STRONG recruiting has new Nirranda assistant coach Brayden Harkness confident the reigning premier can ruffle the feathers of the competition’s best this season.
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Harkness was lured back to his junior club after more than five seasons with Wartirna South in Melbourne’s Eastern Football League.
He has joined Luke Weel (Simpson), Robbie Gregg (South Warrnambool) and Will Paulin (Warrnambool) as the newest Blues and is expected to line up for round one.
The 27-year-old has been tasked with taking many of Nirranda’s pre-season training sessions and said it was “special” to return to his childhood club.
“We want to be thereabouts (in finals) again,” Harkness said.
“We know we just have to make the finals and then anything can happen, as we saw last season.
“It's an exciting place to be on the back of the premiership. You can just see how it has lifted everybody around the club.
“Admittedly, we’ve lost a few but I think the ones we have added will top us up back towards where we need to be.”
Harkness, a financial advisor at Silvan Ridge, said quality was oozing from the new Blues, although the side was yet to play a competitive fixture.
“I’ve played a bit of footy with a few of the boys before,” he said.
“Even just the few practice matches, you can see the sort of talent we’ve got now.”
We know we just have to make finals and then anything can happen.
- Brayden Harkness