SWIFTS senior footballers are continuing on their journey of growth as the Horsham and District Football Netball League 2022 season approaches.
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Throughout preseason the theme around the senior group has been "train hard, train positive".
Working with his young team, senior coach Brett Hargreaves said his role and the role of the other coaches, was ensuring their charges finished the 2022 season as "better players and better people".
"That's our biggest goal of all," he said.
"Obviously we'd love to play finals footy which I think we can so it's an exciting year for all involved."
Hargreaves said the development of the senior teams would come from within the group.
"All those players who have played under 20 games have now played nearer to 30 or 40 games and I think that's a big difference," he said.
"They've gone from 19-year-olds to 20-something-year-olds so I think we're going to have a heap of improvements of just that.
"When you look at it from a preseason point of view we're already 12 months ahead of where we were last year due to having the year off.
"Players are a more advanced so the stuff you can start off with will be better than where we started last year so we will be better for it again."
With the height of the pandemic behind the world, Hargreaves said there was a positive feeling around the club.
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"We're not really talking about it anymore besides the essential health and safety messages we have to share," he said.
"It doesn't feel like we've got that hanging over out heads anymore where that used to be always in the back of everyone's minds. It seems like that has gone now.
"I think that's probably helped with the positivity around the club."
With round one being just around the corner, Hargreaves said he felt the Swifts were better prepared for the 2022 season.
"We're really well structured and have our benches set up for reserves and seniors," he said.
"You can see that already and it was evident in the practice match when we played the same brand of football all the way through.
"There are going to be so many more players push for senior selection this year as opposed to other years."
The Baggies have picked up returning best and fairest player Ryan Folkes who has come back to the club from Great Western, Andrew Baker from Talbot and Jesse Portelli has returned to the club after playing his juniors at the Swifts.
Exiting the senior side is Tallis Miles who returned to Melbourne for work and Josh Davis who has moved to Geelong.
"There's a few players to watch but some that might not be as obvious as others would be. Angus Murray - he's ready to step up to be a premier player of the competition and Ben Leong - he's ready to be a stand out as well," he said.
"And young Ben Davis he's looking like he is ready to fulfil his potential - he was unreal in the practice game."
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