By Marcus Uhe
A disappointing season that saw Noble Park fail to qualify for finals in the Eastern Football Netball League and not defend its 2022 premiership has been the catalyst for a “comprehensive” preseason at Pat Wright Senior Oval according to coach Steve Hughes.
The Bulls began 2023 strongly in spite of losing captain and club favourite Kyle Martin on the eve of round one to a knee injury, but struggled to kick winning scores as the season continued, finishing a shock seventh-place.
But Hughes’ side used that dissatisfaction to its advantage this summer as it prepares to correct the record and return to contention once more, with the “hungry” players driving the intensity and setting the bar on the track.
“You can do all the planning you want from a coaching perspective with camps, planning meetings, running programs and all that, but if the players aren’t engaged and enthusiastic about it, then it’s a bit of a hard slog,” Hughes said.
“We’ve got a group that are there early and doing extras every session and never complaining about the work we assign for them.
“You play footy to play in successful teams and coach in successful teams and I think we’re all in it together in that sense.
“We’re keen to make our mark this year and fight back from a disappointing last year, but we still think we’ve got a list that’s capable of being there at the pointy end.”
The Bulls have welcomed some younger talent to the club in the form of former Berwick Springs utility Tom Nelson and young ruckman Levi Young, while speedy 18-year-old Tom Bower has turned heads in the midfield during the practice games.
2023 Sir Gilbert Chandler Medal winner Jackson Sketcher, Chris Horton-Milne and Lachlan McDonnell will still form the nucleus of an excellent midfield that saluted on the biggest stage in 2022, with the typical robust defence that conceded less points than anyone in 2023 to provide the bedrock for the Bulls’ game style once again.
Martin, meanwhile, is not expected to return until mid-season, as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
It will be momentous occasion for the nine-time Noble Park best-and-fairest winner, whose presence on the training track has already provided a boost.
“You could almost call him, at AFL-level you call them generational players, and at local level Kyle is probably one of those,” Hughes said.
“I think a good result would be round six, but we’d live with (round) nine or 10 if that’s the case as well.
“He’s tracking really well and he’s not far off full-training, which is obviously really exciting.”
Key-position pillars in Jack Francis, Ryan Morrison and Jake Gains all departed the club in the offseason, while Jackson Casey returned to Bonbeach after an excellent year in blue and gold.
Round for the Bulls begins on Saturday when they head to Doncaster East to face the Lions.
