Last year: 3rd - 13-6

Arrivals: Grayson Brown, Darby Graham, Matt Gray, Dylan Morris, Galen Munari, Alex Pearson, Liam Roberts, Matt Waterson.

Departures: Mitch Collins, Matt Higgs, Nat McLaren.

Player points: 45

Last flag: 2002

First month:

R1: v Mitiamo (h)

R2: v Bridgewater (a)

R3: v Marong (h)

R4: Bye

Past five years:

2018: 3rd - 13-6

2017: 8th - 3-13

2016: 8th - 5-11

2015: 8th - 3-12-1

2014: 6th - 5-11

Last season's MVP top 5:

Nick Waterson - 56

Nat McLaren - 46

Sean Moyle - 35

Brayden Aitken - 30

Ryan Walker - 29

Last season's top 5 goalkickers:

Cohen Kekich - 42

Wayne Mitrovic - 41

Luke Gray - 37

Nat McLaren - 20

Luke Ross - 15

Q and A with coach Wayne Mitrovic.

Last year your side was the big surprise packets of the season in the competition. How are you approaching this year with the increased expectation on Maiden Gully YCW of being one of top flag contenders?

"I've spoken with the boys about how you deal with that. It's a position we've fought hard to want to be in and it's not something we want to shy away from or be scared of.

"We need to invite the pressure of being tested each week and being able to stand up to it. It's a really exciting position to be in and we want to meet that challenge head-on.

"The boys are training just as hard as last year and listening just as much. They understand that it's not just going to happen again for us and they haven't lost sight of what worked well for us."

Looking at the list of ins at the Eagles, what stands out is you've been able to bring in plenty of height with the likes of Darby Graham, Matt Gray, Alex Pearson, Liam Roberts and Matt Waterson. Was that a key focus in your recruiting?

"We were really small last year, but I don't think it affected us too much in the way we played.

"But we identified we needed a few more key position players, particularly down back, which is what we've got with Alex Pearson and Liam Roberts coming on board."

Galen Munari is a recruit who comes with a good pedigree having previously played some VFL football.

"He has really impressed on the track with his skills and decision-making in his competitive work. I expect him to be a player who will use the ball really well for us."

Summary

The Eagles caught the competition off guard last year as they took the giant leap from six-consecutive seasons out of the finals to making a preliminary final.

And that means increased expectation this year for the Eagles, who off the back of their major step forward last season, coupled with another strong recruiting campaign, are being touted as one of the top flag contenders.

Second-year coach Wayne Mitrovic has topped up his list with plenty of height and a contingent of players who have come from Bendigo league clubs.

Darby Graham, Matt Gray, Galen Munari and the tenacious Dylan Morris join the Eagles from Sandhurst and Alex Pearson has made the move from Kangaroo Flat.

Graham - a former Bendigo under-18 league medallist - adds to the Eagles' ruck stocks, while Gray will play key forward and Pearson is a valuable acquisition to the back half, while Munari, previously on the Bendigo Gold's VFL list, will add some class to the on-ball brigade

As well as Gray, Maiden Gully YCW also has Matt Waterson as a focal point inside 50. Waterson is a former Eagle who last year kicked 78 goals for Kyabram District league grand finalist Nagambie.

At the other end of the ground, key defender Liam Roberts comes with good wraps having previously played inter-league for Golden Rivers.

The Eagles do have a trio of key departures in Nat McLaren, who kicked 20 goals from the midfield last year, Matt Higgs and Mitch Collins, but that shouldn't deter Maiden Gully YCW from being right in the thick of the action at the business end in pursuit of a first flag since 2002.

Practice matches - v Natte Bealiba (March 16 at Maiden Gully), v Heathcote (March 23 at Maiden Gully).

Related: Catch up on the all news from LVFNL clubs

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Coach: Benita Swatton (second year)

Last year: Fourth

Arrivals: Ally Symons, Sarah Quinn, Stacey King, Rachael Gray, Sophie Lostroh, Darcie Collins.

Departures: Renae Sheridan, Laura Hamilton, Samantha Nelson, Hayley Hogan.

Coaching panel: Benita Swatton (A-grade and B-grade); Janelle Wilson (C-grade); Paige Combridge (C-reserve); Christie Griffiths (17-and-under); Bec Keech (15-and-under); Courtney James and Genna Angove (13-and-under); Christie Graham (minis).

Last five years: Fourth (2018); seventh (2017); fourth (2016); third (2015); second (2014).

Q and A with netball manager Christie Griffiths

How confident are you that you can improve upon last season's fourth place finish?

"A lot will depend on what (combinations) Benita goes with. There are a few decisions to be made through the midcourt and our defence is a new combination, with Lauren Vanderleest and Rachael Gray there. We do have some nice new young players coming through in the lower grades, which is a plus. We have new goalers in Ally Symons and Sarah Quinn and that should make us stronger."

The club played finals in all grades last season, won flags in C-reserve and 15-and-under, and was runner-up in B-grade. Do you envisage being strong across all grades again?

"We are hoping so. We have lost a few of our 17-and-unders from last year to the BFNL, which is great for those girls to get that chance, but I imagine we'll be strong all the way through. Our 13-and-unders are looking strong as well. What is exciting is we will have new look teams through every grade. C-grade and 17s will be the only two teams that we will have the core from last year."

SUMMARY

Maiden Gully YCW will begin the new season with a vastly different squad to the one which finished 2018 in fourth place.

The bulk of the change has come at the defensive end of the court, where the Eagles have lost goal defence Renae Sheridan (to Eaglehawk), and goal keeper Laura Hamilton and wing defence Samantha Nelson, who have both switched to Heathcote District club Huntly.

That leaves the Eagles with an almost entirely new defensive combination, save for Lauren Vanderleest, who split time at wing defence last season.

There will be adjustments at the other end of the court too following the arrival of goal shooter Ally Symons from Golden Square.

Symons, who also played with South Bendigo in the BFNL, shapes as one of the strongest additions to any team in the LVFNL this season.

The Eagles have also regained Darcie Collins and welcome Rachael Gray (Sandhurst), Sarah Quinn, Sarah King (Mount Pleasant) and Sophie Lostro (New South Wales) to the club.

They join existing A-graders Vanderleest, Leisa Barry and young goal shooter Sidney Niemann in a squad that will again be a strong contender for finals action.

Maiden Gully YCW will be chasing the club's first A-grade title since 2013.

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