There is a general burst of excitement around Tathra as Aussie rules round one lands this weekend.
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The Sea Eagles will head south to Eden for the season opener, where it will be a grand final rematch for the ladies.
“it will be a hell of a game and I encourage everyone to get down there,” senior captain Luke Taylor says. “The ladies are getting great numbers on the track and will be primed for this match.”
After a stinging last minute loss to the Whalers in the ultimate round, the Eaglettes will be hungry for redemption.
And Taylor said the seniors will be just as hungry for the return of Aussie rules.
“It’s always a thrill for the start of the season to come around, it’s here at last and we can get into it.” he said.
“We’re itching to get into it and we’ll be fully confident of the guys we pick to get the job done and get us that early result.”
The Sea Eagles are bursting with a youthful new exuberance, the addition of Shane Gartside and Dennis Paratene to the senior line-up has added sparks in the pre-season.
Meanwhile, Nick Forester was credited with a fine end of year display in 2016 and has been picked as a potential representative star this year.
“It’s really exciting to have these young guys on the rise,” Taylor said. “A player like Dennis is really one to watch, we’ll be looking to make him a permanent inclusion in the seniors after he got a bit of game time last year out of the 16s.”
“Meanwhile, Nick had a great pre-season and finished off last year in great form, we’ll be looking for him to pick up even more and he could be a big player for us this year.”
The club will also welcome the return of Dean Gartside and Taylor said he had been pairing up well with his little brother to form an exciting combination.
However, the Sea Eagles will still boast experience through a number of seasoned campaigners like Taylor himself, Troy O’Loghlin, Chris Dwyer and Adam Blacka.
Beyond the round one excitement, Taylor said there would be even more heart in this early contest as the two teams battle for the Anzac Day shield including a special medal for best on ground.
“We’re also pumped to have an under 11s junior side this year and keen to see them out in their first game,” Taylor said.
The club’s under 11 side will open proceedings Saturday at the Eden Cricket Ground from 11.10am.
Ladies at 1.10pm and first bounce in seniors at 2.30pm.