BOTH Koroit and South Warrnambool are hoping to regain high-profile players from unavailability and injury in coming weeks as they pursue early-season form.
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The Saints defeated an injury-hit Roosters on Good Friday without utility Ben Dobson and midfielder James North, while NAB League-listed duo Mac Petersen and Thomas Baulch also didn't feature.
South Warrnambool coach Mat Battistello said there were no concrete time frames on his side regaining players - including former Hawthorn winger Ricky Henderson, ex-Gold Coast Sun Louis Herbert and Joe Dalton - but hoped some would push to return in coming weeks.
"Some are coming in, some are coming out over the next couple of weeks, some will be probably over the May races bye," Battistello said.
Some are coming in, some are coming out over the next couple of weeks, some will be probably over the May races bye.
- Mat Battistello
"We've got two weeks off over that particular time. They'll find it hard to get in if we can get wins and people play well.
"That's what we've needed as a footy club, to have some depth there and it's not there at the moment because of unavailability and injuries but that'll slowly improve."
Dobson received a two-match ban with one week suspended for an incident in the 2019 Hampden league decider against North Warrnambool Eagles. It means the former Essendon and Geelong Victorian Football League prospect is available for the Saints' round one clash against Portland.
Koroit coach Chris McLaren also said veteran Ben Goodall, who was a runner on Good Friday, had been training and could yet make a return.
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He said his side would improve with the inclusions but acknowledged South Warrnambool was also depleted in the Good Friday match.
"They have some quality that didn't play," McLaren said. "It was nice to get four points against a team that I don't know how many other teams will get four points off.
"They're bloody hard to beat so that's maybe a four we can stick in the bank."
The Saints, the six-time reigning Hampden league premier, will travel to Hanlon Park to battle Portland in round one. South Warrnambool, meanwhile, will face off against Warrnambool.
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Nick Ansell
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
