Greensborough is looking to improve the link between its midfield and forward line to remain a competitive finals side, according to coach Robert Hyde.
Only minor premier Macleod conceded fewer points than Greensborough in Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 last season.
However, a lack of cohesion between its midfield and attacking half prevented the club from progressing past the second week of the finals for the first time since 2013.
The Boro scored over 100 points just twice in 2017, with Josh Grubb (26) and Brody Tickell (23) the club’s only players to kick more than 20 goals for the season.
Hyde said developing a new structure to aid the connection issue between midfield and attack, which has hindered the Boro for a couple of seasons, had been a top priority in the pre-season.
“We’ve really been trying to bolster our midfield and forward line,” he told NFNL.org.au.
“We’re concentrating on delivery into our front half and are working on new systems and structures in both of those areas to try and better our delivery.
“Our backline is certainly up there with any available in the competition.”
The Boro have suffered some key departures over the summer, with forward Rhys Boyden making his way to Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 side Panton Hill, while gun midfielder Ricky Mullins and defender John Desmond will be sitting out the season.
But the inclusions have been significant.
Midfielder Zac McCubbin has made his way to War Memorial Park from Eastern Football League club Mitcham, while Hyde also confirmed a transfer for Gawler Central’s Charlie Molyneux from South Australia.
McCubbin booted 16 goals from 11 matches in the EFL last season and was six times named in Mitcham’s best players, while Molyneux claimed Barossa Light and Gawler Football Association’s league best and fairest, despite only playing 10 matches.
“Zac McCubbin’s a very hard and aggressive midfielder, he has got some really good leg speed,” Hyde said.
“We also transferred Charles Molyneux from South Australia and he’s going to add a lot of firepower.”
When talking about his aim for the upcoming season, Hyde didn’t put a limit on what Greensborough can achieve, aware that this year’s competition would again be wide open.
“I just think the whole league is going to be really close,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing if our new systems hold up and the kids we’ve developed.
“We have 39 under-19s on our list and there’s probably about seven or eight of them in the next year or two that will make that transition into senior footy.
“We want to be as competitive as we possibly can while developing the young blokes that showed positive signs last year. If we can do that then we’ll be aiming for the finals.”
Greensborough will put its new style to the test at home against Montmorency in Round 1, a side Hyde expects to be difficult to conquer in 2018.
“They’re going to be up and about,” he said.
“They’ve certainly strengthened their midfield with the two blokes coming back from league footy and Ben Fennell, so they’ll be pretty hard to beat.”
