HAVING finished on the bottom of the ladder last year, new South Bendigo coach Steven Oliver says the Bloods are not looking any further ahead than "the next contest" as they prepare to begin their 2015 Bendigo Football League season.
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The Bloods open their new season on Friday against Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park.
Friday is the first of three matches against finalists from last year to start the season for the Bloods, with games to follow against Golden Square and Sandhurst.
"We've broken it down very simply this year," Oliver said on Wednesday.
"And that is we want to be very competitive at every contest. We know for us to be competitive at the end of the game we have to do that.
"We'll be a young side and we'll know there will be lapses and we'll have to minimise those lapses.
"But we'll also have to come out and play attacking footy as well. I wouldn't say we have recognised key forwards, so we'll have to manufacture our goals and that's something we've been working on.
"We think we've got a few more guys to run through the midfield and we've been working hard on our basic set-ups, but the initial thing for us is to make sure we're competitive at every contest."
Oliver anticipates as many as eight new players will be in the Bloods' side on Friday.
However, among them won't be his son, Nicholas, who had lodged a clearance to cross to the Bloods from Castlemaine.
After being denied by the Magpies, the clearance application was taken to the AFL Victoria appeals board, but Oliver's appeal was this week unsuccessful and he will remain a Castlemaine-listed player.
All five round one BFL games will be played on Good Friday: Eaglehawk v South Bendigo; Maryborough v Castlemaine; Gisborne v Kyneton; Golden Square v Kangaroo Flat; Sandhurst v Strathfieldsaye (5.30pm).