South Rovers coach Kylie Carter says deeper WDFNL finals run the goal in 2023

Carter has re-committed as A grade coach after the Lions took giants strides in their second year as a core group. They rose from eighth on the home-and-away ladder in 2021 to fourth in 2022.

"It's about keeping that group together and if we can do that I think we can go a little bit further into the finals series, which is what the goal will be," she said.

The experienced mentor said the majority of her A grade squad looked likely to return and credited its positivity and work ethic as strengths.

"I don't know if you can ask for much more than that," she said.

She remains hopeful veteran Nadine Porter may return to the court for another season.

Porter, who finished top-10 in the league's best and fairest, missed finals after she broke her collarbone in round 17 of the home-and-away season.

"At the time we thought it was career-ending," Carter said of Porter's injury. "We're really just seeing how that goes. I'd love to see Nadine back on court for another year but she's recovering really well at this stage."

The Lions' pre-season training resumed last week ahead of trials starting February 2.

The club is yet to appoint an A reserve coach, with Amy Jenkins (B grade), Keziah Freeman (17 and under), Porter (15U) and Tanya Suggett (13U) continuing in their roles.

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