LVFNL season preview: Inglewood

History says it's hard to be confident, but coach Darrell Billett said the Blues have the ingredients to turn some heads in 2023.

"2003 was the last time Inglewood footy club played finals and I'd like to think we're in a position now to change that,'' Billett said.

"It's strange to say that considering in 2021 we were getting beaten by 120 points consistently.

"We played a lot of kids that year, then last year we improved and, with a bit of luck, could have won a few more games.

"Without getting too excited, this year I'd like to think we're going to be alright, but until the season gets going you just don't know.

"We've added some depth to the list. Last year we started really well, but once we got a few injuries we struggled to cover them.

"With more depth we're not asking 19 and 20-year-olds to do jobs that they're not ready to do."

The Blues' additions are headed by new assistant coach Fergus Payne and Sam Dorevitch - a talented midfielder/half-back from the Victorian Amateur Football Association.

Payne and his brother Keelan join the Blues from BFNL club Strathfieldsaye.

Their experience, and ability to play at either end of the ground, is what attracted Billett.

"Ferg Payne is a three-time premiership player with Strathfieldsaye and his brother, Keelan, gives us a big body, so they'll be very good for us,'' Billett said.

"We've picked a couple of boys from Dimboola (siblings Sam and Daniel Polack), who are uni students and a couple of their mates play with us, so they jumped on board as well.

"They played in Dimboola's first senior final in 10 years last year and they've trained really well in the pre-season.

"Callum March played some senior footy with Royal Park and he'll add to our depth. Isaac Povey is originally from down Coleraine way and he's played some senior footy down there.

"Sam Dorevitch has been playing premier grade with Caulfield in the VAFA, so we're expecting big things from him.

"Predominantly, he played off half-back in the VAFA, but we'll use him through the middle. Nick Silvestro is another kid that was playing with Caulfield.

"Darcy Hogan has come over from Strathfieldsaye. He didn't play any senior footy with Strath, but he'd played senior footy at Quantong prior to that.

"Cameron Martin is a local kid who has just come back from Darwin, so he'll be handy for us as well."

"We have a young group. I think we have three 26-year-olds and the rest are 20 to 24.

"Ideally, you'd like to have a couple of experienced 30-year-olds, but that's the way it goes. We're happy with the group we've got."

Billett said Campbell Love (overseas) and youngster Jasper McClellan (knee) were the only senior players from 2022 who won't pull on the jumper in 2023.

With improvement expected to come from the young players the club has blooded in the past few years, Billett has every reason to be confident that the Blues can challenge for a top-five berth.

"We'll know more after round four,'' he said.

"We start with Serp, then Marong, Bridgewater and Mitiamo - first four games we play four finalists, so if we can win a couple of those games we'll be right in the hunt."

WITHOUT a match even being played, Inglewood has scored two of its biggest victories of the LVFNL netball season already.

In a major boost to the club and competition, the Blues will field an A-grade team after not doing so last year.

They will also have teams participating in all but the 17-and-under competition.

New coaches Helen Ward and Dianne Wayman hope its a sign of more positive things to come as they look to help the Blues back to prominence.

The pair, who will also take charge of the Blues' B-grade team, is taking a patient approach with their A-grade team, with Ward, a club and league legend, insisting on taking small steps across the length of the season.

"We won't be winning any (A-grade) premierships I'm sure, but it will be nice just to be competitive," she said.

"We have some nice players and training has come along really well. Numbers have been very good.

"The girls have been training in Bendigo on Tuesday nights, doing a fitness program and then they train out here on a Thursday night.

"We won't have a 17-and-under team, which is pretty disappointing. We only had a couple of girls in that age bracket, so they will play seniors in C-grade or C-reserve.

"We're just glad to keep them involved and keep their interest up."

There were plenty of encouraging signs in the Blues' opening practice match against Wedderburn.

They will round out their preparation against Dunolly this weekend.

Among those to have impressed the coaches through the pre-season is homegrown player Emily Leach, who Ward said could fill roles at both ends of the court, at goal attack or goal defence.

"Another of the locals Holly Martin shows a lot of potential too," she said.

"That's something that's promising for me and a bit of a goal of mine, getting the local girls involved and playing.

"We need our local girls staying involved at Inglewood."

The youngsters will have no better mentors to learn from than Ward and Wayman, who were instrumental in the club's last A-grade flag in 1994.

Wayman was the playing coach, while Ward - a six-time A-grade league best and fairest winner and seven-time premiership player (three A-grade, two B-grade and two juniors) - was captain.

An accomplished netballer in her own right, Wayman coached Inglewood from 1992 to 1994.

The Blues, who went without a win in 10 games played during their last year in A-grade in 2021 and won three of 16 matches the previous season in 2019, will get the chance to get on the board early this season, having drawn Bears Lagoon-Serpentine in round one.

Like Inglewood this season, the Bears last year were coming off a season without an A-grade team. They did not manage a win despite some competitive performances.

A tough run of matches follows after the Easter break, with Marong, Bridgewater, Mitiamo and Maiden Gully YCW - all finalists last season - scheduled from rounds two through five before a bye in round six.

Ward, however, conceded that 'every match would be tough' given the Blues were returning to the top-tier of Loddon Valley netball, but added everyone involved was looking forward to the challenge.

"I think our practice matches will give us a good measuring stick, but the girls are looking better each week," she said.

"It's encouraging.

"We don't expect miracles, but hopefully we can give Serp a run for their money in round one."

INGLEWOOD

SEASON FIXTURE

ROUND 1 - April 1

v Bears Lagoon-Serpentine (h)

ROUND 2 - April 15

v Marong (a)

ROUND 3 - April 22

v Bridgewater (h)

ROUND 4 - April 29

v Mitiamo (a)

ROUND 5 - May 6

v Maiden Gully YCW (h)

ROUND 6 - May 13

Bye

ROUND 7 - May 20

v Newbridge (a)

ROUND 8 - May 27

v Pyramid Hill (a)

ROUND 9 - June 3

v Calivil United (h)

ROUND 10 - June 17

v Bears Lagoon-Serpentine (a)

ROUND 11 - June 24

v Marong (h)

ROUND 12 - July 1

v Bridgewater (a)

ROUND 13 - July 8

v Mitiamo (h)

ROUND 14 - July 15

v Maiden Gully YCW (a)

ROUND 15 - July 22

Bye

ROUND 16 - July 29

v Newbridge (h)

ROUND 17 - August 5

v Pyramid Hill (h)

ROUND 18 - August 12

v Calivil United (a)

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