McEwen Reserve’s lines have been marked and its grass perfectly manicured, leaving one thing left for the Goulburn Valley Suns to do — play ball.
Stepping into the cut-and-thrust of National Premier League Victoria’s third division for the first time, Saturday’s round one contest against Boroondara Eagles brings about a shot at retribution off the back of a relegation season which coach Craig Carley rightly labelled “demoralising”.
But the slate has been wiped clean and the refresh button has since been hit.
A refurbished panel of players and board members has given the Suns a transformed feeling heading into the new campaign, and Carley was as buoyant as ever ahead of the looming season-opener.
“There’s a really good buzz around the place at the moment,” he said.
“It’s been a very big off-season in terms of recruitment and stability, but the board has been fantastic in buying into our ideas.”
Reintroducing elements of stability at the club, which took a hit during last year’s relegation, has been paramount in Carley’s books, and is evident in the personnel brought back into the fold.
A number of fan favourites are back in Suns colours, however a raft of new additions underscore an all-star cast donning the orange kit, looking to do the badge proud in 2023.
Boom recruits Russell Currie, Joe Adoo-Peters, Jake Brocklebank and Taku Hishida have arrived from foreign shores and settled in seamlessly, all of which is leaving positive, lasting impressions in Carley’s mind.
“Getting the imports in early has been important, they’ve gelled really well into the squad and have bought into the club culture,” he said.
“Taku (Hishida) has put in some great performances on the wing in pre-season and Russ (Currie) has started to hit his straps up front after coming back from his injury.
“Joe (Adoo-Peters) is a Rolls Royce at the back for us and Jake (Brocklebank) is giving us that box-to-box option, so they’re all very good players who are great additions to the squad.”
While the Suns are set and ready for Saturday, the opposition — and league more broadly — remain relatively unknown.
Boroondara is a new addition to NPL3, having gained promotion from State League One, but for Carley, the attitude for every match is clear and unwavering — take each game one at a time.
“We know where we’re at, but our expectation is that we go into every game looking to win,” he said.
“We know there are some big spenders in this league as well as some clubs with a lot of history.
“I’ve watched a little bit of footage (of Boroondara), but I know it’ll be a tough game, they’re a good physical side.”