Time for talking ends Saturday
The start of a new football season always carries a buzz – but perhaps more so than usual in 2022, as people look forward to a season without COVID-19 disruptions.
However, the pandemic disruptions did more than reduce the match fitness of even Wimmera league’s most gifted movers.
Player movement and list rejigs were a symptom of families moving back to the Wimmera or indeed away from it, after Covid-induced introspection.
Some clubs have won, some have lost in this space. But really, most have remained unsure about how they truly compare with others in the league.
Some coaches have spoken about a ‘faith’ in their lists. Some are staying away from grandiose expectations and others have been coy about their chance to climb a few rungs on the ladder.
The fixture looks a little different this year too, with a late Easter break pushing the usual season-opening Good Friday game between Ararat and Stawell back a week.
Round one is split over two weeks with the clash between the Rats and the Warriors the stand-alone Wimmera league game of the long weekend, closing out a two-week-long roundone schedule.
The Rats, under experienced coach Matt Walder, have recruited heavily during the off-season with several talented and experienced players joining them from large metro leagues.
But do not expect the Warriors, led again by Tom Eckel, to turn up on Good Friday with a group of kids. A core group of experienced talent will lead them out the North Park race to meet Walder’s boys head on.
But before eyes turn to the annual Easter clash, round one’s first week of games will welcome in the season proper.
Last year’s minor premiers, Minyip-murtoa, will be hunted for its recent success.
Do the Burras maintain a capacity to resist an ever-present Horsham Saints this weekend?
The Saints, adverse to successive mid-table mediocrity, will be keen to take a big Burras scalp in round one. Coach David John’s young men will get their first test early this season. As will Dimboola. The Roos will get a two-hour examination of their pre-season efforts when they meet the professionalism of the Southern Mallee Giants.
The Giants finished second last year but will be without some well-known leaders in 2022.
Not deterred, coach Luke Mahony implied he would wait to see how everyone shaped up for the round-one reveal before counting his eggs or placing them in baskets.
Dimboola coach Justin Beugelaar spruiked the Roos’ chances this season after ‘strong’ midfield recruitment.
Hard-nosed midfield duals will come early this season for a Dimmy midfield that thrives on contested ball – we will wait and see.
Nhill, after a winless 2021 season, has gone back to its pool of local talent.
Led by incoming coach Trevor Albrecht, with David Flood riding shotgun, the Tigers would hope for a strong start to the new season against Wimmera league mainstays Horsham Demons.
The Demons have welcomed playing-assistant coach Tyler Blake into a joint-senior coach role alongside Jordyn Burke this season.
Horsham finished inside the bottom four in 2021 and would hope to avoid coming undone early against last year’s strugglers.
Warrack Eagles by virtue of the fixture will start round two of the new season bottom of the ladder, the same spot it finished in 2021.
They will have round one off with a bye before hopping into a football frying pan against the Giants for their first match of the year in round two.
Eagles coach Daniel Bell was confident in his side’s off-season talent addition, however, the club adding a bunch of players from outside the region for a fresh start to post-pandemic football.
But this story will remain speculation until results trickle in after the first few rounds.
Until then, we wait to see which clubs arrived ready to go and who has started to cast an early eye towards their 2023 season fortunes.
The Wimmera league season kicks off on Saturday.