THE rivalry between the Horsham Demons and Horsham Saints will bring the Wimmera league’s first round to a close on Sunday.
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Both sides will look to make a big impact this season and will aim to get their respective seasons started in the best possible way.
For the Demons it will be a case of starting to rebuild after losing a number of premiership stars during the summer.
Coach Deek Roberts is confident the depth in the club’s squad will mean only a handful of new faces in the senior side for the match.
“We had a lot of players rotate through the senior side in 2017 and they were all a big part of our push towards the grand final,” he said.
“There was 28 blokes, or even more, that could have played in that grand final which has put us in good stead for this season because those guys slot in pretty easily.”
The return of Jordyn Burke has added a level of excitement at the club and the former premiership coach will be a great aid for Roberts in his first year at the helm.
Matches between the neighbouring clubs are always played at a high intensity and Roberts said his side will need to improve its tackling from where it was at in practice matches.
“That was one of the areas that was a strength last season,” he said.
“We also need to be better around the football.
“I think with the team we have this season we can expect improvement in all areas otherwise we are not going to be around the mark.”
He said that round one always presents some unknowns.
“I’ve tried to find out some more about the Saints but they are certainly an unknown,” he said. “I know that last season they didn’t mind using little chip up leads in order to keep the ball – if we allow them to get free and do that it’s going to be a difficult contest for us.”
Saints coach Luke Fisher said he was equally excited for round one.
“This is the fun part now,” he said.
“We start pre-season pretty early these days so it will be good for the boys to finally pull on the full playing strip and get into it.”
He said his side will again adopt a run and carry approach in order to move the ball.
“We’ve been working on that a lot in order to make sure the game style we go for is something that is going to work,” he said. “Our versatility will again be a strength.
“There are a lot of guys that will have to play different positions so having that flexibility to try that during the practice matches was important.”
The return of premiership players Michael Rowe and Nathan Clough will also boost the Saints.
Fisher said he was excited to see Clough back at the club after taking 2017 off.
“I haven’t seen him play much but he’s played all of his footy at the Saints,” he said. “It’s great to have an experience player of his quality back in the mix.
“I’m also looking forward to seeing young players like Ollie Timms and Kieran Priestly who now have a 20 more games under their belts.”
The match will serve as the league’s Anzac Day fixture. A ceremony will take place prior to the first bounce.