Ocean Grove was able to expose five Under 18s players to senior football in its practice match against Ballarat Football League club Bacchus Marsh on Saturday.
Coach Pete Davey said the practice matches and game simulations had given him a decent gauge on where his side sat during preseason.
“Cricket finals, COVID, work and several players with niggles that we opted to sit out have created some challenges as far as numbers goes but having spoken to a number of coaches, it seems to be a very common theme this preseason,” he said.
“I would have liked to have had a lot more senior players available but it has been particularly pleasing to watch some of our younger boys step up, especially against Bacchus Marsh where we were able to expose five of our Under 18s to senior footy.”
Ocean Grove hosts powerhouse Torquay in round one on April 2 and Davey said the side will look different from the one that crushed Anglesea in last year’s elimination final.
“We have some new recruits that will step out but we also have some great young players in the Under 18s who have all trained hard over the summer and shown in our match simulations that they have the tools to make an impact at senior level immediately which is really exciting for them and the club,” he said.
Davey said Nick Chapman has had a fantastic preseason and was pushing hard for round one selection.
“He won our reserves best and fairest last year by some margin and his leadership and voice on the track has really stood out,” he said.
“Josh Horton and Andrew Todorov are two of our recruits who have come from premier competitions and their training habits have rubbed off on the group in a positive way.
“I also expect that two of our young local boys in Nath Down and Kye Annand, who both had a taste of senior football last year, will really arrive this season on the back of what they have done over the summer.”
