BFNL 2024 football season preview: Strathfieldsaye

Strathfieldsaye coach Luke Freeman labelled Lachlan Ratcliffe (pictured) as a player he hopes to take a step up in 2024. Picture by Darren Howe

Former Newbridge coach Luke Freeman is the new figurehead of Strathfieldsaye's footy program after taking over from three-time premiership coach Darryl Wilson.

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Freeman is no stranger to the Storm, having been an assistant during their 2017 and 2019 premiership campaigns.

He takes over a side that has lost stars Lachlan Sharp, Cal McCarty and Jake Moorhead, but inside midfielder Caleb Sheahan's return should offset some of that loss in class.

While on paper, they won't be as strong as in previous years, the Storm's superior depth compared to teams expected to finish around them, such as Golden Square and Eaglehawk, should still allow them favouritism for a top-three finish.

New Strathfieldsaye coach Luke Freeman.

Q&A WITH STRATHFIELDSAYE COACH LUKE FREEMAN:

WHO HAVE YOU BROUGHT IN?

"We've brought back Caleb Sheahan, who played in our 2019 premiership and will go into our midfield mix.

"After playing in Mount Pleasant's premiership side last year, Zach Charles has also re-joined the club and will add some depth to our forward line.

"Jacob Beattie from Moyhu is a versatile player, and Tangimamao Punguika is a young, explosive kid who's come up from Melbourne and has a bit of sizzle about him."

WHAT HAS THE RECRUITING FOCUS BEEN?

"There's been a focus on bringing people back to the club while investing in our current list because we want to give them more opportunities than in the past."

YOU'VE SPOKEN ABOUT HAVING GUYS ORGANICALLY STEP UP INTO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS - WHO ARE A COUPLE OF THOSE PLAYERS?

"It's the guys that have four to seven years of senior footy under the belt.

"It's your Daniel Clohesy, Cooper Jones, Lachlan Gill, Lachlan Ratcliffe, Riley Wilson, Patrick Blandford and James Schischka who are in that age group and have shined across the pre-season with their leadership.

"It's great they have the support of Benjamin Lester and Shannon Geary, who have been around for a long time to support them through it."

Young tall forward Malik Gordon. Picture by Noni Hyett

YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO REPLACE LACHLAN SHARP, BUT WHERE CAN YOU FIND SOME OF THE GOALS HE KICKED?

"It's been the big talk of the off-season on how we'll look in attack without him.

"He's obviously been the focal point of the club for a decade, but we're really happy with how our forward line is shaping up.

"We've got big guys like Schischka, Caleb Ernst and Malik Gordon, who've looked dangerous throughout the practice matches.

"I can see those guys hitting the scoreboard more regularly than in the past.

"They are boys who can kick bags on their day, but I think we'll get a better spread across the forward line."

IT WILL BE A DIFFERENT MIDFIELD DYNAMIC WITHOUT MCCARTY AND MOORHEAD - HOW IS YOUR COALFACE SHAPING UP?

"Bode Stevens is having a great pre-season down at North Melbourne and is playing good footy both with us and the Roos.

"Sheahan is back, and Clohesy won our best and fairest last season as a midfielder, so they'll be key players.

"Then guys like Gill, Wilson and Matt Harvey will get more minutes through the guts."

YOU SAID IN NOVEMBER YOU'RE AIMING TO IMPLEMENT A COUPLE OF CHANGES TO YOUR STYLE OF FOOTY - WHAT WILL THAT LOOK LIKE?

"How we deliver the ball into our forward line and its structure will look different from how it has over the last decade.

"But we've also changed a few things defensively."

SANDHURST IS SEEN AS STRONG FAVOURITES, BUT ITS QUITE OPEN FROM THERE - WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR 2024?

"There are lots of people saying they know where each team is going to finish, but as a coaching group, we're just pleased with where we are sitting currently.

"We've got some big games in the first three rounds (South Bendigo, Golden Square, and Eaglehawk) before the bye, so we'll get an indication after that on where we'll sit."

HOW CRUCIAL IS IT TO BANK EARLY WINS?

"It's super important.

"Those games are against teams we're fighting with for finals spots, so banking wins against them will be critical come the end of the season."

IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME COACHING A MAJOR LEAGUE CLUB - HOW ARE YOU FINDING IT?

"I'm really enjoying the challenge of leading this group forward.

"It's probably a good time to take over with some fresh faces in the playing group because we're all going through this journey together.

"It's been a long and hard pre-season with a bit of fun thrown in, so we're just looking forward to Saturday now."

WHO'S BEEN IMPRESSIVE ON THE TRACK?

"To their credit, all the boys turned up to pre-season in ripping shape.

"I reckon losing the preliminary final last year hurt the boys that played and those that didn't know there's spots available.

"I could list a lot, but Lachlan Gill is one who's taken his fitness to a whole new level, and Cooper Jones looks like he's getting back to his best."