Lancefield is using a two week break to help build the connections between a new group in the Riddell District Football League.
The Tigers lost to Romsey in round one before having a bye in round two and then the Easter break on the weekend.
Coach Ryan O’Meara said they weren’t too fond of the draw when it came out, but were looking at the positives of it.
“You just want to get going,” he said. “It [round one] has given us a few things to work on.
“The game itself didn’t go as well as we would have been hoping. There were 10 first game players for Lancefield, senior players.
“We lacked a bit of connection and have a few extra weeks to work on that .”
O’Meara said they knew it would be a work in progress early in the season with so many new players.
He said there was a really good feeling around the place with all the newcomers coming in and they were hoping that they would stick around for a number of years.
“We’ve got to be realistic about it, we think we’re on the right track,” he said.
“It’s not just going to happen, we have to work on it and I like to think we would be stronger in the second half of the year.
“A lot of the new players are that 21-23 age group, we’d love to have them for the next four to five years and be able to build on something.
“That is the key, hopefully we get them to fall in love with the place.”
It was a big off season for the Tigers starting back in October. Among those leading the pre-season were former Australian road cyclist Mitch Docker, and former Western Bulldogs and Melbourne player Daniel Cross.
O’Meara said it had been really good to get them on board.
“Mitch was running a lot of our fitness work,” he said. “He is a phenomenal acquisition for us.
“There was a connection with Daniel Cross from North Melbourne and that was good to be able to get a lot of feedback from him and ask things of him.”
After struggling to get wins on the board last season, O’Meara said in an ideal world that they are able to build on that this year.
He said while last season looked bad just looking at the results, they had made a step forward.
“We lost three games last year by less than a goal,” he said. “As much as the year wasn’t ideal, I thought at times were quite competitive.
“The next step now for us is not to be content with being competitive, we got to win games of footy, that is why we are there.
“The aim is to win games, not putting a ceiling on how many we can win, love to win anywhere 4-6 be a good pass mark.
“We don’t want to set expectations. We’ll play it by ear and see how we go.”
The Tigers are back in action against Kyneton on Anzac Day, for a second straight season.
O’Meara said it’s an exciting day and would be a good challenge for them.
