Westmeadows will get a clear indication of where it sits in Essendon District Football League division 1 in the first four rounds of the season.
The Tigers, who were knocked out in the semi-finals last season, have one of the toughest draws in the early part of the season.
They start with clashes against Oak Park (third last season), Tullamarine (runners-up), Glenroy (sixth) and Hillside (fifth).
Tigers coach David Connell said they knew the first four rounds could define their season.
“We’re optimistic,” he said. “We’re under no illusions about the start of the season – we’ll quickly know where we sit.”
Connell said the players had showed good signs in the pre-season.
“The practice matches have been in really warm weather – we haven’t played in under 30 degrees,” he said.
“We played Wallan first up and played well in patches.
“In the last game, against Thomastown, we were down by eight or nine goals at half-time but got up by three goals.
“In every practice match we’ve been missing between nine or 10 guys.”
In their second practice match, against Moama, Connell took the opportunity to play seven under-19 during a club weekend away.
A total of 11 under-19s players were given opportunities during the preseason.
Connell said those younger players would continue to get their chances during the season.
“Three years ago, we had one or two under-19 guys pushing up,” he said.
“We now have eight, nine or even 10 guys who will get opportunities this season. It’s really pleasing to see them come through.
“We know if we’re to have success, we need the under-16s and under-18s coming through and playing senior football”
Connell said Brad Dimech, who has come across from Roxburgh Park, and Jake Sherman, from Craigieburn, were two of the under-19 players that would likely play a lot of senior football.
The Tigers’ off-season recruiting has focused on looking at midfield depth, despite the club losing a couple of forwards.
Connell said that was the area they identified needed the most work.
“We’ve brought in nine players and six of them are midfielders,” he said. “We’ll structure up forward differently.
“We have Mitchell Church coming back from injury. He’s arguably the best forward in the competition.
“Robbie Mullens missed a few games – he can kick goals – while we’ve added Rikki Newton, who has kicked 50 to 60 goals in the Western Region Football League.”
The division 1 season starts on Saturday.
