2019 RECAP
Despite only being one game off the finals pace by season's end, the Northern Saints endured a tricky 2019 season.
A four-game losing streak in the second half of the season saw the Saints drop out of the top four and move from 6-2 to 6-6 by Round 13.
First-year coach Brett Kennerley was then sensationally sacked in September, despite the Saints' positive 8-7 record on the year.
BEST & FAIREST TOP FIVE
1st - Tamer Abdallah*
2nd - Peter Dispenzeri
3rd - Eliot Kako*
4th - Jake McSwain*
5th - Daniel Gennacaro
GOAL KICKING TOP FIVE
33 - Mark Sabatino*
27 - Zakaria Farah
24 - Jalen Oakley
18 - Bradwell Dick
12 - Tamer Abdallah*
STRATHMORE COMMUNITY BANK DIVISION TWO TEAM OF THE YEAR
Jake McSwain* (full back)
Tamer Abdallah* (interchange)
*players not returning in 2020
2020 PREVIEW
Coach: Peter Lohner (1st season, replacing Brett Kennerley)
LIST CHANGES / LODGED TRANSFERS
In: Mark Nikolic (St Albans), Silvio Campanaro (Greenvale) & Anthony Petrocco (Pascoe Vale)
Out: Tamer Abdlallah, Eliot Kako, Matthew Macheda, Youssef Helou, Onus Akbas (all Westbourne Grammarians), Bradwell Dick (Buffaloes), Travis Rodier (Keilor Park), Darren Saad (Burnside Heights), Sam Malual (Seymour), Kynan Bernes & Kole Judd (both Pascoe Vale), Jake McSwain (North Heidelberg), Cody Miles (Albion), Mark Sabatino (Hadfield), Dwayne Bulmer & Rustin Bulmer (both Fitzroy), Josh Zakhour (Taylors Lakes) & Matthew D'Angelo (Essendon Doutta Stars)
EDFL MEDIA SAYS
On paper things look pretty grim for the Saints, who will be forced to field a very young line-up this year after waving goodbye to stalwarts Tamer Abdallah, Eliot Kako, Jake McSwain, Mark Sabatino and Bradwell Dick, among others, over the summer.
Peter Lohner will be Northern's fourth senior coach in five years but given he was an internal appointment that already knows the club inside-out, he's probably the perfect mentor to lead these Saints into a new era.
With no threat of relegation, the new-look Saints don't really have anything to lose and while they're not expected to be a big player in this year's finals race, they could still prove a tricky opponent for the division's more-fancied sides.
