Heading in right direction
The new leader of Edenhope-apsley’s senior football side is optimistic about his team’s capacity to maintain its Horsham District league ladder ascend.
Tim Mcintyre, who took over coaching responsibilities from former coach Guy Smith, said Saints footballers were not ‘too far’ off scaring the top-three teams during the 2022 season.
He said the Saints’ ladder climb was proof the club was heading in the right direction.
“There are not too many expectations on what we can manage this season, but in 2022 we just made finals and then fell short of where we wanted to be quickly after,” he said.
“Every team has expectations to go better than they did in the previous season, so it is not unrealistic for us to push for top three or four.
“If we didn’t make finals in 2023, it would be disappointing.
“Ultimately, we won’t know where we sit until after the first few rounds.”
The Saints start their 2023 campaign against Jeparit-rainbow – a side they jostled with throughout 2022.
The Storm also knocked the Saints out of the finals series last season, by 48 points in an elimination final.
Edenhope-apsley had a suite of travellers join them last season as they attempted to leave behind their 2021-season challenges.
Mcintyre said the Saints had recruited well, but had also lost some players who decided to ply their trade at other clubs.
In the off-season, Cody Kenny crossed over to Wimmera league club Horsham Saints, while full-forward Matt Butler, who became widely-known for his 20-goal haul against Natimuk United last season, will return to Adelaide.
Mcintyre said former Mount Gambier footballer Jack Ryan, along with several of Ryan’s former teammates, would join the Saints in 2023, while 2022 recruit Josh Roman, of Melbourne, would play another season at the club.
“We have had some outs, but we have recruited – that is how it rolls sometimes,” he said.
“It is also hard to say what impact player turnover will have on results because each player is so different, but we will know the impact by round two or three.
“Ryan is a very handy footballer, and I have played with him before, so we are excited to have him with us this season.”
Mcintyre said he was content with the Saints’ 2022-season game plans.
He said he would ‘not throw out the book’ in 2023 but would ‘fine tune’ what the side had developed last season.
“We toiled hard last season to have a game plan that worked for us, so now, it becomes important to get our new players on the same page,” he said.
“This is always an exciting time of the year with the season just around the corner.”