Young guns, returning club champions and a senior group in the prime of their football years will lead Halls Head into the 2018 Peel Football and Netball League season.
The club is looking to a new direction and a new dawn after finishing last year’s campaign in second last with just two wins.
We can really rock some sides this year
- Halls Head coach Adam Boone
Their fresh outlook began with the appointment of former club captain Adam Boone as a player/coach shortly after last season, but he won’t be the only ex-leader returning to the Merlin Street base with fellow former captain Mitch Royal back at the club.
The Lightning has also welcomed in new recruits Ben Dunbar and Dan Lunt, who will add to the midfield and key position stocks respectively.
Dunbar joins the club from Koorda in the Central Wheatbelt Football League, and also played six league games with Peel Thunder back in 2009.
Lunt will look to make an impact as a key position player for Halls Head, coming to the club on the back a tenure with the Gosnells Hawks.
But it won’t be former leaders or new recruits that Halls Head lean on as they look to surge back up the ranks.
Rather, it will be their talented crop of youngsters.
Halls Head retained the majority of their senior core over the off-season, including leaders Robert Falkstrom, Jake Lally, Cory Fish and Tyson Phillips.
But coach Boone said it’s up to the players entering the early stages of their league careers to guide Halls Head back into the finals.
“The kids we have at our club are as good as anywhere in the competition, so developing them is our goal first and foremost this year,” he said.
“We’re a really young list – even our senior guys are only turning 26, 27-years-old – so if our young blokes can take the next step it puts our club in a really good position.
“Guys like Liam Lockley, Travis Sexton and Michael Beeton have been pretty impressive on the training track so we’re looking forward to seeing where they can take us.”
When quizzed on a pass mark for his young side, Boone said he would simply like to see continued improvement across the 18 rounds.
“Obviously we want to play finals, and I think if we apply ourselves we can do that,” he said.
“But really we just want to be competitive across the whole season, without dropping off.
“We can really rock some sides this year.”
Halls Head’s season kicks off with a home showdown against South Mandurah on Saturday, April 7.