FIRST-year coach Michael Boothey is confident North Geelong has assembled a forward line to make the club more competitive in 2023.
The Magpies were ranked 10th in points for, averaging just 58.3 per game and passing 100 just three times – all against the teams that finished below them on the ladder.
Mitch Habib’s 20 goals were enough to lead North’s goalkicking.
However, with 2013 premiership player Blake Miller returning after stints at GFNL club North Shore and GDFNL rivals Bannockburn, Boothey believes the Magpies will have plenty of options inside 50.
“The boys are rapt to have him back,” Boothey said.
“Add him to Mitch, and Luke Parker, Aaron Best, the forward line’s starting to look quite dangerous.
“Then you bring in some of the small guys around them, and it’s looking quite healthy.”
North Geelong has been one of the quieter clubs on the player movement front, with Miller and Tom Schwennesen, who spent last year at North Shore, the key inclusions.
Former junior Mark Paramonov has returned to Central Highlands club Clunes.
Boothey has welcomed the minimal outwards movement as a vote of confidence in his plans at Keith Barclay Oval.
“When you look at your list (from the previous year), and you only lose one or two from that, it makes a massive difference to keep the group together,” he said.
“They’ve really bought in to the whole pre-season and what we want to achieve moving forward.
“We’ve been averaging over 40 at training every night, which is just fantastic.
“I couldn’t have dreamt of having numbers like that at training.”
Skill development and game style have been keys across the pre-season for the Magpies, who finished with seven wins in 2022.
“Short kicking and working on how we want to play; just getting the guys used to how we want to play our footy,” Boothey said.
“And then putting it back on our players to run the show. The best way of teaching them was getting their feedback all the time.
“Whatever drill we were doing, I’d bring them in and ask them what they found with the drill. What they learnt? What they need to improve on?
“They’ve picked up on the game style really well.”
North Geelong has practice matches scheduled against Western Region club Parkside and Bellarine team Newcomb at Deakin University ahead of a Round 1 match-up with Thomson.
Twitter: @krockfootball
