suffered some heavy losses, the biggest in round 10 at the hands of Lismore-derrinallum to the tune of 194 points.
During the 2016 season the Eagles steadily showed signs of improvement and despite their win-loss ratio being far from favourable, they maintained their competitiveness, which was reflected ultimately by margins at the end of games.
With a relatively young playing group, the Eagles are sure to focus on development and bringing the team together for a
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promising 2017 season. Firstly, the Eagles are going to have to cope with a couple of big clearances that have left some big shoes to fill.
Nathan Wemyss is the most noticeable loss. He has proven through the years to be an extremely valuable player for the Eagles, constantly featuring in the best-player list and among the votes.
Ben Robertson will be another serious loss considering the youngster is full of potential, emerging from his successful junior days with the Eagles.
Not only have the Eagles lost these two players, but the club will have to play against them as Wemyss has moved to SMW Rovers and Robertson up the road to Moyston-willaura.
Along with these departures are Daryl Jenkins, Frederick Stokes and Darcy Trotman, who were all regular senior players in the 2016 season.
But it is far from doom and gloom at the Eagles. To compensate for the losses, the Eagles have recruited Andrew Beckwith, Brohdie Smyth, Eric Cunningham, Adrian Hutchins and Jesse Hutchins.
This list of players will slot in nicely to join the likes of Brent Bulger, who last year was the Eagles’ leading goalkicker on 24, almost a quarter of the team’s total goals for the season, along with Justin and Mark Coole and Zac Jenkins, who have plenty of years of football ahead of them for coaches to build a competitive unit.
Experienced Brian Jenkins has taken on the coaching role again and his wealth of knowledge will be a key part of the Eagles’ building plans.
He will be looking to steer the team to greater success.