Pre-season kicks off next Monday for Bairnsdale Football Netball Club and with second year senior coach, Darren Martin, at the helm, the future looks bright.

Despite an inconsistent 2018 Gippsland League season where the Redlegs were often in games but would fall away for a quarter, resulting in a seventh place finish and a 6-11 record, Martin was happy to report that nearly the entire list had stuck around for another season.

“The list looks good and we have had some great retention of players this year,” he said.

“That has not been something we’ve been good at previously. With the alignment system it’s been like a bit of a rotating door – 10 or 12 players out and 10 or 12 new ones in.

“There are a lot of good young quality players on the list that will be better with another season under their belt.

“You are not trying to teach 10 or 12 players a game plan and trying to get everyone to bond and gel. Most of the guys just need fine-tuning on it now, as do I. I am really excited and the club is really excited for where we are headed.”

Darren encouraged players from around the region to come along to preseason training.

“You don’t have to be invited to come over to Bairnsdale,” he said.

“It’s an open door policy. We want everyone who wants to, to come over. Even if there are guys that are thinking I might just go over and have a look, have a few runs, do a bit of the pre-season, they are all welcome.

“I think anyone who comes over might fall in love with the system and the place. The ground is looking a treat, which most aren’t with the drought. We have all new irrigation in. It’s a good place to be hanging around at the moment.

“We will probably train from quarter to six for about an hour.”

Bairnsdale has continued to add depth to its list in the past month with East Gippsland Football Netball League senior trade award winner, Keenan Hynes, among a number of new signatures.

“Keenan (Hynes) is a big one,” Martin said.

“He’s been one of the best players in the East Gippsland competition for the last few years, and he is only 22 or 23. He’s 6’3”, can run and has good skills so he’s got all the tools to play really well at our level.

“Charlie Bryan has come back, Max Rowe is back and we have signed just about all of the thirds that have come up this year.

“There are 13 of them and some of them are quality players. Pete Jenner has come from Lucknow. The list is pretty long and looks pretty strong.”

It will be a lighter start to Bairnsdale’s pre-season at City Oval compared to previous years.

“Because we are starting with the reserves instead of going too hard too early, we started a week later than normal,” Martin said.

“We will be training on Mondays and Wednesdays until Wednesday, December 19, and it will be ball work and getting to know each other rather than fitness testing and stuff like that. It will be more about fun, having a run around and kicking the football. We will be working a bit on our method as well so there won’t be time trials and fitness testing. We will leave that until we get back after Christmas.”

With Bairnsdale fielding its first reserves side next season, Martin believes that will add an extra dimension to the club.

“I think it will not only help during the pre-season but the whole way through the season,” he said.

“Being able to train competitively against each other is good. It’s all about having those extra numbers. Even on a bad night you would think there would be 30 or so there.

“Last season with the old alignment system, a few sick, a couple working and a few in Melbourne, you’d end up with 13 or 14 on the track and it’s hard to train your method when you are doing that. You can do handball drills and that’s about it.”