PATIENT and free-flowing football – two qualities Ben Price wants his Allansford side to adopt under his tutelage.
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Price, appointed to the Cats’ top job in October, said his pre-season plans had been heavily geared around skill training.
The former Terang Mortlake reserves coach said he’d also been working to build trust between coaching staff and players after a tough on-field season in 2017.
“We’ve focused on that game sense stuff, and getting our fitness work in with the footy in our hands,” Price said.
“I’m not into time trials or anything like that. It’s about getting the boys to trust me a little bit as well.
“The perception was probably that coming from the Hampden league, the players would get a flogging on the training track.
“But the fitness tests and whatnot aren’t required at the moment. If we want to get that little bit extra, we might implement that, but right now, it’s about getting the boys to enjoy their footy.”
Price revealed his club had 10 new players pressing for round one selection.
Former players Jason Wilson and Brent Fedley have signed on, while former Port Fairy duo Robbie and Dylan Hare are also on board.
Cody Virgona, Sam Alberts, Ben McLean and Chris Clarke are also expected to push for senior action.
Price said the suite of new talent had lifted the mood at the cattery.
“Improving our win-loss record is a must. But we’ll have more internal goals as well – we just want to get things right,” he said.
“That starts with our training, positional stuff and rotations (off the bench). We don’t want the guys to be robotic, but we want it to become second nature.”