Eagles aspire for finals finish

“We have picked-up almost a dozen players, which will force a good competitive culture and make our players earn senior selection” – Daniel Bell, right

Warrack Eagles Football Netball Club leaders are confident plans for 2022 are falling into place.

The Wimmera league club experienced mixed outcomes last year, with its senior footballers ending the season on the bottom of the ladder, while the senior netball side finished inside the top-four.

Club president Zane Jess said overall, the club was ‘ramping up’ its 2022 preparations.

“We have a few players returning home to the region and signing up with us for the season and we expect all of them to slot straight into the senior side,” he said.

“Last year we had a very young football side.

“Our aim is to keep building those young bodies’ capacity to play more senior football.

“We will have a lot more depth this year and that will help us to continue nurturing our younger players as well.”

Mr Jess said the vibe within the netball and football teams was extremely positive and the club was eager to play through an entire season without COVID-19 interruptions.

The senior football team has more to prove than any other Wimmera league side, claiming the league ‘Wooden Spoon’ in 2021.

Football coach Daniel Bell said the club had recruited ‘hard’ from outside the Wimmera in the off season.

“We have picked-up almost a dozen players, which will force a good competitive culture and make our players earn senior selection,” he said.

“All but one has come from outside the area. The new guys have come from places such as Ballarat, Geelong and Adelaide.”

Bell said the side’s young players were ‘younger than most other clubs’, so pre-season training was going to be fitness focussed, especially given the interrupted 2021 season.

“We will do some work on our setups and structures and all that will also help our young players develop further,” he said.

Bell said playing finals was always the aim.

“I hope we are playing finals, that’s my aim, that’s our aim,” he said.

“2021 was a disrupted year and we had a lack of experience – all that has changed in 2022. “Fingers crossed we can go ahead.” Senior A Grade netball coach Ashlynn Mckenzie said the team wants to be known for a ‘never say die’ attitude.

“We pride ourselves on dealing with what is thrown at us until the final whistle,” she said.

“That is what we want to instil in our girls.

“Netball is a possession based sport and as long as we have the ball then we will never give up the game.”

The netballers started their preseason training last week and Mckenzie said there was a ‘healthy’ turnout.

“Fitness and endurance will be the focus of our pre-season training for the most part,” she said.

“We aim to get our side as close to match fit as we can.

“There is nothing that can reflect the fitness needed on a Saturday, but we will do what we can and keep it interesting.

“Soon we will start figuring out where the girls will all fit in the side.

“We like to have fluency in the squad and give everyone a chance to prove themselves and step into the A Grade side.”