CASTERTON Sandford will field some fresh faces when it takes to the field in round one of Western Border football.
The Cats have suffered some heavy losses to their 2018 squad, but coach Hamish Jarrad is confident the side will remain competitive, with the off-season yielding some positive recruits.
“We are in pretty good shape,” he said.
“We have a fairly solid pre-season behind us, but until you start playing you never really know where you are at.
“Round three, four and five, that’s when we will have a really good indication of where we will sit in the scheme of things.”
At first glance the Cats look to be in trouble, with some key personnel lost in the off-season.
“We have lost a few quality players from last year,” Jarrad said.
“Callum Currie has moved to Geelong, Michael Cummings is staying in Ballarat and Angus Cleary has gone back to Ballarat.
“Tynan Shannon has also moved to Geelong and Billy Galpin has gone across to Kalangadoo.”
However, the Cats have done well to cover those losses with some talented recruits.
Hamish McCrae will add depth in the ruck, after Will Macdonald signed on for another season.
McCrae played a part in Harrow Balmoral’s premiership in the Horsham District Football League last year and will add some valuable final’s experience to the team.
“We also have Nick Georgiadis and Benjamin Pope coming from Melbourne,” Jarrad said.
“Both players come from some high-level footy.
“We are hoping they can replace Cummings and Currie.
“And then we have Glenn Widdicombe coming up from Melbourne as well, who will be a really good agile half-forward for us.”
To round out the major recruits, former Cat Tim Malone will return to Island Park from Ballarat to bolster the back line.
“He is an ex-Casterton local and he has had a really decorated career since he left,” Jarrad said.
“Then there are a couple of other minor recruits and a couple others we are still working on.”
Jarrad expects a more balanced team this year.
“I think last year we had a lot of midfield-based players having to play in different positions,” he said.
“As part of our recruiting this year we have really looked to try and fill the voids.
“We have recruited a bit more position specific, which should mean we have a better balance across the ground.”
He also believes by losing some of the “high-end” players, the Cats will go back to the team-first mindset which saw it as 2017’s dark horse.
“I think last year at times we played a bit of individual-based football,” Jarrad said.
“This year with the group we have, we will all be on pretty much the same level across the ground.
“Obviously we have a couple of extra class players we did not have in 2017, but I thought last year we had too much class and not enough continuity.”
The finals experience from the Melbourne recruits will also aid the cause, as the Cats have fallen in the preliminary final to East Gambier two years in a row.
That is an outcome they will want to avoid this season.
In terms of who he expects to step up in 2019, Jarrad spoke highly of some up-and-coming Cats.
“I am really expecting Daniel Richardson to step up and have a breakout season,” he said.
“He came to us last year and he sort of carried an ankle injury all year.
“He had surgery on that in the off-season and is absolutely flying on the track.
“He did not reach anywhere near the level of footy he can play last year, so I am looking for him to step into our midfield this year and become a real high-level player in the competition.”
Ben Guthrie and Jackson Gibbs are also expected to rise to the occasion.
“They have been gradually progressing over the last couple of years,” Jarrad said.
“I think they are ready to take that next step.
“They are both six-foot plus players and I am going to back them in this year and give them the opportunity to play key positions for us.”
To add to the inclusions, Damian Wombwell will return to the side after a knee reconstruction, while Trent Nesbitt can be expected in round six, also recovering from surgery on his knee.
Jarrad said the Cats will aim to “taper the season and build some momentum into the second half of the year”, with the goal at this stage just to make the top four.
“If you make the final four you give yourself a chance and I do not think there is any point shooting higher than that at this stage,” he said.
