THEIR season started with grueling fitness work and it's now stamina and speed driving Warrnambool Wolves' charge to a championship.
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Wolves mentor Steven Wallace put his men through their paces in pre-season and it's now paying off.
The Harris Street Reserve-based outfit cruised through the South West Victorian Football Association season undefeated and have one hand on the premiership cup.
Wallace, an Irish national, coaches alongside Scottish-born talent Corrie Shields.
He said player management was key at the pointy end of the season.
"We're training really hard at the moment, last season we trained (on the bye weekend before the grand final). I think this season we'll have a break," Wallace said.
"We'll train twice next week and get good quality training sessions in.
"That's all we can do really - hopefully we don't get any injuries before then and we should be all right."
It doesn't matter which team we come up against as long as we do our job we get the win.
- Steven Wallace
Wolves could face either Stawell or Corangamite Lions in the decider. The two will play off in a do-or-die semi final this weekend.
Wallace revealed both opponents commanded respect but backed his side to get the job done.
"Stawell is the new side this year - they are very good defensively and are well set up," he said.
"I think they'll get better as the years go on.
"Corangamite are very physical. You have to bring your a-game to beat them. They're hard into tackles which is good.
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"It doesn't matter which team we come up against as long as we do our job we get the win."
Wallace, a civil construction worker, has introduced a playing style based on hard work to Wolves' ranks.
Both Wallace and captain Alex McCulloch - who arrived in the off-season - said the team had been rejuvenated with new faces.
"I didn't play last year, but there are lots of new faces as I understand it," McCulloch, a lawyer at Taits Legal, said.
"I played at Wolves about 20 years ago, but I've been at Warrnambool Rangers ever since.
"I'm back, so I'm an old new face. We have some recruits from overseas which I think have improved the team dramatically.
"We've added them to the team and they're really important players now."
McCulloch, who returned to Wolves to minimise travel commitments, was loving his time in yellow and black.
He urged people to support Wolves in their grand final on Sunday week.
"People who have nothing to do, come down and watch us and the juniors play," McCulloch said. "Hopefully it's good weather-wise and we get the win."
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