OAK Park has been happy to fly under the Essendon Ford Division 1 radar this summer.
The Kangaroos’ list turnover has been minimal, with forward Dean Clare the only player to depart after kicking 20 goals from nine games in 2017.
Up to four new recruits are expected to find their way into the senior side this season, with coach Michael Hooper hoping to blood more of the club’s up-and-coming crop in 2018.
“We have a lot of juniors coming through,” Hooper told essendondfl.com.au.
“A majority of our senior side from last year are from the junior club, so we want to maintain a strong group that way.
“We’re not the sort of club that can rely heavily on being able to go out and recruit players every year, so once we’ve got a really good core group, we want to keep them together and then try to add a few players here and there when we can.”
Oak Park slipped out of finals contention in Hooper’s first season after almost getting to the grand final in 2016.
By its very nature, Essendon Ford Division 1 is very hard to predict, and Oak Park is one of those clubs that will remain an unknown until we get a sample-size of their home-and-away form.
Hooper believes a good run with injuries will, unlike last year, help the Kangaroos stay in the finals hunt.
“If we can keep our full list for most of the year, we’re confident that we can shape up against every side in the competition,” he said.
The Kangaroos were 1-3 after their first month last year and will face 2017 finalists Tullamarine and Hillside to open their 2018 campaign.
Hooper cited poor on-field discipline as an ongoing issue that he’s spent time addressing with the playing group over the summer.
“In the first half of the year our discipline was very poor,” he said.
“We lost at least two games where we cost ourselves with bad indiscretions, giving away silly free kicks and 50-metre penalties.
“So that’s one area where we as a group really focused on during the back half of last year and during this pre-season.
“Obviously it was a bit of a learning curve for myself, learning about the playing group and their strengths and weaknesses, but we’ve got a good base under us now.
“We now know the particular areas that we really need to work on and to be honest, a few of those areas hurt us at different times last year.”
Key Ins: David Price (midfielder, Thurgoona), Trent Lang (forward, Elmore), Mitch Robinson (forward, Aberfeldie) & Isaac Willett (midfielder, Wangaratta Rovers)
Keys Outs: Dean Clare (Westmeadows)
First Month: Tullamarine (away), Hillside (home), Westmeadows (away) & Taylors Lakes (away)
