Although there has been a taste already of local football over the past fortnight, Saturday, April 13 is the date that football and netball genuinely kicks into full gear across the region.

Saturday is round one for both the Loddon Valley and North Central leagues and the continuation of the opening round of the Bendigo league, not to mention some absorbing contests in the second round of the Heathcote District league.

And as the season sets to fully ramp up it's a year that has seen significant change on the coaching front.

Across the Bendigo, Heathcote District, Loddon Valley and North Central leagues are 36 clubs.

Of those 36 clubs, 19 have made a change to their senior coaching position for 2024.

WEEKEND FOOTBALL TEAMS

Without doubt the most notable change has been the move made at Golden Square.

Few coaching changes in recent memory have garnered more chat among the footy community than the Golden Square hierarchy's decision to sack premiership coach Christian Carter less than a month after leading the Bulldogs to last September's BFNL premiership.

Golden Square's gripping six-point win over Sandhurst in the grand final was the Bulldogs' 17^th win in a row, but when the Blue and Gold begin their premiership defence against Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park on Saturday it will be Brad Eaton at the helm.

After what has been an off-season of headlines centred around the removal of Carter and a significant player exodus the opening siren on Saturday where the Bulldogs can begin to usher in their next generation of players and they can get down to the business of playing football again will certainly be welcomed.

For the record, as well as new coach Eaton calling the shots, the Bulldogs' round one side that takes on the Hawks will feature just eight of last year's premiership team - new co-captain Jayden Burke, Zack Shelton, Tom Strauch, Jon Coe, Hary Burke, Jack Stewart, Hugh Freckleton and Jack Threlfall.

It's certainly a vastly different looking Golden Square side minus the trio of former skipper Jack Geary, ruckman Matt Compston and forward Hamish Morcom, who between them played around 700 senior games for the Bulldogs and all have links back to the golden dynasty that won five flags in a row between 2009 and 2013.

Across the Bendigo league Eaton is one of seven new coaches taking charge in 2024.

The most high-profile of the new coaches is former Essendon and Hawthorn defender Michael Hartley, who has taken the reins at Castlemaine.

And Hartley had an immediate impact first-up with five goals and 11 marks, including seven inside 50, in his debut for the Magpies in their 69-point Good Friday win over Maryborough.

Whether it's a coincidence or not, the introduction of the points and salary cap over the past eight years has coincided with it becoming a rarity these days for Bendigo league clubs to recruit former AFL players.

This year Hartley, who played 49 AFL games for the Bombers and Hawks between 2016 and 2021, is joined by Sandhurst's Fergus Greene as an ex-AFL player in the Bendigo league.

Greene is that particularly rare breed of player these days coming into the BFNL immediately off an AFL list.

Key forward Greene played 11 games with Hawthorn and kicked 15 goals last year to go with his five games and five goals for the Western Bulldogs in 2018.

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What an addition Greene is back at his home club Sandhurst - a one-point treasure who will be a star attraction out at Dower Park when the Dragons begin their premiership quest against Kangaroo Flat from 4pm.

On the topic of the Dragons, it's great to see Sean O'Farrell picked to play his first senior game since suffering a heart attack in November of 2022 while on a run around Lake Weeroona.

While Hartley and Greene are two of the marquee recruits into the BFNL, Eaglehawk also welcomes back the polished Brady Rowles, who while he didn't play an AFL game spent 2020 on the Sydney Swans' rookie list.

Back on the coaching merry-go-round, Eaton and Hartley are joined by Michael Ellings (Kangaroo Flat), Matt Johnston (Maryborough co-coach), Isaiah Miller and Steven Stroobants (South Bendigo co-coaches) and Luke Freeman (Strathfieldsaye) as new coaches in the BFNL.

Following the departures of Carter and Darryl Wilson (to Nullawil), it leaves Gisborne's Rob Waters as the only BFNL senior premiership coach in the competition this year.

Waters - who coached Gisborne's 2022 premiership - is back at the helm of the Bulldogs having stepped back into the hot seat for the final three games last year from Brad Fox.

Expect a significant rise from the Bulldogs this year and after a bye in the opening round their trip to the QEO next Saturday to take on Sandhurst is already earmarked must-watch viewing.

Out in the Loddon Valley league Bridgewater created the most off-season headlines with its fruitful recruiting campaign sparked by the addition of new co-coach Lachlan Sharp from Strathfieldsaye.

Among the exodus of high calibre talent from the BFNL that has left no Michelsen Medal or Ron Best Medal winners running around in the competition in 2024, Sharp was a foundation player for the Storm in 2009, booting 906 goals for the club.

Sharp joins Rick Ladson as a co-coach of the Mean Machine, with Bridgewater one of four clubs who have new coaches this year in what shapes as a far more competitive Loddon Valley league where Marong looks set to face stiff competition from the trio of the Mean Machine, Pyramid Hill and Bears Lagoon-Serpentine in its quest for a premiership hat-trick.

Two of those sides face off in the match of the round on Saturday when the Bears host Pyramid Hill - a rematch of last year's preliminary final.

New coaches have also arrived at Bears Lagoon-Serpentine (Jake Wilkinson), Inglewood (Fergus Payne) and Maiden Gully YCW (Shawn Filo and Angus Monfries), who as it stands at the time of writing start the season with the massive handbrake of being -12 premiership points before the ball is bounced duo to a sanction handed down by the league this week relating to the club's non-fielding of an under-18 team.

There's no Brandyn Grenfell in the LVFNL this year following his 303 goals in 41 games for Marong, but the likes of Sharp and former Fremantle Docker Josh Mellington at the Bears should ensure there's still goalkicking headlines coming out of the competition throughout the year.

Mellington's PlayHQ bio shows that post his days with the Dockers that ended after six games in 2013 he has kicked a century of goals four times - 111 with Benalla in 2015, 113 with Albury in 2016 (and 99 the following year), 130 with Echuca United in 2019 and 113 with Violet Town in 2021.

Meanwhile, in the Heathcote District league Mount Pleasant (Cameron Carter), Huntly (Hamish Morcom) and White Hills (Kaiden Antonowicz joining Jack Fallon) have had coaching adjustments, while the winds of change have blown through the North Central league.

Six of the nine NCFL clubs have new coaches this year - Mitch Collins at Charlton, Josh Potter at Donald, Scott Driscoll at St Arnaud, Wayne Mitrovic at Wycheproof-Narraport, Tom Metherell at Wedderburn and Darryl Wilson at Nullawil.

Bendigo league round 1 - Strathfieldsaye v South Bendigo, Eaglehawk v Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat v Sandhurst. Gisborne bye.

Heathcote District round 2 - Elmore v North Bendigo, Leitchville-Gunbower v Colbinabbin, Heathcote v LBU, White Hills v Mount Pleasant (5.45pm). Huntly bye.

Loddon Valley round 1 - Maiden Gully YCW v Calivil United, Bridgewater v Newbridge, Marong v Mitiamo, BL-Serpentine v Pyramid Hill. Inglewood bye.

North Central round 1 - Sea Lake Nandaly v Boort, St Arnaud v Wedderburn, Donald v Wycheproof-Narraport, Nullawil v Birchip-Watchem. Charlton bye.