ANGLESEA co-coach Jordan Keras is confident an off-season that has seen more credits than debits in the recruiting column will give the club the best chance of returning to finals.
After being knocked out in an elimination final in 2021, the Roos dropped to seventh with just six wins and a draw last year.
However, Keras believes the addition of the likes of Anglesea juniors Josh Jaska and Jack Walters from St Mary’s, along with fellow former Saint Will Batson, the returning Jack Rice and Harrison Veale, Fergus Huntington (Collegians, VAFA), James Carr (Uni Blues) and the recently announced Jack Baker (Gisborne) has the Roos in good shape.
“The personnel we’ve brought in, it’s really pleasing to see how they’ve gone about their footy,” Keras, who will again share the role with the long-serving Paul Nigro, said.
“The guys we’ve brought in have played in pretty professional environments and successful clubs, so bringing them into our club has been a real bonus.
“Hopefully, with the side we’ve got, we can see a real improvement this year versus last year.”
Keras is also excited by what Noah McGregor-Dawson can bring after crossing from Barwon Heads.
McGregor-Dawson played 17 home-and-away games for the Seagulls but was left out of the senior team come finals time.
“When I first saw him, I was confused as to why he was at Ellimatta Oval,” Keras said.
“I reckon we had him up on the whiteboard when we first played Barwon Heads (last year) as a player to watch.
“Watching his pre-season, I couldn’t be happier. To get a talented kid, who’s 20-21, in the Bellarine footy league, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Keras says fitness has been a critical focus of pre-season, which has been a reflection of the influence on Anglesea’s culture by the club’s recruits.
“Individually, everyone’s raised the bar,” he said.
“Some of the guys we’ve recruited in, we’ve quickly made them part of our leadership group because of what they naturally bring.
“They’ve been really hard on each other, and from a culture perspective, it’s been a huge shift.
Reigning best-and-fairest Ryan Williams (Lorne) is the only significant departure, with Keras also not planning for local great Dale Carson to play at the Roos after he managed just five games in 2022.
Anglesea will have simulated practice matches against GFNL clubs Leopold and St Joseph’s before a hitout against VAFA club PEGS (Old Essendon) on March 18.
The Roos start their 50th BFNL season with a trip to Queens Park for a meeting with Geelong Amateur.
Twitter: @tom_king79
