The energy and exuberance of youth is what the Swifts football club are hoping will help guide them towards a successful 2021 season.
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Some off-season changes has seen the age bracket at North Park shift, but it is one senior coaches Brett Hargreaves and Ben Martin hope will get them wins in the Horsham and District Football and Netball League season.
Hargreaves said he is looking forward to working with the younger group and helping to take their football to the next level.
"We have a young team and so our year is going to be all about developing the younger players and turning them into better footballers throughout the season," he said.
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"I think every one is really keen to just get out there and play some football.
"I think it could have gone one way or another with some people potentially losing interest or gaining it, but I think we have seen our group get hungrier.
"The brand of football will be defensive in nature, and also making sure we know when to pull the trigger and move into attack."
In 2019 the club finished fifth and was knocked out of the finals by eventual runners-up Noradjhua-Quantong, going down by 39 points in the elimination final.
Plenty of time has past since that match, but the sides will meet again on Saturday, April 10 as the Horsham and District Football and Netball League returns to the Wimmera.
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On the netball courts, anticipation is building for what could be a big 2021 season.
In 2019 the Swifts finished fourth on the ladder before they were bumped out of the finals by Edenhope-Apsley in a 14 goal elimination final loss, but there is a buzz down at North Park after a big preseason.
A Grade coach Kristy Dodds is very excited about the season, especially as their A Grade side will be filled with a series of new and returning players.
"My main focus for our players this year, and I am massive about this, is connection," she said.
"I have just tried to put in a few values about trust and communication and we spent some time completing some sessions to get to know each other better because some haven't played together for a long time.
"We have just gone back to the foundations and the basics and we are working our way up from there."
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Dodds also said the group of returning players has added experience, height and depth to their squad.
"Because of the strength of the returning players we have built great depth in the other grades and we think we should be strong in all divisions across the court," she said.
"For every coach it would be unrealistic not to say you want to get to the finals and win that grand final, but I don't want that to be our focus. I just want us to play our hardest each game.
"This will be the first year I think that I have coached here at Swifts that we have actually had height, which is just a bonus, but we also have our experience. My aim is always make finals but we are just going to focus game by game."
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