AFTER suffering a shock nine-point loss to Tooleybuc-Manangatang in the opening round last year, the Mallee Eagles are doing everything possible to ensure lightning doesn’t strike twice when the two clubs open the season Saturday afternoon.
All eyes will be on the Lalbert Recreation Reserve to see whether the Eagles can back up the hype that has led many people to believe they are one of the leading contenders this season.
After falling short in the preliminary final against eventual premiers NNW United, the Mallee Eagles have left no stone unturned in their pursuit of that elusive title, with several recruits and a gruelling pre-season campaign leaving them well placed ahead of Saturday’s season opener, according to co-coach Brent Macleod.
“Last year we went into the season hopeful of playing finals come the end of the season, but I think by midway through the season we probably exceeded our expectations and then we had to deal with the reality that we were genuine contenders,” Macleod told The Guardian this week.
“That was sometimes a bit of a hard thing to sell early on to the playing group but this year, we know where we sit and that our best footy genuinely stacks up.
“Getting the likes of Tom (McGregor) and Ethan (Pinchen) back to the club has been a huge positive and it just shows that we’re on the right track.
“The locals have been working their backsides off as well at training and also doing extras, because these days, Tuesday and Thursday training, that’s bare minimum expectations, and premierships aren’t won with bare minimum expectations.
“Progression isn’t linear though and we just have to keep going forward and take it week by week and it starts this week against Tooleybuc-Manangatang.”
There is little doubt that the Eagles are the envy of the Central Murray when it comes to their depth, with a relatively healthy list combined with several talented kids set to hold them in good stead throughout the early rounds of the season.
The returns of Tom McGregor and Ethan Pinchen adds to that narrative, along with the recruitment of former Tyntynder speedster Isaiah Bull and Matt Rankine, both of whom will help improve the one Achilles heel that the Eagles had last season.
If last season is any indication however, the Eagles will be in for a difficult contest, with the Saints top end talent proven to be among the best in the competition.
The additions of Josh Koster and Josh Domaille will improve their depth and class around the contest, while the recruitment of key defender Josh Grant will also have the added bonus of allowing Ben Arentz to play forward alongside Josh Williams.
For Tooleybuc-Manangatang coach Brad Morris, he is seeing Saturday’s opening round as an early opportunity to find out exactly where his team sits ahead of what shapes as another open season.
“Off the back of how they (Mallee Eagles) have been building their list and how they have brought in a few good recruits and some really strong homegrown talent that they have, I’m thinking they are a top two contender at this stage,” Morris said.
“So for us to come up against them, it’s going to be a really good challenge and really show us where we’re at.
“For us, it’s all about playing our game and sticking to the structures that we’ve worked on over the pre-season.
“You can look at good opposition and think we have to negate them, which you do to an extent, but for us, especially with it being round one, we just really want to go out there and implement what we’ve worked so hard to do over the off season.”
The Saints will be without Elliott Chalmers, whose selection in the NTFL representative side will preclude him from pulling on the red, white and black tomorrow.
Although Chalmers absence will hurt, the Saints have more than enough depth to cover his absence according to Morris, who predicts the midfield battle to be ground zero tomorrow.
“We’ve worked hard on adding to our midfield and adding a couple more rotations that can roll through there, which against a team like Mallee (Eagles), it’s going to be important because they bat pretty deep through there,” Morris said.
“Strengthening our midfield and having some more rotations was a big focus of ours as well as having that high efficiency when the boys are in there.
“The last couple of years we have had some A grade talent in there, but they had to really thrash it out and just getting them to run for four quarters with that high efficiency and output was a big ask for them.
“But hopefully this year we will have the depth to help those guys out which will also help us run out games longer.”
Among those key players for the Saints will be Blake Grant, Domaille and Harry Maher, who’s run off half back helps create many of the Saints attacking entries.
They will however have to not only contend with a deep and talented Eagles midfield that contains reigning Jack Betts Medallist Harry Allen, Darcy McGregor and Macleod, but also find a way to nullify Darcy Hourigan and Andrew Mead-Harding in attack.
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by 15 points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Dom Makur v Connor Mcdonald
There is never a good time to be without your number one ruckman, but for the Eagles, taking on the joint Jack Betts Medallist Connor Mcdonald couldn’t be worse timing.
Kieren Bourke will miss Saturday’s round 1 match against the Saints with injury, with Dom Makur expected to get first crack at nullifying the dangerous Mcdonald.
From a physical standpoint, Makur looks to be a good match up, with the athletic Eagle possessing the right physical attributes and athleticism to keep up with the Saints number one big man.
Mcdonald, however, is a game breaker and one that dominated the Central Murray last season with not only his clean tap work around the stoppages, but his ability to get up and down the ground and impact in the air.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Are the Eagles able to challenge opposition teams on the outside in 2025?
There is little doubt that the Mallee Eagles are one of, if not the, premier inside, contested ball winning sides in the Central Murray, but it was when the ball got on the outside that they were found wanting last season.
Accepting that striking a better balance between inside and outside ball was needed, the Eagles have gone about adding some speed to their list, with the recruitment of Isaiah Bull and Matt Rankine, along with the return of Ethan Pinchen giving them a vastly different look in 2025.
Are they able to beat the best run and spread teams like NNW United on the outside? Maybe, maybe not. But they should be able to match it with them, and then hope that they can continue to dominate the game at the contest.
