By Trevor Jackson
AS the reigning Mid South East football premiers, it is easy to imagine Port MacDonnell as having a target on their backs.
The side is not the same as the premiership-winning roster but the approach seems to be the same – work hard to build momentum and peak at the right time.
That approach paid dividends last season when few punters would have expected the Demons to defeat Kalangadoo in the season decider.
However, that is now history and the race to the top begins again this weekend.
For coach Simon Merrett it has been anything but a standard pre-season, although he says “the boys are going all right”.
“We are probably just ticking boxes and doing what we have had to do,” he said.
“The numbers have been down a bit which is a bit disappointing but our oval is being renovated, so we haven’t been able to train on that yet.
“It has cost us our pre-season so we will see how we look this week.”
Rather than training on the oval, the Demons have utilised Marist Park, the Allendale school and the foreshore at Port MacDonnell.
While not ideal, Merrett said it ensured the players’ fitness was up to scratch.
“It has restricted what we have been able to do but hopefully we have done enough to get the result this week,” he said.
“Our fitness is really good, so it is more the ball movement.
“I think that will come once we get out on the open spaces.”
As for the premiership victory, Merrett said not a lot had been discussed.
However, he said it was important to stick to a proven method.
“We want to stick to what we did last year because we know what holds us in pretty good stead,” Merrett said.
“We will try to time our run again so we are peaking late in the season.
“Hopefully early on we can bank enough wins to hang around that top four.
“Once you get to the last four teams in the competition, if you time your run right, anything is possible.”
Merrett said seven players were missing from the premiership side, which includes big names such as Daron McElroy, Hamish Stevens and Jacob Pfitzner.
“It is a bit of a hit,” Merrett said.
“It will be a different looking Port Mac footy club but all going well we should be amongst it.”
Pre-season hit-outs against North Gambier and Casterton Sandford provided a glimpse into what could be expected at the Bay this season.
While Merrett is pleased with pre-season, he accepted the Demons may need a touch of luck with injury to remain in the hunt for more September success.
“We will just do the best we can with what we have,” he said.
“If we can stay injury free and play our best footy at the right time I am sure we will be around the mark.
“Obviously there are are a couple of other pretty good sides as well but I think if we can play our best footy at the right time anything is possible.”
