Bacchus Marsh president Adam Sutherland knows his playing group wasn’t too far off a finals berth last season.
Despite finishing eighth on the ladder, the Cobras were one of the more dangerous teams in the Ballarat Football League, with their best seemingly good enough to compete with everyone.
But the club was also on the wrong end of several nailbiting losses that eventually came back to haunt it.
It missed out on a place in the finals by one game.
In an effort to strengthen the senior side, the Cobras have signed West Preston Lakeside duo Peter Shepherd and Steve Shaw, while Harley Nancarrow has crossed over from Epping.
“We’re bringing these players in to fix areas of the ground where we are deficient but also for their experience and leadership,” Sutherland said.
He said that, hopefully, that sort of boost would result in the club winning the close ones.
“That’s the next step for us – to be strong enough and good enough for long enough.”
The new faces will bolster a line-up in which almost the entire playing squad from last season will feature.
The only question mark surrounding a player at the moment concerns Alec Del Papa, who is trying his luck with VFL side Werribee. If recent history is anything to go by, Del Papa may find himself playing at the next level.
The Cobras are enjoying a golden run of success when it comes to promoting young stars.
Three former Bacchus Marsh juniors are on AFL playing lists, with Liam Duggan joining West Coast, Dillon Viojo-Rainbow taken by Carlton and Brenton Payne selected in the rookie draft by the Western Bulldogs.
“There’s a real feel-good factor around the club and that’s what every club strives to have,” Sutherland said.
“You want to be winning premierships or getting kids drafted to AFL clubs and fulfilling their dreams. That’s a big win for this club and we’re rapt for those boys.
“Not many clubs get three boys drafted in the one year. We have another four down at the Jets this year, too, so we’ll see how that plays out.”
