2019 IN PROFILE
Ninth (down three positions on 2018 - 4 fewer wins)
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5 wins, 1 draw, 10 losses
Senior players: 36
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING (home and away)
Quarters won: 22
Best quarters: second (broken even), second (highest average score, 20 points)
Worst quarters: third (averaged 16-point deficit), first and last (lowest average score, 14 points)
Highest quarter score: 40 points
Quarters less than 10 points: 19
BEST AND FAIREST - Jacob Coxall
LEADING GOALKICKER - Nathan Pring 18
HENDERSON MEDAL VOTING
9-Bailey Edwards
7-Ben Taylor
5-Liam Hepworth
3-Ash Simpson
1-Jacob Coxall
1-Joel O'Connell
1-Shane Hutchinson
IN SUMMARY
Lake Wendouree's form was extremely difficult to follow early in the season.
They could hardly have had a worse start, with a 101-point loss at the hands of reigning premier East Point, leaving coach Dale Power stunned beyond belief.
A last term capitulation - 11 goals to East Point - undid so much of the work of pre-season for Lake Wendouree.
Power could not have hoped for a better response though.
After a week off, Lakers bounced back with back-to-back wins - including one over Sebastopol.
It looked like Lakers were back into the hunt to retain a spot in the top six.
Unfortunately for Lakers, it was not to last.
Ultimately it appeared to be a round five draw with Ballarat which sent Lake Wendouree on a downward spiral.
Even though Lakers almost stole the game after being five goals down going into the last term, it was still a deflating outcome.
Lakers won only once in their next eight games.
QUICK STICKS: WRAPPING UP THE LAKERS' SEASON IN 30 SECONDS
Their season was as good as over.
Power lamented week-in week-out that Lake Wendouree simply did not have the firepower in attack to be a consistent winning outfit.
There was no reward for effort on the scoreboard and with one of their few talls Arthur Armstrong missing most of the season there were few other options.
Lake Wendouree lost some experience ahead of the season and outside picking up former Ballarat Swans coach Shane Hutchinson the focus was on bringing youth into the club.
Lakers did well getting Jacob Coxall, Josh Bibby and Scott Carlin to work with the likes of Ben Taylor, Bailey Edwards and Jack Elkington.
Lake Wendouree's biggest deficiencies were in the ruck and key forward roles.
Liam Hepworth toiled hard in the ruck against the odds, too often not having the reach to match it with his specialist rivals.
Sebastopol's Toby Thoolen and Redan's Orren Stephenson emphasised the importance of having a dominant ruckman.
Lake Wendouree has made an early move in bolstering this area with the recruiting of Josh McDermott from Beaufort, but there is still more to be done
2020
It was a testing season for a club accustomed to playing finals and only two years ago claiming the minor premiership.
Climbing back into the top six is not going to be an easy task, given the young nature of the list.
Lakers should see an improvement in younger players.
They just have keep encouraging and providing opportunities.
CONCLUSION
Lake Wendouree is going to find it difficult to improve its win/loss ratio.
It has quickly found itself back in pack.
Sebastopol has shown fortunes can be turned around fairly quickly, but finding players who make a big difference is not easy.
Lakers spent several years working their way to the top last time.
They most likely face a similar pathway.
RATING
3.5/10
Fell away this year to miss finals by a long way, largely owing to being undermanned.
Struggled from the outset to consistently be competitive with top-end combinations.