MUSWELLBROOK Cats will come up against one of the early favourites for the Black Diamond AFL premiership in their first round match at Weeraman Oval on Saturday.
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The Cats finished ninth last season but several new recruits have strengthened the squad ahead of their clash with The Entrance Bateau Bay.
Captain Bryan Martin said the addition of players like Adam Highnam, Jedd Stojakovic, Nigel Smith, Jake Parker and Tate Berry had added much-needed experience and depth.
“Some of the new blokes haven’t played for a while but they’ve got the skill and grew up with the sport so they know it,” he said.
“Once you get over 50 games of experience you really have an understanding of the game, so it helps us out a lot already.
“We’re all relatively fit but in this competition you don’t have to be a super athlete, so you can fit in well if you know the game.”
Martin said Bateau Bay would be tough opponents given their strong recruitment of players over the past few years.
“They’re in a great area down on the Central Coast and they’ve got around 200-plus registered juniors in their camp,” he said.
“They’ll be pretty pacey but I think with what we’ve got, learned and built on from last year that we’ll be alright.”
Martin also praised the work of coach Brian Scott and his assistant Troy Garling over the course of the pre-season.
The Cats head into the game on the back of several indifferent results but Martin said it was all part of the learning process.
Muswellbrook played in the inaugural pre-season carnival, which saw Tamworth, Newcastle City, Maitland and Singleton compete for the first trophy on offer this year.
While the Cats failed to win a match during the carnival, they were able to give players valuable game time.
Tomorrow’s match will start at 1pm and entry is free.