Dylan Burns shouldered the majority of the Bombers’ ruck load last season, but the arrival of Nick Alexandrou at Reid Oval has eased pressure on the 21-year-old.

It means Chatfield has unleashed Burns as a swingman, plugging holes in both defence and attack.

“He’s a real swingman now – he can go down back when we need him to, because he’s such a workhorse,” Chatfield said.

“He’s a big bloke but he’s out running 20 kilometres on his days off. He’s a bit of a gun like that.”

Chatfield, a defender, expected new and returning players to shore up his side as it pursued its first Warrnambool and Distict Football Netball League triumph against Panmure on Saturday.

“We’ve had Caleb Templeton come in and he’s been a class act. I think he was (in leadership) with South Warrnambool’s under 18 side,” he said.

“You sort of look at him and there’s not much of him at all. But we’re trying to find a spot for him to run through the midfield rotations.

"That’s one area we’ve probably lacked in the last few years. The better sides rotate on and off the bench every few minutes.”

The former Hawkesdale-Macarthur mentor said consistency was vital for the Bombers’ ambitions.

“Playing good footy in patches isn’t good enough – it’s not going to win us enough games,” he said.