Ryan Waight has a clear focus on where the improvement will come at Bungaree, but is under no illusions about the tough job at hand.
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Waight, who has been named Heath Pyke's replacement as senior coach for the 2020 season, is looking at the club's under-18 graduates, a lift from the current senior list and some targeted recruiting to return the Demons to the Central Highlands Football League finals series.
In 2019, Bungaree finished the year in 10th spot on the ladder with seven wins.
"I've been really impressed how they have a go, but we just need to put a bit of polish on the outside. And there's probably three ways we can do that," Waight said.
"We've got a bit of push up from the under-18s - we've got 10 or so of them coming up to the senior list - obviously we want to coach the current guys and get a five or 10 per cent lift out of them and also top up with some recruits as well.
"That's sort of my three-pronged approach."
Waight said scoring was a major issue for the senior side in 2019. This is evidenced by Jack Walter taking home the senior goal-kicking award with just 14 majors.
The triple Redan premiership player is a past Victoria Country representative and All Australian, who joined Bungaree ahead of the 2018 Central Highlands Football League season.
He arrived at the club as an assistant to Pyke, who has recently stepped down after five years at the helm.
Injury meant Waight played just four senior games in 2018 before he retired from the game.
"I wanted to coach once I finished playing. I didn't want to be a playing coach... I think I'd be a far better non-playing coach," Waight said.
"And I wanted to get outside Redan and experience another club. I'd love to go back and coach there in the future, but I had to get out to do that... coach another club and see what another club is all about."
Waight has also spent a couple of seasons with North Ballarat in the VFL, where he played a handful of senior matches.
Bungaree has not played finals football since 2017 when beaten in an elimination encounter by Gordon.
Waight said he was excited by the job at hand and believed there was a good vibe around the club.
"It's exciting, it's a new voice, it's a breath of fresh air, but there's obviously work to be done," he said. "Things just don't happen overnight."
Pyke, who played in a Ballarat Football League premiership with Lake Wendouree in 2010, joined the Demons in 2013. He served his coaching apprenticeship as an assistant to Greg Middleton before taking over as head coach in 2015.
