New Eaglehawk coach Josh Bowe couldn’t be happier with where his side is placed seven weeks out from the start of the BFNL season.
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The star midfielder returned to his home club after a four-year stint in Western Australia and he’s been pleasantly surprised by the improvement in the Hawks – on and off the ground.
“It’s been a hectic time, but it’s great to be back and there’s a great feeling around the club,’’ Bowe said.
“The boys are really keen and are having a crack. It’s a good place to be at the moment.
“We’ve got a good bunch of young players there and the attitude and enthusiasm they have displayed is one of the best things about being back.
“I kept a close eye on the club over the past four years and I could see a window opening up in the next two years with that group of young players coming through.
“The club’s in a good position, so it was an attractive job to come back to.”
Bowe’s return as playing coach, the return of classy forward Sean Williams and the signings of midfielder Scott Hann (Rochester) and Riley Saunders (Golden Square, Bendigo Pioneers) has the Hawks well placed to go one step further than last year’s preliminary final appearance.
“We’ve only recruited four players because we were mindful of the young players coming through,’’ Bowe said.
“Sean (Williams) has kicked plenty of goals for the club before and we needed to find a forward to replace Shaun Knott.
“Scott Hann played in a flag with Rochester and he’s played some good footy in the GVFL.
“Riley is an exciting player… he’s aligned with the Pioneers as a 19-year-old, but with the way the TAC Cup draw is we’re hoping to have him play at least six home and away games with us.”
The addition of former Bendigo Bombers and Bendigo Gold fitness coach Paul Seery has the Hawks looking fitter and stronger in 2017.
“It’s been pretty tough,’’ Bowe said of the pre-season training.
“We had Paul Seery in before Christmas to take the conditioning, so it’s been really well structured.
“We’ve ramped it up a bit more since the break. The young players probably aren’t used to training like that, but they’ve enjoyed it and they’ve had a really good crack at it.”
The Hawks will play practice matches against Ballarat clubs Redan and North City in preparation for their BFNL season-opener against South Bendigo at the QEO on Good Friday.