"We did recruit some taller players in the off-season, which will hold us in good stead.

"We'll be able to utilise them a lot more this year, last year we were missing some of those tall, key position players, such as centre half-forward and ruckman.

"Last year we tried to hold possession of the footy as much as we could, whereas this year we'll be trying to move the ball a lot quicker."

Bell said the club's off season had been fruitful and meant the Eagles were well-poised to improve in 2022.

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"We recruited really, really well.... we've got about seven new senior players who should slot into the side really well," Bell said.

The Eagles will boast not one, but two ex-AFL players on their list in 2022.

Kyle Cheney returns as the prodigal son, bringing with him former Crow Matthew Jaensch, who played 74 games between 2010 and 2016.

"They'll be coming across from Adelaide, and then we've got Aaron Watts and Lachie Stewart coming back from Bannockburn (in the Geelong District Football League)."

The recruits will help bolster a young side that was beaten around the contest in 2021, and change starts with pre-season according to Bell.

"We wanted to change it up from last year... (in 2021) we were a bit on the thinner side in terms of players, so we focused a lot on skills," Bell said.

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"Whereas this year we were focussing pre-season about structures and how we wanted to set up around the footy... focussing on how we wanted to play the game, rather than just fitness and skills.

"Last year a lot of our young guys had experience playing senior footy, so we're hopping with a bit more of a structured pre-season this year we'll be a bit more competitive in 2022."

While Bell said the team hopes to be "pushing for finals" they aren't getting ahead of themselves.

"We'll be taking everything one week at a time, we're basically a brand new side," Bell said.

"We don't know how long it's going to take for us to gel as a team and get to know how each other plays."

Nevertheless, Bell said there was a buzz of excitement as the season approached, with turnout being particularly positive.

"It's probably the best numbers that we've had in pre-season for two or three years," Bell said.

"A majority of guys are putting a really big effort in over the last few months, which is really pleasing as a coach."

"We're ready for the season to start, that's for sure."

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