HDFNL 2024 season football preview: MOUNT PLEASANT

Mount Pleasant livewire forward Mitch Rovers kicked 43 goals last season. Picture by Noni Hyett

MOUNT Pleasant enters the 2024 HDFNL season as the defending premiers.

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The Blues blitzed their way to the flag last year from the elimination final - becoming the first team in HDFNL history to do so.

There has been a key change at Toolleen during the off-season with Cameron Carter, himself a past premiership coach at the club, taking the reins at the helm of the Blues as their new coach.

Q & A WITH COACH CAMERON CARTER

Who are the new recruits you've signed for the premiership defence?

"We've got Jack Hickman from Golden Square on board. He's a quality midfielder and we're looking forward to what he's going to bring to the table for us.

"Ben Bissett is a key forward who has been playing up in Queensland and is moving down this way for work. He's a decent size, so we were fortunate to get on to him.

"Daniel Frame is a mate of Ben's who has joined us as well. He has been playing for Morningside in the QAFL as a key defender, so we're thinking that's a role that he can fill with us.

"Christian Hatzis is coming off a year out with a knee, but he is a forward out of the Amateurs with Old Geelong.

"And Daniel Dempster and Dylan Barber have both come from Kangaroo Flat. They will both add to our midfield depth and potentially give us some options up forward as well."

The Mount Pleasant team that beat Heathcote by 19 points in last year's grand final. Picture by Darren Howe

As far as departures, there's obviously some high-profile players who have moved on.

"Adam Baird, Ben Weightman and Will Wallace are obviously three big outs from last year.

"They were our best forward (Weightman), mid (Baird) and backman (Wallace) from last year and you'd argue they were in the running as the competition's best as well.

"Patty O'Brien has retired, Zach Charles has gone back to Strathfieldsaye and Bryce Hinneberg has moved on as well.

"We know we've lost some very good players, but we have kept the core of the group together.

"We've had to be a bit selective in terms of our recruiting when you lose guys of the calibre that we have given not only were they really good players, but on minimal points as well."

How close do you think you've got to covering the losses of Baird, Weightman and Wallace with your recruiting?

"It's an unknown at this stage, but we think we've picked up guys who will give us options as key defenders, key forwards and through the middle.

"We think with the age demographic of a lot of the guys involved in the premiership last year still being young that we're going to get some natural improvement, and you're always hoping there's going to be a player or two who really jumps out.

New Mount Pleasant coach Cameron Carter.

"Having performed on the biggest stage and won a premiership certainly does a lot for the confidence of those younger players and we've seen that through the pre-season with guys who have trained on really well and are leading that next phase.

"With the players we've lost we're hopeful we can spread the load and have a solid platform going into the year."

Obviously the brand of footy Mount Pleasant played last year stood up well in finals and ultimately delivered the premiership. What can we expect this year given you've come in fresh?

"There's not going to be any reinventing of the wheel so to speak because there still is that core of premiership players there.

"Hopefully, we will be adaptable to different sized grounds, different conditions and what's thrown at us from the opposition.

"We're young, we'll run well and we're hoping the guys we have brought in will give us some stability in our spine."

Mount Pleasant's 2023 season summary.

Who are some of the players who have caught your eye on the training track during the pre-season?

"Reardon McIvor is a player who has had a fantastic pre-season.

"Zac Featherby missed a big chunk of last year and he is back training really well.

"Riley and Tyler McNamara have really been leading from the front, the White boys (Fletcher and Bailey) have been good, Mitch Rovers has been fantastic and really gives us a lot around the group.

"Overall, the core group has been fantastic throughout the pre-season."

How strong is the sense of belief and confidence among the group that, although some top-tier talent has gone, Mount Pleasant can again be one of the leading contenders this year?

"That's the aim. We're confident in who we've still got from last year and who we've brought in.

"The guys from last year will carry that enormous confidence they got out of that finals run into this season.

"We'll aim to be competitive and to be around the mark again knowing that the league is probably going to go up a notch again this year. It's going to be a really good competition this year."