PRE-SEASON COMMENTS
COACH NICK WILLOX: We are aiming for finals - anywhere from 6-8 realistically. We need to win the 50-50 games and give ourselves an opportunity.
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TIM O'CONNOR: Learmonth could sneak into the bottom end of the eight with a bit of luck.
GEOFF TAYLOR MEDAL VOTING
James Pratt 11
Brenton Powell 8
Anthony Zelencich 5
Kyle Mackay 5
Matthew Jackson 3
Jason Rae 3
Nick Willox 1
Richard Zelencich 1
Matthew Willox 1
CHFL TEAM OF THE YEAR
Brenton Powell
THE YEAR THAT WAS
For some time now, Learmonth has largely been able to beat the teams it is expected to beat but struggled to match it with the top sides in the Central Highlands Football League.
And it was much the same in 2019.
The Lakies, given the luxury of a kind draw to start the campaign, won five of their first six games to be nicely poised in fourth spot on the ladder at the end of round seven.
But the tough stuff was about to start and the Lakies simply weren't up to it.
Just one more success - against Bungaree in round 10 - would come from Learmonth's next 10 matches as the side was well beaten by the league's finals contenders.
Heavy defeats from Waubra, Newlyn, Gordon, Beaufort and Hepburn were the most damaging, but there were some competitive displays among the other losses.
At the top end, Learmonth often had the class with the likes of Breton Powell, Kyle Mackay, James Pratt and Jason Rae good through the middle of the ground and Anthony Zelencich a real handful in attack with a solid return of 38 goals. But the senior side struggled with the depth needed to push the competition's best and was regularly found out by the finals contenders.
The win over the Demons was the best of the year, with all other triumphs coming against sides below the Lakies on the ladder.
Learmonth hasn't made the playoffs since 2014 and last season's return of just six wins was the worst since all the way back in 2012 when the team finished 16th.
SEASON 2020
Much of the pre-season hype has centered around the news that AFL great Luke Hodge will play in round one.
Hodge will run out with Matt Jackson and two other school friends who are expected to stay around and play some more games with the club. They both have VFL experience and will add plenty to the Lakies' side.
A couple of other handy recruits have also signed, and while key players such as Mackay and Zelencich have left, Learmonth is still well placed to give finals a shake in what will be coach Nick Willox's third year in charge.
