NEW Montmorency senior coach Ben Haynes is confident his youthful side can still be a force in 2015.
The Magpies have endured a mass exodus in the off-season, with the loss of key personnel leaving numerous holes in their side that need to be filled during the new campaign.
Captain and reigning club champion Ryan Jackson, his brother Luke, Shane Tennant, Ryan Willits and Harley Ryan are just some of the notable off-season omissions for Montmorency.
It follows a fourth-place finish in 2014, where the club was ousted from the finals series following consecutive losses to Greensborough and Macleod.
But despite losing a host of experienced players from his line-up, Haynes hopes his side has the depth to cover the key losses.
“We have had a few challenges over the off-season, but I believe we have overcome them and now we are just raring to go for Round 1,” Haynes told NFL.org.au.
“The external view is probably that we might slide a bit because of how young we will be, but that doesn’t really bother us.
“We still think we have a major role to play this season.”
Haynes – who replaces Bryan Cole as Montmorency coach – will look to inject youth into his side over the duration of the season, saying he expects seven to nine under-19 players to player senior football each week.
“We are a pretty young squad, so some of the younger blokes will get a good taste of senior footy this season,” he said.
“They all bring great enthusiasm to the group.”
Despite the departures of key players, Haynes is excited by some of the talent Montmorency has acquired over the off-season.
The Magpies have managed to snare Williamstown and former Calder Cannons midfielder Stephen McCallum, Alex Potter and Michael Fitz-Gerald, who returns to boost the club’s defensive stocks.
McCullum arrives at Montmorency after 51 senior games with Williamstown in the VFL, and Haynes hopes he can fill the void left by Ryan.
“He is a talented player (McCullum), I think he is a like-for-like replacement for Harley (Ryan),” Haynes said.
Potter is expected to hold down a key position role in the backline after arriving from NEAFL side, Morningside.
Potter’s former coach at Morningside John Blair described the key defender as a very intelligent player who brings a lot of leadership to the playing group.
Fitz-Gerald also returns to Montmorency after a year away from the club, with Haynes forecasting that he will be used as a key defender.
Haynes also announced that the Magpies will have co-captains for the 2015 season following the departure of former skipper, Jackson.
Jesse Donaldson and Craig Flint will lead the side this season, with Haynes full of praise for the talented duo.
“Jesse and Craig lead by example, and our playing group really looks up to them,” he said.
Montmorency will open its season against local rival Lower Plenty at Montmorency Park South Oval on April 11.
