It has been a long time coming, but football will return to Tatura Park on Saturday for the opening round of the Goulburn Valley League.
Tatura coach Paul Kirby, who is back to steer the Bulldogs once more, said his outfit was looking forward to finally ending pre-season and kicking off the serious stuff with a home match against Kyabram.
“We’re just ready to finally get stuck into it this weekend,” the Bulldogs mentor said.
“Everyone is looking forward to having footy back. It’s felt like pre-season has gone for ever, so we’re raring to go.”
Although it’s been a lengthy wait for supporters to catch a glimpse of football, for players at Kyabram and Tatura it’s been a quick turnaround from their most recent contest.
The two outfits played a practice match on Saturday, March 26, and it was the Bombers who walked away with a win.
Kyabram coach Paul Newman, who returns this season after a two-year spell, was pleased with the performances of his side’s emerging talents, rather than the scoreline.
The likes of Mitch Gugliotti and Tom Burnett have caught the eye of Newman since his last tenure as coach.
Key forward Brad Mangan won’t be in the line-up on Saturday, with the former VFL talent still recovering from a knee injury sustained last year.
On the topic of player availability, both outfits are set to look different from their recent practice hit-out a fortnight ago.
For Kyabram, former AFL gun and forward maestro Kayne Pettifer returns, along with fellow forward wiz Kyle Mueller and the ever-reliable Jason Morgan.
Tatura, on the other hand, will welcome back Andrew Ciavarella, while Tim Wilson and Luke McGill are set to miss.
“We’ll have a few missing this weekend. We had a few blokes pull up sore from the practice matches,” Kirby said.
“It’s not ideal but you can’t help these things. We know we are up against it and that it’s going to be a tough contest (against Ky).
“I’m looking forward to seeing how our younger crop of guys perform, players like Sean (McAllister), Xavier (Hutchinson) and Will (Russell).”