The Horsham Saints have been offered a clean slate, and new coach David Johns is determined to make the most of it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Johns is yet to stand sideline and will be truly in unchartered territory with a new group at his disposal.
Sam Jasper - the pacey on-baller who in 2019 was named in the Vic Country wider training squad - has gone to the Gold Coast.
Dual premiership ruck Michael Rowe is off to Cairns, taking size and experience from a young midfield group.
The departures would disrupt most clubs, but the Saints aren't too worried.
READ MORE:
Joel Richards is back, trading East Warrnambool for the Saints, with who he won a premiership in 2016.
Homegrown talent Mitch Martin has returned after a year with Glenelg in the SANFL, while premiership star Darren Rees, who initially signed in 2020, has re-committed.
"We've more than replaced what we lost," Johns said.
"We've been lucky enough to retain probably 99 per cent of our players from 2019.
"We've got good numbers for both seniors and reserves. We're lucky in that sense.
"We're shaping up okay again, so hopefully we'll competitive throughout the year."
Johns is hoping the next crop of talent can offer a boost as well.
OTHER NEWS:
"Our under-17's won the premiership in 2019 and virtually all of the top-age players from that side have hung around," he said.
"They're two years out of under-17's now so have matures and there are some exciting players coming out of that group."
Unlike some, the Saints didn't hit the track till after Christmas - a deliberate move from Johns.
"We had that lockdown in early Februrary and that was probably the main fear with starting before Christmas," he said.
"I think by starting when we did, the guys came back and saw light at the end of the tunnel straight away.
"Everyone was ready to go and were really excited and focused on working hard and getting fit and ready to go for round one.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.mailtimes.com.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Wim_Mail_Times
- Follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/wimmeramailtimes/
Did you know you can receive updates straight to your inbox? To make sure you're up-to-date with news from across the region, sign up below.