The Orange Tigers are set to face a rejuvenated, motivated Dubbo Demons side, hell-bent on moving further into the Central West AFL competition after missing out on the preliminary final by just six points this year.
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The Dubbo club enjoyed one of its best Central West AFL seasons in some time in 2016, finishing equal third and falling just two steps short of a grand final spot after years languishing at the foot of the ladder.
Will Bunt, who co-coached the side with Mick Daly last season, was recently announced as the sole coach for 2017 and the goals have been set high.
“We’ve set the goal of a grand final,” Bunt said.
“And the boys have said if we’re going to make a grand final they want to win it so everyone is keen and that’s their goal.
“We were just knocked out by six points last year and that showed the blokes weren’t out of place there so that’s a bit of a driving point too.
“They want to get a bit of payback and go a lot further and show everyone we really belong there.”
Bunt and new assistant coach Shayne Wilesmith kicked off pre-season last week, with fitness and the feeling of the ball back in the hands the main priority.
There will be no great changes to the way the Demons play in 2017, according to the coach, with the biggest difference now being all the decisions are made by just one man.
But despite that pressure, he’s keen to continue building with the Demons.
“When you take on something like this you’ve got to look at it as a three year process to really get everything going,” he said.
“Sometimes you start things and don’t see it through but next year we want to work on what we did last year and do some other things as well.
“We’ve got the aim of improving. The signs are very, very encouraging and there’s a lot of room for improvement and we can go a lot further.”
We’ve set the goal of a grand final.
- Demons coach Will Bunt
Bunt’s confident attitude was one of the big reasons the Demons performed so well last season, with belief often spoken about within the group.
And in more encouraging news for Bunt and the Demons, the playing roster in 2017 is expected to be basically the same.
While saying nothing was confirmed yet, Bunt said there had been no departures or additions but added there was the chance or one or two before the start of the 2017 season.
“If anything, we’ll pick up some blokes,” he said.
“There’s talk some ex-players are keen to come back and we’re trying to get a bloke from out of town to come so we’ll see how that pans out.
"But it’s always hard to say until that start of the season.”
Bunt added anyone who was keen to have a run for the Demons in 2017 can attend training on Thursday evening from 7pm at South Dubbo Oval.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
