After finishing the 2017 campaign like a steam train, Dunnstown is desperately after finals football.
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The Towners’ tough early fixture returned a winless opening eight rounds last year, before the side hit form.
From round nine onwards, Dunnstown was unbeaten. However, the hot streak wasn’t enough to propel the team into the top eight.
In the end, and despite a big win over the eighth-placed Daylesford in round 17, the Towners finished ninth.
Justin Abrams is now in his fourth campaign in charge of the senior side and believes the heartbreak of missing finals by less than six per cent has driven the group during the pre-season.
“At the end of last year, I (thought that) we’ve got a list and players that are good enough to take the next step,” Abrams said.
“You don’t talk about finals every session, but at our footy camp it was certainly brought up and we think we are good enough to go to the next step.
“Now we’ve actually just got to work towards it.”
Abrams has worked very hard during the off-season to improve the playing stocks and feels he has done just that.
Former Smythesdale ruckman and multiple The Courier footballer of the year winner Rylan Rattley is back at the club, new faces Nick English, Will Short and Joel Radlof are likely to be used through the midfield and Lachlan Poulter has returned from a 49-goal season with Cairns Saints. Former Dunnstown youngster Brayden Leonard is also back, as is top small forward Matt Auchettl, while Matthew Bulluss has arrived from Riddell District club Broadford.
Key onballer Aaron Sawers is the biggest of the Dunnstown departures.
With the fixture the same in 2018 as it was last year, the Towners have a tough start to the new campaign with games against seven of the 2017 finalists inside the opening eight rounds.
Q: What do you see as your key on-field strength?
Flexibility. Key players can perform multiple roles for the team.
Q: What is your key message as coach in 2018?
Be confident. Work hard. Team first football. We are good enough to take the next step.
Q: How have the pre-season preparations gone?
Pre-season has been the hardest working team I have coached at Dunnstown. We are well prepared.
Q: Which player are you most excited about?
I think we have growth and improvement in most of our players. Harry McKimmie, Will Short, Nick English, Sam Jenkins and Gus Thompson are exciting because they can all still get better at this level.
Q: Which is the team to beat this season?
Beaufort.
The Towners’ Fact File
COACH
Justin Abrams (returning)
2017 SEASON
Ninth position
Eight wins, eight losses
Leading goal-kicker: Harry McKimmie, 30 goals
Best and fairest: Sam Jenkins and Harry McKimmie
Geoff Taylor Medal top vote-getters: Sam Jenkins 14, Harry McKimmie 8, Aaron Brennan 6, Aaron Sawers 5, Rhys Cahir 4, Angus Thompson 3, Mitchell Henderson 3, Timothy Stubbs 2
KEY ARRIVALS
Rylan Rattley (East Point), Jackson Brown (Cudgewa), Nick English (Wodonga), Will Short (Maryborough), Joel Radlof (Maryborough), Matt Bulluss (Broadford), Brayden Leonard (East Point), Lachie Poulter (Cairns Saints), Matt Auchettl (Narndu Crows)
KEY DEPARTURES
Aaron Sawers (retired), Tim O'Shea (West Coast amateurs)
THE FIXTURE
R1: Bungaree (h)
R2: Gordon (a)
R3: Buninyong (h)
R4: Ballan (a)
R5: Springbank (a)
R6: Beaufort (h)
R7: Hepburn (a)
R8: Waubra (h)
R9: Rokewood-Corindhap (a)
R10: Skipton (h)
R11: Creswick (a)
R12: Carngham-Linton (h)
R13: Clunes (a)
R14: Smythesdale (h)
R15: Learmonth (a)
R16: Newlyn (h)
R17: Daylesford (a)
THE VERDICT
Dunnstown looks to have strengthened up from last year when it went close to making finals.
The team will again win plenty of matches and looks a solid chance of snaring one of the bottom end top eight positions in 2018.
