FAST FACTS
COACHES: GLENN BOYD AND RYAN BUTLER 2023 FINISH: FIFTH (13-6) 2023 BEST-AND-FAIREST: BAILEY BELL 2023 LEADING GOAL-KICKER: LIAM EVANS (94) HOME GROUND: NATHALIA RECREATION RESERVE NICKNAME: PURPLES
PLAYER CHANGES
INS: Kayne Pettifer (Kyabram), Kian Wise (Tallygaroopna), Ben Pedretti (Shepparton East)
OUTS: None
If the blueprint was drafted up at Nathalia last season, the build has now begun.
Ryan Butler and Glen Boyd’s first year at the helm got off to a shaky start with a 2-4 record after six rounds, but a 10 game winning streak which followed shot them straight into finals football.
The Purples now have the tools to reach their end goal in sight after setting the foundation in 2023 - that, Butler is confident of.
“Once we got our groove, it was definitely good to see us starting to gel and work together,” he said.
“We were both on the same page on where we wanted to take the team, got off to a bit of a slow start but then obviously winning 10 in a row , the boys started to understand the game plan.
“They don’t need to learn the game plan, they already know it now. Hopefully they can hit the ground running and take off from what we were building on last year.”
Retaining the spine - guns such as Liam Evans, Brodie Ross and Bailey Bell - is essential to Nathalia’s finals aspirations as is the addition of former Kyabram gunslinger Kayne Pettifer.
The Purples also have as many as eight under-18s breaking into the senior setup, making for an exciting blend of talent rolling into the fresh season.
“The boys know what we’re about know, we haven’t lost any players and again we’ve got some young talent coming through from the thirds,” Butler said.
“We don’t want to go upsetting the apple cart by getting a hell of a lot more players in when we’ve got them at our doorstep.”