MUCH can change at a football club over the summer months, and Murrabit will be hoping for the ultimate turnaround as they take on the reigning premiers on Saturday.
With round one of Golden Rivers football finally upon us, Hay will head into their match against the Blues with the added pressure of being the team to beat.
Hay’s drought breaking 29-point victory over Ultima was their first since 1995, and now the Lions will be vying for their first back-to-back senior title.
But premiership coach Mick Cattanach said once the season was underway, the title of reigning premier meant little to his team’s goals.
“It’s something that you think about quite a bit during the summer, but now that we’re back into the season it’s just back to the usual round one,” he said.
“We’re obviously looking forward to getting back together for our first game since the grand final win.
“It’s a very similar team to what we ran out with last season, and we believe it’s a side that is very capable of winning if they play at their best.”
Hay’s fairytale 2023 was built off the back of hard work and hard running, and Cattanach is asking for that to return straight from Saturday’s opening siren.
“I think our ball movement was really good last year, and that control we had,” he said.
“But at the start of the season you just have to focus on doing the less glamorous stuff.
“We’ve been talking a lot about defensive run, our midfielders being accountable and our forwards working really hard to provide pressure up the field.
“For the want of a better term, that roll your sleeves up kind of stuff.”
The Lions have lost a handful of standouts from their 2023 premiership side; headlined by the loss of a pair of grand final bests Will Clark and Dom Booth.
While the Lions have strengthened with the additions of Christian Foster and Bentley Murphy, the new duo will both be unavailable for their opening match.
Also missing the season opener will be youngsters Jensen Hargreaves and Jack Headon, and centre-half forward Patrick Jubb.
While Murrabit finished the 2023 season in sixth place, Cattanach is under no impressions the Blues will be an easy beat this season.
“Clearly they’re going to be a stronger side,” he said.
“We know a couple of the blokes that they’ve recruited and know that they are pretty good footballers.
“By the looks of it they’ll be one of the big improvers this season.”
New Murrabit coach Jack Shannahan is embracing the challenge of facing the reigning premiers in his first match as senior coach.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t have wanted to start the season any other way,” he said.
“We’ve really embraced this test, and we play Hay four times this year so we will get used to them pretty quickly.
“I don’t think there’s a better way to see where we will be at this season.”
The Blues will be without new signings Jordan Lampi and Liam Holt-Fitz, as well as Pras Sayakhot who will miss half the season after breaking his leg.
But Shannahan is calling for his players to give their all across the entire match.
“We’re trying to instil that consistency of effort first and foremost,” he said.
“We need to be putting in a four-quarter effort where every player is having a crack.
“We can talk about our gameplan, our team defence and our ball movement, and obviously we’ve worked hard on that.
“If we bring those non-negotiable things like pressure and effort, there’s no reason we can’t be really competitive in games.
“We are under no illusions that it will be easy, I think Hay will come out firing so we will have to be ready for that.”
Ultima v Moulamein
Ultima will be hoping to bounce back quickly from last season’s grand final defeat this weekend as they host Moulamein, the side they beat to make last year’s big dance.
The Kangaroos roll into the 2024 season full of confidence, with their return to finals football the sign of the club’s resurgence.
The return of Tom Bell from Minyip-Murtoa and the additions of Matt Taverna, Cameron Johnson, Lincoln Frost and Ricky Wild from Lake Boga have Ultima looking a dangerous match-up.
While Moulamein fell just one step short of the grand final last year, the loss of key position players Andy Silva, Anthony Daw and Daniel Aarsman leave the Swans precariously perched.
The Swans head into their round one clash with a full-strength side, but coach Shane Featherby has called for patience from Swans fans.
“We’re in this for the long haul, I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
“We’ve lost a few players, and have gained a few exciting young players from around the area.
“I think there will be a little bit of time for us to readjust to everyone’s game style, so just want a bit of patience from everyone.”
Featherby said he and his side knew that Ultima would come out firing.
“We’ve definitely got to be on our toes right from the get-go,” he said.
“Ultima are going to be ready to go after last year’s loss, so we are sure they’re going to come out fighting.
“We’ll try to match it with them the best we can and see where we are at come the end of the day.”
Wandella v Macorna
Wandella will travel to Macorna this weekend, as they look to return to finals football this season.
New coach Justin Robinson joins Adam Ward as the men at the helm of the Bombers, who will be hoping to kick off their roles with a win.
Only one win separated the two teams last season, but Macorna had the better of the Bombers, winning three of their four match-ups.
Reigning EG Hunt Medallist Russell Rich will be huge for Wandella’s potential success, with new faces set to slot alongside into the bombers midfield.
But if last year’s league MVP Lachlan Ritchie can stamp his authority on the game, Macorna will be tough to beat.
Little separates the two sides, and a round one win may prove handy to split the two later in the year.
