HAY
SEVEN months after breaking their 28-year premiership drought, there is only one question on the minds on Hay’s supporters: Will the Lions go back-to-back?
A 29-point victory against last season’s ladder-toppers Ultima was the culmination of Hay making it through the gauntlet of a tough finals campaign, after finishing the season in third place.
Premiership coach Mick Cattanach said the dreaded premiership hangover was something that was hard to ignore coming into the season.
“Just sitting here as a coach prior to the season, I think you do consider the premiership hangover.
“Hay’s won very few premierships and has never won back-to-back premierships, So the odds are heavily against us at that level.
“But I think once the season starts, I think we’ll just get going, even if it takes us two or three games.”
The inclusion of a handful of players from Northern Territory side Waratahs provided the Lions with fresh blood, and was headlined by midfielder Will Clark.
Clark rewarded the Lions with a scintillating finals series, being named best afield in the Grand Final for a performance that included two goals.
But the Lions will be searching for consecutive flags without a handful of those Darwin recruits, with Clark, Dom Booth and Luke Arandt not returning this season.
The young cubs at the Lions will need to be ready to roar into 2024. Last year’s Golden Rivers Rookie of the Year Jensen Hargreaves proved to be a strong contributor at senior level.
A raft of re-signings is headlined by the return of star forward Declan Watson.
Watson was an unstoppable force for the Lions in the 11 games he played, which included all three finals.
While the inclusions aren’t as many as their fellow contenders, Hay’s additions can have a big impact quickly.
A solid combination of size and speed, the addition of Bentley Murphy from Wollongong will provide a strong body that can play across the ground, as will new player Christian Foster.
The Lions will be desperate to prove that last year’s premiership wasn’t dependent on the fairytale storyline, and will be hoping it’s the signal of a period of dominance.
“We’ll just be one of six teams trying to be competitive week in week out,” Cattanach said.
“I would imagine once we get into the season, the focus won’t be on what happened in 2023, it’ll be all about what’s happening in ’24.”
From the coach: Mick Cattanach:
“Last year was just fantastic, we feel pretty lucky that everything just fell into place for us.
We were seen as a reasonable side last year, but we weren’t really seen as that primary contender.
This year will be much different; I don’t think we will be sneaking up on anyone this year.
Hay hasn’t entered a season like this in a long time, so it could be a bit of a challenge for our younger players and even our more experienced guys.
I don’t think we will change much, it’s all about seeing our players continue to develop.”
Key Player: Declan Watson
The leading goal kicker for the Golden Rivers league with finals contributions included, Watson will again be the spearhead of the Lions attack.
Kicking a total of 53 goals across his eleven matches last year, Watson has unrivalled contested-marking ability and has the set-shot ability to match.
Watson’s presence allows Hay’s smaller forwards to thrive, consistently taking on the opponent’s best defender.
INS: Christian Foster, Bentley Murphy (Wollongong Bulldogs), Jacob Watson, Joel Crocker (Darwin),
OUTS: Simon Bunyan (Retired), Clint Brunnenmeyer (Bullioh), Daniel Gash (Retired), Will Clarke (Ballarat), Luke Arandt (Cairns), Dom Booth (Cairns),
