The green and gold Grasshoppers are shaping up for another good year of football in the Maryborough and Castlemaine District Football League.

With the loss of no senior players, developing youth and the possibility of recruiting, things look ominous for the reigning premiers.

After having two disappointing losses Navarre managed a premiership the third time around with a huge 100 point grand final win over Lexton.

Newly appointed president Andrew Murphy was very positive when talking about the upcoming season.

"We just want to go down the same path we did last year," he said.

Mr Murphy was hoping that the premiership win last year would help with the drive and motivation for the players and coaching staff in the upcoming season.

Daniel Parkin will hold the top job again in season 2014 as senior coach, giving him the opportunity to go back to back.

"Things are looking alright so I'll go around for one more year," Parkin said.

"I didn't know if I could give 100 per cent for another year, but we'll go again. I don't want to see all that good work gone."

Parkin also has the privilege of running the preseason training and according to Andrew Murphy, it looks to be slightly harder than last year's preseason.

"From the outside looking in it looks harder this year than last year," Mr Murphy said.

The Grasshoppers, who commenced their preseason four weeks ago, have undergone a tough schedule including fitness, strength and endurance exercises.

The numbers for Navarre preseason have seen a group of anywhere between 16 and 22 players training at Navarre with 10 extra players training with one of the Navarre coaches Brian Lovison in Ballarat.



"The preseason numbers for the Grasshoppers reflect their premiership season last year" Andrew said.

The Ballarat group have ventured around the city tackling stair cases where ever they could find while the Navarre group have spent afternoons running around cato.

"It's been a whole lot of running this year. 

Apart from running they've done push up and sit up squats you know all the fun things"

Up until the Christmas and N

ew Year holiday break the Navarre Football Club had been training twice a week.

It is expected that the number participating in preseason will increase after the break along with the intensity of the training.

Navarre's first hit out will be in

front of its home crowd against Lexton who it thrashed by 100 points in the grand final. The preparation will continue with Grasshopers set to resume preseason training towards the middle of January so they are prepared for round one

 on

April 12

.