If you want evidence of the competitiveness found in the Northern Football League, look no further than Whittlesea Football Club.
The Eagles find themselves in division two this season after being relegated upon receiving the division one wooden spoon last year.
That wooden spoon came in a season in which they won three games, one of those against the eventual premier Northcote Park.
Two consecutive draws late in the season ultimately counted against Whittlesea, as Lower Plenty held on to ninth by less than one per cent.
Whittlesea took on South Morang in its season opener on Saturday, and coach Peter Bugden says his club quickly forgot the disappointments of the previous year.
“We didn’t really dwell on it,” he says. “We’ve recruited something like 10 new players and we’re working hard this year to achieve something special.
“We weren’t embarrassed with last season; we put everything into it and we beat the premiers and sides like West Preston.
“But with the recruits making a new side this year, we can’t really use last year as a motivation.”
The Eagles’ recruits are headed by former Bundoora forward Paul Harrison, who booted 92 goals in the past two seasons. Brodric Gray and “man mountain” Matthew Bekker have also joined from the Bulls.
Three players have made their way to the club from the Riddell District Football League – Glenn Poorter and Jordan Ormerod from Wallan and Marcus Webb from Broadford. Four have come over from Violet Town, headed by backman Dale Saddington.
Top shelf players Matthew Quinton and Nick Snowdon have departed the club to join Euroa. But Bugden, now in his sixth year at the helm, has high hopes.
“We’ve brought in players to replace them so we think we’re OK in that regard,” he says. “Pre-season as always has been pretty intense but all the boys are progressing well.
“We played something like 45 players through the seniors in our practice matches.”
The club’s first goal is to finish in the top two. Bugden knows it will be an extremely competitive year in division two, with sides such as Fitzroy Stars, North Heidelberg and Diamond Creek desperate for promotion, and cellar-dwellers Hurstbridge recruiting well.
“I’ve coached in years where the boys have finished on top and then gone out of the finals in straight sets,” he says. “So our objective is to win as many as we can and finish top two and then go on from there.”
