BEATEN Hampden league preliminary finalist Cobden hit the pre-season track with a vision.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“We want to be the best side in the competition, that’s our goal,” Bombers coach Levi Dare said of their 2018 ambitions.
“If we aim for anything shorter than the next week (the grand final), there’s no improvement, no growth.
“It’s the goal from the group. Their focus focus is playing the next week and getting the ultimate success.”
Cobden started its pre-season training campaign on Tuesday night and will have 10 sessions prior to the Christmas break.
Second-year mentor Dare said the Bombers would combine running and skill work, emphasising the need to start ball work early.
He said the players had their own gym programs and were working diligently.
“It’s something some of them have never done before, a weight program, especially the younger fellas,” Dare said.
“When we did lose it was to sides like Koroit with bigger bodies, so it’s excellent they have identified a weakness for them and are turning it into a strength.
“They’re excited and keen.”
Maskell Medallist Dare said Cobden, which lost to eventual premier Koroit in the penultimate game, had opted to run two training sessions a week in the lead up to Christmas.
The Bombers will train on Tuesdays and Fridays.
“That’s why we started a week earlier (than some sides) because instead of doing three nights a week, we’ll do two a week,” he said.
“A lot of the boys play basketball and have other commitments.
“It can be a bit of a drag training three nights a week this early and we did go deep into finals.
“All the boys are super positive.
“They’re coming off making a prelim and it was the first finals for a lot of the boys and to win two finals means they’ve got a lot of confidence going forward.”