TIM O'CONNOR: Had a strong campaign in 2018, but just fell short of a grand final appearance in what was Ron Watt's first year in charge. Watt has kept most of the squad together, been able to add some talent and also had the luxury of a full pre-season this time around. This sees Gordon as one of the main flag threats.

Adam Toohey 15

Luke Gunnell 11

Brendan Sutcliffe 10

Jordan Clampit 9

Mark Gunnell 5

Taylem Wason 4

Tye Murphy 4

Zackery Ryan 3

Zac May 3

Ethan Crackel 3

Bradley Hallam 2

Caleb Myers 2

Rohan Clampit 1

Benjamin Frazer 1

Brad Hallam

Mark Gunnell

Adam Toohey

It's often said in football circles that the preliminary final can be the hardest game of the season to win.

And it's proving to be the case for Gordon, which suffered a second-successive defeat in the penultimate match during 2019.

The Eagles were beaten by Buninyong in a preliminary final in 2018 and put up a courageous effort against Waubra last year.

The battered Gordon outfit carried some sore bodies into the clash and picked up more injuries in the game when overrun by the team that went on to win the premiership a week later.

It was a heartbreaking end to the campaign that had promised so much. Under the leadership of respected coach Ron Watt, the Eagles won their last eight home and away matches - including a thrashing of Waubra in round 17 - to hit finals as one of the flag fancies.

They then lost to Newlyn in the first final and beat Beaufort in a thrilling semi-final before falling to the Roos.

While the premiership drought that spans back to 1988 rolls on, Gordon again proved it's awfully close to the ultimate success.

Many of the mainstays at the club - players like Mark and Luke Gunnell, Tye Murphy and Brad Hallam - again had good seasons, key forwards Brendan Sutcliffe and Adam Toohey were the most dangerous forward partnership in the competition and recent recruit Ethan Crackel established himself as a premier onballer of the league.

And plenty of others emerged as perhaps the next wave of top-end senior footballers. They included Jordan Clampit and Zack Ryan, while Isaac McCabe and Jarrod Evans also had strong campaigns.

Watt will remain at the helm in season 2020 but will give more responsibility to Toohey, who has taken up the position in a joint capacity. He has reported some key departures and key inclusions, which will change the dynamic of the team in 2020.

There doesn't appear to be many gaping holes in the Eagles' squad, but the inability to get the job done over many years with a core group of loyal club servants is concerning.

While some more class would be great, Gordon doesn't need much more to go its way to finally lift the cup.